Space & Physics
Pulsar Discoverer Jocelyn Bell Burnell Wins $3-Million Breakthrough Prize
The award recognizes not only the astrophysicist’s transformative discovery, but also her subsequent work to promote equality and diversity in science
Stories by Lee Billings
Quantum Physics
String Theory May Create Far Fewer Universes Than Thought
Some physicists claim that the popular landscape of universes in string theory may not exist
Space & Physics
Deep within Mars, Liquid Water Offers Hope for Life
Radar observations have revealed what appears to be a buried lake on Mars, the first ever stable reservoir of liquid water found on the planet
Space & Physics
Giant Black Hole Swallows a Star and Belches Out a Superfast Particle Jet
A decade-long international effort to track a star’s death by black hole could lift the veil on galaxy formation in the early universe
Space & Physics
Alien Anthropocene: How Would Other Worlds Battle Climate Change?
The problem would likely plague every technological civilization throughout the universe, says astrophysicist Adam Frank
Space & Physics
Astronomers Spot Potential "Interstellar" Asteroid Orbiting Backward around the Sun
The three-kilometer-wide object is near Jupiter; future spacecraft could visit if its status is confirmed
Space & Physics
Cosmic Conflict: Diverging Data on Universe’s Expansion Polarizes Scientists
A disagreement between two canonical measures of intergalactic distances could signal a renaissance in physics—or deep flaws in our studies of cosmic evolution
Space & Physics
Mars Lander Will Peer Inside the Red Planet
The InSight Mission will look at Mars's seismic activity and latent heat to find out more about how planets get made--and how humans might live there.
Space & Physics
The Milky Way, Revealed as Never Before
As a major new catalogue of our galaxy's stars from the Gaia space mission reverberates through the scientific community, astronomers are rushing to make revolutionary discoveries
Space & Physics
Q&A: 3-D Printing Rockets with Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis
After years of stealthy activity, the start-up is making big moves and revealing its plans to overturn more than a half century of tradition in aerospace manufacturing
Space & Physics
Astronomers Spy Swarms of Black Holes at Our Galaxy’s Core
Anticipated but never before seen, the existence of tens of thousands of these dark objects at the galactic center could have far-reaching implications for astrophysics
Space & Physics
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Slips to 2020, and Astronomy Suffers
Damaged thrusters and a torn sunshield are keeping the telescope grounded perhaps until May 2020—and throwing astronomy and astrophysics into turmoil
Space & Physics
Looking for Planet Nine, Astronomers Gaze into the Abyss
Two years on, the search for our solar system’s missing world is as frenzied as ever—and the putative planet is running out of places to hide
Space & Physics
Juno Peers Deep into Jupiter's Abyss to Reveal Weird Winds
Breakthrough measurements of Jupiter’s hidden interior could revolutionize our understanding of giant planets
Space & Physics
NASA Budget Proposal Defunds Space Station, Space Telescopes and More
The White House’s controversial plans for U.S. space science and exploration could ignite a budgetary battle with Congress
Space & Physics
Elon Musk Does It Again
His Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off on the first try, puts a Tesla auto into orbit—and maybe changes the business of space commerce and exploration forever
Space & Physics
A New Recipe for Hunting Alien Life
For most life in the universe, oxygen might be a deadly poison. Surprisingly, that might make such creatures easier for astrobiologists to find
Space & Physics
Better Instruments Give Scientists a New Way to Study the Cosmos
The era of “multimessenger astronomy” has arrived
Space & Physics
Dead Stars Orbiting Black Holes May Explain Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts
Scientists are peering into the “engines” behind some of the most extreme outbursts in the universe
Space & Physics
It’s Never Aliens—until It Is
2017 was a banner year for scientists seeking aliens—even though they (apparently) didn’t find any
