Should we trust AI in the search for alien life? Scientists aren’t so sure
Artificial intelligence could easily fall into the trap of identifying non-life as life on other worlds, claim two researchers from Michigan State University who have tested AI on simulated life…
How Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’ turned general relativity into the bad guy
The biggest blockbusters of 2014 threw up a varied rogues’ gallery of bad guys. In “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, it was a reincarnated version of Optimus Prime’s perma-nemesis, Megatron, while…
10 places in the US and Canada to see August’s partial solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower in 1 trip
Aug. 12, 2026, offers a rare double-header for skywatchers across northeastern North America: a partial solar eclipse during the afternoon followed, hours later, by the peak of the Perseid meteor…
James Webb Space Telescope discovers how black holes feed themselves
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have been given a glimpse of the mechanisms that supermassive black holes use to feed themselves. The observations could help scientists…
Submillimeter Array Catches a Gamma-Ray Burst Thanks to new Fast-Response System
The Submillimeter Array’s (SMA) new semi-automated alert system demonstrates how the radio interferometer quickly responds to discoveries from space-based telescopes.
On The Hunt For Earth’s First Complex Life
Finding microfossils of Earth’s oldest complex life is a bit like chasing an astrobiological rainbow. The eukaryotic pot of gold at rainbow’s end always seems just a bit out of…
Mauritius becomes 70th nation to sign the Artemis Accords
The island nation of Mauritius signed the Artemis Accords July 17, becoming the 70th nation to do so in less than six years. The post Mauritius becomes 70th nation to…
Space Force triples launch contract ceiling amid rising demand
The maximum value of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract was raised from $5.6 billion to $17 billion The post Space Force triples launch contract ceiling…
Pentagon awards $7.1 million to expand U.S. production of cover glass for satellites
Defense Production Act funding was awarded to Martin Materials Solutions, a small business that makes radiation-resistant cover glass used on spacecraft solar arrays and thermal-control systems The post Pentagon awards…
Another reusable rocket? Japan launches, lands RV-X prototype (video)
Japan has succeeded in the first-ever flight test of its RV-X experimental reusable rocket prototype. The launch — or hop, considering its duration and distance — took place at the…