Did dwarf planet Ceres originate in the asteroid belt?
The dwarf planet Ceres has a diameter of almost 1,000 kilometers and is located in the asteroid belt. In the television series "The Expanse," Ceres gained new fame as the main base of the so-called 'belters': in this series, which is based on real ph.....»»
Outer solar system is more populated than previously thought, research reveals
Survey observations using the Subaru Telescope's ultra-widefield prime focus camera have revealed that there may be a population of small bodies further out in the Kuiper Belt waiting to be discovered......»»
A space oddity—small exoplanet challenges existing theories on planet formation
A research team led by Lund University in Sweden has discovered a small planet that displays peculiar orbital motion. The shimmying planet, located 455 light-years from Earth, shows that planetary systems can be considerably more complex than researc.....»»
Small, harmless asteroid burns up in Earth"s atmosphere over the Philippines
A small asteroid discovered on Wednesday harmlessly burned up in Earth's atmosphere the same day, NASA said......»»
NHTSA ends probe involving 1.3 million GM vehicles
Investigations began following reports of faulty seat belt cables detaching and increasing injury risks......»»
Gigantic asteroid impact shifted the axis of solar system"s biggest moon, study finds
Around 4 billion years ago, an asteroid hit the Jupiter moon Ganymede. Now, a Kobe University researcher has realized that the solar system's biggest moon's axis has shifted as a result of the impact, which confirmed that the asteroid was around 20 t.....»»
Human mouth bacteria reproduce through rare form of cell division, research reveals
One of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet is closer than you think—right inside your mouth. Your mouth is a thriving ecosystem of more than 500 different species of bacteria living in distinct, structured communities called biofilms. Nearly.....»»
Engineers smash rocks to see what occurs when top layer of an asteroid-like object is hit with extreme external force
Johns Hopkins engineers have uncovered new details about how granular materials such as sand and rock behave under extreme impacts—findings that could someday help protect the Earth from dangerous asteroids......»»
Seismic echoes reveal a mysterious "donut" inside Earth"s core
About 2,890 kilometers beneath our feet lies a gigantic ball of liquid metal: our planet's core. Scientists like me use the seismic waves created by earthquakes as a kind of ultrasound to "see" the shape and structure of the core......»»
Healthy soils are good for your gut, brain and well-being, researcher says
Often overlooked, soil is one of our planet's largest living ecosystems and the foundation of our lives. It provides 95% of our food, supports global biodiversity and helps balance the climate by storing atmospheric carbon......»»
Ancient viral genomes preserved in glaciers reveal climate history—and how viruses adapt to climate change
As humans alter the planet's climate and ecosystems, scientists are looking to Earth's history to help predict what may unfold from climate change. To this end, massive ice structures like glaciers serve as nature's freezers, archiving detailed recor.....»»
Webb discovers six new "rogue worlds" that provide clues to star formation
Rogue planets, or free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPMOs), are planet-sized objects that either formed in interstellar space or were part of a planetary system before gravitational perturbations kicked them out......»»
Doughnut-shaped region found inside Earth"s core deepens understanding of planet"s magnetic field
A doughnut-shaped region thousands of kilometers beneath our feet within Earth's liquid core has been discovered by scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), providing new clues about the dynamics of our planet's magnetic field......»»
Hubble observes an oddly organized satellite galaxy
Andromeda III is one of at least 13 dwarf satellite galaxies in orbit around the Andromeda galaxy, or Messier 31, the Milky Way's closest grand spiral galactic neighbor. Andromeda III is a faint, spheroidal collection of old, reddish stars that appea.....»»
Scientists discover a long-sought global electric field on Earth
Using observations from a NASA suborbital rocket, an international team of scientists, for the first time, has successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be as fundamental to Earth as its gravity and magnetic fields......»»
The leading alternative to GDP is languishing over a technical disagreement—with potentially grave consequences
Many commentators believe that the world should move away from measuring economic success in terms of GDP growth. Yes, growth has brought prosperity and untold riches, but it has had significant negative side effects for the planet, including climate.....»»
On wildfires, experts say the West needs to rethink its response
Wildfires and the pain they cause to people, property and the planet are here to stay. And if Western management practices don't change to anticipate more and more record fire years, that pain may spread and worsen......»»
NASA"s DART impact permanently changed the shape and orbit of asteroid moon, new study shows
When NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft collided with an asteroid moon called Dimorphos in 2022, the moon was significantly deformed—creating a large crater and reshaping it so dramatically that the moon derailed from its ori.....»»
Hubble spots the Tucana Dwarf in the dark
A splatter of stars glows faintly at almost 3 million light-years away in this new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Known as the Tucana Dwarf for lying in the constellation Tucana, this dwarf galaxy contains a loose bundle of aging stars at.....»»
Professor proposes how a black hole in orbit around a planet could be a sign of an advanced civilization
In 1971, English mathematical physicist and Nobel-prize winner Roger Penrose proposed how energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole. He argued that this could be done by building a harness around the black hole's accretion disk, where infa.....»»
What the unique shape of the human heart tells us about our evolution
Mammals, from the mighty blue whale to the tiny shrew, inhabit nearly every corner of our planet. Their remarkable adaptability to different environments has long fascinated scientists, with each species developing unique traits to survive and thrive.....»»