Science
China says unmanned moon mission delayed over 'launch conditions'
China's manned space agency said Sunday it is delaying a research moon mission that is part of Beijing's efforts to land a crew there by 2030, less than two weeks after a rare lau…
Starwatch: Lunar eclipse to reward early risers in UK and Europe
Shadow of Earth likely to make moon glow red before dawn on 28 AugustThe early hours of Friday 28 August will reward very early risers in the UK, Europe and Africa with a fine lun…
APOD: 2026 August 24 – Comet 220P in Outburst
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 24 – Comet… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the…
What Lake Bonneville Left Behind
The drying of the massive lake exposed playas that became the setting for feats of engineering and technological ingenuity, as well as epic tales of exploration and desperation.
Protein degradation rate helps explain why humans develop more slowly than mice
Humans develop at a slower rate than other mammalian species, like mice, but scientists are still trying to understand the molecular basis of these differences. Now, researchers f…
Oldest human brain cells grown in lab 'recorded passage of time'
Peppercorn-sized clumps of human brain cells grown in a lab for a record seven years aged similarly to those inside our heads, suggesting they "recorded the passage of time," scie…
Is this why close encounters with intelligent aliens have so far eluded us? | Letters
Readers offer their explanations for the absence of hard evidence for extraterrestrial civilisations, in response to an article by Adam KirschWhen thinking about why we have not e…
New 'Star Trek' documentary featuring William Shatner hits theaters this fall, celebrating 60 years of Trek
"This film is a love letter to 'Star Trek'"
JWST peeks at Callisto's ancient scars
Of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, Callisto is the one that gets the least attention. Io is constantly being resurfaced by volcanoes. Europa has a giant liquid water ocean. And Gan…
Hot temperatures can dull blue morpho butterflies' iridescent scales
Blue morpho butterflies have captivated the human eye for centuries. We even have one as an emoji on our phones. In a recent experiment, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Re…
China abruptly postpones ambitious Chang'e-7 lunar mission launch
China said on Sunday it was postponing its planned ambitious Chang'e-7 lunar mission, which was set to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon.
The superconducting gap of an ultrathin nickelate defies expectations
Superconductors are materials that carry electrical current with zero resistance below a specific critical temperature. In conventional superconductors, the transition to supercon…
On this day in space! Aug. 23, 1961: Ranger 1's botched space launch
On Aug. 23, 1961, NASA launched the Ranger 1 robotic spacecraft on a precursor mission to test new technologies for later moon missions.
How a huge fleet of 17 spacecraft discovered something surprising about solar eruptions
Taking measurements of the same CME from different vantage points in the solar system revealed the true extent of a solar eruption.
Bad weather delays launch of China's historic Chang'e 7 mission to moon's south pole
China has delayed its ambitious ice-hunting Chang'e 7 mission to the moon's south pole due to a brewing storm near the launch site. A new target date has not been announced.
If all car tyres were filled with CO2, would this cut atmospheric carbon significantly?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions probes an intriguing scientific question in relation to the climate emergencyReaders reply: Is it inevitab…
Quantum computer microscope is set to significantly improve electron microscopy
Electron microscopes are used wherever particularly small details need to be imaged. But from a strictly physical point of view, every electron in a conventional electron microsco…
Launching 10,000 tiny 'femtosats' to Saturn? NASA funds 18 futuristic spaceflight ideas
NASA has chosen 18 technology proposals for its Innovative Advanced Concepts awards to help turn some out-of-the-box ideas into out-of-this-world research.
Artemis II crew to receive top US space medal for historic lunar journey
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen broke record for farthest distance traveled from EarthThe crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission have ea…
Against the wind: despite Trump’s attacks, unions are fighting for good US clean energy jobs
Since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a growing labor movement has addressed the climate crisis and economic inequalityRyan McElroen had spent years repairing the New York City subway un…
Blowing in the wind, humble balloon gets green makeover
A global symbol of parties and celebrations but an environmental headache, the humble balloon is undergoing a green revolution thanks to U.K. researchers.
Burning Questions Confront Wildland Firefighters in Maine and Across New England
Wildfires in New England rarely make national news. The spotlight is more often on the catastrophic fires of Western states, but the Northeast’s fire season has been quietly heati…
Boulder, Colorado, and Big Oil Prepare for High-Stakes Clash in Supreme Court
Local and state governments across the United States have turned to state courts over the past nine years, filing lawsuits reminiscent of those against the tobacco industry in the…
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4982–4987: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
By Allison Dries-Padilla, Missions Operations Specialist at Malin Space Science Systems Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 This week of Curiosity Mars rover operations tak…