When ISS Astronauts Unleashed Killer Viruses on E. Coli, Strange Things Started to Happen
Experiments aboard the International Space Station revealed how killer viruses that infect bacteria evolve their attacks in microgravity.
Space
Toxic Hydrogen Cyanide May Play a Key Role in Life’s Origins on Icy Worlds
Frozen crystals of hydrogen cyanide, a poisonous substance, may have been essential to life on Saturn’s moon Titan, researchers say.
“This Was a Serendipitous Discovery”: A Galactic “Misfit” is Revealing Anomalous Activity Astronomers Never Expected
Astronomers report that the active galactic nucleus at VV 340a is producing a wobbling outflow jet that challenges the current paradigm.
“Entirely Unexpected” Discovery of a Mysterious Shockwave in Deep Space Reveals “Something Never Seen Before,” Astronomers Say
A new image captured by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope reveals a beautiful shockwave around a dead star.
NASA Officials to Evacuate International Space Station After Mysterious “Medical Concern” Affects Crew-11 Astronaut
NASA plans to return several astronauts to Earth following a “medical concern” on board the International Space Station (ISS).
“A New Type of Astronomical Object”: Hubble Telescope Confirms First Detection of a “Relic” Unlike Anything Astronomers Have Seen
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has spotted an object unlike any previously observed, revealing an unusual remnant of the cosmic past.
“A Potential Biosignature is Awaiting Return Now”: Congress Abandons Retrieval of Martian Rocks That May Hold Evidence of Extraterrestrial Life
Plans to retrieve Marian rocks that may contain signs of extraterrestrial life appear to have been abandoned by the US Congress.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Has Spotted ‘Platypus Galaxies’ Astronomers Say They “Can’t Categorize, They Are So Odd”
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered bizarre “platypus galaxies” in the early universe, exhibiting an unusual range of properties.
Astronomers Have Spotted a Nearly Invisible ‘Rogue Planet’ Wandering Silently Through the Cosmos
Ground and space-based telescopes have confirmed a microlensing event caused by a rogue planet wandering silently through the galaxy
2026 Space Outlook: New Missions Look to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond as Humanity Seeks Permanent Space Habitation
2026 is shaping up to be a stellar year for space exploration with plans for Moon and Mars missions, planetary defense initiatives, and more.
“Bold and Creative Concepts” Wanted: If You Have a Cool Idea for a Space Base, You Could Win $20,000
The Aurelia Institute has launched the $20,000 Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism, seeking "bold and creative" space-based concepts.
Scientists Suddenly Can’t Explain How Stellar Winds Spread the Seeds of Life Throughout the Cosmos
New findings suggest sunlight may not be powerful enough to propel stellar winds thought to spread the seeds of life throughout the cosmos.
Ghosts, Gods & Monsters: U.S. Space Force Unveils Epic Concepts for Its New Space Weapons That Aim to “Conjure the Character of the Systems”
The U.S. Space Force has announced new space weapons naming conventions that include ghosts, monsters, and gods from Norse mythology.
“To See It with This Clarity is Amazing”: Parker Solar Probe’s Closest-Ever Images Reshape Scientists’ Understanding of Solar Storms
Solar magnetic field images captured by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe last year have provided new insight into dangerous space weather.
“Exciting Implications for the Search for Life”: New Analysis of Titan Increases Chances of Finding Extraterrestrial Life
A new analysis of Saturn's moon Titan that reduced the odds of a subsurface liquid ocean has increased the chances of extraterrestrial life.
NASA Spots a Mysterious “Siberian Snowman” in New Satellite Images
Satellite imagery of a remote village that once served as a Soviet supply port during the Cold War has revealed an odd discovery—one that resembles an iconic wintertime mainstay.
“There Are a Couple Suspicious Objects”: Discovery of Star Wars-Style Planet Orbiting Two Suns Could Lead to More Unexpected Finds
Astronomers combing through old image data have found evidence of a Star Wars-style planet orbiting two suns that previous studies had missed.
SETI Looked Beyond Habitable Exoplanets—and Found a New Way to Search for Alien Technology
Scientists searched 27 exoplanets for alien technology using planetary eclipses, revealing a new way SETI hunts signals beyond habitability.
Scientists Trace the Mysterious Origins of These Critical Life-Supporting Elements to the Death of an Ancient Star
Scientists have found an "extreme" solution to the mysterious origins of critical life-supporting elements chlorine and potassium.
James Webb Space Telescope Discovery Reveals the Milky Way Has a Distant Twin That Shouldn’t Exist
New James Webb Space Telescope observations have revealed a galaxy that shouldn’t exist, a complex spiral galaxy named Alaknanda.
‘Ice Volcanoes’ Are Erupting All Over 3I/ATLAS, as Scientists Say the Alien Visitor “May be a Primitive Carbonaceous Object”
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS may be showing signs of active eruptions from ice volcanoes on its surface, according to new analysis of the unusual space object.
Martian Colonies Could Be Built by Living Microbes That Produce Concrete Under Extreme Conditions, Scientists Say
Future Mars astronauts may use microbial life to produce the building materials for a permanent human colony on the Red Planet.
“We Used to Think Life Had to Start Completely from Scratch”: New Evidence Shows Biomolecules May Have Origins in Earth’s Atmosphere
New experiments show that biomolecules the form the basis of all life were present in the Earth's atmosphere before the first life existed
Scienstists Reveal Samples from Near-Earth Asteroid Bennu Hold a Rich Collection of Life-Giving Ingredients
New analysis of samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu reveals a collection of organic molecules linked to the building blocks of life.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Hears the Crack of Martian Lightning, Providing the First Glimpse into the Red Planet’s Atmospheric Electricity
New evidence of electrical phenomena in the Martian atmosphere could expand our understanding of the Red Planet's chemistry, climate, and habitability.
Astronauts Placed an Extreme Earth Organism in Outer Space. Nine Months Later, it Was Still Alive
After placing an ancient extreme Earth organism outside of the ISS for nine months, scientists were shocked to find it was still alive.
NASA’s Voyager 1 Probe Will Reach One ‘Light Day’ from Earth Next Year, Marking Humanity’s Deepest Foray into the Cosmos
NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe will continue its almost half-century of service by delivering yet another milestone.
NASA Spacecraft Discovery Could Solve the Riddle of This Mysterious Feature Buried Under Thousands of Feet of Martian Ice
NASA scientists say they may have finally identified an unusual feature hidden beneath thousands of feet of ice near the Martian south pole.
A Mysterious New “Structure” Has Been Discovered in Our Solar System’s Kuiper Belt
Far beyond Neptune, at the far outer rim of our Solar System, astronomers have spotted what looks like a hidden “structure” or “band” of small worlds.
DARPA Launches TBD2, the First Deep-Space Surveillance Network to Track Tiny Objects Millions of Miles From Earth
DARPA’s TBD2 program aims to track tiny spacecraft across deep space, creating the first wide-area surveillance of the Earth–Moon region.
Dwarf Galaxies Around Andromeda Are Revealing a Complex Story of Cosmic Death
A new study of M31, also known as Andromeda, explains how our cosmic neighbor kills off smaller nearby galaxies.
Scientists Reveal How Severely a Geomagnetic Superstorm Erodes Earth’s Protection from Dangerous Space Radiation
Researchers have now measured how violent space weather events called geomagnetic superstorms disrupt the Earth’s protective plasmasphere.
James Webb Space Telescope Captures Stunning Images of “Repetitive, Predictable Structures” in a Rare Star System
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first-ever image of four dust spirals surrounding the Wolf-Rayet stars in the Apep system.
The Origins of Theia, the Cosmic Impactor that Violently Birthed the Moon, Has Finally Been Revealed
New research reveals that Theia, the colossal, Mars-sized impactor that collided with the Earth to birth our Moon, may have come from the direction of the Sun.
A Strange Rock Discovered on the Martian Surface May Be a Visitor From Outer Space
3I/Atlas isn’t the only unusual space rock to be spotted recently, as NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover has spotted a possible meteorite.
An Unexpected Discovery in Lunar Soil Samples Could Solve a Magnetic Moon Mystery
Scientists have made a surprise discovery in lunar soil samples that could help unravel the mystery behind the Moon’s magnetic anomalies.
“Our Current Models Are Being Put to the Test”: Researchers Say Our Solar System is Moving Impossibly Fast
Our solar system appears to be breaking the cosmic speed limit, casting fresh doubt on the Standard Model of Cosmology.
3I/ATLAS Radio Signal Detections Offer New Confirmation of What Many Astronomers Have Been Saying for Months
New radio observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS leave little question about the object’s natural origin.
“A Top Contender for Extraterrestrial Life”: Subsurface Ocean on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Likely Stable Enough to Support Life
Temperature readings from Saturn's moon Enceladus suggests its subsurface liquid water ocean may be stable enough for life to evolve.
Physicists Discover “Einstein-Rosen Caterpillars” Might Be Hiding Inside Black Holes
Physicists uncover “Einstein-Rosen Caterpillars,” suggesting that black holes may be tangled with quantum wormholes.
“A Potential Paradigm Shift in Cosmology”: Scientists Uncover Evidence the Universe’s Expansion is Slowing Down, Not Accelerating
Korean scientists studying Type Ia supernovae have found strong evidence that the universe's expansion is not accelerating, but slowing down.
These Water-Rich Exoplanets Shouldn’t Exist—Now Astronomers Finally Know How They’re So Wet
A new study suggests mysterious water worlds may be manufacturing their own oceans through chemical reactions deep within their interiors.
Scientists Develop “Effort.jl” Emulator That Can Simulate the Entire Universe—on Just a Laptop
Scientists have developed a new program, "Effort.jl," that utilizes AI and physics to simulate the universe at a faster rate than ever, enabling scientists to map cosmic structure in minutes.
Did 3I/ATLAS Just Show Signs of Technology? Interstellar Object Displays ‘Non-Gravitational Motion’ as it Swings Past the Sun
A new report offers the latest confirmation of 3I/ATLAS and its interstellar origins, as scientists still debate over its unusual properties.
Halloween Fireballs? Astronomers Warn of Potential Enhanced Risk of Cosmic Impacts and Airbursts in the Coming Decade
Astronomers warn of a small yet likely enhanced risk of damage, injury, or death from exploding swarms of Halloween Fireballs.
Ancient Solar Storms Played a Key Role in the Emergence of Life on Earth, New Study Suggests
New research reveals how powerful coronal mass ejections may have been essential to the rise of life on planet Earth.
Unexpected Earth-Sized Exoplanets Discovered in Binary Star System “Test the Limits of Planet Formation Models”
A trio of newly discovered exoplanets is defying the expectation that binary systems are hostile to planet formation, according to an international team of researchers.
Astronomers Just Spotted an Undiscovered Space Object Hiding in the Sun’s Glare—And It’s Moving Extremely Fast
Hidden by the Sun’s glare, a new space object has been found lurking in our Solar System, and it's one of the fastest-moving of its kind.
Elusive ‘Alfvén Waves’ Have Been Discovered in the Sun’s Corona, Ending Nearly a Century of Searching
Scientists have finally discovered theoretical torsional Alfvén waves within the Sun’s corona, concluding a decades-long search.
“Nowhere Else Could We Have Achieved This”: This Physics Experiment Aboard the ISS Could Significantly Improve Spacecraft Safety
European researchers aboard the ISS are investigating the fundamental nature of condensation to mitigate hazards to spacecraft electronics.