Astronomy

'We had an idea for a meat planet' — Revenge of the Savage Planet game director Alex Hutchinson talks strange new worlds and mocking corporate spaceflight.

Armed with a drone and a device which is a cross between a scoop and a spatula, a graduate student is cracking the code of Mars by studying California's desert dunes. By comparing wind carved patterns in the Algodones Desert with satellite images of the Red Planet, researchers are creating humanity's first comprehensive database of Martian sand formations, work that could determine where future astronauts can safely establish bases without getting buried alive. Her pioneering research proves that sometimes the keys to exploring alien worlds aren't found in billion dollar space missions, but in the shifting sands right here on Earth.

It's assumed that our region of the Universe isn't special, and the Hubble Tension, or mismatch of expansion rates of the Universe at different times, is happening everywhere. But what if our place is unusual, for example, if the Milky Way is inside a lower-density region of the Universe, with stronger gravity pulling material away from us in all directions? A new paper suggests we might be in a void that's emptying out towards higher-density regions all around us.

Hidden in the darkness between Uranus and Neptune, a team of astronomers have discovered a small world locked in a million year gravitational waltz with Uranus. The asteroid enjoying this celestial dance with Uranus completes exactly three orbits for every four of the ice giant, representing the first known stable partnership of its kind in this remote region of the Solar System. The discovery proves that even in the apparent chaos of space, there are elegant mathematical relationships that have persisted, revealing new secrets about how gravitational forces sculpt the architecture of our planetary system.

The Trump administration wants to reduce the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget by $2.2 billion, eliminating research that might help advance AI weather models

The origins of plate tectonics on Earth are hotly debated, but evidence from Australia now shows that parts of the crust moved in relation to each other as early as 3.5 billion years ago

The origins of plate tectonics on Earth are hotly debated, but evidence from Australia now shows that parts of the crust moved in relation to each other as early as 3.5 billion years ago

Each summer, skywatchers around the world look forward to the famous Perseid meteor shower, but often overlook four lesser showers that peak between July 29 and Aug. 16.

A U.S. gravitational wave detector spotted a collision between fast-spinning “forbidden” black holes that challenge physics models

A person in Arizona recently died of pneumonic plague—a rare and severe form of the disease. An expert explains how the bacteria that spurred the Black Death centuries ago continues to claim lives

Researchers have found the first new type of magnet in nearly a century. Now, these strange "altermagnets" could help us build an entirely new type of computer

Researchers have found the first new type of magnet in nearly a century. Now, these strange "altermagnets" could help us build an entirely new type of computer

Apple TV's excellent adaptation of Martha Wells’s witty sci-fi novels scores another mission as Murderbot is renewed for season 2.

Four mountaineers and astronomy lovers hiked the tallest peak in Western Europe.

In children with anorexia nervosa or other restrictive eating disorders, changes in the brain’s outer layer don’t seem to be due to lack of nutrition alone – and some mirror those seen in other neurological conditions

In children with anorexia nervosa or other restrictive eating disorders, changes in the brain’s outer layer don’t seem to be due to lack of nutrition alone – and some mirror those seen in other neurological conditions

Parents may discourage naps out of concern that their child won't then sleep at night, but research suggests that is not actually the case

Parents may discourage naps out of concern that their child won't then sleep at night, but research suggests that is not actually the case

SpaceX plans to launch the 10th test flight of its Starship megarocket about three weeks from now, according to company founder and CEO Elon Musk.

These Prime Day deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, Lego, model rockets and drones are still live on Amazon right now.