All Science
- Can tourism propel space exploration to new heights?
A ticket to the moon may seem like the ultimate billionaire's indulgence. But space tourism just might broaden horizons in space for us all.
- First LookJapanese billionaire will invite 'creatives' on first private moon flight
Elon Musk announced that billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be on board for SpaceX's first private moon flight in 2023. Mr. Maezawa plans to invite artists, architects, and designers to travel with him as his guests in order to create a work of art that reflects the experience.
- At the Ig Nobel Prize awards, science meets silliness
An annual tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony at Harvard highlights the importance of play, lateral thinking, and outright frivolity in the natural sciences.
- Water: An in-depth look at the surface
Children love to play with water. But water can also be a great medium to explore scientific concepts. This series of experiments delves into the properties of surface tension.
- Polymers: Turning milk into plastic
Plastics are present in nearly every aspect of children's lives. This experiment offers children a window into the history of plastics as well as a chance to observe chemical reactions.
- Chronostasis: Make time freeze
Few things are as constant as the passage of time. But with this simple experiment, children can see first hand how their mind can alter their perceptions of time.
- Balloon rockets bring spaceflight physics home
Rocket science is often used as shorthand for something nearly impossible to comprehend. This experiment uses ordinary household objects to demonstrate basic principles of space flight.
- Supercool: Freeze water in seconds
Water is the most abundant compound on Earth. But even mundane materials can sometimes behave in unexpected ways.
- First Look1600s Native American fort is one of the most important Northeast finds
In addition to the fort's remains, archaeologists found artifacts including arrow and spear tips that date back an estimated 3,000 years. The site is one of only about a half-dozen in the Northeast to have evidence of Native Americans' first encounters with Europeans.
- First LookPrehistoric pedigree: fossil shows genetic mix in lineage
Scientists claim the discovery of a new fossil specimen supports the theory that extinct human subspecies, like Denisovans and Neanderthals, were absorbed into Homo sapiens populations instead of being wiped out in warfare.
- How to deflect an asteroid hurtling toward Earth
Asteroids collide with planets all the time, so scientists at NASA are working to prepare for the unlikely possibility of a major collision.
- Cover StoryChasing asteroids: Dual missions sniff out clues to solar system's past
Two missions to bring back space rocks will provide clues about the origins of the solar system and the threat of a doomsday collision with Earth.
- When science meets history: Sorting out the path of the first Americans
The story of human history is in many ways one of migration. But that tale isn’t always easy to tell. Sometimes we need science to teach us.
- First LookNASA's newest probe to be first to 'touch' the sun
NASA's Solar Parker Probe, designed to withstand heat like nothing before it, will hurtle through the solar atmosphere and get nearly seven times closer to the sun than any previous spacecraft.
- Why a subglacial Martian lake raises hopes for alien life
A huge reservoir of liquid water discovered beneath the southern Martian ice cap looks remarkably similar to subglacial lakes in Greenland and Antarctica, which are thought to host hordes of living organisms.
- Snoopy spurs kids to shoot for the moon
Astronaut training starts early. The rigors of the college astro-courses require a solid foundation in STEM built from an early age. So NASA has enlisted Snoopy to inspire children to reach for the stars.
- First LookSouth Africa's MeerKAT telescope will help uncover next space frontier
MeerKAT, a 64-dish telescope, was inaugurated into the larger Square Kilometre Array instrument on Friday. When finished in the late 2020s, the network of telescopes will be able to scan the sky 10,000 times faster with 50 times the sensitivity of any other telescope.
- First LookSouth Africa's MeerKAT telescope will help uncover next space frontier
MeerKAT, a 64-dish telescope, was inaugurated into the larger Square Kilometre Array instrument on Friday. When finished in the late 2020s, the network of telescopes will be able to scan the sky 10,000 times faster with 50 times the sensitivity of any other telescope.
- Neutrino demonstration heralds a new way of observing the cosmos
Compelling evidence that an ultrahigh-energy neutrino originated in a blazar some 4 billion light-years away shows how astronomy can be done using an entirely different kind of particle.