In order to build a second Earth, we need to look at how the first one was made.
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The story of John Couch Adams, “the man who failed to discover Neptune,” and his cosmic redemption. Perhaps its human nature to want to only think positive thoughts about our […]
No matter what Martin Rees or anyone else says, physics dictates that the world is safe. The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. An aerial view of […]
Once again, our circadian rhythm points the way.
El Castillo, a pyramid in Mexico, was built in such a way that the “snake of sunlight” would slither down its steps at the dawning of each equinox, as the sun rose into the sky.
Forget the spectacular explosions we create here on Earth. The Universe outdoes us in every way imaginable. Forget mere chemical reactions; in space, matter-energy conversion creates unprecedentedly powerful explosive events. […]
Ancient beverages such as tea and chamomile can heighten your modern-day performance.
We’ve put so much together about the Universe. Could it all come tumbling down? We’re always on the lookout for the next big thing, and even our best guesswork is often […]
A Japanese astronomer shows that the Milky Way galaxy was formed in two stages, “dying” in between.
A climate catastrophe 2 billion years ago almost ended life on Earth. Here’s the biggest lesson of all. Although it was more than 4½ billion years ago that planet Earth formed, […]
Despite being 28 years old and having a gyroscope failure, Hubble still delivered these 10 amazing snapshots in 2018. Year after year since its 1990 launch, Hubble keeps revolutionizing our view […]
We know that it’s ‘the red planet’ because of the iron in its soil. But why, with such a thin, carbon dioxide atmosphere, is the martian sky so red and bright? […]
The Perseid meteor shower during this weekend’s new moon should be fabulous.
A massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and a single star did it.
Both effects could be responsible for a redshift. But only one makes sense for our Universe. In physics, like in life, there are often multiple solutions to a problem that […]
Different measurements of the Universe’s rate of expansion give inconsistent results. But this simple solution could fix everything. In 1915, Einstein’s theory of General Relativity gave us a brand new […]
The solar neighborhood is so different than people imagine. But for the first time, we know what it’s like. When you look up at the stars in the night sky, they […]
Every physical theory has constants in it. The gravitational constant is remarkably uncertain. When we first began formulating physical laws, we did so empirically: through experiments. Drop a ball off […]
The Mars landing is a reminder that we never know what—or whom—we might discover out there.
We aren’t lunarly exclusive. Earth has a few minimoons whizzing around us, including one that comes back into our orbit every 20 years or so.
Climate change stands to take the one thing away from us that might make it easier to deal with, cheap beer.
The Universe is expanding, but we, our planet, solar system and galaxy all aren’t. Here’s why. Take a look out at almost any galaxy in the Universe, and you’ll find it’s […]
Talking about climate change doesn’t have to be an argument over Thanksgiving dinner. Some people, though maybe not all, can be persuaded.
Wind power on Mars makes it possible for any rover or other craft to collect power at the poles or other areas on the planet that don’t get constant sunlight.
The Nazis actively searched for Atlantis, seeing it as important to their mythology.
The Universe was born matter-antimatter symmetric. Here’s what happened when the last of our antimatter disappeared. Things happen fast in the earliest stages of the Universe. In the first 25 […]
It’s the first, most naive question you might think to ask. The solution is a lot more complicated than you imagine. According to a large amount of evidence, the overwhelming majority […]
Binary stars and common envelope evolution illustrate messy but “tasty” science.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin captured the first selfie in space, and he doesn’t want kids these days to forget it.
Scientists have been probing our solar system for extraterrestrial life.