Space
- Planetary Science
Dawn spacecraft maps water beneath the surface of Ceres
Water ice sits just beneath the surface and within some permanently shadowed craters of the dwarf planet Ceres.
- Planetary Science
Moon’s lava tubes could be colossal
Lava tubes inside the moon could remain structurally sound up to 5 kilometers across and offer prime real estate for lunar colonists.
- Physics
Year in review: Gravitational waves offer new cosmic views
The first direct detection of gravitational waves will open a new window on black holes and introduce a new era in astronomy.
- Astronomy
Year in review: A planet lurks around the star next door
If people ever travel beyond the solar system, the newly discovered exoplanet around Proxima Centauri is likely to be a first stop.
- Planetary Science
First signs of boron on Mars hint at past groundwater, habitability
The Curiosity rover has found the first signs of boron on Mars, which could hint at past habitable groundwater.
- Planetary Science
First signs of boron on Mars hint at past groundwater, habitability
The Curiosity rover has found the first signs of boron on Mars, which could hint at past habitable groundwater.
- Physics
Shadows of two failed searches loom over physics
Physicists are facing two failures this year with no detections of dark matter particles and no signs of supersymmetry from the Large Hadron Collider.
- Astronomy
Magnetic stars could have created LIGO’s massive black holes
Strong magnetic fields could provide a way for massive stars to create heavy black holes when they die.
- Quantum Physics
Vacuum’s quantum effect on light detected
Light can be polarized through interactions with empty space.
- Astronomy
Gaggle of stars get official names
The names of 227 stars have been formally recognized by the International Astronomical Union.
- Astronomy
Stellar vomiting produces dark galaxies, simulations suggest
Dark galaxies might owe their existence to multiple rounds of prolific star birth and death that eject gas and stretch out their homes, new simulations suggest.
- Anthropology
Readers ponder hominid hookups and more
Neandertal evolution, quantum internet and more in reader feedback.
