Q&A: Rather than colonizing space, humankind needs to commit itself to saving the planet
Every day seems to bring news of multiplying ecological disasters—fires, floods, drought, deforestation, overfishing and coral reef die-offs......»»
Vaporizing plastics recycles them into nothing but gas
Polypropylene and polyethylene can be broken down simultaneously. Enlarge (credit: Derek Berwin) Our planet is choking on plastics. Some of the worst offenders, which can take decades to degrade in landfills, are polypro.....»»
Why wasn’t this Brad Pitt space odyssey a bigger hit 5 years ago?
Brad Pitt's attempt to reap Gravity's fortunes stalled at the box office. 5 years later, it still stands as one of the best modern sci-fi movies......»»
Boeing’s space and defense chief exits in new CEO’s first executive move
Boeing’s space and defense chief exits in new CEO’s first executive move.....»»
NASA has a fine plan for deorbiting the ISS—unless Russia gets in the way
"If the deorbit vehicle is ready, do we go ahead and bring it home?" Enlarge / This photo of the International Space Station was captured by a crew member on a Soyuz spacecraft. (credit: NASA/Roscosmos) A little more tha.....»»
Citizen science collaboration yields precise data on exoplanet WASP-77 A b
A planet swings in front of its star, dimming the starlight we see. Events like these, called transits, provide us with bounties of information about exoplanets—planets around stars other than the sun. But predicting when these special events occur.....»»
2 Russians set record for longest single stay on the International Space Station
Two Russians on Friday set a record for the longest continuous stay on the International Space Station, according to Russia's space agency......»»
Hubble lights the way with new multiwavelength view of galaxy NGC 1559
The magnificent galaxy featured in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is NGC 1559. It is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Reticulum, approximately 35 million light-years from Earth. The brilliant light captured in the curre.....»»
Don"t overlook microorganisms" role in planet health, scientists warn
The tiniest and oldest creatures on—and in—Earth have a huge role in achieving a sustainable future for the planet, an international team of scientists, including faculty researchers from The Ohio State University, asserts in a new Cell article p.....»»
Scientists looked deep beneath the Doomsday Glacier. What they found spells potential disaster for the planet
Scientists looked deep beneath the Doomsday Glacier. What they found spells potential disaster for the planet.....»»
See Saturn"s "Ring Spokes" In Amazing Hubble Space Telescope Time-Lapse
See Saturn"s "Ring Spokes" In Amazing Hubble Space Telescope Time-Lapse.....»»
India approves development of reusable launcher, space station module
The Indian government has approved $2.7 billion in new spending for its space program. Enlarge / Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Virendra Sachdeva, two members of Narendra Modi's ruling BJP party, celebrate the landing of India's C.....»»
Real-time Linux is officially part of the kernel after decades of debate
Now you can run your space laser or audio production without specialty patches. Enlarge / Cutting metal with lasers is hard, but even harder when you don't know the worst-case timings of your code. (credit: Getty Images).....»»
Detailed model suggests organic matter on Mars was formed from atmospheric formaldehyde
Although Mars is currently a cold, dry planet, geological evidence suggests that liquid water existed there around 3 to 4 billion years ago. Where there is water, there is usually life. In their quest to answer the burning question about life on Mars.....»»
Study reveals that future climate change may reduce the Amazon rainforest"s ability to act as a carbon sink
The Amazon, often called the "lungs of the planet," is the world's largest tropical forest, playing a crucial role in the global climate system due to its vast carbon storage. While it is typically warm and humid all year round, continued climate cha.....»»
Explaining dramatic planetwide changes after world"s last "Snowball Earth" event
Some of the most dramatic climatic events in our planet's history are "Snowball Earth" events that happened hundreds of millions of years ago, when almost the entire planet was encased in ice up to 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) thick......»»
London sparkles in astronaut’s gorgeous night shot from the ISS
A gorgeous image captured by a recent arrival at the International Space Station shows the night lights of London gleaming......»»
Observations provide crucial insights into the nature of a white dwarf–brown dwarf binary
Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have performed spectrophotometric observations of an eclipsing white dwarf–brown dwarf binary known as WD1032+011. Results of their observational campaign, published September 10 on the preprint s.....»»
London sparkles in astronaut’s gorgeous night shot from ISS
A gorgeous image captured by a recent arrival at the International Space Station shows the night lights of London gleaming from 250 miles up......»»
There are plenty of uses for powerful lasers in space. But where should we put them?
Is it time for space lasers yet? Almost......»»
Reinventing the clock: NASA"s new tech for space timekeeping
Here on Earth, it might not matter if your wristwatch runs a few seconds slow. But crucial spacecraft functions need accuracy down to one billionth of a second or less. Navigating with GPS, for example, relies on precise timing signals from satellite.....»»