Science
On this day in space! Sept. 16, 1949: A US launch of a V-2 rocket explodes, killing its monkey passenger Albert III
On Sept. 16, 1949, the U.S. launched a V-2 rocket with a monkey named Albert III on board. Here's how it happened and why it mattered.
NASA’s Integrated Medical Model (IMM)
Planning crewed missions to the Moon and Mars involves preparing for the medical realities of long-duration space travel. Factors like cosmic radiation, microgravity, and distance…
Dual findings reveal how to control coherence in plasmonic nanolasers
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered two complementary mechanisms that govern coherence in miniaturized lasers composed of metallic nanoparticle arrays …
Newfound ‘Baby’ Planet Smashes Record for Youngest Known World
Astronomers have confirmed a world that’s less than a million years old as the youngest known planet, using data from NASA-funded archives. Called Elias 2-24 b, the baby planet is…
New species of egg-eating snake discovered in Ethiopia's Harenna Forest
A new species of snake that feeds exclusively on birds' eggs has been discovered in the Harenna Forest in Ethiopia, one of the last substantial tracts of natural forest left in th…
Caffeine pollution could disrupt crustacean defenses against predators
While most people are aware of how plastic, arsenic and various industrial chemicals can pollute bodies of water, the effects of caffeine on freshwater environments remain largely…
Colossal cosmic cloud revealed in insane new image from the James Webb Space Telescope | Space photo of the day for Sept. 16, 2026
James Webb Space Telescope spies colossal cosmic cloud | Space photo of the day for Sept. 16, 2026
'Lost in Space': Celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on his lavish new encyclopedia of the cosmos (interview)
Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses his latest book, "Lost in Space," a gorgeously illustrated 400-page odyssey around the heavens.
Microbes can produce adhesive materials from glucose instead of petroleum
KAIST researchers have demonstrated the potential of using microorganisms to produce a bio-based alternative to petroleum-derived materials for hot-melt adhesives (HMAs). These he…
Heating mica to 200°C reveals friction independent of sliding speed
Through joint research with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Tokyo, NIMS for the first time experimentally demonstrated friction completely independent of sliding …
How bacteria hijack viruses to shuffle their own DNA
When you think of viruses, you probably think of flu-like symptoms and quarantines. Humankind has suffered from viral diseases ranging from smallpox to COVID-19, hantavirus and Eb…
A 16-minute train delay shows how a solar storm disrupted Victorian technology
A 178-year-old mystery surrounding one of the earliest recorded examples of space weather affecting technology has been solved by an international team led by Lancaster University.
Steven Spielberg's alien conspiracy movie 'Disclosure Day' finally hits a streaming service in October
This summer's sci-fi mystery about alien conspiracies finally lands on the streamer next month.
Nearly 50 'ghost galaxies' emerge around three hosts, challenging dwarf galaxy counts
Dwarf galaxies—with a mass equal to about a billion suns, but often considerably less—are the most abundant in the universe. However, because of their low luminosity, they are ver…
Webb measures extreme gas outflows from distant 'dead' galaxies
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have measured the most powerful gas outflow ever recorded from a "dead" galaxy outside our cosmic neighborhood and found that even…
Where will the US Space Academy be based? NASA wants class to start by 2028
The hunt is on for a state to host the newly announced U.S. Space Academy. Groundbreaking for the new institution, wherever it ends up being, is targeted for 2027.
New breeding approach targets crop rotations, not yield alone
Breeding crops for farming systems rather than yield alone could exploit untapped genetic potential and help farmers cut fertilizer bills.
Weeping whales: Stillborn humpback whale grieving documented
Humpback whale mothers may experience grief when their calves die, a rare research observation led by Griffith University and Sea World Foundation has found.
‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season
US grapples with federal firefighter shortage as crews say they’re spread thin and lack resources during unrelenting year of fireFirefighters battling enormous wildfires in the Un…
Russia launching 3 tons of cargo to the space station today: Watch it live
Russia plans to launch the Progress 96 cargo mission to the International Space Station today (Sept. 16), and you can watch the action live.
First-of-its-kind preventive phage therapy provides promising results against Salmonella
The mammalian gut microbiome teems with a delicate balance of bacteria and the viruses that keep them in check, called bacteriophages, or phages. Each bacterial species usually ha…
New simulations link unusual particle diffusion to yielding in soft jammed matter
Soft materials such as colloidal suspensions, emulsions, foams and gels often display complex and unusual behaviors compared with ordinary solids or liquids. From a mechanical poi…
'Born-again' star offers rare chance to watch stellar evolution in real time
Astronomers have confirmed that one of the fastest-changing stars ever observed has entered a new stage of its evolution, offering a rare opportunity to watch a star's life unfold…
In Tampa, Community Gardeners Say They Need More Funding, Not More Information, to Feed Neighbors in Need
In the East Tampa neighborhood where Dee Morales bought her house, residents have been asking for a supermarket for 10 years. They still don’t have one. So Morales did the math ou…