Space & Future
Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Created a Planet-Wide Firestorm, Study Finds
A new study suggests that the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs may have been even more deadly than scientists once thought.
Researchers now...
After 100 Years of Searching, Astronomers Finally Find Betelgeuse’s Hidden Companion
Astronomers have found the strongest evidence yet that Betelgeuse, one of the brightest and most famous stars in the night sky, is not alone.
After...
Alien Signals May Hide in Unexplored High Radio Frequencies
Confirming the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence via radio signals, also called technosignatures, is the cornerstone of radio astronomy.
While humanity has been asking since time...
White Dwarfs Eat More Planetary Debris Than Thought, But Magnetic Fields Hide It
White dwarfs are what remain when a main sequence star like our Sun reaches its end. As it depletes its fuel, it swells and...
A Wandering Black Hole Meets a Wandering Star
What happens when a black hole and a star meet in the middle of nowhere in a galaxy?
It sounds like it could be a...
Scientists Discover Mercury’s Hidden Radiation Belts That Appear And Disappear
For many years, Mercury was thought to be the only planet with a magnetic field that did not have radiation belts like Earth's famous...
A Black Hole Lost in Space? Astronomers Discover One of the Rarest Cosmic Events...
Astronomers have discovered one of the rarest black hole events ever observed, revealing a massive "wandering" black hole far from the center of its...
Dead stars may be eating far more than we ever imagined
White dwarfs are often called "dead stars," but new research suggests these ancient stellar remains are far from inactive.
Instead, they may still be pulling...
Australian Salt Lakes May Hold The Secret to Mars’ Watery Past
Could some of the best clues about ancient Mars be hiding in the remote landscapes of Western Australia?
A new study suggests that unusual salt...
Scientists solve a long-standing nuclear mystery that could explain how stars create heavy elements
Scientists have solved a decades-old mystery about the way some atomic nuclei release energy, a discovery that could improve our understanding of how stars...
Scientists develop a new way to search for hidden particles by ‘listening’ to the...
Scientists have created a new mathematical method that could help reveal hidden particles that have so far escaped detection.
Inspired by the way a skilled...
Venus May Still Be Geologically Active, New Study Suggests
For many years, scientists believed that Venus was a quiet, geologically inactive world where major surface changes stopped long ago.
New research now challenges that...
Deep Space
Space dust could help protect the earth from climate change
A new study led by scientists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and the University of Utah explores the potential of using space dust to shield sunlight.
Pebbles, rocks, and gas: How a giant planet was forged in extreme heat
A distant planet known as WASP-121b has helped scientists uncover new clues about how giant planets form—and it turns out, tiny space pebbles and...
Where the Milky Way’s cosmic rays come from
Astronomers have succeeded for the first time in quantifying the proton and electron components of cosmic rays in a supernova remnant.
At least 70% of...
MIT scientists uncover the richest chemical cloud in the galaxy
Astronomers from MIT have uncovered an astonishingly rich mix of molecules in a region of space known as the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1).
This dark,...
Water in your coffee might be older than the Sun, study finds
Astronomers have made a stunning discovery that reveals just how ancient some of the water in our universe really is.
Using the powerful Atacama Large...