News

Astronomy

‘Goldilocks’ stars may pose challenges for any nearby habitable planets

Orange dwarfs emit far-ultraviolet light long after birth, stressing the atmospheres of potentially life-bearing worlds.

Planetary Science

U.S. planetary scientists want to explore Uranus and Enceladus next

A report on recommendations for the next 10 years of U.S. planetary science prioritizes sending an orbiter to Uranus and an “orbilander” to Enceladus.

Planetary Science

Europa may have much more shallow liquid water than scientists thought

Mysterious pairs of ridges scar Jupiter’s moon Europa. Analyzing a similar set in Greenland suggests shallow water is behind the features’ formation.

Planetary Science

Here’s how NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has spent 1 year on Mars

The first flying robot on the Red Planet arrived as a technology demonstration. It’s now a trusty scout for its rover partner, Perseverance.

Particle Physics

A new nuclear imaging prototype detects tumors’ faint glow

Nuclear imaging that relies on Cerenkov light could supplement standard-of-care technology for identifying location of tumors.

Astronomy

Crumbling planets might trigger repeating fast radio bursts

Mysterious blasts of cosmic radio waves might be due to planets sweeping extremely close to their host neutron stars.

Animals

Most bats don’t echolocate in broad daylight. Here’s an exception

Egyptian fruit bats in Tel Aviv regularly navigate by sound during midday hours to avoid obstacles and forage, despite their excellent vision.

Astronomy

A newly discovered planet renews debate about how some giant worlds form

An implosion of gas may have given birth to this young exoplanet, which orbits too far from its star to have been built up bit by bit, researchers say.

Archaeology

This hieroglyph is the oldest known record of the Maya calendar

Plaster fragments with the markings date to at least 200 B.C. and indicate that the calendar system, still used today, might be centuries older.

Planetary Science

This is the biggest known comet in our solar system

The nucleus of comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is about 120 kilometers across — about twice the width of Rhode Island — and is darker than coal.

Anthropology

How ancient, recurring climate changes may have shaped human evolution

Climate changes drove where Homo species lived over the last 2 million years, with a disputed ancestor giving rise to H. sapiens, a new study claims.

Agriculture

More than 57 billion tons of soil have eroded in the U.S. Midwest

Researchers discovered startling soil erosion rates in the Midwest. Farming has worsened erosion, but no-till practices and cover crops can help.