Science

Astronomers have recently spotted signs of an extended disk of dust and gas, whirling in orbit around a distant star. While this phenomenon is a normal stage in the development of a star and its planetary system, what makes this find so spectacular is that it’s the first one we’ve seen around a star in

Earth withered through a second-straight day of record-breaking temperatures on July 22, the EU’s climate monitor said Wednesday, as parts of the world suffer devastating heatwaves and wildfires. Preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) showed the daily global average temperature was 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, the warmest day

LAS VEGAS – Methane-emissions data from GHGSat will be shared for scientific research through NASA’s Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition program. Montreal-based GHGSat announced July 31 that the company’s data “successfully completed” NASA’s “rigorous evaluation process.” “GHGSat is proud to contribute to NASA’s efforts to monitor and better understand greenhouse gas emissions worldwide,” Stéphane Germain, GHGSat

Two meteor showers – the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids – are scheduled to peak around the same time Tuesday evening. And one is known for its spectacularly bright fireballs. The best time to see any meteor shower – including this double event – is between 2 am and 4 am local time, Nick

We have a problem with sucralose. Found in many zero-calorie foods and drinks, the artificial sweetener doesn’t get broken down by the body, and as a new study shows that means it’s potentially damaging the microorganisms at the very bottom of aquatic food webs. “We can’t break down sucralose, and a lot of microorganisms can’t

At the mere flick of a magnetic field, mice engineered with nanoparticle-activated ‘switches’ inside their brains were driven to feed, socialize, and act like clucky new mothers in an experiment designed to test an innovative research tool. While ‘mind control’ animal experiments are far from new, they have generally relied on cumbersome electrodes tethering the

This is a customer submitted press release. Submit your press release. Agile, space-qualified optical payloads enable customers to enter booming space economy quickly with low risk. Ontario, N.Y. — The commercialization of space is creating unprecedented opportunities for the space economy. Starris: Optimax Space Systems is entering the new space race to swiftly lift customer

Olympic gold is awarded to bodies of all shapes and sizes, all perfectly tuned to meet the high standards demanded of their field. Virtually every system is primed to push the physical limits of speed, precision, strength, and endurance. The question of what makes an elite performer’s brain different to ours has received no small

It’s the iris in the great eyeball of Jupiter, revolving to gaze balefully out upon the cosmos: the Great Red Spot, the single largest, longest-lived storm in the entire Solar System. Humanity has been observing it for centuries, a colossal anticyclone currently a little bit larger than Earth, with winds that howl around in an

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation is an unpredictable shift in winds and currents over tropical Pacific waters that significantly affects climates far and wide across the planet. It now appears it might have a secret sibling. Dubbed the ‘new El Niño’, the Southern Hemisphere Circumpolar Wavenumber-4 Pattern emerges further south in the southwestern subtropical Pacific towards

WASHINGTON — SpaceX will move Dragon spacecraft splashdowns from off the coast of Florida to the West Coast starting in 2025, a move the company says is intended to reduce risks from reentering debris from the spacecraft’s trunk section. In a July 26 statement, SpaceX announced that it would shift the splashdown locations for Dragon

As a species, humans like to think that we are fully in control of our decisions and behavior. But just below the surface, forces beyond our conscious control influence how we think and behave: our genes. Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying the influences genes have on human health. This has led medical professionals,

When considering human settlements on the Moon, Mars and further afield, much attention is given to the travel times, food and radiation risk. We’ll undoubtedly face a harsh environment in deep space, and some thinkers have been pointing to genome editing as a way to ensure that humans can tolerate the severe conditions as they

Tree bark in the world’s forests absorbs the greenhouse gas methane, my colleagues and I have demonstrated for the first time on a global scale – a discovery that could have big implications for tackling climate change. As trees photosynthesise, their leaves take up carbon dioxide (CO₂) and lock it away as biomass in their

This is a customer submitted press release. Submit your press release. Clara Swan Denver, CO – SpaceNews is thrilled to announce the appointment of Clara Swan as our new Sales and Business Development Manager. Clara will manage advertising and sponsorship sales for clients, working closely with SpaceNews Director of Global Sales, Kamal Flucker, to drive

Just being near blue spaces (the sea, rivers and lakes) can make us feel more relaxed because water triggers our parasympathetic nervous system, helping our body rest and digest. This calming effect, which slows our heart rate and lowers blood pressure, explains why so many people find joy and solace in water-related activities. But enjoying

A rock on Mars is speckled with signs that it may have hosted life-supporting chemistry billions of years ago. Found on the edge of an ancient river valley by the Perseverance rover and named Chevaya Falls, the veiny sedimentary material contains organic compounds and leopard-like spots that indicate chemical reactions chemosynthetic microbes could have once

Our CO2 emissions are warming the planet and making life uncomfortable and even unbearable in some regions. In July, the planet set consecutive records for the hottest day. NASA is mapping our emissions, and while what they show us isn’t uplifting, it is visually appealing in a ghoulish way. Maybe the combination of visual appeal

SAN FRANCISCO – Morpheus Space is ramping up electric propulsion production in its new Dresden, Germany, factory. In the 1,260-square-meter factory, Morpheus will initially produce 100 GO-2 Field Emission Electric Propulsion-based propulsion systems per year. With additional personnel and equipment, Morpheus could produce 500 GO-2 units annually. Morpheus executives decided to expand production after hearing

Childhood habits can be hard to break. The results of a new survey suggest the way you tune your thermostat today may be a remnant of your upbringing. A recent paper cheekily titled “Turn down for watt” suggests the average American doesn’t turn down their thermostat for much, in spite of heating and cooling comprising

NASA has been using X-rays to crack the invisible secrets of the universe for decades. The Einstein Observatory pioneered X-ray astronomy in the late ’70s, but the crown jewel of this science field is the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has been in space for the last 25 years. Here are some of Chandra’s most stunning

Brazilian sharpnose sharks swimming in South America’s coastal waters have been found to have significant levels of cocaine and its metabolites in their system, according to a team of researchers in Brazil. Unlike Hollywood’s depictions of coked-up predators on drug-fueled rampages, the effects of the illicit stimulant on key species in the marine food chain

TAMPA, Fla. — Astranis has raised $200 million to fully fund its Omega program up to the launch of the first next-generation broadband spacecraft in 2026, the geostationary satellite maker announced July 24. The venture has raised $750 million since it was founded in 2015 to provide more cost-effective satellites that, around the size of

The research into how male and female brains may be different has been extensive, but not altogether conclusive. Now a new study identifies some notable variations between the brains of the sexes, as well as separate variations based on a person’s gender. A team of researchers from the US and Singapore analyzed brain activity via

If you peer out into the space sharing Earth’s general orbital vicinity around the Sun, you’ll find a lot of rocks. We have counted, to date, more than 35,000 near-Earth objects: asteroids and comets that can sometimes enter our corner of the Solar System before swooping away again. It’s thought that there might be many

A cattle painkiller introduced in the 1990s led to the unexpected crash of India’s vulture populations, which still haven’t recovered to their former glory. Some might have said ‘good riddance’ to this much-maligned, death-associated bird, but there’s a devastating human cost, and a new study reveals the shocking numbers, linking their absence to the deaths

The world as we know it increasingly relies on digital connectivity that, for the most part, works quietly and invisibly in the background. So how did a single software update bring down half the internet? The global IT outage on 19 July serves as a stark reminder of our vulnerability to technological failures. Triggered by

WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense released its 2024 Arctic Strategy, addressing the increasing geopolitical and environmental challenges in the Arctic region.  The strategy, which directs the U.S. military to “build readiness for operations at high latitudes,” emphasizes the increasing reliance on satellites for critical activities in the Arctic. As climate change reshapes the region’s

While millions of Americans vacation on beaches every year to seek out sun, sand and the sea, many might not realize how dangerous digging holes in the sand can be. In February 2024, a 7-year-old girl died after an approximately 5-foot (1.5-meter) hole she and her brother dug in the sand collapsed in on her,