Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-282Two Exoplanets Fluffier Than Marshmallows Shock AstronomersAstronomers have found two Jupiter-sized exoplanets, TOI-791 b and c, whose densities are even lower than marshmallows. Observed by TESS and Antarctic telescopes, these puffed-up worlds offer clues about formation and composition.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-273Why Terraforming Mars Could Take Centuries to AchieveTerraforming Mars is physically possible but demands staggering mass, heat, oxygen and energy. This article breaks down the five habitability milestones, the material math, and why energy is the ultimate bottleneck.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-26How Giant Impacts Might Explain Earth's Missing CrustNew research argues repeated giant impacts in the Hadean may explain why we lack early continental rocks, why cratons are rounded, and how massive unconformities formed. The idea shifts how we read Earth and Moon records.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-263Planetary Flybys May Have Triggered Earth's Mass ExtinctionsA new hypothesis argues that close flybys by planetary-mass objects from the outer Solar System could have generated colossal tides, volcanic episodes, and climate disruption strong enough to trigger some of Earth's mass extinctions.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-252Scientists Confirm All Five Genetic Letters on RyuguScientists analyzing Hayabusa2 samples from asteroid Ryugu have detected all five nucleobases of DNA and RNA, suggesting that key molecular ingredients for life formed in space and were delivered to early Earth.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-233Sleeping Giant: A 6-Billion-Sun Black Hole RevealedAstronomers used JWST and gravitational lensing to weigh a dormant black hole of roughly six billion solar masses in galaxy MRG-M0138, offering new insight into early black hole and galaxy evolution.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-234Why Sagittarius A* Kept Its Wind Hidden for 50 YearsDeep ALMA radio maps paired with Chandra X-ray images reveal a cone-shaped cavity carved by a subtle wind from Sagittarius A*. This discovery closes a 50-year search and shows how quiet black hole feedback shapes the Milky Way center.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-202Moon Dust Could Harbor Traces of Alien MegastructuresAdvanced civilizations may leave passive technosignatures that grind to dust and travel the galaxy. Lunar regolith could archive these tiny relics, offering a practical new direction for SETI via careful sample analysis.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-192Tiny Garnet in Mars Meteorite Rewrites Planetary StoryA few grains of andradite garnet in meteorite NWA 8171 challenge assumptions about Martian geology. Isotopic tests will reveal whether these crystals formed on Mars or arrived from elsewhere.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-192Hot Jupiter HD 80606 b: Webb Reveals a Roasted GiantJames Webb Space Telescope observations reveal dramatic, time-resolved atmospheric changes on HD 80606 b, an eccentric hot Jupiter heated by close stellar passes, offering new insights for exoplanet science.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-18Why Searching for Alien Intelligence Still Matters NowDecades of radio searches by SETI and Breakthrough Listen have found no confirmed signals. That silence reflects timing, distance, and technology limits—not proof we are alone. Continued searches expand the odds.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-172New Analysis Reaffirms Dark Energy and Cosmic AccelerationA new reanalysis overturns a 2025 challenge and restores confidence in dark energy: corrected supernova handling shows the universe continues to expand at an accelerating rate.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-162Daytime Moon Occults Venus: A Rare June Sky SpectacleOn June 17, 2026 the Moon will occult Venus during daytime across parts of the Americas. Learn when and where to watch, why the event is rare, and practical tips for observing or recording this bright, brief celestial encounter.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-152Nereid: Neptune's Lone Survivor of a Moon CataclysmJWST observations and dynamical simulations suggest Nereid is a native Neptunian moon flung into its eccentric orbit when Triton arrived, surviving a violent restructuring of Neptune's original satellite system.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-142Neighbors Sue SpaceX, Claim Rockets Are Cracking HomesAbout 80 residents near SpaceX's Starbase filed a class-action suit, claiming repeated rocket launches have caused structural damage, disrupted communities and raised questions about who bears the cost of commercial space testing.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-134Did the Solar System Lose a Fifth Giant Planet Long Ago?New supercomputer simulations suggest the early Solar System may have ejected a fifth giant planet. The study tests 122 scenarios and finds moon survival under instability is rare, shaping constraints on the Nice model.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-123Ancient Asteroids Sculpted Earth's Underground HydrothermalNew SwRI simulations indicate ancient asteroid impacts fractured Earth's crust, creating vast hydrothermal networks that could have fostered prebiotic chemistry and expanded environments suitable for life's emergence.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-122New View: Milky Way Black Hole Blows Hot Gas Away NowALMA observations reveal a three-light-year cone of hot gas being expelled from Sagittarius A*. The Milky Way's central black hole drives winds that may reshape star formation and the galactic nucleus.
Read MoreNora Schmidt2026-06-113LIGO's Odd Signal Reignites the Primordial Black Hole CaseA surprising LIGO candidate event may be evidence for primordial black holes, ancient objects possibly tied to dark matter. University of Miami researchers analyze the signal and outline what future detectors must do to confirm or refute this bold possibility.
Read MoreOliver Hayes2026-06-112Artemis III Crew Named as NASA Advances Moon ReturnNASA names the Artemis III crew—Bresnik, Rubio, Douglas and Parmitano—to lead an orbital demonstration testing Orion docking with commercial lunar landers, a key step toward a planned moon landing in 2028.
