Jul 16, 2021
The fossilized remains of methane-cycling microbes have been found in exposed sedimentary seafloor rocks in South Africa. These microbes, dating back 3.42 billion years, could extend the fossil record back to when life first began on Earth. Plus, teenage exoplanets orbit sibling stars and gamma ray bursts happen...
Jun 24, 2021
New high-resolution images captured by the SOFIA airborne telescope have given scientists the first clear view of a massive star-forming region here in the Milky Way, including an expanding bubble of gas. Plus, finding Earth-like exoplanets, detecting life on Earth, and this week’s What’s Up, featuring the...
Jun 23, 2021
On this week’s Rocket Roundup, the Chinese send a crewed mission to their new space station, SpaceX launches some new GPS satellites, China adds to their Yaogan satellite constellation, and Mauritius yeets a CubeSat from the International Space Station. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at the...
Jun 15, 2021
Contrary to the destructive role supermassive black holes are thought to play in the lives of stars, it turns out that certain types of galaxies benefit from black holes clearing the way and keeping star formation going. Plus, lightning at the edge of space, a landslide in the Himalayas, and an interview with Dr. Darby...
Jun 11, 2021
Two seemingly unrelated stars, each with several exoplanets, turn out to be members of an enormous, diffuse star cluster. Plus, baby squid go to the ISS, new images from China’s Zhurong rover, a brightening blazar, and an interview with scientist Sophia Gad-Nasr and artist Cathrin Machin about how art and science...