Space & Future

How colorful microbes in clouds could help us find life on other planets

Clouds may spoil a picnic or block our view of the stars, but they could also help scientists discover life on distant planets. A new...

Astronomers crack the case of mysterious radio relics in galaxy clusters

Galaxy clusters are the largest structures held together by gravity in the universe. Each cluster contains hundreds or even thousands of galaxies, along with hot...

Our solar system is moving three times faster than expected

A new study has found that our solar system is racing through the universe much faster than current theories predict. This surprising discovery, led by...

The rust that could reveal alien life

Iron rusts. On Earth, this common chemical reaction often signals the presence of something far more interesting than just corroding metal for example, living microorganisms...

Astronomers discover the Pleiades is part of a giant hidden star family

The Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters,” is one of the most recognizable sights in the night sky. For centuries, people around the world...

Astronomers discover a superheated galaxy building stars at record speed

Astronomers have found a distant galaxy that’s building stars 180 times faster than our own Milky Way—offering a new clue to how galaxies grew...

How cloud-dwelling microbes could help us find life on other worlds

Clouds may seem like a barrier when looking for life on distant planets, but new research shows they could actually be the key. Scientists at...

The impossible black holes that shouldn’t exist

In 2023, gravitational wave detectors picked up the signature of a collision 7 billion light years away. Two black holes had merged in an explosion...

Rare meteor strike on Mars triggers dust avalanches and new streaks

A rare meteoroid impact on Mars has given scientists a glimpse into how the planet’s dusty surface is constantly reshaped. When a space rock struck...

The mystery of the colliding black holes solved

In 2023, astronomers detected one of the most extraordinary cosmic events ever seen — a collision between two enormous black holes, located about seven...

Is the universe slowing down? New evidence challenges what we know about dark energy

For more than 25 years, scientists have believed that the universe is expanding faster and faster, pushed apart by a mysterious force called dark...

Tiny dwarf galaxies help solve a 40-year dark matter debate

For decades, scientists have puzzled over why galaxies spin faster than expected. The stars in their outer regions move so quickly that, by the laws...

Deep Space

Some intelligent civilizations will be trapped on their worlds

Evolution has produced a wondrously diverse variety of lifeforms here on Earth. It just so happens that talking primates with opposable thumbs rose to the...

Liquid water flowed on Ryugu more than one billion years after it formed

Small fragments of rock can reveal a lot when they're analyzed with powerful laboratory instruments. New research into tiny fragments of the asteroid Ryugu sampled...

The Artemis astronauts are getting new spacesuits with some help from Prada

The Artemis program involves impressive technological advancements in robotics, communications, spacecraft, and advanced habitats, all of which are clearly necessary for such an ambitious...

We’re living in an abnormal galaxy

Astronomers often use the Milky Way as a standard for studying how galaxies form and evolve. Since we’re inside it, astronomers can study it...

This hungry black hole is one of the most massive in the Universe

We now know just how massive the fastest-growing black hole in the Universe actually is, as well as how much it eats, thanks to...