Our Milky Way galaxy appears to have flipped 90 degrees long ago. But why?
A slowly rotating stellar halo was the clue to a major and unknown event in the Milky Way's history that saw the spiral disc flip over by more than 90 degrees.
Science
Research, discovery, and the natural world.
'Silo' season 3's Ashley Zuckerman and Jessica Henwick share the secret to their on-screen chemistry (interview)
'It's nothing we worked to generate, it was really just there from the beginning'
SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites to orbit in wake of Starship test flight (video)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
ISS meets Venus in incredible daylight photo | Space photo of the day for July 28, 2026
An astrophotographer captured a breathtaking scene as the International Space Station zoomed by Venus in the daytime sky.
On this day in space! July 28, 1851: The 1st photo of a total solar eclipse was taken by a Prussian daguerreotypist
On July 28, 1851, the first-ever photo of a total solar eclipse was recorded by a Prussian daguerreotypist named Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski. It changed solar astronomy.
BALLS on the moon: China set to launch Africa's 1st lunar science mission in 2029
Africa's first space exploration mission aims to send a trio of spherical probes to the lunar south pole aboard China's Chang'e 8 lander in 2029.
Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse! Astronomers capture clearest image yet of famous star's elusive companion
"These are among the best moments in science: seeing something new, unexpected."
'Crazy idea' succeeds: Scientists monitor space junk with radio telescopes
"That's the first time that's ever been done."
The unique DJI Lito X1 drone is packed full of functionality and you can't buy it in the USA
The DJI Lito X1 delivers impressive features and functionality, including omnidirectional obstacle sensing in a beginner-friendly package.
A slowing Atlantic current could unleash stronger California storms
A weakening Atlantic current could supercharge California’s atmospheric rivers while leaving Greenland with fewer snow-producing storms. The changes could raise flood risks, strain infrastructure, and reshape water supplies far beyond the Atlantic.
Misfolded insulin may be quietly driving diabetes
Researchers found that insulin-producing cells depend on a team of helper proteins to keep insulin production on track. When one key partner was missing, damaged proteins built up and the cells made less insulin. Strengthening this system could offer a new way to protect the pancreas as diabetes progresses.
Hidden charcoal reveals the true age of ancient cave paintings
A new analysis has precisely dated paintings in France’s Font-de-Gaume cave for the first time. Scientists discovered charcoal inside black pigments once thought to contain only minerals, allowing them to use radiocarbon dating. The results show that a bison was painted about 13,000 years ago, while sections of a mask-like figure were added during several widely separated periods.
Why losing weight may not be enough to prevent type 2 diabetes
A healthy lifestyle can prevent type 2 diabetes for many people, but new research suggests that weight loss alone may not be enough for one particularly vulnerable group. Even after losing about 8% of their body weight and keeping it off for years, people in a high-risk category known as cluster 5 continued to experience rising blood sugar, weakening insulin production, and a strong risk of developing diabetes.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aces Mars flyby capturing stunning timelapse video
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aced its Mars flyby, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward its 2029 encounter with a metal-rich asteroid. The spacecraft tested its cameras, magnetometer, and particle-detecting instruments, capturing unusual views of Mars and measuring its magnetic environment. It also detected neutrons from the planet and spotted the tiny moons Phobos and Deimos.
Blazing like 10 billion suns: NASA’s Swift sees a wandering black hole devouring a star
NASA’s Swift Observatory observed a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star more than 30,000 light-years from the center of a distant galaxy. The extraordinary flare briefly outshone its entire host galaxy in ultraviolet light and revealed a black hole about a million times the Sun’s mass.
Scientists create an “electron lighthouse” with laser light
Scientists have created an “electron lighthouse” that uses laser light to launch and steer electrons through a semiconductor without an applied electrical field. The quantum effect could eventually improve optical sensors, communications, imaging, and information storage.
Twisted laser light can tell mirror-image molecules apart
Scientists have created twisted laser beams that interact differently with right-handed and left-handed molecules, revealing their identity through the fragments they produce. The approach could provide a faster, simpler, and more sensitive way to analyze important molecules used in chemistry and pharmaceuticals.
Starship in space! See highlights of SpaceX megarocket's epic Flight 13 test launch (video)
The 13th test flight of SpaceX's Starship megarocket went pretty well —and provided some amazing visuals, too. See the highlights here.
A single sauna session sends immune cells surging
A single 30-minute sauna session may briefly put the immune system on higher alert. Finnish researchers found that sauna heat, paired with a short cold shower, increased every type of white blood cell circulating in the bloodstream, including key infection fighters such as neutrophils and lymphocytes.
Rocket Lab to start launching missile-defense missions from Alaska under $266 million Space Force deal
Rocket Lab just inked a $266 million deal with the U.S. Space Force to launch up to 18 suborbital missile-defense missions, most of them from Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex.