"Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances."

— Dr. Lee De Forest

Feed aggregator

The Race to Find Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Just Took a Major Twist

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:45pm

Scientists have uncovered genetic evidence that they say may be linked to the Renaissance master, but some experts are more skeptical

Categories: Astronomy

RFK, Jr., Upsets Food Pyramid, Urging Americans to Eat More Meat

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:45pm

Nutritional guidelines released on Wednesday by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the USDA emphasize “real food” that is high in saturated fat, departing from decades of evidence on healthful diets

Categories: Astronomy

Fossil Discovery of New Human Ancestor May Connect Us to Neandertals and Denisovans

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:12pm

Fossils of a human ancestor from 773,000 years ago may be near the base of the Homo sapiens lineage, representing a common ancestor of modern humans, Neandertals and Denisovans

Categories: Astronomy

How the Evidence for Alien Life on K2-18 b Evaporated

Universe Today - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:43am

It feels like every time we publish an article about an exciting discovery of a potential biosignature on a new exoplanet, we have to publish a follow-up one a few months later debunking the original claims. That is exactly how science is supposed to work, and part of our job as science journalists is to report on the debunking as well as the original story, even if it might not be as exciting. In this particular case, it seems the discovery of dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18 b was a false alarm, according to a new paper available in pre-print form on arXiv by Luis Welbanks of Arizona State University and his co-authors.

Categories: Astronomy

Antarctica Doomsday Glacier Rattled by Hundreds of Iceberg Earthquakes

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:30am

Capsizing icebergs are violently clashing with the crumbling end of the Doomsday Glacier

Categories: Astronomy

Lightning from Above

NASA Image of the Day - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:29am
NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of lightning while orbiting aboard the International Space Station more than 250 miles above Milan, Italy.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Lightning from Above

NASA - Breaking News - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:26am
NASA/Nichole Ayers

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of lightning while orbiting aboard the International Space Station more than 250 miles above Milan, Italy on July 1, 2025. Storm observations from space station help scientists study Earth’s upper atmosphere, which can improve weather models and protect communication systems and aircraft. Space station crew take photographs of Earth that record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This record allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena.

Image credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers

Categories: NASA

Lightning from Above

NASA News - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:26am
NASA/Nichole Ayers

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of lightning while orbiting aboard the International Space Station more than 250 miles above Milan, Italy on July 1, 2025. Storm observations from space station help scientists study Earth’s upper atmosphere, which can improve weather models and protect communication systems and aircraft. Space station crew take photographs of Earth that record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This record allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena.

Image credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers

Categories: NASA

Hominin fossils from Morocco may be close ancestors of modern humans

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
The jawbones and vertebrae of a hominin that lived 773,000 years ago have been found in North Africa and could represent a common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans
Categories: Astronomy

Hominin fossils from Morocco may be close ancestors of modern humans

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
The jawbones and vertebrae of a hominin that lived 773,000 years ago have been found in North Africa and could represent a common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans
Categories: Astronomy

Super-low-density worlds reveal how common planetary systems form

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
Most planetary systems contain worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, and the low-density planets around one young star should help us understand how such systems form
Categories: Astronomy

Super-low-density worlds reveal how common planetary systems form

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
Most planetary systems contain worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, and the low-density planets around one young star should help us understand how such systems form
Categories: Astronomy

How rethinking your relationship with time could give you more of it

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
You might feel like the days and weeks are slipping by. Here is how one psychologist says you can shift your experience of time
Categories: Astronomy

How rethinking your relationship with time could give you more of it

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:00am
You might feel like the days and weeks are slipping by. Here is how one psychologist says you can shift your experience of time
Categories: Astronomy

By Jove: Jupiter Reaches Opposition for 2026

Universe Today - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 9:34am

It was a question I heard lots this past weekend. “What’s that bright star near the Full Moon?” That ‘star’ was actually a planet, as Jupiter heads towards opposition rising ‘opposite’ to the setting Sun this coming weekend. This places the King of the Planets high in the northern sky, in the same general spot the Full Moon occupies in January.

Categories: Astronomy

Snow-covered Amsterdam

ESO Top News - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 8:09am
Image: This image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on 6 January 2026, shows Amsterdam in the Netherlands blanketed in snow.
Categories: Astronomy

Trump Wants Venezuela’s Oil. Why Does It Have So Much?

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 7:00am

Trump has cited Venezuela’s oil resources as motivation for capturing the nation’s leader—here’s the geology behind the news

Categories: Astronomy

How New Public Health Changes Could Leave Vulnerable Children Behind

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 6:00am

A look at how evolving national health policies could reshape the future of kids’ care, from vaccines to essential treatments.

Categories: Astronomy

‘Microbubbles’ Help Spread Dangerous Microplastics Through Our Water, Study Finds

Scientific American.com - Wed, 01/07/2026 - 6:00am

Water plays a crucial role in how tiny pieces of plastic enter our environment—and us

Categories: Astronomy