Space & Future
Living microbes found in a meteorite crater may offer clues to life on Mars
Scientists have discovered living, methane-producing microbes deep inside a massive meteorite impact crater in Sweden, and the find could change the way researchers think...
Scientists discover a fast-spinning red giant star orbiting a silent black hole
Astronomers have uncovered the unusual history of a distant red giant star by “listening” to tiny vibrations rippling through it.
These vibrations, known as starquakes,...
Scientists capture the sound of sparks on Mars
For the first time, scientists have confirmed that tiny bursts of electricity are happening in the atmosphere of Mars.
These sparks were picked up by...
Mysterious ultraviolet light found in baby star nurseries
Astronomers have discovered something unexpected in the birthplaces of young stars: ultraviolet (UV) radiation where it should not exist.
Using the powerful James Webb Space...
After nearly 100 years, dark matter may finally have been seen
Nearly 100 years ago, astronomer Fritz Zwicky made a strange discovery while studying the movement of galaxies.
He noticed that galaxies were moving far faster...
Scientists find possible boiling oceans hidden beneath icy moons
Out in the cold, distant reaches of our solar system, many moons are wrapped in thick layers of ice.
At first glance, these worlds look...
Cosmic dust could help create life in space
Scientists have discovered that tiny particles of cosmic dust may play a much more important role in creating the building blocks of life than...
Why Earth has moving plates and Venus doesn’t
Scientists have taken an important step toward solving one of the biggest mysteries in planetary science: why Earth is covered in moving tectonic plates,...
Maybe Mars isn’t hiding liquid water under its south pole after all
For years, scientists have been intrigued by a mysterious signal coming from the icy south pole of Mars.
In 2018, a radar instrument called MARSIS,...
Earth and Theia were neighbors before they collided
According to the leading theory of how the Earth-Moon system formed (the Giant Impact Hypothesis), a Mars-sized object (named Theia) collided with a proto-Earth...
Scientists trace the moon’s birth to Earth’s nearby planetary twin
Around 4.5 billion years ago, a dramatic event changed Earth forever.
A massive, planet-sized body called Theia slammed into the young Earth in a violent...
Scientists recreate 100 billion stars in a virtual Milky Way for the first time
Scientists have achieved something that once seemed nearly impossible: they have created the first computer simulation of the Milky Way that represents more than...
Deep Space
Scientists find complex carbon-based molecules in space
Much of the carbon in space is believed to exist in the form of large molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Since the 1980s, circumstantial...
This black widow star ate its mate to set a new record
A dense, collapsed star has shredded and consumed nearly the entire mass of its stellar companion.
In the process, it’s grown into the heaviest neutron...
Life on Earth uses water as a solvent. What are some other options for...
There is a vast menagerie of potentially habitable worlds in the cosmos, which means the Universe could be home to a diversity of life...
How could a galaxy exist with almost no dark matter?
Three years ago, a team of astronomers led by Yale’s Pieter van Dokkum surprised the scientific community with the discovery of a far-off galaxy...
Why new exoplanet discovery is a big deal
Researchers have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet—a planet outside of our solar system.
The planet, named TOI-700 e, falls within its star’s habitable zone, meaning it...