Space & PhysicsFebruary 26, 2014
Hundreds of New Exoplanets Validated by Kepler Telescope Team
A trove of 715 planets—all members of multiworld systems—joins the list of Kepler's finds
Extraterrestrial Life
The SciencesFebruary 10, 2014
From Gadgets to Galaxies: Conference Reports
Scientific American technology editor Seth Fletcher talks about the recent Consumer Electronics Show and astronomy editor Clara Moskowitz discusses last month's American Astronomical Society conference
Digital Access for $1
Sign up now to get 60 days of digital access
Space & PhysicsJanuary 31, 2014
Faraway Planets May Be Far Better for Life
Astronomers have come up with a shopping list of what a planet needs to support life, perhaps even better than our Earth does, making them "superhabitable." Michael Moyer reports
January 23, 2014
Massive Asteroid Spurts Plumes of Water Vapor
The origin of Ceres' intermittent plumes is unclear
Space & PhysicsDecember 23, 2013
A Wish List of Future Space Missions
NASA's long-term vision, released by the agency's astrophysics division, restates its broad and popular themes for scientists to pursue including "Are We Alone?" and "How Did We Get Here?"
Space & PhysicsDecember 23, 2013
First Exomoon Possibly Glimpsed
Astronomers may have discovered a moon orbiting an alien planet, but the signal is far from definitive
December 11, 2013
New Signs of Water on Mars Ramp Up Search for Life
An ancient lake and evidence for flowing water today aid hopes that microbes evolved on the Red Planet
Space & PhysicsNovember 20, 2013
New Bacterial Life-Form Discovered in NASA and ESA Spacecraft Clean Rooms
The previously unknown microbe was tough enough to survive stringent sterilization at two locations. Might it survive a trip to Mars?
Space & PhysicsNovember 14, 2013
NASA Probe to Track Mars’s Missing Atmosphere
Where did the Red Planet’s carbon dioxide blanket and liquid surface water go? NASA’s Maven mission will launch next week to investigate
November 4, 2013
Kepler Telescope Finds Plethora of Earth-Sized Planets
NASA’s premier planet-hunting scope turns up 647 possible Earth-sized worlds in the Milky Way
Space & PhysicsOctober 10, 2013
Pulverized Asteroid around Distant Star Was Full of Water
The first discovery of a rocky, watery object beyond our solar system shows how planets might get their oceans
Space & PhysicsOctober 4, 2013
Five Billion Years of Solitude: Looking for Longevity [Excerpt]
In this excerpt from Five Billion Years of Solitude author Lee Billings chronicles the pioneering scientists who have led the hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence in their quest to answer the haunting question: Is humanity alone in the universe?