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Latest story• Dec 27, 2025

First-ever 'superkilonova' double star explosion puzzles astronomers

Scientists detected a groundbreaking cosmic event called AT2025ulz where a massive dying star appears to have split into two neutron stars that immediately crashed back together, creating the first-ever "superkilonova." This double explosion combined a supernova and kilonova, producing gravitational waves and forging heavy elements like gold while displaying unusual light patterns that initially puzzled astronomers....

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Astronomers discover one of the Universe’s largest spinning structures

Oxford University astronomers discovered one of the universe's largest rotating structures—a razor-thin chain of 14 hydrogen-rich galaxies stretching 5.5 million light years within a massive cosmic filament located 140 million...

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Cancer cells depend on a dangerous DNA repair trick

Cancer cells with defective SETX protein accumulate dangerous RNA-DNA tangles called R-loops that cause DNA breaks, forcing them to rely on an error-prone emergency repair system called break-induced replication (BIR). Scripps...

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Scientists may have found the best place for humans to land on Mars

Scientists at the University of Mississippi discovered water ice less than one meter below the surface in Mars' Amazonis Planitia region, making it a promising landing site for future human missions. This accessible ice could...

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Why consciousness can’t be reduced to code

Researchers propose "biological computationalism" as a new framework for understanding consciousness, arguing that traditional computational approaches fail because they treat the brain like software running on hardware. Real...

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A new superconductor breaks rules physicists thought were fixed

Scientists discovered that platinum-bismuth-two (PtBi2) exhibits unprecedented superconducting behavior where only its top and bottom surfaces conduct electricity without resistance while the interior remains normal metal. Unlike...

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Quantum Mechanics Reveals a Faster-Than-Light Effect

A new Veritasium video explores how quantum mechanics allows particles to instantly influence each other across vast distances, seemingly violating Einstein's rule that nothing travels faster than light. When two entangled...

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Could You Use a Rowboat to Walk on the Seafloor Like Jack Sparrow?

The Pirates of the Caribbean underwater boat scene is impossible because buoyancy forces would push the air-filled boat to the surface, requiring over 3 tons of weight to keep it down.

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New electrochemical method splits water with electricity to produce hydrogen fuel — and cuts energy costs in the process

Scientists developed a water-splitting method that doubles hydrogen production and cuts energy costs by 40% using a modified copper catalyst. The technique simultaneously produces hydrogen fuel and valuable chemical byproducts.

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What are asteroids really made of? New analysis brings space mining closer to reality

Scientists analyzed meteorite samples from carbon-rich asteroids to determine their mining potential, finding that most contain relatively small amounts of precious metals, making large-scale extraction currently impractical....

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Physicists close in on the elusive sterile neutrino

KATRIN scientists analyzed 36 million tritium decay electrons and found no evidence of sterile neutrinos, ruling out previous experimental claims. The results contradict earlier findings suggesting a fourth neutrino type.

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What’s the Most Distant Galaxy?

The James Webb Space Telescope revolutionized astronomy in 2021 by confirming galaxies at redshifts over 14, revealing the early universe just hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang.

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A strange star near a black hole is defying expectations

Astronomers studying a red giant star orbiting a black hole in the Gaia BH2 system discovered the star has an unusual history that defies normal stellar evolution. Using starquake vibrations detected by NASA's TESS satellite,...

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Something fundamental about black holes may be changing

Astronomers discovered that the relationship between ultraviolet and X-ray light from quasars has changed over billions of years, challenging a 50-year-old assumption that material around supermassive black holes behaves...

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China just carried out its second reusable launch attempt in three weeks

China successfully launched its second reusable rocket in three weeks, with the Long March 12A completing its debut flight from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Monday. The rocket, comparable in size to SpaceX's Falcon 9,...

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These space stories made us look up in 2025

A rare interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS, swept through our solar system in 2025, marking only the third known visitor from beyond our cosmic neighborhood. Scientists detected mini-lightning on Mars through rover microphones, captured...

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Starlink satellite fails, polluting orbit with debris and falling toward Earth

A Starlink satellite launched in November suffered an internal malfunction that caused it to vent propellant and release hundreds of debris pieces across a 6,000-kilometer orbital track within days. The tumbling satellite is now...

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Tiny implant 'speaks' to the brain with LED light

Scientists have developed a wireless brain implant smaller than a finger that uses LED light to communicate with genetically modified neurons in mice brains. The flexible device sits under the scalp and projects 64 different...

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Earth's seasons vary wildly, even at the same latitude, new research finds

Satellite data reveals Earth's seasons vary dramatically over short distances, with tropical mountains and Mediterranean regions showing the most variation. These seasonal differences may explain high tropical biodiversity...

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See the 100,000th photo of Mars taken by NASA's groundbreaking Red Planet orbiter

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured its 100,000th photograph of Mars using its HiRISE camera, averaging about 14 images daily since beginning operations in March 2006. Approaching its 20th year of service, the...

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Hubble Spots the Biggest Disk of Chaos Yet Around a Young Star

Astronomers using Hubble discovered the largest protoplanetary disk ever observed, spanning 400 billion miles around a young star 1,000 light-years away and containing enough material to form a million Jupiter-sized planets. The...

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Astronauts Suit Up for Their Journey to the Moon

Four astronauts recently suited up in bright orange spacesuits inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center, practicing for what could be humanity's return to lunar orbit as early as February — more than half a century after the last...

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Capturing Lightning in a Bottle Using a Particle Accelerator

Electron Impressions used a particle accelerator to create actual lightning patterns frozen inside a clear acrylic cylinder, firing high-energy electrons that deposit millions of volts deep within the material. The cylinder must...

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Satellites reveal heat leaking from largest US cryptocurrency mining center

A UK satellite company captured detailed thermal images of a massive Bitcoin mining facility in Rockdale, Texas, revealing heat signatures that show exactly where and how much energy the controversial operation consumes. The...

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