Could invisible aliens really exist among us? An astrobiologist explains

The intelligent life we are searching for doesn't have to be humanoid.

Francis DEMANGE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Life is pretty easy to recognise. It moves, it grows, it eats, it excretes, it reproduces.

Keep reading
space nasa extraterrestrial life planets biology astrobiology

Europe's new space mission to uncover 'Truths' on climate change

The TRUTHS mission aims to collect extremely precise data on how much radiation Earth absorbs and reflects.

National Physical Laboratory
  • TRUTHS would use state-of-the-art technology to precisely measure Earth's so-called "radiation budget."
  • The new technology would also help calibrate instruments aboard existing satellites.
  • The European Space Agency and UK Space Agency are expected to launch the mission in 2026.
Keep reading
space science environment climate change

Astronomers discover what makes the biggest explosions in space

New study figures out how stars produce gamma ray bursts.

University of Warwick/Mark Garlick
  • Researchers find out how binary star systems produce gamma ray bursts.
  • Gamma ray bursts are the brightest explosions in the Universe.
  • Tidal effects created in a binary system keep the stars spinning fast and create the bursts.
Keep reading
star space nasa astronomy physics planets sun

First Mars samples are headed to Earth. What are the risks?

A Mars Space Flight team member warns that people need to be prepared for what's coming.

Image source: Marat Gilyadzinov/unsplash
  • A mission to and from Mars aims to bring back signs or examples of life.
  • Expect material direct from the Red Planet around 2031.
  • A special lab to quarantine the samples is being designed.
Keep reading
mars microbiology space microbes nasa sociology

What can old stars teach us about the birth of our galaxy?

These needles in the vast galactic haystack take more effort to find, but they help piece together our origins.

  • With billions of stars in our galaxy, why should astronomers seek out the oldest ones?
  • Age-dating stars is a complicated process, so astronomers use chemical compositions, telescopes, and prisms to determine the age of these ancient stars.
  • Some telescopes used for this purpose are in extremely remote places, where you can observe the bright band of the Milky Way with the naked eye.
Keep reading
space cosmos astrobiology astronomy big bang planets sun telescopes universe