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Cosmochemists have discovered the oldest solid material known to exist on Earth. The material, stardust, consists of silicon carbide grains measuring around one micrometer in size. The grains date back approximately 7 billion years, or about 2.5…

Microplastics are raining down on national parks and other protected areas in the western United States at the rate of about 132 pieces of microplastic per square meter every day, according to a report in the journal Science (June 2020).…

In September 2020, researchers answered a longstanding question about why planetary nebulae display such a rich variety of shapes. Winds from aging stars produce planetary nebulae as the winds eject the stars' outer layers, shrouding the stars in…

The nearest images of the Sun obtained to date have revealed a new phenomenon, dubbed campfires, which appear as small, bright flickers of light all over the Sun's surface. The Solar Orbiter, a European Space Agency spacecraft launched in February…

Astronomers have discovered the closest black hole on record, located 1,100 light-years away from our solar system. This black hole is part of the star system HR 6819, which consists of two bright, bluish stars. On a clear, dark night, these stars…

Obscured by a hazy atmosphere 100 times thicker than Earth's, Venus is a notoriously difficult world to study. Ground temperatures on Venus exceed 450°C (842°F)—enough to melt lead and to have quickly degraded the Soviet robotic landers last placed…

If you think converting seawater to fuels that can power ships is a fantasy, think again. Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., have, in fact, accomplished this feat. In addition, the U.S. Navy has received a patent…

Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope have solved a significant cosmic mystery that will help scientists better understand dark matter, an enigmatic substance theorized to outnumber normal matter at least fivefold. In 2018, astronomers were…

Astronomers have observed a galaxy from when the universe was only 1.4 billion years old that is remarkably similar to our Milky Way. Although lacking spiral arms like our galaxy, this distant galaxy does display a rotating disc and a starry,…

Fingerprint identification is a widely used forensic method for linking an individual to a crime scene. Investigators at a crime scene can find invisible (latent) fingerprints, which consist of natural skin oils, by "dusting" surfaces with carbon…

The ExoMars orbiter has detected a green glow emanating from excited oxygen molecules in the dayside atmosphere of Mars. The observations, gathered over a six-month period last year, confirm a four-decades-old prediction and represent the first time…

Heroin (C21H23NO5) is a white, crystalline powder synthesized from morphine, a natural alkaloid extracted from the seedpod of the Asian opium poppy plant, Papaver somniferum. It is a powerful opioid drug prepared by the addition of two acetyl groups…

A class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) are particularly worrisome in the environment because they do not biodegrade. For this reason, scientists often refer to PFAS as “forever chemicals.” PFAS’s staying power…

Highly energetic light emitted by aged stars causes asteroids to keep spinning faster and faster to the point of disintegration, a new study finds. The findings help explain why white dwarf stars—remnants of Sunlike stars—often have metallic…

Naturally ventilating a house, such as by opening doors and windows, has long been considered an effective strategy for exhausting indoor air pollutants. However, according to researchers reporting in the journal Science Advances (February 2020),…

Famously durable, diamond is the hardest natural substance that occurs in any significant abundance on Earth. Yet according to a new study, on the nanoscale—a scale size of just billionths of a meter—diamond can, in fact, be bent and deformed. This…

Using old data from the NASA spacecraft MESSENGER, researchers have demonstrated how to measure the average lifetime of a neutron from space. This finding is important because, despite decades of efforts, physicists still cannot definitively say how…

With the launch of the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope in October 2021, astronomers will finally be able to perceive distant galaxies that host quasars—the most luminous objects in the universe. Quasars shine forth with the equivalent…

In a surprising find, researchers have detected phosphine (PH3) in the atmosphere of Venus. This poisonous, colorless, flammable gas is nonetheless considered a strong sign of life, or "biosignature." Biosignatures are gases or combinations of gases…

In December 2019, a new solar cycle started. Solar cycles are the roughly 11-year periods—documented going back nearly 270 years—over which the Sun’s magnetic activity peaks and troughs. This activity is marked by the formation of sunspots on the…

The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way serves as a unique laboratory for testing predictions of general relativity. In a new study, researchers report that a long-studied star—called S2 or sometimes S-02—moves in a rosette-shaped…

After a 40-year search, astronomers have identified the first star shown to pulsate on only one side. Many kinds of stars, called variables, undergo natural pulsations, or periodic changes in brightness that are visible across the whole star. The…

Molten iron rains from the evening skies of an exoplanet designated WASP-76b, according to a new study. WASP-76b is a gas giant—a large planet with a vast gaseous envelope, like Jupiter—located about 390 light-years from Earth. Astronomers used an…

Stellar explosions known as supernovae may be behind several anomalous rises in radiocarbon captured in tree rings over the past 40,000 years, according to a recent study that adds mounting evidence to the hypothesis that supernovae can impact…

Researchers from Drexel University in Pennsylvania, USA, have synthesized conductive and layered 2D materials known as MXenes (pronounced maxenes) using a water-free process. In doing so, scientists have opened up potential uses of MXenes as…

The United Nations has proclaimed 2019 the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019). The same year also marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table, containing…

On July 20, 1969, the bulkily space-suited figure of astronaut Neil Armstrong descended the ladder of Apollo 11’s lunar lander, planted his boot in the Moon's gray dust, and declared: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."…

Researchers recently discovered a black hole with a mass estimated at 3.3 times the mass of the Sun, which is significantly less than the lowest-mass black holes previously detected with approximately 5 times the Sun's mass. The new finding opens…

Plastic is a ubiquitous and life-saving product, but it is also rapidly becoming a significant environmental problem. Globally, less than 10 percent of plastics are recycled, about 12 percent are incinerated, and the vast majority are disposed of in…

For the first time, scientists have observed two molecules meeting and reacting to form new molecules. A team of chemists used lasers to slow down interacting molecules to temperatures far colder than outer space, enabling the team to observe a…

After a decades-long search, astronomers have detected the signature of a molecule predicted as the first type to have ever formed in the universe. Called helium hydride and symbolized HeH+, this positively charged ion consists of a helium atom that…

Researchers recently announced the discovery of the farthest object ever identified within our solar system. Designated 2018 VG18 and nicknamed Farout, the object is located about 120 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, or 120 times the average…

In a breakthrough for astronomy and physics, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has obtained a direct image of a black hole. The first black hole captured in this manner is a supermassive one at the heart of a nearby galaxy, Messier 87. Further study…

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid analgesic (pain reliever) that resembles morphine in its action. However, its drug potency is approximately 50 to 100 times more powerful than that of morphine, leading to high rates of both addiction and overdose…

Researchers have reached a key new milestone in the continuing search for worlds like Earth that could support life elsewhere in the universe. For the first time, water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere of an exoplanet that resides within…

Researchers Chi Ma of Caltech and Alan Rubin of the University of California at Los Angeles reported in the journal American Mineralogist (September 2019) the discovery in a meteorite of the first natural occurrence of the iron-carbide mineral…

Researchers have produced carbon chips from waste plastic bags for use in making anodes for lithium-ion batteries, according to a report in ACS Omega (December 2018). For the most part, it is very difficult to break down (depolymerize) plastics into…

Researchers have recorded the most massive neutron star on record, weighing as much as 2.17 Suns but packed into a city-sized sphere just 30 kilometers (19 miles) across. This astonishingly dense object is seemingly at the limits of the maximum mass…

New research from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) predicts that the next decade will be a favorable period for human exploration due to lower risks of inclement "space weather"—a term that refers to radiation conditions…

Astronomers have arrived at a new, precise measurement of the mass of the Milky Way. Historical estimates have varied widely, from 500 billion times the mass of the Sun—a quantity known as a solar mass—to as high as three trillion solar masses. The…

Physicists have discovered a new state of matter described as a Cooper pair metal. Similar to an ordinary metal, this newfound state of matter conducts electricity with some resistance. However, the carriers of electric charge in this new state are…

Among the most remarkable geophysical features in the solar system are four fissures—nicknamed tiger stripes—that streak across Saturn's moon Enceladus. Liquid water from this moon's interior erupts from these 130-kilometer- (80-mile-) long clefts…

The bacteria that live in the gut (gastrointestinal tract) constitute a large part of an individual's microbiome (also known as microbiota). In general, gut bacteria, also referred to as the microbial flora of the gut, are harbored by normal,…

Psychedelic drugs, also termed hallucinogenic or psychotomimetic drugs, induce transient states of altered perception resembling or mimicking the symptoms of psychosis and are characterized by profound alterations in mood. Because psychedelic drugs…

After exploring Mars for almost 15 years, the Opportunity rover has roved its last. In February 2019, NASA announced the end of any further attempts to communicate with the machine, which has been unresponsive since stricken by a planet-wide dust…

Plastic shopping bags are convenient to use because they are lightweight and inexpensive, and yet they are also a major source of plastic pollution. People worldwide use an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion single-use plastic bags each year.…

New research involving the analysis of spectra obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that the vast, yellow patches on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa are made of table salt, NaCl. The results, which overturn a prevailing view of…

A star encircling the supermassive black hole at the core of the Milky Way Galaxy has offered a new, precise test of general relativity. Put forth by German-born U.S. theoretical physicist Albert Einstein in 1915, the theory of general relativity…

Seawater desalination involves removing salts and minerals from water and discharging a higher-concentration solution, or brine, to the sea. The brine effluent may affect the water quality (for example, salinity) and organisms—particularly the…

A large sampling of the first galaxies to have formed in the early universe reveals that these vast collections of stars and gas shone brighter than their modern-day counterparts. The discovery provides vital new clues about how the cosmos underwent…

Researchers have developed polymeric materials that are able to kill multidrug-resistant bacteria without inducing drug resistance or toxic side effects, according to a report in Nature Communications (March 2018). The polymers, known as…

In an application of green chemistry, researchers reported in the journal Biomaterials (April 2018) the caffeine-catalyzed synthesis of a new class of polymer gels for drug delivery and other biomedical applications. These caffeine-catalyzed gels…

Handheld electronic devices with plastic casings, such as cell phones, may be exposing users to toxic organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants that leach out of these products. Researchers from the University of Toronto reported in Environment…

Among the most compelling exoplanets discovered to date is a "super-Earth" around Barnard's star, the closest single star to our solar system. This star, a cool red dwarf significantly smaller than the Sun, is located only six light-years away—just…

Dawn, a pioneering mission to our solar system's asteroid belt, has gone silent. In late October 2018, Dawn ran out of hydrazine, the thruster fuel needed to orient the spacecraft for communication with Earth and the generation of solar power.…

NASA's Curiosity rover has produced new key evidence in determining whether Mars has ever hosted life. While drilling in an ancient lakebed, Curiosity recently discovered organic material more complex and abundant than previously found on the Red…

Astronomers have detected light from the “cosmic dawn,” the primordial epoch when the universe’s first stars began to shine. The long-sought discovery could throw open a window onto a previously inaccessible era, revealing the rise of stars and…

In July 2018, researchers reported the first definitive detection of a radioactive molecule outside of the solar system. The molecule, aluminum monofluoride (AlF), contains the radioactive isotope aluminum-26, forged deep inside a star through…

On February 6, 2018, the Falcon Heavy rocket passed its first launch test, lifting off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a bright pillar of fire. Built by the California-based, private aerospace company SpaceX, the Falcon Heavy is the…

The fate of our Sun, along with 97 percent of the universe’s stars, is to become a white dwarf. These stellar relics are what is left when an aging star sheds most of its mass, ending up as a dense, shrunken, Earth-size core composed of carbon and…

The ice-covered moon Europa has long intrigued researchers as a potential abode for extraterrestrial life. Although its orbit around Jupiter is frigidly far from the Sun, Europa harbors an internal ocean. Furthermore, this inner liquid reservoir…

The World Health Organization (WHO) is planning to recognize gaming disorder as a mental health disease in 2018. The 11th revision of the WHO's International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is a major worldwide reference for epidemiological,…

Mars, also known as the Red Planet, will soon welcome another robotic visitor sent from our Blue Planet. On May 5, 2018, NASA launched the InSight mission, an elaborate acronym for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat…

The third mission ever to visit the solar system's innermost planet, Mercury, began on October 20, 2018, with the launch of BepiColombo. The mission will attempt to answer longstanding mysteries about Mercury, including its internal structure and…

The Kepler space telescope—the most prolific discoverer of exoplanets, or worlds outside our solar system, to date—has run out of fuel and ceased science operations, NASA announced on October 30, 2018. Kepler leaves a legacy for first revealing that…

The science of exoplanets—worlds beyond our solar system—has thus far focused more on quantity than quality. The considerable distances to most of the several thousand exoplanets catalogued to date, coupled with the limitations of current telescope…

Neonicotinoids (also termed neonics) comprise a class of insecticides and pesticides that chemically resemble nicotine. They are the most widely used insecticides in the world and are deployed by plant and crop farmers because these chemical…

Observing a neutron star in infrared light—a low-energy form of radiation seldom used for studying these cosmic objects—has revealed features that seem to have eluded astronomers' notice going back decades. The features could be a dusty disk…

Humans' contributions to global warming through burning fossil fuels and other actions (for example, detrimental land-use practices) have resulted in sharp increases in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). These rising levels of CO2 also…

On August 12, 2018, NASA's first mission to "touch" the Sun got underway with the launch of the Parker Solar Probe from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Over a seven-year period, the Parker Solar Probe will complete 24 orbits of the Sun.…

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that impairs the way that a person relates to and communicates with other people. In addition, autism is characterized by restricted, repetitive, or…

In an astrophysics breakthrough, researchers have captured a blazar—a kind of galaxy—in the act of slinging out high-energy neutrinos. The discovery serves as the first-ever confirmation of a natural "particle accelerator" generating the energetic…

Mathematics is often referred to as the language of nature. A new study further makes this case by demonstrating that the distribution of prime numbers bears a striking similarity to the positions of atoms in materials known as quasicrystals. The…

The newest planet-hunting space telescope, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), launched on April 18, 2018 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. TESS will now begin a two-year observing campaign of the entire sky. The…

Ordinary matter—the kind composing stars, planets, and people—accounts for merely five percent of the universe, dwarfed by dark matter’s and dark energy's portions at 25 and 70 percent, respectively. Yet until recently, around 40 percent of that…

After a decades-long search, the first evidence for a vast population of black holes inhabiting the core regions of the Milky Way Galaxy has emerged. Astronomers had theorized that in addition to a single supermassive black hole, the Galactic center…

Since its landing in 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been analyzing Martian soils and rocks for evidence that the Red Planet could have supported life in its past. So far, Curiosity has found carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, methane,…

In the historical development of spectroscopy, following the fundamental studies of crude spectra of sunlight by Isaac Newton in 1672, certain contributions and achievements are especially noteworthy. The significance of using a narrow slit instead…

People consider visual perception to be one of the most trustworthy means of gathering information about the world. However, striking limitations in visual processing occur daily, distorting the precision and completeness of the visual experience…

After 13 years studying Saturn and its moons, the Cassini spacecraft’s mission ended on September 15, 2017. Operators at NASA intentionally directed Cassini to plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere, destroying the spacecraft before its fuel supply ran out…

On October 19, 2017, astronomers discovered the first interstellar object ever known to have visited our solar system. An asteroid bestowed with the Hawaiian name ‘Oumuamua, meaning “scout,” it was initially detected as a fast-moving point of light…

Hydroxy acids are carboxylic acids that have at least one hydroxyl (OH−) group. These compounds, which are available as α-hydroxy acids, β-hydroxy acids, and polyhydroxy acids, are often used in skin care products. Hydroxy acids were first used in…

Traditionally, the lowest-pitched (bass) instruments have provided the rhythmic foundation in musical ensembles. Researchers from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (June…

On October 16, 2017, researchers announced for the first time the detection of gravitational waves and light coming from the same cosmic event. That event was the merging of two neutron stars, located about 130 million light-years from Earth. The…

In an attempt to quantify the amount of plastics ever produced and what has happened to them, researchers produced the first global analysis using data collected from plastic industry sources. As reported in Science Advances (July 2017), 8300…

Over the six decades since humans first began lobbing objects into space, the celestial environment around our planet has become increasingly crowded with “space junk.” This orbital debris ranges in size, from spent rockets and derelict satellites…

A total solar eclipse, although not exactly rare on a global scale, is one of the most dramatic natural events that one can witness on Earth. Being a syzygy of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, over the course of about one hour, the Moon covers more and…

A magnitude 5.1 nuclear test was detected 376 km (234 mi) NE of Pyongyang, North Korea (DPRK) on January 6, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. local time (01:30 UTC), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The event was picked up at seismic stations around…

Cafestol, C20H28O3, is a compound, specifically a diterpene alcohol, found in coffee beans. It is extracted during the coffee-brewing process and may be present in coffee beverages, depending on the preparation method. Consumption of cafestol in…

Spectroscopy is the study of the absorption, emission, or scattering of electromagnetic radiation, ranging from x-rays to radio waves, by atoms or molecules. The spectroscopic techniques are known as spectrometry and the instruments of spectrometry…

Nerve gases, also known as nerve agents, are highly toxic organophosphorus compounds developed for use as chemical weapons. The chemical formula for the nerve agent Sarin, for example, is [(CH3)2CHO]CH3P(O)F. Nerve agents are similar in function and…

The study of the neural basis of animal behavior is known as neuroethology. It is a combination of two disciplines: neurobiology, the study of the nervous system, and ethology, the study of animal behavior. Neurobiology describes how the nervous…

Biochar is charcoal made from biomass (organic matter used for energy). A process called pyrolysis, in which biomass is heated to high temperature in the absence of oxygen, produces biochar along with combustible gases (syngas) and oils (bio-oils).…

In an advance for soft robotics, a young technology that finds inspiration in living things, research engineers developed a promising material that imitates the extraordinary flexibility, sensitivity, and luminescence of squids, octopuses,…

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a structural material, called sulfur concrete, that is based entirely on raw materials that are abundant on Mars. Potentially, it could be used for constructing buildings on the Red Planet.…

Internal combustion engines are very inefficient at converting chemical energy to mechanical energy. Among the energy losses are friction and heat losses. In October 2016, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States,…

A transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the Sun occurs on May 9, 2016, beginning at 11:12 GMT and ending at 18:42 GMT. It will be visible to anyone in a region of the Earth where the Sun is above the horizon during this interval.…

An artificial leaf is a solar cell that uses water and an electrical current generated from sunlight to produce hydrogen (for fuel) and oxygen. It is currently in development at laboratories worldwide. If successful, the artificial leaf could serve…

For over fifty years, heat stabilizers, light stabilizers, and antioxidants have been added to polymers to maintain their material properties by preventing their degradation. This chemical adjustment is necessary to extend the life of products such…

Body dysmorphic disorder (often abbreviated BDD) is a psychiatric illness in which a person has a severe, excessive preoccupation with a perceived defect in his or her physical appearance, and that concern is not attributable to any other…