The Big Bang is often described as the explosive birth of the universe — a singular moment when space, time and matter sprang into existence. But what if this was not the beginning at all? What if our universe emerged from something else — something more familiar and radical at the same time? In a … Read more
After nearly a decade in orbit, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has, for the first time, directly observed the process that scientists had long suspected was responsible for stripping Mars of its atmosphere. The findings, published May 28 in the journal Science Advances, could help answer a longstanding question about how Mars transformed from a potentially habitable … Read more
In the last five years, the number of satellites orbiting Earth has more than doubled and will likely double again within a similar timespan, thanks to the efforts of private companies such as SpaceX. But while these spacecraft can provide important benefits, they are also causing multiple issues that are only just being realized by … Read more
E.T., Stitch, Chewbacca, Groot — humans have a lot of ideas about what aliens might look like. But what is the science behind extraterrestrial life? Is it possible that humans will ever experience “first contact” with an alien species? Many scientists hope so. They’re looking for extraterrestrial life on planets with conditions that look like … Read more
Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet, used to be even bigger, according to a new study. The cloud of gas and dust from which the sun and planets formed dissipated around 4.5 billion years ago. At that time, Jupiter was at least twice its current size, and its magnetic field was about 50 times stronger, … Read more
Scientists have created night-vision contact lenses that they claim can grant people “super-vision.” The lenses — which use nanoparticles to absorb low-frequency light before emitting it in the visible spectrum — enable wearers to see infrared wavelengths that are otherwise invisible to the human eye. And unlike traditional night-vision goggles, these lenses don’t require a … Read more
Scientists have uncovered fresh evidence that Venus is not dead — geologically speaking. Venus and Earth are similar in size and were bombarded by comparable amounts of water billions of years ago. This shared origin has long fueled one of planetary science’s biggest questions: Why did Venus become a hellish, uninhabitable world while Earth flourished … Read more
Scientists say they’ve created a battery that can stretch and bend without losing power. The discovery paves the way for wearable technology, smart medical devices, and robots with human-like movements. “The texture is a bit like toothpaste,” senior author Aiman Rahmanudin, an assistant professor at Linköping University in Sweden, said in a statement. “The material … Read more
Nearly two millennia after the height of the Roman Empire, some of its structures are still standing. These marvels have stood the test of time, including the Pantheon in Rome; the Roman aqueducts in Segovia, Spain; and the Roman baths in England. The longevity of these structures can be attributed largely to Roman concrete. But … Read more
There might be a hidden ocean’s worth of liquid water below the surface of Mars, seismic evidence suggests. According to a new paper published April 25 in the journal National Science Review, recordings of seismic waves from deep within the Red Planet indicate that a layer of liquid water may be lurking in the Martian … Read more
