In 2020, we experienced the shortest ‘day’ in 50 years. Here’s the reason why. On the timescales that humans experience, there are lots of things that we consider to be extremely […]
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The sky is blue. The oceans are blue. While science can explain them both, the reasons for each are entirely different.
The last naked-eye Milky Way supernova happened way back in 1604. The next one could be the key to solving the dark matter mystery.
Water may be far more abundant on the lunar surface than previously thought.
Particles are everywhere, including particles from space that stream through the human body. Here’s how they prove Einstein’s relativity.
NASA is creating a planet habitability index, and Earth may not be at the top. With our current data, ranking habitability is guesswork.
There will always be “wolf-criers” whose claims wither under scrutiny. But aliens are certainly out there, if science dares to find them.
“Kids are always asking two questions of parents: ‘Am I safe?’ and ‘Am I real?'”
The strangest thing about trying to predict the future is that our only clues lie in the past.
A Carrington-magnitude event would kill millions, and cause trillions of dollars in damage. Sadly, it isn’t even the worst-case scenario.
The idea of “absolute time” was our default for millennia. But time is relative, as gravity and motion both cause time to dilate.
The far side of the Moon is incredibly different from the Earth-facing side. 63 years later, we know why the Moon’s faces are not alike.
The James Webb Space Telescope viewed Neptune, our Solar System’s final planet, for the first time. Here’s what we saw, and what it means.
An unexpected finding shows us how little we know about the early human story in our region.
Many key inventions were unique: one-offs.
Was there ever life on Mars? Is there life on Mars now? Did it originate there or here, on Earth? All possibilities are fascinating.
Just say no to artist’s illustrations. This is what the Universe actually looks like. The Universe we observe often surpasses our greatest imaginings. This 20-year time-lapse of stars near the center […]
As always, aDNA research raises as many questions as answers.
The idea of gravitational redshift crossed Einstein’s mind years before General Relativity was complete. Here’s why it had to be there.
Want some crazy space phenomena? You don’t have to leave the neighborhood for it.
Nikolaas Tinbergen’s concept of “supernormal stimulus” explains why humans are attracted to a heightened version of reality.
At very high and very low temperatures, matter takes on properties that open up an entire Universe of remarkable new possibilities.
Discussions of human evolution are usually backward looking, as if the greatest triumphs and challenges were in the distant past.
Solving difficult visual puzzles seems to help the brain “rewire” itself by forming new neural pathways.
The complacent majority needs to step up and call for action on climate change.
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Even with leap years and long-term planning, our calendar won’t be good forever. Here’s why, and how to fix it.
Archaeologists discover a cave painting of a wild pig that is now the world’s oldest dated work of representational art.
These distant cousins of starfish live on sea floors around the globe.
A leading British space scientist thinks there is life under the ice sheets of Europa.
Our views from the red planet’s surface are more spectacular than ever. Ever since the earliest spaceflight, humanity has reached for Mars. This photo composite shows Meande Ring, a river on […]