Astronomy
New Revelations Raise Pressure on NASA to Rename the James Webb Space Telescope
E-mailed exchanges show the space agency’s internal struggle to address pleas to change the controversial name of its latest, greatest observatory
Stories by Adam Mann
Astrophysics
Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Are Finally Coming into Focus
Twenty years after their initial detection, enigmatic blasts from the sky are starting to deliver tentative answers, as well as plenty of science
Astronomy
Avi Loeb’s Galileo Project Will Search for Evidence of Alien Visitation
With nearly $2 million in private funding, the controversial new initiative is targeting unidentified phenomena in Earth’s skies and beyond
Astrophysics
Galaxy-Size Gravitational-Wave Detector Hints at Exotic Physics
Recent results from a pulsar timing array, which uses dead stars to hunt for gravitational waves, has scientists speculating about cosmic strings and primordial black holes
Space & Physics
Venus Might Host Life, New Discovery Suggests
The unexpected atmospheric detection of phosphine, a smelly gas made by microbes on Earth, could spark a revolution in astrobiology
Space & Physics
LIGO and Virgo Capture Their Most Massive Black Holes Yet
The unexpected finding gives astronomers their first good look at previously missing “intermediate”-size black holes
Space & Physics
Want to Talk to Aliens? Try Changing the Technological Channel beyond Radio
Finding cosmic civilizations might require a more innovative approach than listening for radio transmissions
Space & Physics
The Universe’s Clock Might Have Bigger Ticks Than We Imagine
A new experiment places limits on the smallest possible increment of time
Astrophysics
The Strange Hearts of Neutron Stars
Space observations are poised to reveal more about the centre of one of the Universe’s most enigmatic objects
Space & Physics
Fast Radio Bursts from a Spiral Galaxy Challenge Theorists
Astronomers are struggling to explain the repeated, milliseconds-long chirps from a mysterious source
Space & Physics
Gravitational-Wave Discovery Hints at Another Spectacular Neutron-Star Crash
This new detection—the second of its kind—raises new questions about the nature of these mysterious objects
Space & Physics
Scientists Mull the Astrobiological Implications of an Airless Alien Planet
A rocky world devoid of atmosphere arouses debate over the habitability of the Milky Way’s most common star systems
Space & Physics
Astronomers Don't Know What to Make of This Incredibly Bizarre Star
Unusual dips of light observed by the Kepler space telescope have so far confounded attempts at an explanation
Space & Physics
The New Scramble for the Moon
A new race could be heating up to claim valuable moon terrain amid uncertain laws
Space & Physics
How Wild Should We Let the Solar System Be?
Experts argue that more than 85 percent of the solar system should be left untouched so that we can sustainably move off-world
Space & Physics
Search for Alien Life Should Be a Fundamental Part of NASA, New Report Urges
A blue-ribbon committee finds the science of astrobiology is worthy of deep integration into the space agency’s exploration efforts
Space & Physics
What Linguistics Can Tell Us about Talking to Aliens
Linguist Sheri Wells-Jensen explains the pitfalls in our assumptions about extraterrestrials
Space & Physics
The Closest Exoplanet to Earth Could Be “Highly Habitable”
A new study suggests Proxima Centauri could sustain liquid water on its surface
Space & Physics
Curiosity Rover Uncovers Long-Sought Organic Materials on Martian Surface
After decades of searching, scientists are at last closing in on the sources of carbon-rich material in the Red Planet’s air and soil
Space & Physics
Hidden History of the Milky Way Revealed by Extensive Star Maps
Data from the Gaia spacecraft are radically transforming how we see the evolution of our galaxy
