The finest ever map of the cosmic microwave background – the faint evidence of the universe’s early form – has yielded precise confirmation of the age of the cosmos and its rate of expansion. But for some scientists, the findings offer a frustrating lack of clues to major cosmological mysteries ​The finest ever map of …

Best ever map of early universe is double-edged sword for cosmologists Read More »

There are a couple potential explanations for distinctive markings found on a Martian rock, but new evidence suggests they are most likely to be related to microbial activity ​There are a couple potential explanations for distinctive markings found on a Martian rock, but new evidence suggests they are most likely to be related to microbial …

New evidence microbes played a role in mysterious markings on Mars Read More »

NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded unusual sounds as a Martian dust devil passed directly over the robotic vehicle in 2021, and we now know they came from electrical activity in the storm ​NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded unusual sounds as a Martian dust devil passed directly over the robotic vehicle in 2021, and we now know they …

Dust devils on Mars produce lightning-like zaps of electricity Read More »

For years, Egyptologists have assumed pyramid tombs were just for the rich – but the burials at a site called Tombos don’t fit this pattern ​For years, Egyptologists have assumed pyramid tombs were just for the rich – but the burials at a site called Tombos don’t fit this pattern For years, Egyptologists have assumed pyramid …

Surprising skeletons prompt a radical rethink of Egyptian pyramids Read More »

A new way of estimating rural populations has found that we may be undercounting people who live in these areas, potentially inflating the global population beyond the official count of 8.2 billion – but not everyone agrees ​A new way of estimating rural populations has found that we may be undercounting people who live in …

Have we vastly underestimated the total number of people on Earth? Read More »

NASA’s InSight lander recorded surprisingly large quakes that indicate Mars is more seismically active than we first thought. Mysteriously, they only happen during Martian summers ​NASA’s InSight lander recorded surprisingly large quakes that indicate Mars is more seismically active than we first thought. Mysteriously, they only happen during Martian summers NASA’s InSight lander recorded surprisingly large …

Most quakes on Mars happen during the summer – and we don’t know why Read More »

Analysing the aftermath of particle collisions has revealed two new instances of “CP violation”, a process that explains why our universe contains more matter than antimatter ​Analysing the aftermath of particle collisions has revealed two new instances of “CP violation”, a process that explains why our universe contains more matter than antimatter Analysing the aftermath of …

LHC finds intriguing new clues about our universe’s antimatter mystery Read More »

The wind on Saturn’s largest moon is strong enough to blow around rocks of up to half a metre in diameter, which could put NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly mission at risk ​The wind on Saturn’s largest moon is strong enough to blow around rocks of up to half a metre in diameter, which could put NASA’s …

Rolling boulders on Titan could threaten NASA’s Dragonfly mission Read More »

A private moon mission planned for 2027 will be the first step towards commercial lunar mining of rare and expensive helium-3 ​A private moon mission planned for 2027 will be the first step towards commercial lunar mining of rare and expensive helium-3 A private moon mission planned for 2027 will be the first step towards commercial …

How a start-up plans to mine the moon for a rare form of helium Read More »