The sound of the surf could be the soundtrack to Saturn’s moon Titan. New analysis shows that the large bodies of liquid methane and ethane that wrap around Titan’s surface are likely populated by waves that erode the shores, carving the shapes of rivers and large lakes unique to the exotic moon and foggy. This … Read more
In a surprising breakthrough, researchers have created a new class of materials called “glass gels” that are semi-liquid but hard to break. Elastic, surprisingly sticky and capable of ‘self-healing’ if cut, the surprising properties of these gels potentially make them useful for a wider range of applications than commonly used plastics, which are either hard … Read more
Paleontologists in South Africa say they have found the world’s oldest known burial site, containing the remains of a small-brained distant relative of humans previously thought incapable of complex behavior. Led by renowned paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, researchers said in 2023 that they had discovered several specimens of Homo naledi – a tree-climbing Stone Age hominid … Read more
NASA’s Perseverance Rover has left Mount Washburn behind and arrived at its next destination, Bright Angel. There he found an unusual type of rock that scientists are calling ‘popcorn rock’. The strange rock is more evidence that water was once present in Jezero Crater. The Perseverance mission is focused on life on ancient Mars. Along … Read more
Communications companies like Starlink plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites into Earth orbit over the next decade or so. The growing swarm is already causing problems for astronomers, but recent research has raised another question: what happens when they start to descend? When these satellites reach the end of their useful lives, they … Read more