Stories by Meghan Bartels

The third day of the Artemis II mission was relatively quiet, as four astronauts continued on their trek to fly around the moon

Amid a journey of celestial spectacles, the Artemis II astronauts may spot a comet—if it survives a dash past the sun

A major solar storm during the Artemis II mission could harm astronauts. Here’s how NASA is protecting them

During their 10-day mission, this four-person crew will swing around the far side of the moon—and potentially travel farther from Earth than anyone in history

The COVID pandemic ushered mRNA vaccines into the spotlight, and the technology has even greater potential. Here’s what to know about the way that they work, their safety, and more

NASA’s Swift space telescope is doomed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year. A daring mission to boost it to safety could have big implications for science

Faced with the imminent retirement of the International Space Station, NASA is pushing to speed up work on its potential replacements

We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say

Raccoons might want to break into your trash can even without delicious leftovers inside

U.S. lawmakers are moving to delay the International Space Station’s retirement, giving more time for commercial replacements to be built

Scientists have discovered a potential path out of devastating genetic bottlenecks that could help these Australian animals, as well as many other vulnerable and endangered species

Public health chaos and research funding cuts are inspiring nationwide pro-science protests against the Trump administration

Two NASA spacecraft—the MAVEN orbiter and the Perseverance rover—have now seen very different signals suggesting lightning on Mars

Asteroids, exploding stars, and feasting black holes swarm in the first-ever batch of nightly alerts from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile

These caterpillars rely on ants to tend them, and they use a surprisingly complex sense of rhythm to make it happen

Researchers have rediscovered a 77-year-old recording of a haunting song that now has been determined to have come from a humpback whale

Vomit is gross—but 290-million-year-old vomit is a scientific marvel

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is the Year of the Horse—so saddle up for some equine science

Maize farmers in Peru’s Chincha Valley were fertilizing their crops with seabird poop as early as the year 1250

The South Carolina measles outbreak has triggered rare but serious brain swelling in some children

There’s no safe level of exposure to lead—but a small, strange study shows we’ve made incredible progress in recent decades

Icy weather brings a serious risk of falls. Here’s how to stay safe

Many of the team behind NASA’s Artemis II mission were children 40 years ago, when the space shuttle Challenger disaster reshaped spaceflight

Ice has many forms beyond the mundane stuff produced in a standard freezer