Scientists are getting surprisingly good at extracting ancient human DNA from simple dirt and dust, even when no physical remains remain… No bones, no teeth, no fossils. A small spoonful of sediment from a cave in Spain has offered ancient DNA from several individuals who lived approximately 22,000 years ago. There are no human remains … Read more
The Earth is constantly shaped by fire and ice, and not in a poetic sense. These physical forces scorch or sweep across the surface of our planet with fiery eruptions or the unstoppable advance of glaciers. On the cold side, the Earth has experienced at least five ice ages, including some possible snowball or sleet … Read more
ATLANTA — The popular theory that comets were crucial to the start of life on Earth billions of years ago may not hold up, according to new computer simulations that contradict decades of scientific thinking. The finding suggests that fragile organic molecules supposedly carried by the icy objects would have been destroyed on impact, upending … Read more
When it comes to photography of the cosmos, the Hubble Space Telescope is one of the best to ever do it: a true astronomical Ansel Adams. Just look at the astonishing body of work it has produced since its launch into low-Earth orbit in 1990. While Hubble is up there taking stunning close-ups of our … Read more
It’s no big secret at this point that we’re looking at the final years of the two venerable Voyager spacecraft. With their power supplies dwindling and their 1970s-era electronics still giving everything they’ve got, their teams are working miracles to stretch out the time until the final goodbye as long as possible. Despite these efforts, … Read more
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano began its 55th eruptive episode since December 23, 2024, shortly after 3 a.m. local time on Saturday, after an unusually long two-month hiatus. Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is on track to erupt once again in early November, about three weeks after it concluded its 55th eruptive episode in mid-October. Kilauea began its most … Read more
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An old NASA telescope is barely clinging to space after a botched rescue effort left it increasingly wobbly. The US Space Force predicts that the Swift Observatory will crash on or around Friday. Most of the 1 ½ ton telescope is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. But a handful … Read more
Exiled interstellar visitors like comet 3I/ATLAS are time capsules of the cosmos at large, torn from their exosolar homes by an unknown cataclysm and forced to travel through lonely space for billions of years, perhaps. If they’re lucky, they may cross paths with another star, like the Sun, and warm up in our solar home … Read more
The popular theory that comets were crucial to the start of life on Earth billions of years ago may not hold up, according to new computer simulations that contradict decades of scientific thinking. The finding suggests that the fragile organic molecules supposedly carried by the icy objects would have been destroyed on impact, completely upending … Read more
Follow Us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Our time on our underwater “space mission” was coming to an end, and I felt what I imagine an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) must feel before returning to Earth. On the one hand, you are excited to … Read more