Science And Space

  NASA rover spots hundreds of 'spider eggs' on Mars — and scientists have no idea how they got there On March 11, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover spotted a mysterious rock made of hundreds of tiny spheres that resemble spider eggs. Studying its formation could help us look for fossilized remains of microbial life on Mars. Read More

  'Woolly devil' flowers in Texas desert are the 1st new plant genus discovered in a US national park in almost 50 years A newly discovered plant found by a national park volunteer in the Texas desert is a small, fuzzy flower that pokes up between rocks. With its limited range, this species could be threatened by climate change. Read More

  (Isar Aerospace) 1st orbital rocket from Europe explodes seconds into flight Germany-based Isar Aerospace attempted to launch the first orbital rocket from European soil on Sunday morning (March 30). The company's Spectrum rocket lifted off from Europe's Andøya Spaceport in Norway, but suffered an anomaly 18 seconds into the flight. Dramatic video from the launch shows the rocket tumbling just seconds into flight before plummeting to the icy ground below and exploding in a brilliant fireball. Read More

  (Yuri Cortez/Getty Images) Don't miss the solar eclipse on March 29! Happy Friday, Space Fans! Well, the day is nearly here: the first solar eclipse of 2025 is SATURDAY and we've got what you need to see it. The March 2025 solar eclipse will be a partial solar eclipse of the sun, but only for those in the visibility path across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Here's where and when to see the eclipse! Read More

  (International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Garlick/M. Zamani) Is the 'Blaze Star' about to go boom at last? After auroras on Neptune, we wanted to go BIG for this next story, which brings us to T Coronae Borealis, the so-called Blaze Star that has been on the cusp of exploding for awhile now. Today, March 27, is the first explosion prediction day from a new study watching its behavior. But if it doesn't blow, there's a back up date. Read More

  Ancient Egyptian pyramids, thought to contain only the elite, may also hold low-class laborers At the site of Tombos, archaeologists have found that less-affluent laborers may be buried with upper-class people in pyramid tombs. Read More

  (Daniel Puchalski) Mysterious blue spiral spotted over European skies A strange blue spiral lit up the skies over Europe on Monday night (March 24), causing residents of the U.K. and other European countries like Croatia, Poland, and Hungary to flood social media with photos and videos, along with requests to identify this weird light. Some users even speculated that the spiral could be the work of aliens! Read More

  Simple blood tests could be the future of cancer diagnosis Around four years ago, now 77-year-old John Gormly went for what was supposed to be a routine blood test. But the results were life-changing.   The test suggested Gormly had colon cancer, which a colonoscopy later confirmed was Stage 2, meaning the cancer had spread through the wall of the colon but not to his lymph nodes.   "I thought [my doctor] was wrong," Gormly, CEO of a construction company near Newport Beach, California, told Live Science. "I go, 'Nah, I don't feel anything.' But there it was. It was real; the colonoscopy showed it."   Gormly was one of the first patients to take a newly approved test called Shield, which its makers say can detect colon cancer from a blood sample . After his diagnosis, Gormly had surgery to remove the tumor and was back at work within 10 days.   "Liquid biopsies" like the one that detected early cancer for Gormly are now c...

  The Launchpad (NASA) NASA Starliner astronauts return to Earth today! It is landing day at last, Space Fans! Nine months after launching on a 10-day trip to the International Space Station, NASA's Boeing Starliner astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth with two Crew-9 astronauts to end what became an ordeal in space. See what time they'll return and how to watch live here! Read More (NASA) Timeline: How 10 days led to 9 months in space It's been a long time since NASA's Starliner astronauts launched into space. Long enough for Suni Williams to take command of the ISS, take two spacewalks with Butch Wilmore and perform many science experiments. Here's a look at how their 10-day test flight transformed into a months long odyssey ahead of landing. Read More Starliner and Crew-9 live landing mission updates ...

  The Launchpad (NASA) Watch Starliner astronauts finally leave ISS tonight Hey, Space Fans! We're starting this week off with something we've all been waiting for a long time: The "stranded" Boeing Starliner astroanuts are finally beginning their trip home. Tonight, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, alongside NASA's Nick Hague and Russia's Aleksandr Gorbunov, will depart the ISS and prepare for their trip home. Williams and Wilmore are 9 months into a planned 10-day mission due to Boeing Starliner capsule issues. Read More (MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images) How did Earth get such a strange moon? There's a lot going on with the moon. For starters, it exists, which is weird in its own way when compared to Mercury and Venus. Mars does have two moons, but they're really just captured asteroids. Earth is the only rocky planet in the solar ...

  External Affairs , Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency AGENCY A tornado Watch is now in effect in some areas of north and west Georgia until 4am. For preparation tips, visit https://gema.georgia.gov/tornadoes .       

  Scientists realize 'Viking' shipwreck is something else entirely A more than 500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sweden isn't a Viking vessel after all, scientists have found.

  (Intuitive Machines) Athena will touch down near the moon's south pole today Intuitive Machines is poised to land its second spacecraft on the moon today (March 6). The lander, a Nova-C vehicle named Athena, is flying the IM-2 mission as a part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which contracts private companies to deliver agency science and technology payloads to the lunar surface. Now, the world will see if Intuitive Machines will deliver on that contract. Watch live!

  (SpaceX) What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 8 launch today? SpaceX is poised to launch its latest Starship megarocket today, on a test flight that will also attempt to catch the world's largest rocket booster with giant metal chopsticks. If you want to watch it live, we've got details on when and how to see it. Read More

  (Firefly Aerospace) Blue Ghost moon lander aces historic lunar landing Blue Ghost just became the second private spacecraft ever to soft-land on the moon. Blue Ghost aced its touchdown try early yesterday morning (Mar 2). The lander hauled 10 science experiments to the lunar surface for NASA, which was understandably happy with today's result. "We're on the moon!" Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said during the landing webcast. "I'm sorry -- I'm just so excited right now." Read More

  AI’s secret language Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One AI bot calls up another, and they chat back and forth in English. Once they realize they’re both AI, they switch to a secret-to-them language totally undecipherable to human ears.  No punch line, because it’s not a joke.  Watch this viral video  from an AI hackathon that shows the exchange. I’ll wait. I’m sure you noticed that when the bots are chatting in English, it’s pretty normal. Once they switch to their secret language, it’s all whirs and screeches, like a dial-up modem.  It sent a shiver down my spine You know I embrace AI and all that it has done to change our world. AI bots talking to each other and leaving humans totally out of the equation, though, is terrifying to me, and it should be for you, too.  This particular screeching secret bot language was created by two engineers from Meta, Boris Starkov and Anton Pidkuiko. For the record, they took home first place at t...

  Sunday science From amazing animals to the wonders of space, here's this week's selection of hidden gems you might have missed. Amazing animals Turuchan pika: The adorable ball of fluff that just loves to play Turuchan pikas play all sorts of games, including swinging from branches, throwing food around and hiding then jumping out at each other. Read More Discover more amazing animals Astonishing artifacts Croesus stater: The 2,500-year-old coin that introduced the gold standard These 2,500-year-old coins are the origin of our monetary system. Read More Uncover more astonishing artifacts Space photo of the week James Webb telescope reveals mysterious 'light echo' in the broken heart of Cassiopeia Beautifully captured by the James Webb Space Telescope ...