Public Health
Nuclear War Could Spark Global Famine
Smoke from burning cities would engulf Earth after a nuclear war, causing worldwide crop failures and starvation, models show
Stories by Alexandra Witze
Space Exploration
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Begins Key Search for Life on Mars
Rolling up an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, the rover starts crucial rock sampling.
Space Exploration
‘Unsustainable’: How Satellite Swarms Pose a Rising Threat to Astronomy
SpaceX and other companies are still struggling to make their satellites darker in the night sky
Astronomy
Costly SOFIA Telescope Faces Termination after Years of Problems
NASA and the German space agency ground the telescope on a plane, citing the astronomy community’s concerns over cost and productivity
Planetary Science
Next Stop, Uranus? Icy Planet Tops Priority List for Next Big NASA Mission
An influential panel’s recommendation makes the ice giant a likely destination for a flagship space mission
Astronomy
Webb Telescope Reaches Its Final Destination Far from Earth
The ambitious observatory has arrived at its home—near a gravitationally stable spot called L2—for a premier view of the universe
Astronomy
Landmark Webb Observatory Is Now Officially a Telescope
The observatory has flawlessly unfurled its mirrors and sunshield—although more steps are needed before the science can begin
Astrophysics
NASA Spacecraft ‘Touches’ the Sun for the First Time Ever
The Parker Solar Probe has passed through a boundary and into the Sun’s atmosphere, gathering data that will help scientists better understand stars
Extraterrestrial Life
A Mysterious ‘Alien Beacon’ Was Actually a False Alarm
The radio signal seemed to originate from the star Proxima Centauri and provided a helpful drill for future searches
Planetary Science
Lucy, the First Mission to Jupiter’s Asteroids, Could Reveal Solar System Origins
The NASA spacecraft will loop past the never before explored Trojan asteroids during a 12-year journey
Astronomy
NASA Won’t Rename the James Webb Space Telescope—and Astronomers Are Angry
The agency found no evidence that the flagship observatory’s namesake was involved in anti-LGBT+ activities, but some say that Webb bears responsibility
Planetary Science
Success! Perseverance Mars Rover Finally Collects Its First Rock Core
The mission is living up to its name, drilling and storing a Martian rock after a misstep in August
Natural Disasters
Home Seismometers Provide Crucial Data on Haiti’s Quake
A volunteer network helps to monitor aftershocks and illuminate the country’s earthquake hazards
Policy
NASA Investigates Renaming James Webb Space Telescope after Anti-LGBT+ Claims
Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence
Space & Physics
Liftoff! First Flight on Mars Launches New Way to Explore Worlds
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully hovered for 40 seconds in Mars’s thin atmosphere
Space & Physics
Seismic Ripples Reveal Size of Mars’s Core
Mars becomes the first inner planet after Earth to have its core measured
Space & Physics
Mars Video Reveals Perseverance Rover’s Daring Touchdown
The NASA spacecraft has also snapped more shots of its surroundings and listened to a Martian wind gust
Space & Physics
Life on Venus Claim Faces Strongest Challenge Yet
New studies knock down a controversial report observing phosphine in the planet’s atmosphere
Policy
Biden Names Top Geneticist Eric Lander as Science Adviser
U.S. president-elect also elevates the position to the cabinet for the first time
Space & Physics
Will Increasing Traffic to the Moon Contaminate Its Precious Ice?
Scientists seek guidance on exploring frozen caches at the lunar poles responsibly
