How solar panels went from ’50s satellites to your backyard
From Einstein's theories of light to Bell Lab's revelations about doping silicon, solar power has been inching toward its current craze for more than a century. Here's how we got here......»»
Ryugu asteroid sample rapidly colonized by terrestrial life despite strict contamination control
Panspermia is the hypothesis that life can survive the transfer between planetary bodies as a secondary path for life to get started on planets throughout a solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial life on asteroids or within meteorites would.....»»
Scientists construct first complete energy spectrum of solar high-energy protons in Martian space
Scientists have constructed the first complete proton energy spectrum observed during an eruptive solar event in Martian space, deepening our understanding of the radiation environment around Mars......»»
Video: Our sun is the star in a new simulation
NASA supercomputers are shedding light on what causes some of the sun's most complex behaviors. Using data from the suite of active sun-watching spacecraft currently observing the star at the heart of our solar system, researchers can explore solar d.....»»
From Houston to the moon: Johnson"s thermal vacuum chamber tests lunar solar technology
Imagine designing technology that can survive on the moon for up to a decade, providing a continuous energy supply. NASA selected three companies to develop such systems, aimed at providing a power source at the moon's South Pole for Artemis missions.....»»
Tesla Powerwall is the best solar, home backup, and EV charging companion
Come learn about the Tesla Powerwall and how it's pretty much necessary if you're installing a solar power system or own an EV vehicle from Tesla......»»
A new Backyard Sports game is coming in 2025, all thanks to a private eye
Playground Productions reveals to Digital Trends how it brought Backyard Sports back and teases a brand new game launching next year......»»
Statistical approach improves models of atmosphere on early Earth and exoplanets
As energy from the sun reaches Earth, some solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere, leading to chemical reactions like the formation of ozone and the breakup of gas molecules. A new approach for modeling these reactions, developed by a team led.....»»
Nature-inspired solar lasers could sustainably power space missions
International scientists, including a team from Heriot-Watt University, has announced plans to develop a revolutionary new way of harvesting solar energy in space......»»
NASA satellites reveal abrupt drop in global freshwater levels
An international team of scientists using observations from NASA-German satellites found evidence that Earth's total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since. Reporting in Surveys in Geophysics, the r.....»»
A lot of people are mistaking Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites for UAPs
"We were able to assess that they were all in those cases looking at Starlink flares." SpaceX's Starlink Internet satellites are responsible for more and more public reports of un.....»»
Solar wind power likely governs Uranus" thermosphere temperature
Uranus's upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades—and now scientists have shown why. Observations from Earth have shown Uranus' upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades, with no clear explanation......»»
Kinetic Alfvén waves may be key to mystery of solar corona heating
Syed Ayaz, a researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has published a paper in Scientific Reports that builds on an earlier first-of-its-kind study that examined kinetic Alfvén waves (KAW) as a possible explanation for why the so.....»»
Clean Energy Is Bringing Electricity to Many in the Navajo Nation
Thousands of homes in Navajo and other tribal lands don’t have access to electricity. A $200-million federal funding effort aims to fix that problem with solar power and other clean energy.....»»
Water under Threat, Wooden Satellites and a Mud Bath for Baseballs
Droughts in 48 of 50 U.S. states, evidence of microplastics mucking up wastewater recycling and the science of a baseball mud bath in this week’s news roundup......»»
Experiments show backyard birds learn from their new neighbors when moving house
Scientists have found a trigger for social learning in wild animals. An experiment on great tits has pinpointed a single factor—immigration—that can cause birds to pay close attention to others, leading them to rapidly adopt useful behaviors......»»
Scientists compile library for evaluating exoplanet water
By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth's hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of planets outside of our solar system but could.....»»
Agrivoltaics for sustainable food, energy and water management in East Africa
Combining solar power production with agriculture can significantly boost crop yields, conserve water and generate low-carbon electricity for areas particularly vulnerable to climate change, a new study has shown......»»
Here’s a first look at Motorola’s next Razr foldable
Motorola could release two new foldables before the end of the year. The Razr 50s and Razr 50s Ultra should be less expensive than other 2024 phones......»»
A green, scalable synthesis approach addresses the challenges of semiconductor-based photocatalysis
Solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting offers a sustainable route for hydrogen production. Researchers have explored various semiconductors, but challenges like bandgap limitations and carrier recombination persist......»»
Asteroid grains shed light on the outer solar system"s origins
Tiny grains from a distant asteroid are revealing clues to the magnetic forces that shaped the far reaches of the solar system more than 4.6 billion years ago......»»