Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
NASA Has Its Closest Look at Geysers on Saturn Moon
The NASA spacecraft Cassini has taken razor sharp close-ups of Enceladus, which has jumped to near the top of the list of potential places for life in the solar system.
Astronomers set for meteor show Wednesday morning
An annual meteor shower will hit its peak early Wednesday, but a bright moon and cloudy skies may block the view for many Canadian sky gazers.
Small snake sparks big debate
Residents of Barbados have been heating up blogs and clogging radio airwaves to vent their anger at a U.S. scientist, who earlier this week announced his "discovery" of the world's...
Soil Studies Continue at Site of Phoenix Mars Lander
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has continued studies of its landing site by widening a trench, making overnight measurements of conductivity in the Martian soil and depositing a sample...
Solar energy nanoantennas are created
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have created flexible plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantenna arrays to collect heat from the sun and other sources.
Microbes Could Travel from Venus to Earth
Scientists have suggested that possible microbial life could be transferred from Venus' clouds to Earth.
Space to test seeds' resilience
Australian researchers have sent native seeds into orbit to test their resilience in space and whether or not they could help colonise other planets one day.
A Finding, Perhaps, but Not of Mars Life
After rumors of a major discovery bearing on the possibility of life on Mars, NASA announced the results of a soil test that has nothing directly to do with the...
Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified
In 2006, two physics and astronomy professors spelled out how to exploit a quantum quirk to accomplish a feat long thought impossible, and now a research team has tested the...
Scientist to Receive Honor for Meteorite Studies
The Meteoritical Society will present the Leonard Medal to Lawrence Grossman, Professor in Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, for his research on how minerals condensed from hot gases...
Universally speaking, Earthlings share a nice neighborhood
We don't have spacecraft to take us outside our solar system--not yet, at least. Still, astronomers thought they had a pretty good understanding of how our solar system formed and...
Fingerprints prove more than just identity
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have developed technology that can detect trace amounts of explosives, drugs or many other substances through fingerprints.
Study finds dark matter may be near Earth
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Aug. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. and Swiss researchers say computer simulations suggest dark matter exists within the Milky Way galaxy and near Earth's solar system.
High Arctic surveillance study hampered by strong winds
Inclement weather is creating delays for Canadian defence scientists trying to test surveillance devices in the High Arctic this week.
Justin Thacker: Whatever Richard Dawkins says, God and evolution can coexist
Justin Thacker: By linking Darwin so stridently with atheism, Richard Dawkins does public understanding of evolutionary theory a disservice
Curved Electronics Could Yield Eye-Like Digital Camera
A new "electronic eye" camera produces crisp images.
Pieces Coming Together for Next Space Shuttle Launch
The pieces are sliding into place for NASA's next shuttle flight.
Engineers Out to Thaw the Mysteries of Ice
"Ye canna change the laws of physics!" Scotty warned Captain Kirk on "Star Trek." But engineers and physicists at the University of Maryland may rewrite one of them. read more
IKEA To Sell Solar Panels?
IKEA plans to pour $77 million into clean-technology start-ups within the next five years and could add "green" goods such as solar panels to its inventory, according to Cleantech Group.
Clays Shed Light on Water, Suggest Past Mars Microbes
Layers of clays detected on Mars show complex history of water, possible signs of life.
Study: All Planets Are Born in Killer Environments
Violence defines planetary creation, but our solar system seems surprisingly calm.
Sept launch for bid to crack secrets of universe
GENEVA (Reuters) - The world's most powerful particle accelerator, aimed at unlocking secrets of the universe, will be launched on September 10, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) said...
Is There Life On Jupiter's Moon Europa? Finding Signs Of Current Geological Activity On A Frozen World
With average temperatures of minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit, an almost nonexistent atmosphere and a complex web of cracks in a layer of ice encompassing the entire surface, the environment on...
Jupiter, Saturn: Filled with liquid alloy?
LONDON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- British and U.S. scientists say giant, gaseous planets such as Jupiter and Saturn may be filled with a liquid metal alloy of helium...
Ocean Glints Could Reveal Alien Planets
The glint of starlight from oceans might show water on alien planets.
Soyuz glitch remains a mystery: NASA chief
Russian engineers have yet to discover what has caused the Soyuz capsule to experience troublesome descents in its last two trips back to Earth carrying astronauts, the NASA chief said...
Tim Radford on the Cern particle accelerator experiments
Experiments at the giant particle accelerator Cern remind us just how far science has come in recent years, says Tim Radford
External Tank, Solid Rocket Boosters, Readied for Next Shuttle Launch
External tank ET-127 and the twin solid rocket boosters, which will fly with space shuttle Atlantis on the next shuttle mission, were joined Aug. 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center,...