Stories by John Matson

Tweak Gravity: What If There Is No Dark Matter?

Modifications to the theory of gravity could account for observational discrepancies, but not without introducing other complications

Emission Impossible?: Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way's Center?

Some unknown astrophysical process, perhaps related to dark matter, may be at work

Parachute failure before splashdown left Ares 1-X booster badly dinged

Controversial caterpillar-evolution study formally rebutted

NASA's Ares 1-X test rocket lifts off successfully

A prototype NASA rocket for a planned crew launcher lifted off into the Florida sky Wednesday morning, providing an unmanned flight demonstration of the new technology.

Astronomical Artifact: Most Distant Object Yet Detected Carries Clues from Early Universe

A stellar explosion spotted in April took place 13 billion years ago

Weather, stray cargo ship and stuck cover conspire to postpone NASA's Ares 1-X test launch

NASA's towering Ares 1-X rocket, a test vehicle for a planned crew launcher to replace the space shuttle, remains on the ground at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the space agency scrubbed its Tuesday launch attempt...

Polarized Peepers: Crustacean's Eyes Surpass Man-Made Optical Devices in Manipulating Light

A species of mantis shrimp, thanks to a unique eye structure, can perceive light that is circularly polarized

What Galileo and Scientific American have in common: Honored Italian heritage

Allegations of spying and links to terrorism land scientists in hot water

Two researchers, one a physicist working on the Large Hadron Collider in Europe and the other a space scientist with leading roles on several lunar satellite missions, have run afoul of the authorities this month for alleged terrorist links and attempted spying, respectively...

Happy (2⁵ x 3 - 1)th birthday to Martin Gardner

Galileo's Contradiction: The Astronomer Who Riled the Inquisition Fathered 2 Nuns

A Q&A with author Dava Sobel

Researchers Create an Electromagnetic "Black Hole" the Size of a Salad Plate

A collection of metamaterial rings efficiently absorbs microwave radiation the way black holes gobble up matter and light, and an optical-light analogue may not be far behind

Dozens of discoveries vault known exoplanet tally over 400

A suite of some 30 newly discovered planets in other solar systems, unveiled today, brings the catalogue of such extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, to more than 400.

Mathematician sees a Yankees-Dodgers World Series, but don't pop that bubbly yet

Exotic Quasicrystal Structures May Be More Normal Than Assumed

Different nanoparticles can self-assemble into complex quasicrystal arrangements

Target Audience: NASA's Friday Moon Crash Offers Plenty of Opportunities for Amateur Viewing

The LCROSS probe and a spent rocket stage will each impact a lunar crater to look for frozen water there

Astronomers Discover Solar System's Largest Planetary Ring Yet around Saturn [Update]

A diffuse, newfound ring encircles the gas giant planet at an extraordinary distance

Nobel Prize in Physics Goes to Pioneer in Fiber Optics and Inventors of Digital Image Sensor [Update]

The three researchers paved the way for broadband telecommunications and the proliferation of digital photography

Sun Down: High-Energy Cosmic Rays Reach a Space Age Peak

A prolonged lull in the sun's activity has allowed energetic particles to penetrate the solar system with record intensity