Space

Planetary Science

Marsquakes hint that the planet might be volcanically active after all

Seismic data recorded by NASA’s InSight lander suggest molten rock moves tens of kilometers below the planet’s fractured Cerberus Fossae region.

Microbes

Ancient bacteria could persist beneath Mars’ surface

Radiation-tolerant microbes might be able to survive beneath Mars’ surface for hundreds of millions of years, a new study suggests.

Astronomy

Meet the BOAT, the brightest gamma-ray burst of all time

Probably triggered by a supernova in a remote galaxy, the burst detected on October 9 could challenge theories about these brilliant blasts.

Earth

Particles from space provide a new look inside cyclones

Cosmic rays that smash into the atmosphere make muons that are sensitive to changing air pressure inside storms.

Astronomy

Most stars may have much more time to form planets than previously thought

Planet-making disks may survive around most young stars for 5 million to 10 million years — more than double a previous estimate.

Astronomy

For the first time, astronomers saw dust in space being pushed by starlight

Images collected over 16 years reveal that dust expelled from a well-known binary star system is hurried on its way by light from those stars.

Astronomy

A 3-D model of the Cat’s Eye nebula shows rings sculpted by jets

The Cat’s Eye is one of the most complex nebulae known. A 3-D reconstruction reveals the source of some of that complexity.

Planetary Science

NASA’s DART mission successfully shoved an asteroid

Data obtained since the spacecraft intentionally crashed into an asteroid show that the impact altered the space rock’s orbit even more than intended.

Astronomy

The James Webb Space Telescope spied the earliest born stars yet seen

The stars, found in the first released science image from the James Webb Space Telescope, probably winked into existence about 13 billion years ago.

Planetary Science

Mars’ buried ‘lake’ might just be layers of ice and rock

Evidence grows that possible detections of liquid water buried near Mars’ south pole might not hold water.

Planetary Science

Robin Wordsworth re-creates the atmosphere of ancient Mars

Robin Wordsworth studies the climates of Mars and other alien worlds to find out whether they could support life.

Science & Society

Big questions inspire the scientists on this year’s SN 10 list

These scientists to watch study climate change, alien worlds, human evolution, the coronavirus and more.