Astronomy

Different parts of Mars have different advantages and disadvantages when it comes to their available resources, just like Earth. The polar caps are likely the most valuable in terms of their water content, which will be critical to any early stage crewed mission to the Red Planet. But to really unlock the fully potential of Mars, geologists think we’ll need to look to the volcanoes, where there is likely to be easily accessible valuable materials like nickel, titanium, and chromium, that were placed there when the volcanoes were active. Reaching those deposits on the side of some of the largest mountains in the solar system safely is a challenge, and one that is tackled in a new paper by Divij Gupta and Arkajit Aich, where they look at the necessary requirements to set up an effective mining operation on the slopes of Olympus and Elysium Mons.

Wild chimps ingest the equivalent of multiple alcoholic beverages a day

We are still waiting for the retro-futuristic tech and social revolutions envisioned in science fiction’s old gold, writes Annalee Newitz – not to mention advances in reproduction

Feedback was amazed to hear that dog ownership could cause a hurricane across the other side of the world. Or are we barking up the wrong tree?

Making all shampoo or detergent bottles look the same isn't anti-capitalist, and it's the only way to make a truly circular economy for plastics, says Saabira Chaudhuri

Feedback was amazed to hear that dog ownership could cause a hurricane across the other side of the world. Or are we barking up the wrong tree?

Making all shampoo or detergent bottles look the same isn't anti-capitalist, and it's the only way to make a truly circular economy for plastics, says Saabira Chaudhuri

Steven Pinker’s new book When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows makes a compelling case for common knowledge. Shame the politics muddies the waters

Steven Pinker’s new book When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows makes a compelling case for common knowledge. Shame the politics muddies the waters

There are more centenarians now than ever before. But more must be done to address inequalities that prevent people from having a realistic chance of hitting this milestone.

There are more centenarians now than ever before. But more must be done to address inequalities that prevent people from having a realistic chance of hitting this milestone.

Former CDC chief Susan Monarez testified that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., had demanded she rubber-stamp recommendations from his remade vaccine panel

Titan joins its shadow for a "grand finale" this October.

The post Last Call for a Remarkable Titan Shadow Transit appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A fossil from about 108 million years ago reveals an early member of the pachycephalosaurs, a group of dinosaurs with bizarre protrusions on their skulls that may have been used in combat

A fossil from about 108 million years ago reveals an early member of the pachycephalosaurs, a group of dinosaurs with bizarre protrusions on their skulls that may have been used in combat

Using a suction device to stretch the skin seems to increase its permeability and stimulate immune cells, which could allow vaccines to be administered topically

Using a suction device to stretch the skin seems to increase its permeability and stimulate immune cells, which could allow vaccines to be administered topically

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman processes bone cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module's Life Science Glovebox on Aug. 28, 2025.

A newly discovered dinosaur species has been identified from a fossil unearthed in Mongolia that represents the most complete pachycephalosaur specimen yet found

The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) has revealed an unexpected difference between the powerful winds launching from a disc around a neutron star and those from material circling supermassive black holes. The surprisingly dense wind blowing from the stellar system challenges our understanding of how such winds form and drive change in their surroundings.