NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to launch as early as February 6, putting human spaceflight to the moon back in the spotlight after a 50-plus year hiatus which may inspire future filmmakers to explore the possibilities of space travel in their own work. In celebration of our IRL return to the drama and wonder
Scientists unveiled the most detailed map ever created of Antarctica’s hidden landscape beneath miles of ice, revealing thousands of previously unknown features that could transform predictions about sea level rise. What’s happening? Researchers combined satellite observations with physics modeling to chart Antarctica’s subglacial topography in unprecedented detail. Their findings, published in Science, identified tens of
Originally discovered in 1986, these microscopic structures, called vaults, have puzzled researchers for decades. Their function remained largely unknown, until now. A team led by molecular biologist Fei Chen from MIT and Harvard has successfully reprogrammed vaults to collect messenger RNA (mRNA), offering a new way to chronicle a cell’s past activity without destroying it
Scientists have discovered the largest organic molecule containing sulfur — a key ingredient for life — ever identified in interstellar space. The researchers call the discovery a “missing link” in scientists’ understanding of the cosmic origins of life’s chemistry. Sulfur is the 10th most abundant element in the universe and a critical component of amino
Anthropic’s Claude machine learning model has boldly planned what no Claude has planned before – a path across Mars for NASA’s Perseverance rover. Perseverance traveled about 400 meters on the Martian surface last month based on an AI-generated path. It did so with the blessing of engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), who decided
Thomas Edison is well known for his inventions (even if you don’t agree he invented all of them). However, he also occasionally invented things he didn’t understand, so they had to be reinvented again later. The latest example comes from researchers at Rice University. While building a replica light bulb, they found that Thomas Edison
A 60-meter-wide asteroid could slam into the moon on December 22, 2032. Although the odds are slim (around 4%) the consequences could be massive. From a scientific standpoint, the impact would offer a rare opportunity to study the moon’s surface, interior, and surrounding space environment in unprecedented detail. While the event poses certain risks, especially
“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.” Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: While most estimates place the current human population at around 8.2 billion, a study suggests we might be vastly underrepresenting rural areas. By analyzing 300 rural dam projects across 35 countries,
If your week flew by — we know ours did — catch up here with what you might have missed. The week at Retraction Watch featured: In case you missed the news, the Hijacked Journal Checker now has more than 400 entries. The Retraction Watch Database has over 63,000 retractions. Our list of COVID-19 retractions
Towering clouds ripple across Jupiter’s surface in dramatic patterns. Like Earth’s clouds, they contain water, but on Jupiter they are far denser and far deeper. These layers are so thick that no spacecraft has been able to directly observe what lies below them. Now, scientists have taken a major step toward solving that mystery. A