These earthly godfathers of Heaven's lights, that give a name to every fixed star, have no more profit of their shining nights than those that walk and know not what they are.

— William Shakespeare

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Hand-powered device disinfects drinking water with nanoparticles

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - 3 hours 4 min ago
Turning the crank on a simple device filled with nanoparticles can remove serious pathogens from water in seconds, making it suitable for areas without electricity
Categories: Astronomy

Neanderthal-human hybrids may have been scourged by a genetic mismatch

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - 4 hours 36 min ago
When Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred, a genetic variation affecting red blood cells may have hindered reproduction in women who were hybrids, and this might have played a part in Neanderthals’ demise
Categories: Astronomy

Constraints On Solar Power Satellites Are More Ground-Based Than Space-Based

Universe Today - Sun, 10/19/2025 - 7:44pm

Space-based solar power has been gaining more and more traction recently. The recent success of Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project, which demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting power from space to the ground, has been matched by a number of pilot projects throughout the world, all of which are hoping to tap into some of the almost unlimited and constant solar energy that is accessible up in geostationary orbit (GEO). But, according to a new paper from a group of Italian and German researchers, there are plenty of constraints on getting that power down here to Earth - and most of them are more logistical than technical.

Categories: Astronomy

mRNA covid vaccines spark immune response that may aid cancer survival

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Sun, 10/19/2025 - 9:45am
An analysis of patient records suggests that mRNA covid-19 vaccines boost the immune response to cancerous tumours when given soon after people start a type of immunotherapy, extending their lives
Categories: Astronomy

mRNA covid vaccines spark immune response that may aid cancer survival

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Sun, 10/19/2025 - 9:45am
An analysis of patient records suggests that mRNA covid-19 vaccines boost the immune response to cancerous tumours when given soon after people start a type of immunotherapy, extending their lives
Categories: Astronomy

Signs of Late-Stage Cryovolcanism in Pluto’s Hayabusa Terra

Universe Today - Sun, 10/19/2025 - 1:59am

What can cryovolcanism on Pluto teach scientists about the dwarf planet’s current geological activity? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated potential cryovolcanic sites within specific regions on Pluto. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the current geological activity, including how it can be active while orbiting so far from the Sun.

Categories: Astronomy

Within Mars’ Craters, Ice Deposits Have Recorded the History of the Planet

Universe Today - Sat, 10/18/2025 - 6:18pm

Mars has experienced multiple ice ages, with each one leaving less ice than the last. By studying craters that serve as “ice archives,” researchers traced how the red planet stored and lost its water over hundreds of millions of years. These frozen records not only reveal Mars’ long-term climate history but also identify hidden resources beneath the surface that could provide drinking water, oxygen, and even rocket fuel for future astronauts.

Categories: Astronomy

Listening For Gravitational Waves In The Rhythm of Pulsars

Universe Today - Sat, 10/18/2025 - 11:18am

Astronomers are listening for cosmic gravitational waves in the rhythm of pulsars. But even after finding them, they will need to distinguish between cosmic waves and the more local waves of black holes.

Categories: Astronomy

Starship Could Cut The Travel Time To Uranus In Half

Universe Today - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 8:56pm

The ice giants remain some of the most interesting places to explore in the solar system. Uranus in particular has drawn a lot of interest lately, especially after the 2022 Decadal Survey from the National Academies named it as the highest priority destination. But as of now, we still don’t have a fully fleshed out and planned mission ready to go for the multiple launch windows in the 2030s. That might actually be an advantage, though, as a new system coming online might change the overall mission design fundamentally. Starship recently continued its recent string of successful tests, and a new paper presented at the IEEE Aerospace Conference by researchers at MIT looked at how this new, much more capable launch system, could impact the development of the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) that the Decadal Survey suggested.

Categories: Astronomy

‘Nightmare’ calculation may be too tricky for even quantum computers

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 4:01pm
Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are starting to identify where they could falter
Categories: Astronomy

‘Nightmare’ calculation may be too tricky for even quantum computers

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 4:01pm
Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are starting to identify where they could falter
Categories: Astronomy

Replacing sugar with artificial sweetener may help your gut microbiome

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 2:10pm
One of the longest trials of artificial sweeteners to date found that they may increase beneficial gut bacteria, though the boost may also be related to weight loss
Categories: Astronomy

Replacing sugar with artificial sweetener may help your gut microbiome

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 2:10pm
One of the longest trials of artificial sweeteners to date found that they may increase beneficial gut bacteria, though the boost may also be related to weight loss
Categories: Astronomy

We can use ordinary sugar in the search for dark matter

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 11:59am
Physicists have tried so many different ways to find dark matter, but none has been successful. Now an unexpected contender has entered the arena - ordinary table sugar.
Categories: Astronomy

We can use ordinary sugar in the search for dark matter

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 11:59am
Physicists have tried so many different ways to find dark matter, but none has been successful. Now an unexpected contender has entered the arena - ordinary table sugar.
Categories: Astronomy

Alien Civilizations May Only Be Detectable For A Cosmic Blink Of An Eye

Universe Today - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 11:37am

Alien civilizations may evolve so quickly that they are only detectable for a blink of cosmic time, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence.

Categories: Astronomy

Black Hole Eats through Star, Explodes it from Within

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 10:59am

The longest-duration burst of gamma rays on record might mark the moment a black hole tunneled through a star and blew it up from within.

The post Black Hole Eats through Star, Explodes it from Within appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

ESA’s Swarm Constellation Sees Growth in the Magnetic Field’s 'Weak Spot'

Universe Today - Fri, 10/17/2025 - 9:38am

Earth is a dynamic place, both on its surface and down to its very core. The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released findings from its Swarm constellation of Earth-observing satellites highlighting this fact, documenting activity in the planet’s magnetic field during its decade plus of extended operations. One key finding shows the well-known Southern Atlantic Anomaly is expanding in size.

Categories: Astronomy