The smooth green floor reflects the fluorescent lights that shine on plastic-covered shelves beneath a series of vents. Dark matter, an invisible substance that somehow makes up more than 80 percent of all matter in the universe, is a phenomenon that scientists have disappointingly overlooked. Although it has been sought for for decades and has… Read More »
A new analysis of how galaxy clusters have evolved over the universe’s 13.8 billion-year history could help resolve long-standing tensions around the ‘lumpyness’ of our universe’s matter content. After all, it could also help scientists solve a number of other cosmic mysteries. The first data from the eROSITA all-sky survey of cosmic X-ray sources, which… Read More »
A newly discovered quasar is a real record breaker. It is not only the brightest quasar ever seen, but also the brightest astronomical object ever seen overall. It is also powered by the hungriest and fastest-growing black hole ever seen; This black hole consumes the equivalent of the mass of one Sun per day. Quasar… Read More »
NASA is preparing to send two small twin spacecraft around the world to collect data to help combat climate change. Shoebox-sized satellites in the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE), or “Cube satellites,” will blast off in Spring 2024. It will reach an altitude of between 292 and 403 miles (470 and… Read More »
According to new research that my colleagues and I recently published, remnants of ancient viral pandemics in the form of viral DNA sequences embedded in our genomes are still active in healthy people. HERVs, or human endogenous retroviruses, make up approximately 8% of the human genome, left behind as a result of infections suffered by… Read More »
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.com. Why are there 366 days in a leap year? Is the world moving slower every four years? – Aarush, 8 years old, Milpitas, California You may have heard that it… Read More »
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Parts of the United States are about to experience a rare natural phenomenon with the simultaneous appearance of two giant adjacent periodical cicada species. More than a trillion of these noisy insects are expected to pop out of the ground starting in April. The two broods, one concentrated in… Read More »
The Seven Wonders of the World have earned the title of being among the most magnificent creations. They can take your breath away because of their majesty and they can be absolutely miserable despite the large number of crowds. Much of the problem is their fame; Too many people want to see the most famous… Read More »
It’s been several months since one of humanity’s most successful spacecraft, the Voyager 1 probe, stopped talking to us, and although they remain somewhat hopeful, Voyager mission scientists are preparing for the worst: A farewell. “It’s sad and disappointing that the spacecraft is still operating but quiet,” Voyager mission assurance manager Bruce Wagoner told Space.com… Read More »
Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, Sign up for free here. On July 20, 1969, the world watched as man set foot on the moon for the first time. But the perfect landing of Eagle’s lunar lander by NASA astronaut Neil… Read More »