Could tardigrades survive on Mars?
Researchers found tiny, indestructible “water bears” survived exposure to high levels of toxic salts similar to those found in Martian…
Category: Big Questions
An interactive virtual assistant for cancer research
Scientists developed an Alexa-based virtual assistant to help researchers and clinicians understand and interpret cancer genome data.
Machine learning has its limits when studying hard-to-see galaxies
Scientists in South America and Italy found that a machine-learning algorithm astronomers commonly use to analyze large datasets classified…
How did Saturn’s moon Titan get its haze?
Researchers found that meteoroids ejected from Enceladus could impact Titan’s atmosphere to form its iconic organic haze.
How chemistry shapes the taste of alcohol
Scientists found that mixtures of water and ethanol interact differently when they’re heated and cooled, creating different flavors of…
Remains of the Moon could be lurking inside Earth
Scientists used models to test whether remnants of the moon-forming impactor, Theia, are present deep within the Earth.
Could planets orbiting dwarf stars have liquid water?
A team of planetary scientists in Japan found Earth-like planets orbiting dwarf stars could still harbor liquid water if they started out…
Researchers used bottled “lightning” to make ingredients for life
Scientists used spark discharge experiments to test whether lightning converted enough nitrogen to a usable form to support the origins of…
How quickly did life recover from the end-Permian mass extinction?
Paleontologists described exceptionally well-preserved fossils of a complex marine ecosystem that developed within 1 million years of a…
Scientists found neutron stars merge to make heavy elements
A team of astrophysicists in China simulated collisions between the remains of former stars and showed the resulting explosions could…