Hard Science

Two scientists recently wagered a bottle of whiskey. The bet? Whether we’ll find evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life in the next 15 years.

Observations of an enormous cosmic structure, dubbed the “Big Ring,” seem to violate the Copernican principle.

The midwest is particularly filled with them.

A new measurement offers insights on the density of the mysterious force driving the Universe’s expansion.

Here’s why the answer may forever elude scientists.

Wolfgang Pauli was a brilliant, well-liked physicist and a scathing critic of balderdash.

Physicists have yet to pinpoint the hypothetical matter that keeps galaxies from flying apart. Now they have a new focus.

Thanks to observations of gravitational waves, scientists were able to settle a longstanding debate over the speed of gravity.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, matter can escape the center of the Earth.

U.S. particle physicists recently recommended a list of major research projects that they hope will receive federal funding.

Freethink’s weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring Starship’s second test flight, a new “dark mysteries” telescope, and more.

The Big Bang theory is not threatened, but astrophysicists have some explaining to do.

The paper does not prove the existence of dark matter, but it mostly eliminates a rival theory called Modified Newtonian Dynamics.

Roger Babson wanted a “partial insulator, reflector, or absorber of gravity” — something, anything, that would stop or dampen it.

Chemists could replace bubbling flasks with tumbling ball mills.

This new geologic activity could be part of a thousand-year cycle, ushering in a new era of volcanism on the island.

The miniaturization of particle accelerators could disrupt medical science.

Scientists will be able to make detailed “Claymation-like” movies of chemical reactions.

The term “zero-point energy” has at least two meanings, one that is innocuous and one that is a great deal sexier (and scammier).

Bang bang all over the Universe.

The combined intellectual heft of multiple “big thinkers” delivered arguably the most successful scientific theory in history.

What do ghosts and anomalous galaxy rotation rates have in common? Some sci-fi enthusiasts believe the answer involves “parallel universes.”

Freethink’s weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring a stranded space factory, Jeff Bezos’ new moon lander, and more.

See the 3 biggest space stories from October 16-22, 2023.

Sophisticated rovers have found the conditions for Martian life, as well as the building blocks of life, but never life itself. AI can help.

Einstein’s theory of general relativity introduced the concept of space having a shape. So, what is the shape of space?

A combination of factors make the weather at New Hampshire’s Mount Washington arguably the most brutal in the world.

Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are locked in an eternal battle over the nature of gravity. Whose side are you on?

Measurements of the acceleration of the universe don’t agree, stumping physicists working to understand the cosmic past and future. A new proposal seeks to better align these estimates — and is likely testable.

The question of why the Universe is the way it is is an ancient one, and none of the answers we have come up with are satisfying.