Space & Physics
How Long Do Neutrons Live? Physicists Close In on Decades-Old Puzzle
Researchers are narrowing down their measurements of how long the subatomic particle survives on its own
Stories by Alexandra Witze
Space & Physics
Mars Methane Hunt Comes Up Empty, Flummoxing Scientists
Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft did not find the gas in red planet’s atmosphere during its first months of operation
Space & Physics
Asteroid’s Bumpiness Threatens U.S. Plan to Return a Sample to Earth
NASA mission finds asteroid Bennu littered with big boulders and spraying out particles
Policy
Trump Seeks Big Cuts to Science Funding—Again
The president wants to cut spending at the National Institutes of Health and Environmental Protection Agency, but it is not clear whether Congress will go along
Policy
As the Shutdown Persists, Here Are 5 Ways It Will Impact Science
A second wave of closures looms as the government funding fight barrels towards a record-breaking fourth week
Space & Physics
NASA Exoplanet Hunter Racks Up Bizarre Worlds and Exploding Stars
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has identified at least eight planets, including one with a mass more than 20 times that of Earth
Space & Physics
Bevy of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Spotted by Canadian Telescope
Bounty includes second known example of a repeating burst
Space & Physics
Cosmic Collision Created "Snowman" MU69—the Farthest World Ever Explored
Close-up images from NASA’s New Horizons probe show the space rock has two distinct lobes
Space & Physics
Asteroid-Sampling Mission Zeroes in on Tiny Space Rock
U.S. spacecraft aims to return the largest trove of space dirt to Earth since NASA’s final Apollo mission in the 1970s
Space & Physics
Mars Scientists Edge Closer to Solving Methane Mystery
The warming power of the sun could help to explain why the level of gas in the atmosphere changes with the seasons
Space & Physics
Hubble Telescope Stops Collecting Data after Mechanical Fault
A malfunctioning gyroscope has temporarily hobbled the aging space observatory
Space & Physics
The Quest to Conquer Earth’s Space Junk Problem
Zombie satellites, rocket shards and collision debris are creating major traffic risks in orbits around the planet. Researchers are working to reduce the threats posed by more than 20,000 objects in space...
Computing
Artificial Intelligence Nails Predictions of Earthquake Aftershocks
A neural-network analysis outperforms the method scientists typically use to work out where these tremors will strike
Weather
World’s First Wind-Mapping Satellite Set to Launch
Data from the long-awaited Aeolus mission will address a major gap in the global forecasting system
Policy
Trump Taps Meteorologist as White House Science Advisor
Nomination of Kelvin Droegemeier could end long drought at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Space & Physics
Milky Way's Black Hole Provides Long-Sought Test of Einstein's General Relativity
An observation decades in the making confirms predictions about how light behaves in an immense gravitational field
Space & Physics
Asteroid Battle: Tech Entrepreneur Doubles Down on Critique of NASA Mission
Nathan Myhrvold argues that the scientific approach of the landmark NEOWISE space-rock mission is deeply flawed
Natural Disasters
World’s Deadliest Volcanoes Are Identified
Indonesia is most at risk from eruptions, compared with other nations
Space & Physics
Astronomers Spot Helium on Exoplanet for First Time
After more than a decade of searching, scientists finally detect the element billowing out of a gas giant
Space & Physics
"Marsquakes" Set to Reveal Tantalizing Clues to Planet's Early Years
NASA’s Mars InSight mission will listen for seismic activity to uncover details of Red Planet’s mysterious core
