Published February 20, 2026 03:00AM Standing under a starry sky, gazing up at the wonder of the cosmos, is a foundational human experience and one that has shaped our storytelling and cultures for millennia. Looking at the night sky is a mindful activity, one that’s good for the nervous system and produces feelings of awe.
The seafloor beneath Antarctica’s ice has long existed in climate models as a blank space, a featureless plane where deep ocean simply stops at the continental margin. That cartographic convenience has now collapsed. A systematic mapping effort completed last year has revealed that the ocean floor surrounding Antarctica is scored by hundreds of deep submarine
Human tissue collection Human tissue was acquired with written, informed consent under a National Institutes of Health Institutional Review Board-approved protocol (NCT01915225) from two distinct patient populations. Healthy liver samples (N = 14) were obtained from patients undergoing risk-reducing total gastrectomy for germline CDH1 mutation(s), who consented to research liver biopsy during surgery. These patients had hereditary
Beneath the surface of Colombia’s oceans, scientists have uncovered a stunning array of alien-like creatures, previously hidden from view. These ancient marine animals, with their shimmering, rainbow-colored patterns, have roamed the seas long before dinosaurs. Despite their fragile and mysterious nature, they play a crucial role in the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, offering scientists
A study on worms led by researchers from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the US has uncovered a previously unknown adaptation to aging that actively remodels one of the largest and most complex structures in our cells. Not only does the finding help clarify the cellular mechanics of aging, but it may also hint
Astronomers have just identified what appears to be a cosmic anomaly: a faint galaxy with so few visible stars that, according to calculations, as much as 99.9 percent of its mass is dark matter. The remaining 0.1 percent is conventional matter. This galaxy, located about 300 million light-years away, is practically invisible. Only four globular
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that burned up over Europe last year left a massive lithium plume in its wake, say a group of scientists. They warn the disaster is likely a sign of things to come as Earth’s atmosphere continues to become a heavily trafficked superhighway to space. In a paper published Thursday, an
A second fueling test on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket ended Thursday night, giving senior managers enough confidence to move forward with plans to launch four astronauts around the Moon as soon as March 6. Unlike the first attempt to load propellants into the SLS rocket on February 2, there were no major leaks during
A vast field of prehistoric dinosaur footprints has been uncovered in northern Italy, reshaping scientists’ understanding of the region’s ancient past. Wildlife photographer Elio Della Ferrera stumbled upon one of the oldest and largest known collections of dinosaur footprints in Stelvio National Park in northern Italy. The remarkably well-preserved tracks date back to the Triassic
Researchers have identified a period of sluggish magnetic field flipping for planet Earth, some 40 million years ago – raising big questions about how long these reversals actually take, and how we might be affected by the next one. Magnetic field flips are thought to happen fairly regularly, as far as geological timescales go. There