It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other.

— Plato

Scientific American.com

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Updated: 10 hours 44 min ago

After Months of Gibberish, Voyager 1 Is Communicating Well Again

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 4:40pm

NASA scientists spent months coaxing the 46-year-old Voyager 1 spacecraft back into healthy communication

Categories: Astronomy

Biden Kicks Off Earth Week with Solar Funding, Expanding Climate Corps

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 11:15am

The Biden administration is marking Earth Week with announcements of solar power funding for lower-income communities, an expansion of the Climate Corps and Clean Air Act rules

Categories: Astronomy

Time Slows Down When We See Something Memorable

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 11:00am

New research shows that looking at memorable images can warp our perception of time

Categories: Astronomy

Quantum Computers Can Run Powerful AI That Works like the Brain

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 8:30am

The influential AI design that makes chatbots tick now runs on quantum computers

Categories: Astronomy

Experimental Ovarian Cryopreservation Could Delay Menopause, but Experts Are Weighing the Risks

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 8:00am

Extracting, freezing and retransplanting slices of hormone-producing ovarian tissue could postpone menopause, but some experts say it’s not effective enough—or necessary

Categories: Astronomy

Low-Earth Orbit Faces a Spiraling Debris Threat

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 7:00am

Millions of human-made objects travel at high speeds in low-Earth orbit, polluting space and increasing the chance of collision with satellites and other spacecraft

Categories: Astronomy

How a Cloned Ferret Inspired a DNA Bank for Endangered Species

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 6:45am

The birth of a cloned black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann, and her two new sisters, has sparked a new pilot program to preserve the tissues of hundreds of endangered species “just in case”

Categories: Astronomy

Will the Amazon Rain Forest Help Save the Planet?

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 6:00am

Years in the making, a project in the Amazon rain forest is finally set to determine whether a rise in carbon dioxide could save one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.

Categories: Astronomy

The U.S. Spends a Fortune on Beach Sand That Storms Just Wash Away

Sun, 04/21/2024 - 10:00am

The U.S. is paying hundreds of millions of dollars to replenish storm-ravaged beaches in a losing battle against rising seas and erosion

Categories: Astronomy

New Minecraft ‘Heat Dragon’ Quest Has Gamers Fight Climate Villain

Sat, 04/20/2024 - 10:00am

A new video game puts climate solution tools in the hands of up to 80 million Minecraft players

Categories: Astronomy

Sorry, Little Green Men: Alien Life Might Actually Be Purple

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 2:00pm

Purple may be a likely color for extraterrestrial organisms, research suggests

Categories: Astronomy

Early Humans Sheltered in This Lava Tube 10,000 Years Ago—And It’s Still in Use Today

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 1:00pm

Fossils and stone tools show that a cave in Saudi Arabia has been used as shelter by humans for millennia, up to the present day

Categories: Astronomy

Abortion Bans in Arizona and Florida Will Face Voters in November

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:30pm

The state supreme courts in Florida and Arizona both recently ruled that strict abortion bans could go into effect. But ballot measures may give voters a chance to weigh in

Categories: Astronomy

You Quit Ozempic or Wegovy. What Happens Next?

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:00pm

Many researchers think that Wegovy and Ozempic should be taken for life, but myriad factors can force people off the drugs

Categories: Astronomy

Anti-Trans Efforts Use Misinformation, Epistemological Violence and Gender Essentialism

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 11:30am

Three types of misinformation are being used against transgender people: oversimplifying scientific knowledge, fabricating and misinterpreting research and promoting false equivalences

Categories: Astronomy

Could JWST Solve One of Cosmology's Greatest Mysteries?

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 11:00am

The telescope's studies could help end a long-standing disagreement over the rate of cosmic expansion. But scientists say more measurements are needed

Categories: Astronomy

Human Brains May Be Getting Bigger

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 7:30am

Brain size in one Massachusetts community has steadily increased since the 1930s, possibly explaining why dementia is trending lower nationwide

Categories: Astronomy

Why Seasonal Allergies Are So Miserable

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 7:00am

Plants are just trying to reproduce; immune systems are just trying to keep us safe

Categories: Astronomy

How to See the Lunar Far Side Right Here on Earth

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 6:45am

Perspective and subtle motion allows us to peek over the moon’s edge and into its far side

Categories: Astronomy

How Big a Threat Is Bird Flu?

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 6:00am

Cows and at least one person in the U.S. have been sickened by avian influenza. We asked experts about the risk to humans.

Categories: Astronomy