NASA named Stanford University of California winner of the Lunar Autonomy Challenge, a six-month competition for U.S. college and university student teams to virtually map and explore using a digital twin of NASA’s In-Situ Resource Utilization Pilot Excavator (IPEx). The winning team successfully demonstrated the design and functionality of their autonomous agent, or software that performs […]
Following an international signing ceremony Thursday, NASA congratulated Norway on becoming the latest country to join the Artemis Accords, committing to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. “We’re grateful for the strong and meaningful collaboration we’ve already had with the Norwegian Space Agency,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “Now, by signing the […]
Scientists know that changing tree leaves can indicate when a nearby volcano is becoming more active and might erupt. In a new collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, scientists now believe they can detect these changes from space. As volcanic magma ascends through the Earth’s crust, it releases carbon dioxide and other gases which […]
To celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman — NASA’s first chief astronomer and the namesake for the agency’s nearly complete Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope — we’re baking a birthday cake! This isn’t your ordinary birthday treat — this cosmic cake represents the contents of our universe and everything […]
NASA has selected two more university student teams to help address real-world aviation challenges, through projects aimed at using drones for hurricane relief and improved protection of air traffic systems from cyber threats. The research awards were made through NASA’s University Student Research Challenge (USRC), which provides student-led teams with opportunities to contribute their novel […]
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured this view of Deimos, the smaller of Mars’ two moons, shining in the sky at 4:27 a.m. local time on March 1, 2025, the 1,433rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. In the dark before dawn, the rover’s left navigation camera used its maximum long-exposure time of 3.28 seconds for […]
The international mission collects two-dimensional views of smaller waves and currents that are bringing into focus the ocean’s role in supporting life on Earth. Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite found […]
Noctilucent or night-shining clouds are rare, high-altitude clouds that glow with a blue silvery hue at dusk or dawn when the Sun shines on them from below the horizon. These ice clouds typically occur near the North and South Poles but are increasingly being reported at mid- and low latitudes. Observing them helps scientists better […]
Christine Braden values new experiences that broaden her perspective; a mindset that has guided her 26-year career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she currently serves as a senior systems engineer in the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. In her role, Braden works with engineering teams to develop commercial space stations that […]
Science in Space: May Crew members on the International Space Station periodically conduct spacewalks to perform a variety of tasks such as installing, upgrading, and repairing equipment. During a spacewalk on May 1, astronauts installed hardware to support the planned addition of a seventh roll-out solar array on the exterior of the space station. Each […]
Ivan Kashinsky has traveled the world for Smithsonian magazine, but when disaster struck earlier this month, he rushed home to point his lens at his own neighborhood
Your body is a collection of cells carrying thousands of genetic mistakes accrued over a lifetime—many harmless, some bad and at least a few that may be good for you
On Tetiaroa, a vibrant coral atoll dotted with sandy islets, archaeologists, marine biologists and cultural practitioners are working together to improve understanding of a unique ecosystem
Scientists know that changing tree leaves can indicate when a nearby volcano is becoming more active and might erupt. In a new collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, scientists now believe they can detect these changes from space.
What does a climate-neutral, livable city look like—and what concrete actions can help us get there? The new Climate Action Navigator (CAN) from HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology) offers data-driven answers.
Warming in the Arctic is intensifying methane emissions, contributing to a vicious feedback loop that could accelerate climate change even more, according to a new study published in Nature.
When deciding whether to shelter in place during an emergency, social roles, environmental knowledge, economic status, and other factors weigh heavily over government information and directions, according to a new Yale School of the Environment study.
Ask scientists which gene-editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they'd probably describe a system that's now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Konstantin Vodopyanov, a professor at the College of Sciences and CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, recently co-authored a study published in the journal Optica. This research examines electro-optic sampling (EOS), a technique that advances fields such as quantum physics, molecular spectroscopy and biomedical sensing.
In recent research published in Optics & Laser Technology and Infrared Physics & Technology, a research team led by Prof. Cheng Tingqing at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced a novel low-thermal-effect gradient-doped crystal to tame thermal effects and improve the brightness of high-power end-pumped Nd:YAG lasers.
Whether bismuth is part of a class of materials highly suitable for quantum computing and spintronics was a long‑standing issue. Kobe University research has now revealed that the true nature of bismuth was masked by its surface, and in doing so uncovered a new phenomenon relevant to all such materials.
Transfer of charge is a process in which electrons move within a molecule or between two molecules. It is a crucial chemical process that can be applied to a wide range of technologies. Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) occurs when electrons are exchanged between donor and acceptor groups within a molecule via a series of overlapping electron orbits. This exchange creates a shift in light wavelength toward the red end of the light spectrum (redshift). This observable color shift due to ICT has applications in dye manufacturing and organic LEDs (OLEDs).
The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft has successfully completed its initial commissioning following the October 14, 2024, launch. Scheduled to arrive in the Jovian system in 2030, the spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and ultimately perform repeated close flybys of the icy moon Europa. Previous observations show strong evidence for a subsurface ocean of liquid water that could host conditions favorable for life.
NASA's Perseverance rover captured this view of Deimos, the smaller of Mars's two moons, shining in the sky at 4:27 a.m. local time on March 1, 2025, the 1,433rd Martian day (sol) of the mission. In the dark before dawn, the rover's left navigation camera used its maximum long-exposure time of 3.28 seconds for each of 16 individual shots, all of which were combined onboard the camera into a single image that was later sent to Earth. In total, the image represents an exposure time of about 52 seconds.
Scientists were able to create a bespoke treatment for KJ Muldoon’s rare genetic disorder within six months. It could be a blueprint for potentially life-saving, gene-editing Crispr therapies.
As the FDA halts the sale of Ozempic and Zepbound copycats, online clinics have begun offering liraglutide, an older GLP-1 medication injected daily instead of weekly.
The next Starship launch may come as soon as next week. A test of its Raptor engines suggests SpaceX has resolved the issues that plagued its recent flights.
With the active ingredients in drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound no longer in shortage, access to medicine for millions who had come to rely on compounded versions is increasingly uncertain.
The agency maintains the global backbone of measurements of CO2 and other gases, but these are at risk of being curtailed if the foreshadowed cuts to NOAA are realized.
Casey Means isn’t currently licensed as a doctor. But that’s not why anti-vaxxers and conspiracists think she’s unsuited to be surgeon general—to them, her anti-vaccine opinions aren't extreme enough.
CBP’s acting commissioner has rescinded four Biden-era policies that aimed to protect vulnerable people in the agency’s custody, including mothers, infants, and the elderly.
The Choose Europe for Science program will invest more than half a billion dollars between 2025 and 2027 to recruit researchers and scientists—especially from the United States.
Stratolaunch completed two flights of its autonomous Talon-A2 rocket plane earlier this year, as the US aims to gain ground in its race for hypersonic supremacy with China.
As it shifts responsibility for recovery efforts to local authorities, FEMA workers will stop knocking on doors to provide aid to survivors in disaster areas, per a memo obtained by WIRED.
Following inaction from the government, fishing communities and conservationists are taking it upon themselves to set up and monitor no-catch zones to combat species depletion caused by overfishing.
A new species of cable bacteria, which function like electrical wiring, was recently discovered in the US. Its unique morphology and genetic structure may be useful for the development of bioelectronics.
When pigeons outnumber pigeonholes, some birds must double up. This obvious statement, and its inverse, have deep connections to many areas of math and computer science.
