Science
THE LATEST
Lucy mission: NASA goals, mission updates, and Beatles Easter eggs
Plus: two Beatles Easter egg are coming along for the ride.
NASA just directed its Lucy mission to target a skyscraper-sized asteroid
We only have to wait a few months for NASA’s Lucy spacecraft to visit its first asteroid.
Scientists find two key ingredients for life in ancient meteors
Potassium and zinc were brought to Earth from distant space rocks.
JWST captures Chariklo’s rings and more: Understand the world through 8 images
Look: Primate relative shows how ancient animals adapted to global warming
The Doomsday Clock is now at 90 seconds to midnight — here's what that means
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than ever, citing Russia's war on Ukraine and the worsening climate crisis.
Elephants could be key to saving the planet — here’s why
Big problems require big solutions — literally.
Earth's inner core may have stopped spinning — study
Geoscientists found the core may move on a cycle, stopping every few decades to take a breath.
Is plastic recycling a scam? Here’s the truth about the common practice
A report found only 5 percent of plastic gets recycled. Experts explain what that means for the American consumer.
Humans didn’t evolve to live in cold — our survival is a lesson in ingenuity
Layers.
Deep-sea mining could power a clean energy future — but there’s a cost
We still know more about the Moon’s surface than the deep ocean floor.
Look: Global photo competition illuminates nature's beauty and drama
Winners took an intimate look at everyday details.
Future humans may not be able to see the stars from Earth — study
Light pollution is getting rapidly worse, according to recent study.
Time-lapse shows shocking temperature changes between December and January
It’s not just your imagination.
NASA ends Geotail mission and more: Understand the world through 7 images
Almost half of land animals will soon face extreme heat — here's why that's so scary
But there's still time to act, researchers say.
Worst-case scenario of Antarctic ice sheet collapse could still be avoided
We can still slow ice loss in the Antarctic.
Why is January so dark and cold? Here’s the truth about winter’s gloomiest days
An atmospheric scientist explains the weather and climate factors that combine to produce wintry conditions.
In a wild first, physicists used lasers to control lightning on a mountaintop
The car-sized laser can shoot up to 1,000 pulses per second.
An ambitious plan could help repair one of California’s biggest ecological catastrophes
Without intervention, the sea’s entire ecosystem could collapse.
I NEED MY SPACE
Lucy mission: NASA goals, mission updates, and Beatles Easter eggs
Plus: two Beatles Easter egg are coming along for the ride.
An asteroid will come within 2,200 miles of Earth tonight — here’s why you shouldn’t worry
Most space rocks are never a threat to our planet.
NASA just directed its Lucy mission to target a skyscraper-sized asteroid
We only have to wait a few months for NASA’s Lucy spacecraft to visit its first asteroid.
Scientists find two key ingredients for life in ancient meteors
Potassium and zinc were brought to Earth from distant space rocks.
Elephants could be key to saving the planet — here’s why
Big problems require big solutions — literally.
Is plastic recycling a scam? Here’s the truth about the common practice
A report found only 5 percent of plastic gets recycled. Experts explain what that means for the American consumer.
Look: Global photo competition illuminates nature's beauty and drama
Winners took an intimate look at everyday details.
Listen: Dolphins "scream" to each other over human-made noise pollution
At least half the world’s glaciers could melt — and that’s under the best-case scenario
The prognosis isn't good, but we can still take action to avert catastrophe.
9 deep-sea discoveries from 2022 showcase the ocean's weirdness
Can we map every tree in the world? This novel tech could help get us there
Scientists believe deep learning is the future of tree conservation — here's why.
Can insects feel pain? Here’s why we need to talk about bug rights
If bugs feel pain, insect farming and pest control will cause mass suffering.
These science-backed hacks will keep your Christmas tree fresh for weeks
A forestry specialist explains how to properly care for your holiday spruce.
Back from the dead: 9 species rediscovered in 2022
They’re really good at hiding.
A “super-resistant” gene mutation in mosquitoes may increase the risk of dengue, a study finds
This finding could spell trouble for efforts to control the disease.
Parasitic wasps, friendly anemones: 9 new species identified in 2022
And there are many more left to discover.
Inside the surprisingly complex life, sex, and death of a woodlouse
Woodlice are tiny, don’t bite, move slowly and are generally unthreatening. They are part of biological processes essential to life. So what’s not to like?
Why are there still rodent plague outbreaks? New research hints at the answer
Scientists may now know why the plague sometimes spikes — and sometimes doesn't — in rodent populations.
What Christmas tree is best for the environment? Here’s what forestry experts say you should buy
The annual tradition isn’t as bad for the climate as you might think.
Firefly swarms may have finally solved a 20-year-old scientific mystery
Can mathematical insights enlighten the social dynamics at play among luminous beetles?
Ancient peoples
Ancient Siberian DNA upends our understanding of Native American migration
Native Americans journeyed back to North Asia from North America, study finds
Soyuz rescue plan and more: Understand the world through 8 images
Bog body deaths reveal a gruesome trend throughout history
But many deaths remain shrouded in mystery.
Viking DNA study finds they were more genetically diverse than modern Scandinavians
The Viking Age brought surprising genetic diversity to northern Europe, but it didn’t last.
Lucy mission: NASA goals, mission updates, and Beatles Easter eggs
Plus: two Beatles Easter egg are coming along for the ride.
An asteroid will come within 2,200 miles of Earth tonight — here’s why you shouldn’t worry
Most space rocks are never a threat to our planet.
JWST captures Chariklo’s rings and more: Understand the world through 8 images
Starship orbital flight: SpaceX successfully loaded the rocket with over 10 million pounds of propellant
SpaceX plans to send the Starship to orbit — at some point.
40 years ago, NASA launched the space telescope that proved JWST could work
IRAS is a sometimes forgotten spacecraft that proved that infrared astronomy had a bright future.
NASA and DARPA want to build a nuclear-powered spaceship
The rocket could have its first orbital test "as soon as 2027."
These 5 futuristic tech ideas could help us explore distant worlds
From the Moon to Pluto, these innovations could solve huge mysteries about our universe.
Scientists have found a subtle way to hunt for life on exoplanets
Photosynthesis can leave hints in satellite data.
This nuclear-powered rocket could get humans to Mars in less than 2 months
Quick trip!
One of the universe’s most iconic nebulas is changing — astronomers don’t know why
“I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
Astronomers find a surprise layer of volcanic rock in Mars’ massive canyon
Plagioclase feldspar doesn’t often turn up in volcanic rocks on Mars — but scientists just found a huge deposit in the walls of Mars’ largest canyon.
Nuclear-powered robots could hunt for aliens on icy Solar System moons
Europa, here we come.
Time-lapse shows shocking temperature changes between December and January
It’s not just your imagination.
NASA ends Geotail mission and more: Understand the world through 7 images
What’s happening with Starship? New SpaceX photos show a launch could happen soon
Can we suck the water out of asteroids? New research may solve one obstacle
We’ve still got a long way to go.
Animals
Look: Primate relative shows how ancient animals adapted to global warming
Look: With a mouth full of teeth, this Pterosaur ate like a whale
Filter-feeding isn’t a new invention.
Elephants could be key to saving the planet — here’s why
Big problems require big solutions — literally.
Plague study complicates a commonly held belief about the Black Death
What really caused the plague?
Lucy mission: NASA goals, mission updates, and Beatles Easter eggs
Plus: two Beatles Easter egg are coming along for the ride.
NASA just directed its Lucy mission to target a skyscraper-sized asteroid
We only have to wait a few months for NASA’s Lucy spacecraft to visit its first asteroid.
Scientists find two key ingredients for life in ancient meteors
Potassium and zinc were brought to Earth from distant space rocks.
JWST captures Chariklo’s rings and more: Understand the world through 8 images
Look! JWST captures images of an asteroid with a ring playing peek-a-boo with a star
Two separate studies recently pointed JWST's instruments at Chariklo, the only asteroid in our Solar System with its own rings.
Watch: This jail-breaking wireless robot melts and reassembles on command
It may eventually enter your stomach.
40 years ago, NASA launched the space telescope that proved JWST could work
IRAS is a sometimes forgotten spacecraft that proved that infrared astronomy had a bright future.
NASA and DARPA want to build a nuclear-powered spaceship
The rocket could have its first orbital test "as soon as 2027."
Look: With a mouth full of teeth, this Pterosaur ate like a whale
Filter-feeding isn’t a new invention.
The Doomsday Clock is now at 90 seconds to midnight — here's what that means
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than ever, citing Russia's war on Ukraine and the worsening climate crisis.
Jumping robots could provide a bug’s eye view of dangerous environments
“Rubble pile” asteroids may be surprisingly hard to destroy — study
When Japan's Hayabusa mission traveled to asteroid Itokawa, it collected samples. These successfully reached Earth in 2010.
Elephants could be key to saving the planet — here’s why
Big problems require big solutions — literally.
Look! Webb Telescope finds icy ingredients for organic chemicals in deep space
The coldest, most distant ices ever measured could have big implications for planets -- and life.
These 5 futuristic tech ideas could help us explore distant worlds
From the Moon to Pluto, these innovations could solve huge mysteries about our universe.
Earth's inner core may have stopped spinning — study
Geoscientists found the core may move on a cycle, stopping every few decades to take a breath.
