Science

Scientists have developed a more efficient way to generate oxygen for astronauts that could help with future missions into deep space. Current life-support systems such as those on the International Space Station (ISS) rely on bulky centrifuges to separate the oxygen and hydrogen bubbles created when water is split by electricity, a process known as electrolysis. On Earth, bubbles rise …

It’s human to feel alarmed by the sheer emptiness of space. Now, astronomers from the University of Portsmouth in the UK suggest this unsettling vastness may be worse than we thought. More mind-blowing space science Credit: solarseven / Getty Images They reckon Earth, our entire Solar System and even our entire Milky Way sits inside a mysterious giant hole. This …

“Space Has a Tesla Floating Forever”: Elon Musk’s Cherry-Red Roadster Orbits Sun With Starman Mannequin Driving for Millions of Years  Rude Baguette Source link

In 1994, two Canadian TV satellites failed within mere hours of each other. The pair was in a geostationary orbit when a major solar storm hit, resulting in electrostatic discharges that disabled their control electronics. Anik E1 and E2 are just one example of the effects of electric charge buildup on satellites, known as spacecraft environment discharge. New findings show …

A bus-size asteroid, first spotted just over a week ago, will zoom past Earth tomorrow (Sept. 3). The space rock will not get this close to us again until Sept. 4, 2125 — almost 100 years to the day. The asteroid, dubbed 2025 QV5, was first spotted on Aug. 24. It is approximately 35 feet (11 meters) across, or around …

New research investigates the possibility that different spacecraft could visit Comet 3I/ATLAS, giving scientists a unique on-location view of the interstellar visitor, or even offering the chance to collect material that could be much older than the bodies of our solar system. Discovered on July 1 by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), 3I/ATLAS is just the third-ever object …

The Great Salt Lake once reached depths of up to 1,000 feet and spanned roughly 20,000 square miles, but today, it mostly resembles a parched wasteland. So, when signs of life suddenly began popping up across the drying playa, scientists were perplexed. In the last several years, reed-covered mounds have appeared off the lake’s southeast shore. These densely vegetated oases …

Ever since its formation around 4.5 billion years ago, Earth’s rotation has been gradually slowing down, and its days have gotten progressively longer as a result. While Earth’s slowdown is not noticeable on human timescales, it’s enough to work significant changes over eons. One of those changes is perhaps the most significant of all, at least to us: lengthening days …

It’s easy to assume, as many people do, that our planet is well explored. In the last few centuries, humans have summited Earth’s highest peaks, dived its deepest ocean trenches, and trekked to the North and South poles, documenting the diversity of life along the way — the many birds, butterflies, fish, and other creatures with which we share our …

Most of us carry a small trace of Neanderthal ancestry and, in some cases, that legacy sits in our legs. A single change in a muscle enzyme can subtly throttle how hard muscles can work under pressure. People outside Africa typically carry about 2 percent Neanderthal DNA in their genomes, a result of ancient interbreeding between populations. That shared history …