The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination. But the combination is locked up in the safe.

— Peter De Vries

Astronomy

I'm calling it – 2026 is going to be the year of the galaxy

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 1:00pm
We are going to be getting a lot of exciting new information about galaxies in 2026, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, who can't wait to see what it can tell us
Categories: Astronomy

I'm calling it – 2026 is going to be the year of the galaxy

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 1:00pm
We are going to be getting a lot of exciting new information about galaxies in 2026, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, who can't wait to see what it can tell us
Categories: Astronomy

Why connecting with nature shouldn't mean disconnecting from science

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 1:00pm
There is a growing trend to see our relationship with nature as a spiritual thing. This is a mistake, argues Richard Smyth
Categories: Astronomy

The best new science-fiction shows of 2026

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 1:00pm
From Fallout and Gen Z Star Trek to the classic Neuromancer, you will be glued to the TV this year, says TV columnist Bethan Ackerley
Categories: Astronomy

Why connecting with nature shouldn't mean disconnecting from science

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 1:00pm
There is a growing trend to see our relationship with nature as a spiritual thing. This is a mistake, argues Richard Smyth
Categories: Astronomy

The best new science-fiction shows of 2026

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 1:00pm
From Fallout and Gen Z Star Trek to the classic Neuromancer, you will be glued to the TV this year, says TV columnist Bethan Ackerley
Categories: Astronomy

Big and Bright, Jupiter Beckons in January

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:47pm

Jupiter's having a special moment! Don't miss the giant planet at its best when it reaches opposition this week.

The post Big and Bright, Jupiter Beckons in January appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

The Race to Find Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Just Took a Major Twist

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:45pm

Scientists have uncovered genetic evidence that they say may be linked to the Renaissance master, but some experts are more skeptical

Categories: Astronomy

RFK, Jr., Upsets Food Pyramid, Urging Americans to Eat More Meat

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:45pm

Nutritional guidelines released on Wednesday by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the USDA emphasize “real food” that is high in saturated fat, departing from decades of evidence on healthful diets

Categories: Astronomy

Fossil Discovery of New Human Ancestor May Connect Us to Neandertals and Denisovans

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:12pm

Fossils of a human ancestor from 773,000 years ago may be near the base of the Homo sapiens lineage, representing a common ancestor of modern humans, Neandertals and Denisovans

Categories: Astronomy

How the Evidence for Alien Life on K2-18 b Evaporated

Universe Today - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:43am

It feels like every time we publish an article about an exciting discovery of a potential biosignature on a new exoplanet, we have to publish a follow-up one a few months later debunking the original claims. That is exactly how science is supposed to work, and part of our job as science journalists is to report on the debunking as well as the original story, even if it might not be as exciting. In this particular case, it seems the discovery of dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18 b was a false alarm, according to a new paper available in pre-print form on arXiv by Luis Welbanks of Arizona State University and his co-authors.

Categories: Astronomy

Antarctica Doomsday Glacier Rattled by Hundreds of Iceberg Earthquakes

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:30am

Capsizing icebergs are violently clashing with the crumbling end of the Doomsday Glacier

Categories: Astronomy

Lightning from Above

NASA Image of the Day - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:29am
NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of lightning while orbiting aboard the International Space Station more than 250 miles above Milan, Italy.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Hominin fossils from Morocco may be close ancestors of modern humans

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
The jawbones and vertebrae of a hominin that lived 773,000 years ago have been found in North Africa and could represent a common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans
Categories: Astronomy

Hominin fossils from Morocco may be close ancestors of modern humans

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
The jawbones and vertebrae of a hominin that lived 773,000 years ago have been found in North Africa and could represent a common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans
Categories: Astronomy

Super-low-density worlds reveal how common planetary systems form

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
Most planetary systems contain worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, and the low-density planets around one young star should help us understand how such systems form
Categories: Astronomy

Super-low-density worlds reveal how common planetary systems form

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
Most planetary systems contain worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, and the low-density planets around one young star should help us understand how such systems form
Categories: Astronomy

How rethinking your relationship with time could give you more of it

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
You might feel like the days and weeks are slipping by. Here is how one psychologist says you can shift your experience of time
Categories: Astronomy

How rethinking your relationship with time could give you more of it

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
You might feel like the days and weeks are slipping by. Here is how one psychologist says you can shift your experience of time
Categories: Astronomy

By Jove: Jupiter Reaches Opposition for 2026

Universe Today - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 9:34am

It was a question I heard lots this past weekend. “What’s that bright star near the Full Moon?” That ‘star’ was actually a planet, as Jupiter heads towards opposition rising ‘opposite’ to the setting Sun this coming weekend. This places the King of the Planets high in the northern sky, in the same general spot the Full Moon occupies in January.

Categories: Astronomy