Astronomy

According to astronomers, water worlds, though admittedly not those containing Kevin Costner, are one of the most common types of planets in our solar system. This is partly due to low density estimates and the abundance of water ice past the “snow line” orbit of a star. But a new paper led by Jie Li and their colleagues at the University of Michigan, suggests there might be an alternative type of planet that fits the density data but is made up of a completely different type of material - soot.

Deep in one of our Galaxy's most spectacular star forming regions, astronomers have undertaken the most detailed look yet at a pair of stellar giants that rank among the heaviest stars ever directly measured in the Milky Way. The binary system NGC 3603-A1, located 25,000 light years from Earth, consists of two massive stars locked in an incredibly tight orbital dance.

As quantum computers get larger, they may become truly useful – 3D-printing a key component of some quantum computers may make it easier to build larger arrays of qubits to make them more powerful

As quantum computers get larger, they may become truly useful – 3D-printing a key component of some quantum computers may make it easier to build larger arrays of qubits to make them more powerful

Storing carbon dioxide underground is seen as a way to mitigate climate change, but the world could run out of safe storage space within 200 years if we keep on burning fossil fuels

Storing carbon dioxide underground is seen as a way to mitigate climate change, but the world could run out of safe storage space within 200 years if we keep on burning fossil fuels

Bizarrely, Iberian harvester ant queens lay eggs that turn into male builder harvester ants, and some of her offspring are hybrids of the two species

Bizarrely, Iberian harvester ant queens lay eggs that turn into male builder harvester ants, and some of her offspring are hybrids of the two species

Scientists have mapped the activity that takes place across a mouse's entire brain as it decides how to complete a task - and the results could explain the origin of our gut feelings

Scientists have mapped the activity that takes place across a mouse's entire brain as it decides how to complete a task - and the results could explain the origin of our gut feelings

From flexible implants to circuits seeded with living cells, a new kind of electronics is starting to produce long-lasting implants with the potential to help everything from paralysis to hearing and vision loss

From flexible implants to circuits seeded with living cells, a new kind of electronics is starting to produce long-lasting implants with the potential to help everything from paralysis to hearing and vision loss

Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats in the ocean. This photo, taken from NASA’s Gulfstream V Research Aircraft on July 21, 2022, shows Arctic sea ice in the Lincoln Sea north of Greenland.

India continues to refine the hardware and recovery procedures for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.

The post-golden hour launch ascended through bright blue morning skies.

Spouses often share psychiatric diagnoses, according to an analysis of almost 15 million people in three countries

The Soroya Ridge was the recent destination in NASA's Perseverance rover's journey to explore the landscape of Mars.

A map of DNA methylation changes in human organs—from the stomach to the retinas—could help researchers discover more targets for antiaging therapies

Our understanding of cosmology hinges on how well we know our own local universe, which remains poorly mapped and poorly understood

Hurricane forecast maps are more complex than they appear. Understanding them could change how you prepare for the next storm.