CATEGORIES

NEANDERTHAL LIVING

Why our prehistoric cousins were pioneers, not clueless apes

RESCUE IN SPACE

Fortunately, space emergencies are a rare occurrence, but astronauts and space agencies need to be prepared for any eventuality that might arise

Hubble spots a stunning spiral galaxy shining in the 'Little Lion'

From its vantage point in low-Earth orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope recently captured an intricate portrait of NGC 3430, a classic spiral galaxy that resides 100 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Leo Minor.

Mars Express takes a deep dive into an ancient lake

A Mars orbiter has taken a deep dive into an ancient Martian lake - figuratively, at least. Larger than any lake currently on Earth, the dried-up remnants of this ancient lakebed were captured in incredible detail by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2003. \"This patch of Mars - shown in a new view from Mars Express' High-Resolution Stereo Camera - is known as Caralis Chaos,\" ESA scientists said. \"We believe that water, and a lot of it, once existed here.\"

An ocean's worth of water may be buried within Mars, but can we get to it?

Enough water to cover the surface of Mars has been discovered within the crust of the Red Planet by NASA's InSight mission. However, the ocean is buried several kilometres underground. Insight touched down in the Elysium Planitia region on Mars in November 2018 and maintained its mission for four years.

Jupiter's surreal clouds swirl in a new view from NASA's Juno probe

Vivid clouds swirl across Jupiter's skies like colourful brush strokes across a painting in a new photo from NASA's Juno spacecraft.

A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG

The massive explosion was captured in 2022

Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”

Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic

THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT

While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit

INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST

Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond

WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE

Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?

15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS

Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months

Weird 'watermelon-shaped' asteroids like Dimorphos and Selam may finally have an explanation

The unusual shapes of the tiny asteroids Dimorphos and Selam have perplexed astronomers for years, but a new study finally explains how they got so strange. It also suggests these bizarrely shaped 'moonlets' may be more common than scientists thought.

Ghostly 'zodiacal light' glows above the Very Large Telescope in Chile

A newly released image shows a colourful haze glowing above the Paranal Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert at sunset. The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) stands beneath a star-studded sky illuminated by a phenomenon known as zodiacal light, which is observed as a faint glow of diffuse light in the sky scattered by interplanetary dust.

NASA may use lasers to livestream from the Moon one day

Getting a live play-by-play of astronauts in space during future Artemis Moon missions could eventually be possible thanks to laser technology. NASA is testing a space communication method that, instead of using radio waves, uses a laser beam to connect Earth with astronauts on the Moon.

The Space Force is launching lasers into orbit

The Space Force aims to better pinpoint the location of Earth's true centre using lasers on GPS satellites, slated to launch in 2025. A set of Laser Retroreflector Arrays, or LRAS, will be installed onto two GPS III satellites, SV9 and SV10, as part of NASA's Space Geodesy Program. The lasers are designed to make precise sub-centimetre measurements using a technique called Satellite Laser Ranging, which will allow researchers to more accurately determine Earth's centre.

Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular ageing

A nutrient-rich diet with few added sugars may slow the rate of biological ageing in women. Scientists found that middle-aged women who ate more foods packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants had 'younger looking' cells than those who consumed less nutrient-rich diets.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?

A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere

Scientists achieve record-breaking data transmission speeds

Researchers have achieved record-breaking fibre-optic data transfer speeds of 402 terabits per second, roughly 1.6 million times faster than typical home broadband speeds. Scientists at Aston University in the UK achieved these new speeds by tapping into all the wavelength bands used in commercially available fibreoptic cables. Only one or two bands are used in most fibre-optic broadband connections.

T. rex could have been 70 per cent bigger

There's no denying that Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the biggest dinosaurs to ever walk the planet. But how big could this dinosaur get? In a new investigation, researchers attempted to answer that. Palaeontologists from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa estimated that the largest T. rex may have tipped the scales at a whopping 15,000 kilograms, making it heavier than an average school bus, which weighs about 11,000 kilograms.

BECOME A SMARTPHONE SCIENTIST

Amazing tips and tricks to transform your smartphone into a bug-finding, star-spotting, data-gathering device

NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE

Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past

BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET

The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays

'Hypervirulent' superbug detected in 16 countries

Dangerous new strains of a \"hypervirulent' superbug have been found in 16 countries, including the US, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a new report.

ALL ABOUT FAT

Fat is a complex, active organ. Here's how genetics, evolution, lifestyle and diet dictate how much we have beneath our skin

DARK ENERGY

THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED

Racing to save the planet

A new hydrogen-powered racing car has been unveiled.

HEADSCRATCHERS

Seeking answers to your science questions? Ask our resident expert, Peter Gallivan

KILLER INSTINCT

Step into the wild - if you dare - with JD Savage to discover how nature's ultimate predators use astonishing skills and cunning tactics to catch prey and dominate their domains.

Angkor Wat

Discover the many secrets surrounding this ancient site.