“Third Wheel” star brings companions closer together
When white dwarfs—the hot remnants of stars like our Sun—are orbited closely by another star, they sometimes steal mass away from their companion.
The stolen...
Dark matter could create dark dwarfs at the center of the Milky Way
Dark matter is one of Nature's most confounding mysteries.
It keeps particle physicists up at night and cosmologists glued to their supercomputer simulations.
We know it's...
Scientists discover a nucleus that can change its shape with just a tiny nudge
Researchers at Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) have made a fascinating discovery: a tiny atomic nucleus can exist in two...
From air to atoms: What happens when oxygen collides at near light speed?
The world’s most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, is entering exciting new territory.
For the first time ever, the LHC...
Scientists capture the universe in motion
After years of preparation, U.K. astronomers are celebrating a major milestone as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory reveals its first dazzling images of the...
A new twist in string theory could solve a cosmic mystery
For decades, string theory has promised to be the ultimate explanation for how our universe works.
In this theory, all matter and forces are made...
Tiny satellite could make quantum communication a reality
A small satellite about the size of a shoebox has been launched into space to test exciting new quantum communication technology.
Called QUICK³, the satellite...
Scientists witness a rare quantum dance in a single sheet of atoms
Electricity and magnetism are often treated as separate forces in materials. In fact, they can sometimes interfere with each other.
But scientists from National Taiwan...
How do scientists calculate the probability that an asteroid could hit Earth
I was preparing for my early morning class back in January 2025 when I received a notice regarding an asteroid called 2024 YR4.
It said...
A fast radio burst detected last year turned out to be from long-dead NASA...
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have remained a mystery to astronomers even since the first was detected in 2007 (known as the Lorimer Burst).
These quick...