All Science
Could there have been water on Mars without CO2?A new study has challenged the prevailing theory that an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide helped set the stage for liquid water on Mars. And it's forcing scientists to expand their ideas about the conditions necessary for water – and potentially life.
First LookSpaceX plans to launch a rocket every two to three weeks. Can they pull it off?Once a new launch pad is put into service in Florida next week, SpaceX plans to launch its Falcon 9 rockets every two to three weeks, the company's president told Reuters.
- First LookSlow food? Black hole taking entire decade to gobble star.
A study published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy describes a black hole that's taken a whole decade to devour a star, some 1.8 billion light-years from Earth.
Sharks for supper? Why experts don't want a ban on shark fishingSharks are facing 'the largest crisis of their 420 million year history,' say experts, but a fishing ban is the wrong solution.
First LookJapanese attempt to unleash 2,300-foot whip on 'space junk' failsAs concerns grow about 'space junk,' a Japanese team tested a device meant to fish debris out of Earth's orbit. But their 700-meter long tether failed to deploy.
Prey or predator? How all pitcher plants came to converge on carnivoryDespite being unrelated, researchers find that three carnivorous plants evolved to munch meat in remarkably similar ways.
First LookBlazing green meteor lights up Midwestern skiesA meteor streaked across the skies over Lake Michigan Monday morning across several states in the Midwest, accompanied by a sonic boom.
Why is Google selling off its satellite fleet?Google opts to purchase satellite imagery rather than manage its own in-house fleet.
Could the universe actually be a flat hologram?A recent paper applies aspects of a deep, physical principle to probe the earliest moments of the universe.
First LookRecycle, reuse: How cheap can SpaceX make space?SpaceX is on the verge of realizing its dream of reusable rocketry, but space is hard, and the economics of space is no exception.
First LookGAO safety concerns may delay first SpaceX crewed spaceflightGovernment inspectors want SpaceX to replace a 'crack-prone' component of its rocket engines before it begins launching people into space. Tragic experience has led to a very high bar for safety measures.
First LookThis 'Bat-bot' drone makes the Batmobile look obsoleteBats are way more agile than birds. A nature-inspired robotic bat could someday give us eyes in places people and quadrocopters can't go.
What can a Martian meteorite tell us about volcanism on the Red Planet?One Martian volcano may have erupted for at least 2 billion years, according to new research.
Spies in the sky: the answer to stopping archaeological looting?A new project asks volunteers to scan satellite photos of Peru for both signs of looting and undiscovered archaeological sites.
First LookHow zircon led researchers to a lost continent under the Indian OceanGeologists have confirmed that a lost continent has been found under Mauritius. Some of it formed pieces of present-day Madagascar and India, while the rest most likely sank into the sea 84 million years ago.
First LookScience of saliva: How versatile spit helps frogs catch and deliver a mealA frog's tongue can capture an insect five times faster than the blink of an eye. But what keeps that bug from falling off along the way? Saliva with unique properties, scientists say.
Time crystals realize new order of space-timeTwo teams of experimentalists have created exotic patterns, repeating in time, that represent a new order of space-time previously thought impossible.
How a 195-million-year-old dinosaur bone could still have soft tissue in itResearchers may have found preserved organic protein in a fossilized dinosaur bone unearthed in China. Why that's a big deal.
- First LookThis tiny 'wrinkled bag' might be humans' earliest known ancestor
A tiny marine creature that lived about 540 million years ago in the seabed mud was found in China and may be the earliest-known animal in the evolutionary path that led to humans.
Signatures of Earthly life may be etched in moon rockOxygen from Earth's atmosphere may be entrenched in lunar soils, according to new research.
