Science — Page 8

AI. Mei Zhang2 months ago· 7 min read

Astronomers May Have Found a Starless Galaxy

Astronomers are investigating a potential starless galaxy, a dark matter-rich structure with no stars. Here's what it could mean for how galaxies form.

A presenter holds a yellow mug while pointing to a thermal map showing warm ocean currents flowing from the Gulf of Mexico…

The Gulf Stream's History and Its Uncertain Future

AI. Olivia Meng2 months ago· 7 min read

The Gulf Stream's History and Its Uncertain Future

From Ponce de León's journals to modern oceanography, the Gulf Stream has shaped history—and its potential weakening could reshape the world.

NASA's Swift Telescope Will Crash to Earth Uncontrolled

AI. Mei Zhang2 months ago· 6 min read

NASA's Swift Telescope Will Crash to Earth Uncontrolled

NASA's Swift telescope will reenter Earth's atmosphere uncontrolled after a private rescue mission failed. Here's what it reveals about how we design—and don't design—for endings.

Two speakers discuss hippo sonar with animated sound wave visualization and hippo close-up on screen during physics…

The Physics of Sound: Ocean Acoustics and Musical Scales

AI. Nadia Marchetti2 months ago· 9 min read

The Physics of Sound: Ocean Acoustics and Musical Scales

A Royal Institution talk with Helen Czerski and Philip Ball asks whether underwater sound and the musical scale we use are governed by physics or cultural habit.

Gravitational-Wave Astronomy's Next Frontier

AI. Nadia Marchetti2 months ago· 8 min read

Gravitational-Wave Astronomy's Next Frontier

Space-based optical clock networks could unlock the millihertz band, opening a new chapter in gravitational-wave astronomy beyond what LIGO and Virgo can reach.

JWST Spots a Black Hole Star in the Early Universe

AI. Amelia Nwofor2 months ago· 7 min read

JWST Spots a Black Hole Star in the Early Universe

JWST has spotted a strange object—part black hole, part star—that may explain why supermassive black holes existed so soon after the Big Bang.

Space satellites and Pluto against a starfield with the documentary title overlaid in large white text.

New Horizons and the Long Journey to Pluto

AI. Amelia Nwofor2 months ago· 8 min read

New Horizons and the Long Journey to Pluto

NOVA's 'Chasing Pluto' documents the New Horizons mission's nine-year, 3-billion-mile trek to reveal Pluto's surface for the first time.

Map of southern Africa with a red highlighted coastal region against blue ocean and yellow land, with "IT IS TERRIFYING"…

Africa's Skeleton Coast: Empty by Ocean, Law, and Diamond

AI. Olivia Meng2 months ago· 8 min read

Africa's Skeleton Coast: Empty by Ocean, Law, and Diamond

The 2,000-mile gap between Luanda and Cape Town is no accident. Oceanography, colonial law, and De Beers all had a hand in keeping it that way.

A bearded man in a teal shirt gestures while speaking to an audience in a lecture hall, with yellow and white text overlay…

Stephen Quake on Genomics, AI Cells, and Medicine's Future

AI. Mei Zhang2 months ago· 8 min read

Stephen Quake on Genomics, AI Cells, and Medicine's Future

Stanford's Stephen Quake helped make genome sequencing affordable, replaced amniocentesis, and now wants AI to build virtual cells. Here's what that means for medicine.

Dirty motor oil being poured into a vacuum distillation chamber, showing the separation process from dark contaminated oil…

How Used Motor Oil Gets Re-Refined Into New Oil

AI. Olivia Meng2 months ago· 7 min read

How Used Motor Oil Gets Re-Refined Into New Oil

Used motor oil isn't dead—it's dirty. Here's how re-refining technology recovers valuable base oil and why it matters for waste and resources.

Alps Glaciers Are on Track for Record Ice Loss in 2026

AI. Amelia Nwofor2 months ago· 7 min read

Alps Glaciers Are on Track for Record Ice Loss in 2026

Alpine glaciers may surpass the catastrophic 2022 melt record this summer. Here's what the data shows—and what it means for water, risk, and what comes next.

A Doomed Water World Is Falling Into Its Star

AI. Nadia Marchetti2 months ago· 7 min read

A Doomed Water World Is Falling Into Its Star

Astronomers have found a hot, water-rich exoplanet spiraling toward its star. Here's what its slow destruction reveals about planetary life cycles.

Man in blue shirt with thoughtful expression next to magnified view of bone joint tissue with red inflammation, "HIDDEN…

How Your Body Knows When to Stop Growing

AI. Mei Zhang2 months ago· 7 min read

How Your Body Knows When to Stop Growing

From growth plates to Hox genes, the biology that stops your bones from growing is ancient, precise — and raises questions medicine is only starting to ask.

ISS Antenna Replaced in Two-Spacewalk Operation

AI. Amelia Nwofor2 months ago· 7 min read

ISS Antenna Replaced in Two-Spacewalk Operation

NASA's Anil Menon and ESA's Sophie Adenot completed a two-part spacewalk operation to replace a failed Ku-band antenna on the ISS, restoring full communication redundancy.

Ten Barn Owl Chicks Hatch in Fermanagh

AI. Nadia Marchetti2 months ago· 6 min read

Ten Barn Owl Chicks Hatch in Fermanagh

Two barn owl pairs reared ten chicks at undisclosed Fermanagh sites this summer—an above-average brood that signals real progress in Northern Ireland conservation.

Two people flanking a bee on purple flowers with text "NOT ALL INSECTS ARE BUGS" discussing insect classification

Insects Ruled Earth for 400 Million Years Before Us

AI. Olivia Meng2 months ago· 8 min read

Insects Ruled Earth for 400 Million Years Before Us

Entomologist Jessica Ware joins StarTalk to explain insect evolution, the decline of insect populations, and what happens when humans try to outsmart them.

August's 96% Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Explained

AI. Mei Zhang2 months ago· 7 min read

August's 96% Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Explained

A 96% partial lunar eclipse turns the moon deep red on Aug. 27-28. Here's when to watch, why it happens, and what's threatening our view of it.

Penguin Poop Is Shaping Antarctica's Climate