Houston TX (SPX) Sep 19, 2025
New research using NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered strong evidence that Mars' Jezero Crater experienced multiple episodes of fluid activity - each with conditions that could have supported life. By analyzing high-resolution geochemical data from the rover, scientists have identified two dozen types of minerals, the building blocks of rocks, that help reveal a dynamic history of vol

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Sep 19, 2025
The questions of how humankind came to be, and whether we are alone in the universe, have captured imaginations for millennia. But to answer these questions, scientists must first understand life itself and how it could have arisen. In our work as evolutionary biochemists and protein historians, these core questions form the foundation of our research programs. To study life's history bill

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 22, 2025
Dark matter continues to puzzle physicists, despite decades of experiments and many competing theories. A recent study by researchers from the University of Warsaw and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics introduces a striking alternative candidate: supermassive charged gravitinos. Their findings, published in Physical Review Research, suggest that new underground neutrino detectors may be uniquely equipped to spot these elusive particles.

Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Sep 25, 2025
A new study suggests that Mercury's unusual structure may have resulted from a grazing collision between two similar sized protoplanets, rather than a rare catastrophic impact with a much larger body. Mercury's dense metallic core makes up about 70% of its mass, while its rocky mantle remains unusually thin compared to other terrestrial planets. The research, led by Patrick Franco of the N

Image: Part of the icy landscape of the Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest national park in the world, is pictured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is participating in the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will open its doors on Monday 29 September and last until Friday 3 October in Sydney, Australia. Over 8000 participants from 90 countries are expected to attend the event at the International Convention Centre (ICC) under the theme “Sustainable Space: Resilient Earth”.

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 22, 2025
Astronomers once suggested that the exoplanet K2-18b, 124 light-years away, could be an ocean world filled with life. A new study led by ETH Zurich shows that such sub-Neptune planets are far drier than previously assumed, making them poor candidates for habitable conditions. "Water on planets is much more limited than previously believed," said ETH Zurich professor Caroline Dorn. The stud

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 22, 2025
For millions of years, two massive black holes circled each other until, in a split second, they merged at near light speed. The collision unleashed gravitational waves so strong and clear that researchers now have their most detailed look yet at spacetime's most violent events. "These are waves in spacetime itself-like ripples in water-that travel at the speed of light," explained Jose Ma

London, UK (SPX) Sep 22, 2025
University of Warwick astronomers have identified the chemical signature of an icy, water-rich planetary fragment being devoured by a white dwarf star. The finding offers strong evidence that volatile-rich planetesimals, capable of delivering water and the raw ingredients for life, exist in systems beyond our Solar System. The team used ultraviolet spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telesc

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 22, 2025
A rare look inside the wintry north polar vortex of Mars has revealed that conditions are far colder than outside its boundary, and that the months of complete darkness allow ozone to accumulate in the martian atmosphere. "The atmosphere inside the polar vortex, from near the surface to about 30 kilometres high, is characterised by extreme cold temperatures, about 40 degrees Celsius colder