Space & Future

Europa’s ice shell secrets unlocked by ground radar study

Jupiter’s moon, Europa, has become high-value real estate for astrobiologists and the search for life beyond Earth. This is because the small moon, which is...

3-billion-year-old asteroid crater offers rare window into Earth’s violent past

Scientists have confirmed the age of the oldest known asteroid impact crater on Earth, revealing that a huge space rock struck our planet about...

Webb Telescope captures a giant galaxy being born around a growing black hole

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to witness one of the most remarkable events ever observed in the early universe—a giant galaxy...

Scientists create inchworm-inspired soft robot that could explore Mars one day

Scientists have created a tiny robot inspired by the humble inchworm, and it could one day help inspect damaged sewer pipes, explore dangerous environments,...

Mars Express captures dozens of dust devils in Mars valley

Dust devils are a regular feature on Mars. Just like those found on Earth, these mini whirlwinds form when parts of Mars are warmed by...

Scientists discover two giant planets fluffier than cotton candy

Astronomers have discovered two of the fluffiest planets ever found. These giant worlds are so light and airy that they are actually less dense than...

NASA’s Hubble discovers ancient galaxy that helped clear the universe’s primordial fog

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have made an unexpected discovery that sheds new light on one of the universe’s greatest transformations. They detected ultraviolet...

Mysterious ‘dark force’ may actually slow the growth of cosmic structures

Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in science. It cannot be seen directly because it does not emit, absorb, or reflect light. Yet...

Astronomers discover giant ‘bow and arrow’ galaxy stretching 1.8 million light-years across

Astronomers have discovered a strange and spectacular galaxy that looks like a giant bow and arrow stretching across space. The unusual object, named RAD-BAARG (Bow-And-Arrow...

The long-lived Chicxulub hydrothermal system lasted 8 million years

When a massive, ten-kilometer asteroid slammed into Earth about 66 million years ago, it created a massive crater. The impact triggered a megatsunami and a...

Did gravitational tides cause Earth’s extinctions?

Life on Earth took a long evolutionary journey that eventually created us, the purportedly intelligent species that dominates the planet. But there was no grand...

Scientists discover magnetic fields guiding the birth of stars

How do stars form? Scientists know that stars are born when huge clouds of cold gas in space collapse under their own gravity. But one mystery...

Deep Space

How tiny dust grains become planets: A new clue from the cosmos

Scientists have just made an exciting discovery that helps explain one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy—how planets like Earth begin to form. Using the...

Iconic cosmic collision challenges long-held ideas about dark matter

The Bullet Cluster is one of the most famous objects in astronomy. For years, many scientists have considered it one of the strongest pieces of...

Scientists answer key questions about the mysterious interstellar object ‘Oumuamua

Since its discovery in 2017, an air of mystery has surrounded the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system, an elongated, cigar-shaped...

Scientists grow plants in lunar soil from Apollo mission

In the early days of the space age, the Apollo astronauts took part in a visionary plan: Bring samples of the lunar surface material, known...

The universe could be filled with ultralight black holes that can’t die

It’s that time again! Time for another model that will finally solve the mystery of dark matter. Or not, but it’s worth a shot. Until we directly...