Tallahassee, FL (SPX) Mar 25, 2025
For decades, people have been trying to directly detect dark matter: the missing mass in our universe. Now, research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is making possible a new, super-sensitive detector - and even though it's still in the research and development phase, it's already been able to search for kinds of dark matter that other detectors can't find. Historically, most dark

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Phosphorus, alongside nitrogen and carbon, forms one of the fundamental building blocks for life on Earth. It is integral to DNA, RNA, and ATP-molecules essential for storing genetic information and fueling cellular processes. Yet despite its biological importance, phosphorus is comparatively scarce near Earth's surface, both today and in the distant past. This scarcity presents a major qu

Boulder CO (SPX) Mar 18, 2025
For decades, atomic clocks have been the pinnacle of precision timekeeping, enabling GPS navigation, cutting-edge physics research, and tests of fundamental theories. But researchers at JILA, led by JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder physics professor Jun Ye, in collaboration with the Technical University of Vienna, are pushing beyond atomic transitions to something potentia

Paris, France (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
ESA's Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) has reached NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking a pivotal step in its upcoming deployment to the International Space Station. This European-led mission is designed to explore the boundaries of fundamental physics by measuring time from orbit with extraordinary accuracy. Earlier in March, the ACES payload departed Europe and made its w

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Firefly Aerospace has selected Honeybee Robotics, a subsidiary of Blue Origin, to supply a lunar rover for its upcoming 2028 mission to the Gruithuisen Domes, located on the Moon's near side. The mission, supported by a NASA task order, will mark the first direct investigation of this unexplored lunar region. Once Firefly's Blue Ghost lander touches down on the lunar surface, it will deplo

Paris, France (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Atmospheric waves, which resemble ripples that spread across water surfaces, have long intrigued scientists for their role in planetary climate systems. A new international study titled "Atmospheric Gravity Waves in Mars' Lower Atmosphere: Nadir Observations From OMEGA/Mars Express Data" takes a deep dive into these features on Mars, uncovering major distinctions from Earth. Leveraging dat

Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 26, 2025
Earth planning date: Friday, March 21, 2025: It's the start of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere on Earth, but in Gale Crater on Mars our rover is still heading into the depths of Martian winter. We're just a few weeks away from Mars' aphelion - the time when it's farthest from the Sun. The Mars-Sun distance varies more significantly than the Earth-Sun distance because of the greater eccent

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 25, 2025
The NASA rover "Curiosity" discovered what scientists say is the largest ever seen organic molecules on Mars, raising speculation about if life was created billions of years ago on the Red Planet. "Our study proves that, even today, by analyzing Mars samples we could detect chemical signatures of past life, if it ever existed on Mars," stated Caroline Freissinet, the study's lead author

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Spirent Communications plc (LSE:SPT), a leader in test and assurance solutions for emerging network technologies, has been chosen by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to deliver an advanced lunar positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) simulation system. This groundbreaking tool is designed to underpin JAXA's ongoing lunar exploration efforts and support the creation of essential n

As ESA’s Hera planetary defence mission flew past planet Mars it autonomously locked onto dozens of impact craters and other prominent surface features to track them over time, in a full-scale test of the self-driving technology that the spacecraft will employ to navigate around its target asteroids.