Where’s the Dark Matter? Look for Suspiciously Warm Planets
We’re bathing in an uncertain universe. Astrophysicists generally accept that about 85 percent of all mass in the universe comes…
This Human-Sized Origami Reimagines Emergency Shelters
“A lot of times,” he continues, “these things get built, but then they get left behind or they get destroyed.”…
35 Years Later, Studies Show a Silver Lining From Chernobyl
Cancers are caused by mutations in human DNA. A few lines of genetic code get deleted or mixed up and…
This Sticker Absorbs Sweat—and Might Diagnose Cystic Fibrosis
In the Middle Ages, a grim adage sometimes turned up in European folklore and children’s stories: Woe to that child…
Sneaky New Bacteria on the ISS Could Build a Future on Mars
In mid-March, NASA researchers announced that they’d found an unknown life-form hiding aboard the International Space Station. And they were…
It’s Finally Time to Take Out the Space Trash
Could the solution to eliminating dangerous space junk be a mini-fridge-sized spacecraft equipped with a big magnet, or maybe an…
NASA Gets a Quick Peek at a Mysterious Layer of the Sun
Imagine for a minute that you have been transported to the middle layers of the sun’s atmosphere. The sun’s surface,…
Can Technology Open Spaceflight to Disabled Astronauts?
What would it be like to have a spaceship with a truly diverse crew—not the mix of alien species seen…
Twinkling Black Holes Reveal an Invisible Cloud in Our Galaxy
“The reason that rapid variability is interesting is because it’s usually a sign of something extreme going on,” says Murphy.…
Researchers Are Studying These Worm Blobs to Build Robots
While bees, birds, and ants swarm together to mate or protect themselves against predators, these worms are able to braid…