Space & Future
We may have been searching the wrong radio channel for alien signals
For more than 60 years, scientists have searched the skies for signs of intelligent life beyond Earth.
Much of that search has focused on listening...
Did the dinosaur-killing asteroid really shape tuna evolution?
For years, many scientists believed that the asteroid impact that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago also helped shape the evolution...
Mars Has Its Own Tiny Aurora Engine—And It Works Surprisingly Like Earth’s
Mars may not have a strong global magnetic field like Earth, but scientists have discovered that it still creates glowing auroras using a surprisingly...
Europa’s Hidden Ocean May Be Harder To Reach Than We Expected
Europa, one of Jupiter's largest moons, has fascinated scientists for decades because it may hide a vast ocean of liquid water beneath its thick...
Are we missing alien lighthouses
Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence has so far meant primarily focusing on one particular type of signal - and that signal has normally been based...
Spin-reversing comet may face self-destruction
Comets are known for providing breathtaking observations of their long and shiny tails when they travel too close to the Sun.
This happens because comets...
NASA’s Juno discovers hidden heat beneath Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io
NASA's Juno spacecraft has achieved something never done before by measuring temperatures beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io.
The new observations reveal that...
The Milky Way flipped its disk billions of years ago
The Milky Way is ancient, and its first stars formed shortly after the Big Bang. It's been through a lot in its long life,...
Bizarre Jupiter-Mass Exomoon Challenges Everything We Know About Planetary Systems
Astronomers have found what may be the first convincing evidence of a giant "exomoon" beyond our solar system, but the unusual object is already...
The Sun has a ‘switch-off’ moment—and it could help predict space weather years ahead
Scientists have discovered a new way to predict how active the sun's next solar cycle will be years before it reaches its peak.
The research...
Mysterious Little Red Dots may be the birthplaces of the universe’s oldest star clusters
Astronomers may have found an answer to two long-standing mysteries about the universe with a single new idea.
A study led by researchers at The...
Astronomers catch a “dark comet” red-handed
Our ability to track and visualize small rocks in space is still improving. And occasionally we’ll find a space rock that will remind us...
Deep Space
New way to kill superbugs in the International Space Station
In a new study, researchers have taken another small step towards deep space exploration.
They tested a new silver- and ruthenium-based antimicrobial coating aboard the...
Dust from a giant asteroid crash caused an ancient ice age before dinosaurs
About 466 million years ago, long before the age of the dinosaurs, the Earth froze.
The seas began to ice over at the Earth's poles,...
We can use black holes particle accelerators
With the federal government cutting funds for research, scientific organizations are facing a budget crunch.
This includes astrophysics and cosmology, where researchers test theories fundamental...
Since interstellar objects crashed into Earth in the past, could they have brought life
On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey detected an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our Solar System for the first time.
The object,...
Young star finding challenges current planet formation theory
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found a young star surrounded by an astonishing mass of gas.
The star, called 49 Ceti, is...