Science

The Sun’s energy is effectively limitless. While resources such as coal or gas are finite, if you are able to capture and use solar power it doesn’t prevent anyone else from also using as much sunshine as they need. Except that isn’t quite the full story. Beyond a certain size, solar farms become large enough

WASHINGTON — SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk says a propellant dump caused the destruction of the Starship upper stage on a November test flight, giving him confidence that the vehicle can reach orbit on its next launch. On that Nov. 18 launch, the Starship upper stage, or ship, was nearing the end of its burn

The ocean is massive and covers most of the surface of our planet. In addition to its size, it’s packed with life, ranging from an astounding diversity of plants, microbes, worms, corals and crabs to squids, whales and, yes, even fish. The ocean is full of fish, so much so that they make up the

For the first time, physicists have succeeded in creating a strange, fragile kind of structure in a laboratory known as a trilobite Rydberg molecule. Building and observing these exotic atomic structures has given scientists new insights into the quantum activity of electrons as they scatter near atoms. Since their chemical bonds are unlike any other

Repetition has a strange relationship with the mind. Take the experience of déjà vu, when we wrongly believe we have experienced a novel situation in the past – leaving us with an spooky sense of pastness. But we have discovered that déjà vu is actually a window into the workings of our memory system. Our

The human body did not evolve to handle life in space, and it shows in our very blood. Since our species first started to spend extended periods of time beyond our planet, researchers have noticed a curious and consistent loss of red blood cells among astronauts. The phenomenon is called ‘space anemia’, and until recently,

It’s official: 2023 was Earth’s hottest year ever recorded, beating the previous record set in 2016 by a huge margin. Last year was also the first in which the world was close to 1.5°C (1.48°C) hotter than the pre-industrial average (1850-1900). We are brushing against the threshold scientists urged us to limit long-term warming to.

Roberta Wilson-Garrett looked at the glove keeping her right hand steady and smiled. At bay for the moment were tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease affecting her muscle control. She could do things others take for granted, like write crisply with a pen or hold a cup of coffee without spilling. The reprieve shared by the

WASHINGTON — The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) on Jan. 10 issued a solicitation for commercial satellite Earth observation data under a new program called Luno. The program aims to leverage commercial satellite imagery and data analytics to bolster NGA’s global monitoring capabilities, the agency said in the request for proposals. Submissions are due March 26.

It’s just a tiny thing, smaller than a fingernail. But a rock found deep in a limestone cave in Oklahoma is extending our understanding of prehistoric skin. The texture preserved thereon, paleontologists have found, is the earliest known example of fossilized skin from a diverse classification of animals known as amniotes. Dating back 290 million

In 1859, French astronomer and mathematician Urbain Le Verrier detected something strange: Mercury deviated in its dance around the Sun, defying the orderly precession predicted by Newtonian physics. This odd anomaly couldn’t be explained by unknown planets tugging at Mercury’s orbit; only by physicist Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity, which describes how gravity

Finding a fetus in mummified remains is almost unheard of. Now scientists say they have evidence of a mummified teenager who died while delivering twins. “This is the first mummy of its kind discovered,” Francine Margolis, who led a study on the mummified remains, told LiveScience. Aged between 14 and 17 years old, the teenager

Humans have dreamed about traveling to other star systems and setting foot on alien worlds for generations. To put it mildly, interstellar exploration is a very daunting task. As Universe Today explored in a previous post, it would take between 19,000 and 81,000 years for a spacecraft to reach Proxima Centauri using conventional propulsion (or

The year of 2023 was the hottest on record, with the increase in Earth’s surface temperature nearly crossing the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, EU climate monitors said Tuesday. Climate change intensified heatwaves, droughts and wildfires across the planet, and pushed the global thermometer 1.48 C above the preindustrial benchmark, the Copernicus Climate Change

WASHINGTON — The startup Muon Space announced Jan. 9 it will explore the use of climate-monitoring satellites to capture cloud characterization data for the U.S. Air Force.  The Mountain View, California-based company, founded in 2021, is developing small satellites to monitor Earth’s climate and ecosystems.  Under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 contract from

Some snakes go hunting for their prey. Others sit and wait for their prey to come to them. The spider-tailed horned viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) finds its meals by moving nothing but the tip of its tail. With just a few wiggles and waggles, the venomous viper can make its tail look like a crawling arachnid.

Teleportation of quantum states promises to play a central role in securing the information superhighway of tomorrow. In spite of the headway that’s been made, the process remains slow and kind of clunky. That could change, with scientists using a new process that could efficiently teleport states of light to form an image using a

Our lives are becoming increasingly data driven. Our phones monitor our time and internet usage and online surveys discern our opinions and likes. These data harvests are used for telling us how well we’ve slept or what we might like to buy. Numbers are becoming more important for everyday life, yet people’s numerical skills are

In just a few short hours, the US will be embarking on a return to the Moon. The United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, due to launch at 02:18 EST (07:18 UTC) on Monday, 7 January, will carry a lunar lander named Peregrine, from commercial company Astrobotic. Aboard that lander will be five science payloads from

Paper straws are not quite the eco solution many had hoped for. Not only do these liquid slurping alternatives tend to wilt in a frustratingly fast manner, they contain low levels of forever chemicals, according to new research. How that impacts the health of an individual slurper is unknown, but because forever chemicals – also

A world-first, non-invasive AI system can turn silent thoughts into text while only requiring users to wear a snug-fitting cap. The Australian researchers who developed the technology, called DeWave, tested the process using data from more than two dozen subjects. Participants read silently while wearing a cap that recorded their brain waves via electroencephalogram (EEG)

SAN FRANCISCO – NASA has been concentrating on the ground component of optical communications networks while the U.S. Space Force Space Development Agency focuses on space-to-space communications. The two initiatives will intersect in two-to-three years when NASA determines whether the commercial terminals SDA is adopting for satellite-to-satellite communications can transmit data to Earth. “We are

A silky shark photographed with a massive tear in its dorsal fin has reappeared with an astonishing makeover nearly a year after it was first discovered with the injury. The shark was initially spotted off the coast of Florida by an underwater photographer and diver in July of 2022. A huge chunk was missing from

“Stop the world, I want to get off.” This exasperated phrase has been around since the 1950s, used in classic and modern music alike. But if the world were to really stop spinning, the consequences would belong less in a romantic musical and more in an apocalyptic horror film. Imagine you’re walking down a sunny

Babies that are just a few months old will learn more from nursery rhymes and other sing-song talk than standard baby babble chat, according to a new study looking at the foundation of language in infants. That’s because their brains learn to process the rhythm of speech first – which helps them start to differentiate

A big problem concerning the Universe’s dark matter has just grown a little more intense. Observations of the more recent Universe reveal that this elusive material is distributed differently compared to measures of its spread just after the Big Bang. It appears to be less clumpy now than it was back then – not by

We could be producing concrete that’s 30 percent stronger by processing and adding charred coffee grounds to the mix, researchers in Australia discovered. Their clever recipe could solve multiple problems at the same time. Every year the world produces a staggering 10 billion kilograms of coffee waste globally. Most ends up in landfills. “The disposal

Microsoft recently launched a new version of all of its software with the addition of an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that can do a variety of tasks for you. Copilot can summarise verbal conversations on Teams online meetings, present arguments for or against a particular point based on verbal discussions and answer a portion of

WASHINGTON — As new technologies pave the way for refueling satellites in space, the U.S. Space Force is exploring how to integrate these capabilities into its operations. A tabletop exercise dubbed “Parallax Rising 2.2” shed light on the strategic and logistical considerations involved in this emerging field. Held in late August at the Space Systems

At around 3,300 meters (2 miles) below the surface off the coast of Alaska, where the warm light of the Sun never penetrates, an NOAA Ocean Exploration remotely operated underwater vehicle came across a strange, golden orb. It was “tightly adhered” to a rock dotted with white sponges, measuring around 10 centimeters (4 inches) across