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Why does the Universe appear fine-tuned for life to exist?
It is really quite amazing that you’re alive. I’m not talking about you specifically and how if your mom and dad hadn’t met, that you’d never have been born. I’m thinking much bigger, namely, about the...
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The “least crazy” idea: Early dark energy could solve a cosmological conundrum
At the heart of the Big Bang model of cosmic origins is the observation that the universe is expanding, something astronomers have known for nearly a century. And yet, determining just how fast the...
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Is gravity a force? It’s complicated
At first blush, asking if gravity is a force seems quite silly. After all, when you were a toddler, you experimented with gravity by dropping tidbits from your highchair down to a grateful puppy. The...
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Why the worst weather on Earth is in New Hampshire
Ah, New Hampshire, home to extensive granite formations and quarries, the first presidential primary in the U.S., delicious apple cider donuts — and the worst weather on Earth. Of course, that weather...
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What is the shape of space itself?
The question of the shape of space certainly seems a bit nonsensical. Space just is. It’s the place that holds stars and planets, and it’s big enough to allow comets and asteroids to buzz about the...
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How AI could help the hunt for life on Mars
Is there any way to speed up the search for life on Mars? It has been nearly half a century since the Viking landers gave an ambiguous answer to that ancient scientific question, and it often seems —...
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T-Minus: SpaceX’s wild pace and a marsquake mystery solved
This is T-Minus, where we count down the biggest developments in space, from new rocket launches to discoveries that advance our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Humanity is reaching...
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T-Minus: Stranded space drugs, a new moon lander, and more
This is T-Minus, where we count down the biggest developments in space, from new rocket launches to discoveries that advance our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Humanity is reaching...
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Are parallel universes real?
Modern science can rule out some ideas, but not all of them. The possibility of the existence of parallel universes — which crucially depends on the definition of “parallel” — might be one of those...
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How “group genius” surpassed Einstein and gave us quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics — the creation of several surpassing geniuses in a period of just three years — is the finest example of “collective” or “group genius” in the history of science. The expression...
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New paper argues that the Universe began with two Big Bangs
Two cosmological mysteries continue to fascinate scientists and science enthusiasts alike. The first is understanding in detail how the Universe came into existence. The second is the nature of dark...
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Why zero-point energy is a scam
“A fool and his money are soon parted” is a proverb that dates back to at least the 16th century. Scammers and conmen are always looking for an angle to fleece the gullible, including the use of...
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World’s most powerful X-ray laser fires for the first time
Scientists at a high-tech facility on America’s West Coast have fired up the world’s most powerful X-ray laser for the first time. With these ultra-bright pulses of X-ray light, they will make...
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How pocket-sized particle accelerators could treat cancer
Back in 1966, Richard Fleischer directed a movie called Fantastic Voyage. The premise was that scientists were able to shrink a submarine-like craft (complete with humans inside) and inject the craft...
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Iceland earthquakes hint at a new era of increased volcanic activity
Since October 2023, thousands of earthquakes have shaken the Reykjanes peninsula of Iceland. The small town of Grindavík, a fishing village on the southern coast, has been evacuated. In some instances,...
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Grinding scientists: How mechanochemistry could revolutionize the creation of...
The archetypal image of chemistry is a set of glassware, full of colorful liquids about to be mixed. Froth, bubbles, and smoke ensue. Much of industrial chemical synthesis is a tamer version of this....
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The physicists who wanted to put an end to gravity
The rise of Big Science after World War II was pushed by massive Cold War and Space Race spending. There was, however, one fundamental area of physics that didn’t see federal dollars, at least at...
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Scientists rule out a popular alternative theory to dark matter
A consensus has arisen in the astronomical community that familiar matter made of atoms is not the dominant form of matter in the Universe. Instead, an invisible form of matter, called dark matter, is...
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Ancient black hole challenges our understanding of the early Universe
At the center of nearly every galaxy in the cosmos sits a monster: a black hole with a mass millions or even billions of times heavier than our Sun. When and how these enormous objects formed is an...
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T-Minus: Starship’s big flight, an alien hunter’s gift, and more
This is T-Minus, where we count down the biggest developments in space, from new rocket launches to discoveries that advance our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Humanity is reaching...
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