Space
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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Comet likely culprit in Tunguska blast
Analysis of shuttle plume movement suggests Tunguska event could have caused clouds over London.
By Sid Perkins - Space
Rotation may solve cosmic mystery
Astronomers propose a new explanation for the formation of the darkest galaxies in the universe.
By Ron Cowen - Space
Evidence mounts for liquid interior of a Saturn moon
Cassini researchers find additional support in the moon's plumes.
By Ron Cowen - Earth
Lopsided lights
Simultaneous snapshots reveal that northern and southern auroras aren’t always alike.
By Sid Perkins - Space
Jupiter takes it on the chin
Images reveal that an object has recently bashed into Jupiter, 15 years after the first of 21 chunks of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 struck the giant planet and created a memorable display of dark spots, waves and plumes.
By Ron Cowen - Earth
A hundred new nukes?
Here are some issues to contemplate while deciding whether to welcome the nuclear-power renaissance that Sen. Alexander has just proposed.
By Janet Raloff - Space
Pairing off in the early universe
New simulations reveal that some of the first stars in the universe formed in pairs.
By Ron Cowen - Physics
Capping the length of extra dimensions
The existence of a small, elderly black hole places a new upper limit on the length of any extra dimension, a new study suggests.
By Ron Cowen - Astronomy
The Star That Ate a Mars
COVER STORY: Scientists probe debris trapped by white dwarfs to learn more about what faraway Earthlike planets are made of.
- Planetary Science
Losing Louisiana
A new model predicts that rises in sea level, combined with subsiding lands, will claim a tenth of the state by century’s end.
By Sid Perkins - Space
Baby Milky Way modeled
Researchers unveil state-of-the-art simulation of galaxy formation.
By Ron Cowen - Astronomy
Saturn’s moon may host an ocean
Geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus could have delivered sodium from its underground ocean and into the planet's E ring
By Ron Cowen