Space & Future
Ancient asteroid impacts may have helped life begin on Earth
A new study suggests that the intense asteroid bombardment that struck the young Earth billions of years ago may have played an important role...
Many alien planets may be giant soot factories, scientists discover
When astronauts photograph Earth from space, they capture stunning views of blue oceans, white clouds, and green continents.
But according to a new study, our...
Mysterious signals keep coming from space: Scientists find their ‘Rosetta stone’
A pair of stars spiraling around each other. That's the origin of a new source of repeating radio bursts we've detected, called ASKAP J1745.
In...
How small is too small for life? New study reveals which planets can keep...
Scientists searching for life beyond Earth have developed a new way to identify which distant planets might be able to support life.
Their new tool,...
Scientists finally find the Milky Way’s missing black hole wind
For more than 50 years, astronomers have searched for a powerful wind blowing from the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Now,...
Jupiter’s giant shockwave reveals how particles reach near-light speed
Scientists studying Jupiter have captured electrons in the act of being accelerated to extremely high speeds, offering new clues about one of the universe's...
Ancient Martian ocean? Vast clay deposits may hold clues to life on Mars
Scientists have discovered that huge clay deposits near the landing site of the upcoming ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover are much larger than previously thought.
The...
Webb Telescope discovers giant sleeping black hole from the early universe
Astronomers have discovered the most distant dormant black hole ever detected, offering a rare glimpse into the early universe and how massive black holes...
How Jupiter May Have Helped Deliver the Building Blocks of Life to Earth
A new NASA-supported study suggests that Jupiter may have played a surprisingly important role in helping Earth acquire some of the key ingredients needed...
Astronomers Discover Missing Red Dwarf Stars in Ancient Star Cluster
Astronomers studying an ancient star cluster have discovered a strange gap where certain stars should exist but do not.
The finding provides new clues about...
Asteroid dirt is fluffier than we thought
The strength of gravity is different on every body in the solar system.
Whether it's the crushing weight of Jupiter or the miniscule pull of...
New laser-treated metal could help keep satellites cool in space
Keeping satellites cool in space is a major challenge. Unlike on Earth, where heat can escape into the surrounding air, space is a vacuum.
This...
Deep Space
Scientists reveal how super-Earth planets formed
The galaxy is littered with planetary systems vastly different from ours.
In the solar system, the planet closest to the Sun-Mercury, with an orbit of...
New calculations offer a closer peek at Pluto’s ocean
New calculations are bringing an ocean of liquid water deep beneath the icy surface of Pluto into focus, a new study shows.
In a paper...
Scientists discover exhaust vent of Milky Way’s supermassive black hole
At the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, lies a supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A*.
This black hole, located about 26,000 light-years away...
Scientists find a shrinking world of Mercury
The planet Mercury, a small, rocky world closest to the sun, has been slowly but surely shrinking for billions of years.
However, there's more to...
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,...