Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Launch of satellite to track sea levels set for June 20
The launch of a US-French satellite that will track rising sea levels and ocean currents has been rescheduled for next Friday, US space agency NASA said.
Astronomers Argue Pluto is a Planet
Disgruntled scientists renewed their vows this week to call Pluto a planet despite an international governing body's latest ruling to reclassify the tiny world.
A 6,800-mile diameter telescope created
ARECIBO, Puerto Rico, June 12 (UPI) -- The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has joined a network of other radio telescopes around the world to simultaneously observe the...
Detective Astronomers Unearth Hidden Celestial Gem
ESA's orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has re-discovered an ignored celestial gem. The object in question is one of the youngest and brightest supernova remnants in the Milky Way, the corpse...
Hubble’s Sweeping View Of The Coma Galaxy Cluster
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the magnificent starry population of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies, one of the densest known galaxy collections in the Universe. Hubble's Advanced Camera for...
GLAST Lifts Off On Gamma Ray Mission
NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope successfully launched aboard a Delta II rocket June 11. The spacecraft will study the highest-energy form of light, helping scientists to answer questions about supermassive...
Scientists dance as Mars lander gets dirt into lab
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After days of struggling with sticky Martian dirt, the Phoenix Mars Lander has unexpectedly succeeded in getting its first soil sample into an onboard laboratory for...
Google co-founder Brin books space flight
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google co-founder Sergey Brin wants to go to space and has made a $5 million down payment to book a seat on a future orbital space...
Gamma rays: The incredible, hulking reality
Gamma rays are blamed for making Bruce Banner the Incredible Hulk. But what are gamma rays and what can they really do?
Cellular, molecular symposium is planned
WOODS HOLE, Mass., June 11 (UPI) -- A group of U.S. scientists is planning a meeting to discuss the fundamental math and mechanics that might explain life processes.
Mystery of 1780's 'Dark Day' is solved
COLUMBIA, Mo., June 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have solved the mystery of what caused "New England's Dark Day" on May 19, 1780, by finding evidence...
Life Sciences Institute Bridges "Valley of Death" with New Fund
The University of Michigan's Life Sciences Institute is launching a novel program to shepherd promising biomedical discoveries from the lab bench to the marketplace.
Physicists in Congress Calculate Their Influence
There are only about 30 scientists among the 535 senators and representatives in the 110th Congress, but physics is on a roll.
Dot Earth: Experts Foresee Big ’08 Arctic Ice Loss
Experts foresee another dramatic retreat of North Pole sea ice.
Technology Enrolled In Hunt For Life On Mars
Scientists looking for evidence of life on Mars have turned to technology invented by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers to help with their mission. A team from...
New Telescope to Hunt for Aliens
A new radio telescope being built in Europe may hold a chance of finding alien life beyond our planet.
ASU boosts solar power on campus
TEMPE, Ariz., June 10 (UPI) -- Arizona State University said it plans to create the nation's largest rooftop solar-power plant at its main campus in Tempe, Ariz.
Earthbound Shuttle Astronauts Say Goodbye
The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle and station complex shook hands and hugged goodbye as the doors swung shut between their spacecraft on the eve of undocking.
Out of the Zone: Jet-Lagged Baseball Teams Suffer Disadvantage [News]
Betting on your favorite Major League Baseball team? You might want to reconsider if it has to cross three time zones to play. A new study shows that MLB teams...
Testing, Radiation Testing: Northwestern Transistors On Space Station
Transistors based on a new kind of material created by Northwestern University researchers have been lifted into outer space on the space shuttle Endeavour and attached to the outside of...
NASA announces education research awards
WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) -- NASA says it has awarded more than $8.5 million to U.S. colleges and universities for space-related research and technology development.
ESA launches 'Fly Your Thesis' program
PARIS, June 10 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says it is starting a program that offers university students the chance to fly experiments in microgravity.
NASA Plans to Visit the Sun
For more than 400 years, astronomers have studied the sun from afar. Now NASA has decided to go there. "We are going to visit a living, breathing star for the...
Author-Physicist Has Passion for Storytelling
Peter Freund packed his book, A Passion for Discovery, with stories about important 20th-century physicists and mathematicians. The story of Emmy Noether is one that Freund, Professor Emeritus in Physics...
HOK Selected as Architect for New Science Tower
The University of Chicago Board of Trustees has approved HOK as architect for the proposed Center for Physical and Computational Sciences. The estimated $375 million project will encompass half a...
Last minute work for shuttle before hatches close
(AP) -- Little work remained for shuttle Discovery's astronauts to do aboard the international space station Tuesday before they closed the hatches between the two spacecraft in preparation for...
Conjoined twins separated in San Antonio
(AP) -- Doctors who successfully separated twin boys joined at the head said Monday that the 9-month-olds are expected to have a "very good chance" at a normal life.
AOL revamps online radio, adds CBS stations
(AP) -- AOL is revamping its popular online radio service Tuesday, adding streams from all 140 CBS Corp.-owned radio stations and upgrading its player to add more functions and...