Searching for the first supernovae in the universe
Astronomers developed new theoretical models for how stars evolve that suggest the JWST could glimpse the oldest stars in the universe…
Category: Big Questions
How do microbes prepare for winter?
Researchers discovered that when cyanobacteria sense shorter days they change their cell walls to survive freezing temperatures.
Why do galaxies shrink?
An astronomer studying the 3 main processes that cause galaxies to lose mass found that the dominant process depends on the size and age of…
What causes Cosmic Kidney Disease?
Researchers found exposure to low gravity and radiation in space caused restructuring of the kidneys and negative health effects in…
Lightning reacts with minerals to create the building blocks of life
Scientists stimulated atmospheric gases with electricity and found they reacted with common salts and minerals to form complex chemicals…
Why the Milky Way is shaped like a spiral
A team of astronomers reconstructed a 3-part history of the Milky Way Galaxy by comparing the physics and chemistry of 10 million red giant…
When did the Galápagos tortoises become giant?
Researchers analyzed new fossils from Ecuador that suggested the ancestors of Galápagos giant tortoises inhabited northern South America…
Exercise boosts tumor-killing immune cells
Scientists showed that breast cancer patients who exercised for 30 minutes had more tumor-killing immune cells in their bloodstreams.
Exoplanets with weird orbits might be more habitable
Astronomers modeled the ideal climatic and atmospheric conditions for exoplanets and found that planets with non-circular orbits had more…
Could life survive in the plumes of Enceladus?
Researchers showed that simple microorganisms could survive rapid boiling in conditions mimicking the geysers of water shooting out of…