The US government wants to bypass environmental laws for commercial launches and spacecraft reentries
The FAA, facing a backlog in demand for space missions, is proposing to cut down on environmental reviews to accelerate launches and re-entries.
Science
Research, discovery, and the natural world.
Students Take on Airborne Field Research with NASA
The gusty wind didn’t make it easy to hold tight to a balloon so large. The balloon, a scientific instrument called an ozonesonde, was about to be released into the atmosphere above the Texas Gulf Coast by students from NASA’s SARP (Student Airborne Research Program), which concluded its summer session July 27. The balloon’s job […]
Smallpox DNA in ancient Inca mummies shows virus came from Europe
The mummies of two people who lived in Chile more than 400 years ago carry DNA from smallpox, providing the first molecular evidence that the virus was brought to the Americas from Europe
The genome of a long-extinct ancient human is hiding within us
We all have bits of DNA from a long-lost “ghost ancestor” inside us – and by putting all the different bits together, we might be able to reconstruct their genome
1st three-headed asteroid found in our solar system — and it has a little moon
Sophisticated high-contrast imaging has revealed asteroid 44 Nysa to have three lobes and a small moon.
NASA Assigns Astronaut Deniz Burnham to First Space Station Mission
NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham will embark on her first mission to the International Space Station, serving as an Expedition 76 flight engineer. Burnham will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-30 spacecraft with cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Konstantin Borisov. Launch is targeted for March 2027, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and the trio will spend […]
HBO's 'Lanterns' teases shape-shifting Manhunters: 'The most dangerous beings to ever exist in the galaxy' (video)
From this latest trailer it's apparent that weird shape-shifting Manhunters will be primary antagonists in HBO's upcoming series "Lanterns."
Woolly mammoths butchered by humans were mostly female
Genetic tests of mammoth remains have found a stark contrast in the sex ratio between sites where the animals died naturally and those associated with humans, offering hints about how our ancestors hunted
Starburst Galaxy Centaurus A
In this July 6, 2026, image, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system. Centaurus A is 11 million light-years away from Earth, relatively close in cosmic terms. Yet, unlike most nearby galaxies, it is very active, […]
Origami-inspired sensor could continuously monitor our vital signs
A tiny sensor that unfolds within the body could continuously monitor our heart activity and breathing after showing promise in rats
On this day in space! July 30, 1610: Galileo sees Saturn's rings for the 1st time
On July 30, 1610, the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei became the first to observe rings around the planet Saturn. Here's why it matters centuries later.
Satellites spy penguin poop on Danger Islands | Space photo of the day for July 30, 2026
Researchers used NASA satellite imagery, along with ground observations, to track changes in the diets of penguins on Antarctica's Danger Islands.
'Strange New Worlds'' latest episode is more 'Event Horizon' than classic Trek
From psychological horror to vampires and zombies, "Trek"'s writers have always enjoyed delivering the scares.
Henrietta Lacks’s descendant on her legacy – and Rebecca Skloot’s book
Rebecca Skloot told the story of Henrietta Lacks and how her cells were taken without her permission in a bestselling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Reading it left Alison George with an uneasy feeling - so she spoke to Lacks's family
Is district cooling the solution we need for extreme heat in cities?
Networks of pipes carrying chilled water have proven to be an efficient way to cool hospitals and universities. Now, they are expanding into cities as heatwaves increase in the US and Europe
July full moon delights skywatchers worldwide. Here are our favorite photos of the majestic Buck Moon
Wildfires and a balletic display, these are the best photos of the July Buck Moon 2026.
Quantum computers are starting to become useful as scientific tools
Three problems that are out of reach for conventional computers have been cracked by quantum computers and show how important the machines could become for scientific research
First-of-kind Guillain-Barré drug switches off part of immune system
A treatment that turns off the bit of the immune system that goes haywire in Guillain-Barré syndrome may be the first targeted therapy approved for the autoimmune condition
A SpaceX rocket will crash into the moon next week, and scientists aren't sure what to expect
Scientists are preparing to study the effects of human-made impacts on the moon when a spent SpaceX rocket stage impacts the lunar surface on Aug. 5.
What if the brain does not create consciousness?
Christof Koch is taking on one of science’s deepest mysteries: how the brain creates conscious experience, or whether it creates it at all. He argues that materialism has yet to solve this “hard problem” and will explore puzzling phenomena such as near-death experiences and terminal lucidity. His work points toward the possibility that consciousness may be woven into reality itself.