All Science
- First LookNo longer lost in space: How NASA found this missing Indian spacecraft
In pinpointing the Indian spacecraft, NASA honed a technique for tracking errant objects that’s likely to see action again soon.
- First LookAre distant radio bursts in space signs of alien sailors?
A new paper uncovers a number of coincidences suggesting that recently discovered radio bursts are consistent with advanced civilizations using light sails for transportation.
- What is a species? Ornithologists consider ways to define it.
With organisms gradually evolving into new organisms over the history of life on Earth, drawing a distinction between species can be challenging. One biologist proposes a new way of looking at the question.
- Stephen Hawking calls for ‘world government’ to stop a robot uprising
Physicist Stephen Hawking reiterated his view that artificial intelligence presents both threats and possibilities. One way to address this and other global challenges, he suggested: world government.
- First LookHair apparent: Study links modern Australian Aboriginals with the continent's earliest settlers
Aboriginals settled Australia 50,000 years ago, establishing geographic patterns that persist to this day, report scientists citing hair samples as evidence.
- First LookSpuds in space: We probably can grow Mars potatoes, says new study
An experiment in Peru simulating conditions on Mars demonstrated that the hearty tubers can thrive even under the harsh conditions similar to those found on the Red Planet.
- First LookScientists confirm: Time crystals definitely exist
Two teams have created a new form of matter, opening up a whole new realm of physics.
- Could a huge magnet turn the Red Planet green?
Martian climate simulations suggest a relatively simple plan could restore Mars's ancient atmosphere, and more.
- What was the real paleo diet? Prehistoric plaque reveals what Neanderthals ate.
If you are what you eat, Neanderthals might have been a diverse, flexible bunch … just like their diets.
- First LookWith help of lasers, NASA hopes to create the 'coldest spot in the universe'
While astronomers crave more powerful telescopes and planetary scientists demand orbiters, landers, and rovers, quantum physicists want lower temperatures and microgravity.
- First LookCosmic dust opens window into dawn of the universe
Scientists say the light emitted from this dust likely traveled some 13.2 billion light-years to reach Earth.
- First LookThe tortoise: Blue Origin sees small steps as key to space business
While SpaceX pursues an accelerated path to the moon and beyond, Jeff Bezos maintains that small, incremental progress will help Blue Origin prosper in the long run.
- First LookChina sets its sights on the moon: lunar probe planned before year’s end
Experts say China's space-exploration plans are part scientific ambition, part symbol of national prowess.
- First LookYellow taxis are safer than blue ones, says science
The relative visibility of yellow cabs make them 9 percent less likely to be rear-ended than blue ones, a large-scale study of taxis in Singapore has found.
- First LookJeff Bezos offers peek at Blue Origin's new rocket engine
The Amazon founder tweeted a pair of photos of Blue Origin's BE-4 engine, which he says will help 'end American dependence' on Russian rocket engines.
- First LookHow a new space weather forecaster could help protect astronauts
A new study finds that Earth-bound telescopes can more quickly detect the arrival of potentially hazardous particles from the sun than ones in orbit, adding extra time to protect spacefarers.
- First Look New NOAA satellite tracks lightning in real time from space
NOAA's GOES-16 weather satellite released the first images from a new instrument that tracks lightning storms on Earth.
- Ancient skulls unearthed in China could belong to little-known extinct human species
The skulls may belong to a member of the mysterious Denisovans, or be from an entirely different, and previously unknown, species of human.
- Geologists find slew of manmade minerals, but no start to Anthropocene
While a basket of new 'mineral species' has mineralogists excited, it hasn’t convinced stratigraphers, the scientists who demarcate geological epochs, to declare a new one.
- First LookWhy are pandas black and white? Science finds clues.
The giant panda's distinct coloring is loved by wildlife enthusiasts, but researchers have never had a satisfactory explanation as to what made their coloring pattern so unique – until now.