Europa’s hidden ocean has made the icy moon one of the solar system’s most promising places to search for habitable conditions。 Scientists have hoped that water from this deep ocean might rise through cracks and form shallow reservoirs that future spacecraft could more easily study。 New simulations suggest that journey is unlikely because turbulent
The solar wind may be stripping away Mars’ atmosphere by creating giant rolling waves along its outer edge。 Data from MAVEN and Tianwen-1 show that these waves form plasma clouds that carry atmospheric particles into space。 The process is concentrated on one side of Mars and may have played a major role in drying out the once potentially habitable
Rice University chemists have found a new way to make neodymium, a rare-earth metal, interact with oxygen。 Using a specially designed molecular structure described as a “basket,” the team positioned the atoms so they could form a bond once thought unlikely。 The breakthrough produced highly reactive compounds that could eventually give chemists alte
NASA is preparing for future astronaut landings on the Moon with an unusually ambitious orbital rehearsal。 During Artemis III in 2027, Orion astronauts will rendezvous and dock separately with prototype lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX, allowing crews and ground teams to test the complex maneuvers needed for later missions
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
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Venus may still be tearing itself apart from within。 Advanced 3D simulations indicate that some of the planet's giant rift valleys formed relatively recently and could still be expanding。 The results suggest Venus has a far more active interior than researchers once believed, challenging the long-held vie
A black hole observed during a dramatic 2023 eruption did not simply devour gas from its nearby companion star。 It also expelled large amounts of material through powerful jets and winds, even after the outburst had nearly faded。 The results suggest black holes may continue reshaping their surroundings long after their brightest fireworks end
Hidden moon ice may reveal itself through the way it bends and reflects vibrations from moonquakes。 The technique could help astronauts locate vital water supplies and uncover clues about the origins of Earth’s oceans
Scientists have built the first all-optical photonic time crystal, allowing them to reshape the behavior of terahertz light at extraordinary speeds。 The breakthrough could open the door to ultrafast computing, smarter communication systems, advanced imaging, and a new generation of highly tunable lasers
Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected。 An extra attraction helps the particles cluster, yet it also makes dark matter effectively lighter as the Universe expands。 That weakens its gravitational impact and usually slows the growth of cosmic structure rather than accelerating it
A new chemical process can transform three of the most common plastics into high-purity hydrogen without sorting them first。 The technique operates at much lower temperatures than traditional gasification and captures most of the plastic’s carbon in solid or liquid forms instead of releasing it as carbon dioxide
Wavelength and intensity in the infrared are translated into colors in the visible
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Roscosmos cosmonauts are back on Earth after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station。 Their journey covered more than 102 million miles and included 3,856 trips around the planet