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Space

Astronomers discover rare Einstein cross with fifth image, revealing hidden dark matter

When Rutgers theoretical astrophysicist Charles Keeton first saw an unusual picture shared by his colleague, he was intrigued. “Have you ever seen an Einstein Cross with an image in the middle?” his colleague Andrew Baker asked, referring to a rarely seen cosmic configuration. Keeton hadn’t. The implications were enormous. “I said, well, that’s not supposed to happen,” said Keeton, the Vice Provost for Experiential Learning at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “You can’t get a fifth image in the center unless something unusual is going on with the mass that’s bending the light.” An ...

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Space

Fly through Gaia’s 3D map of stellar nurseries

Scientists created the most accurate three-dimensional map of star-formation regions in our Milky Way galaxy, based on data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope. This map will teach us more about these obscure cloudy areas, and the hot young stars that shape them. It is notoriously difficult to map and study regions in space where stars form because they are usually hidden from view by thick clouds of gas and dust, whose distances cannot be directly measured. Gaia can’t see these clouds directly, but it can measure stellar positions and the ...

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Space

UT San Antonio astronomy professor awarded for advancements in planetary science

Xinting Yu, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is one of two recipients of the 2025 Harold C. Urey Prize. The national award from the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences recognizes early-career scientists shaping the future of space research. Yu was honored for her research in planetary and exoplanetary science — the study of planets in our solar system and beyond. Her work focuses on how planetary surfaces and atmospheres interact and evolve. By combining ...

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Space

Mapping the Universe, faster and with the same accuracy

If you think a galaxy is big, compare it to the size of the Universe: it’s just a tiny dot which, together with a huge number of other tiny dots, forms clusters that aggregate into superclusters, which in turn weave into filaments threaded with voids—an immense 3D skeleton of our Universe. If that gives you vertigo and you’re wondering how one can understand or even “see” something so vast, the answer is: it isn’t easy. Scientists combine the physics of the Universe with data from astronomical instruments and build theoretical models, such as EFTofLSS (Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure). ...

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Space

Breakthrough in the hunt for light dark matter: QROCODILE project reveals world-leading constraints

A new experiment called QROCODILE, led by the University of Zurich and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has achieved record sensitivity in the hunt for light dark matter. Using superconducting detectors cooled to near absolute zero, the team set world-leading limits on how dark matter interacts with ordinary matter — opening the door to future breakthroughs in one of physics’ greatest mysteries. [Hebrew University of Jerusalem]– Dark matter, the elusive substance that makes up about 85% of the universe’s mass, remains one of the greatest mysteries ...

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Space

How interstellar objects similar to 3I/ATLAS could jump-start planet formation around infant stars

Interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS that have been captured in planet-forming discs around young stars could become the seeds of giant planets, bypassing a hurdle that theoretical models have previously been unable to explain. Interstellar objects are asteroid- and comet-like bodies that have been ejected from their home system and now wander through interstellar space, occasionally encountering other star systems. Since 2017 astronomers have detected three interstellar objects passing through our Solar System: 1I/’Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov and most recently 3I/ATLAS, discovered ...

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Space

“Black Hole Stars” could solve JWST riddle of overly massive early galaxies

In the summer of 2022, less than a full month after the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) had begun to produce its first scientific images, astronomers noticed something unexpected: little red dots. In pictures taken at JWST’s unprecedented sensitivity, these extremely compact, very red celestial objects showed very clearly on the sky and there appeared to be a considerable number of them. JWST had apparently discovered a whole new population of astronomical objects, which had eluded the Hubble Space Telescope. That latter part is unsurprising. “Very red” ...

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Space

Mysterious ‘red dots’ in early universe may be ‘black hole star’ atmospheres

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tiny red objects spotted by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are offering scientists new insights into the origins of galaxies in the universe — and may represent an entirely new class of celestial object: a black hole swallowing massive amounts of matter and spitting out light. Using the first datasets released by the telescope in 2022, an international team of scientists including Penn State researchers discovered mysterious “little red dots.” The researchers suggested the objects may be galaxies that were as mature as our current Milky Way, which is roughly 13.6 billion years ...

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Space

Simulations solve centuries-old cosmic mystery – and discover new class of ancient star systems

Strict embargo: not for publication or external distribution until 10 September 2025 at 16:00 (London time), 10 September 2025 at 11:00 (US Eastern Time) For centuries, astronomers have puzzled over the origins of one of the universe’s oldest and densest stellar systems, known as globular clusters. Now, a University of Surrey-led study published in Nature has finally solved the mystery using detailed simulations – while also uncovering a new class of object that could already be in our own galaxy. Globular ...

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Space

Ten years after the discovery, gravitational waves verify Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem

EMBARGOED UNTIL 8AM PACIFIC TIME/11AM EASTERN TIME, SEPTEMBER 10 On September 14, 2015, a signal arrived on Earth, carrying information about a pair of remote black holes that had spiraled together and merged. The signal had traveled about 1.3 billion years to reach us at the speed of light—but it was not made of light. It was a different kind of signal: a quivering of space-time called gravitational waves, first predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years prior. On that day 10 years ago, the twin detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ...

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Space

Researchers uncover potential biosignatures on Mars

A new study co-authored by Texas A&M University geologist Dr. Michael Tice has revealed potential chemical signatures of ancient Martian microbial life in rocks examined by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The findings, published by a large international team of scientists, focus on a region of Jezero Crater known as the Bright Angel formation — a name chosen from locations in Grand Canyon National Park because of the light-colored Martian rocks. This area in Mars’ Neretva Vallis channel contains fine-grained mudstones rich in oxidized iron (rust), phosphorus, sulfur and ...

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Space

An exploding black hole could reveal the foundations of the universe

AMHERST, Mass. — Physicists have long believed that black holes explode at the end of their lives, and that such explosions happen—at most—only once every 100,000 years. But new research published in Physical Review Letters by physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has found a more than 90% probability that one of these black-hole explosions might be seen within the decade, and that, if we are prepared, our current fleet of space and earthbound telescopes could witness the event. Such an explosion would be strong evidence of a theorized but never observed kind of black hole, called a “primordial black hole,” ...

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Space

‘Capture strategies’ are harming efforts to save our planet warns scientists

Peer-reviewed, literature review Scientists warn that powerful industries are quietly shaping laws, research and public messaging in ways that delay environmental and health action Study brings together real-world examples - from fossil fuel-funded museums to biased science conferences - to expose how ‘capture strategies’ work The study calls for stronger conflict of interest rules and greater transparency in funding For over 80 years, researchers have documented how powerful industries can exert influence over the very institutions meant to regulate them - a phenomenon known as ‘corporate capture’. From oil ...

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Space

Hungry star is eating its cosmic twin at rate never seen before

A greedy white dwarf star not far from Earth is devouring its closest celestial companion at a rate never seen before, space scientists have discovered. Their study found the double star, named V Sagittae, is burning unusually bright as the super-dense white dwarf is gorging on its larger twin in a feeding frenzy. Experts think the stars are locked in an extraterrestrial tango as they orbit each other every 12.3 hours, gradually pulling each other closer. They say it could cause a massive explosion so bright it would be seen by the naked eye from Earth, some 10,000 lightyears away. The findings were made by an international team of astronomers involving Professor Phil Charles from University ...

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Space

AI-based satellite count of migrating wildebeest

An AI-powered satellite counting effort conducted over two years concludes that less than 600,000 wildebeest migrate across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem each year—half of previous estimates from manned aircraft surveys. Lions, hyenas, crocodiles, and tourism professionals all rely on the annual migration of wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) which transit through Kenya and Tanzania as the herds follow the seasonal growth of grass. Prior estimates of the migratory wildebeest population that make the trek each year were reached by extrapolating counts from aerial photos in the south of the ecosystem. Isla Duporge and colleagues ...

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Space

Look out for the keyhole: How to find the safest spots to deflect a hazardous asteroid

Selecting the right spot to smash a spacecraft into the surface of a hazardous asteroid to deflect it must be done with great care, according to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting this week in Helsinki. Slamming into its surface indiscriminately runs the risk of knocking the asteroid through a 'gravitational keyhole' that sends it back around to hit Earth at a later date. "Even if we intentionally push an asteroid away from Earth with a space mission, we must make sure it doesn't drift into one of these ...

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Space

Protostellar jet detection in Milky Way’s outer region reveals universal star formation

Astronomers have gained insights into star formation by capturing the first spatially resolved detection of protostellar outflows and jets in the Milky Way’s outer region. The discovery, made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), revealed that although the fundamental physics of star formation remains the same across different galactic environments, different chemistry or dust composition is observed in the outer Galaxy source. The research focused on the protostellar source Sh 2-283-1a SMM1, located about 7.9 kiloparsecs (26,000 light-years) from the Sun ...

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Space

Frontiers Forum Deep Dive series: Biological ‘moonshot’ accelerates efforts to genetically map life on Earth

The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) is a global network of scientists sequencing the genomes of Earth’s eukaryotes. They aim to create a digital library of DNA sequences to help us preserve and protect life on Earth, and tackle rapid environmental change and biodiversity loss. Thanks to major technical advances, high-quality genomes can be produced 10 times faster and at significantly lower cost than before. Now, published in a Frontiers in Science lead article, the EBP Community of Scientists has revealed a refined strategy to scale up the sequencing of 150,000 ...

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Space

Biological ‘moonshot’ accelerates efforts to genetically map life on Earth

Published in Frontiers in Science, this is the new ambition of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP)—a global network of scientists sequencing the genomes of Earth’s eukaryotes. Its goal? To create a digital library of DNA sequences that will help us preserve and protect life on Earth and tackle rapid environmental change. With a growing network of more than 2,200 scientists in 88 countries—including flourishing local and Indigenous research communities in the Global South—EBP is making discoveries that could help assure food security, advance medicine and agriculture, and drive a deeper global understanding of biodiversity to support ...

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Space

SwRI-proposed mission could encounter and explore a future interstellar comet like 3I/ATLAS up close

SAN ANTONIO — September 3, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has completed a mission study detailing how a proposed spacecraft could fly by an interstellar comet, providing remarkable insights into the properties of bodies originating beyond our solar system. The internally funded SwRI project developed the mission design, scientific objectives, payload and key requirements based on previous interstellar object (ISO) detections. Using the recent discovery of 3I/ATLAS, the team validated the mission ...

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Space

Global methane levels continue rising as planet heats up

The world’s methane emissions continue to rise steadily with no signs of slowing, as global trade contributes some 30% to the total amount of the greenhouse gas swirling around the planet, a new study reveals. As major trade patterns shift, South-South transactions now dominate global supply chains with developing countries increasingly participating in global supply chains. Asia and the developing Pacific region emerge as the largest contributors to global methane emissions, driven by rapid industrialisation and population growth. Publishing their research today (3 Sep) in Nature Communications, an international team led by researchers at the Universities of Birmingham ...

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Space

“Greetings from 51 Pegasi b”: How NASA made exoplanets into tourist destinations

Looking for the perfect vacation? Do you crave late-night fun? PSO J318.5−22, the planet with no star where nightlife never ends, is perfect for you! Prefer some peace and a chance to catch some rays? Kepler-16b, the land of two suns—where your shadow always has company—is waiting! In 2015, NASA launched an unusual and brilliant exoplanet outreach campaign, offering retro-style posters, virtual guided tours, and even coloring books. The project quickly went viral worldwide. What explains the success of a campaign about a relatively young field of science that—unlike other areas of space research—lacks spectacular imagery? Ceridwen Dovey, science communicator, ...

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Space

Circle versus rectangle: Finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape

by Prof Heidi Newberg The Earth supports the only known life in the universe, all of it depending heavily on the presence of liquid water to facilitate chemical reactions. While single-celled life has existed almost as long as the Earth itself, it took roughly three billion years for multicellular life to form. Human life has existed for less than one 10 thousandth of the age of the Earth. All of this suggests that life might be common on planets that support liquid water, but it might be uncommon to find life that studies the universe and seeks to travel ...

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Space

Mars’ mantle is a preserved relic of its ancient past, seismic data reveals

Locked beneath a single-plate crust, Mars’ mantle holds a frozen record of the red planet’s primordial past, according to a new study of Martian seismic data collected by NASA’s InSight mission. The findings reveal a highly heterogenous and disordered mantle, born from ancient impacts and chaotic convection in the planet’s early history. “Whereas Earth’s early geological records remain elusive, the identification of preserved ancient mantle heterogeneity on Mars offers an unprecedented window into the geological history and ...

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Space

Mars’s interior more like Rocky Road than Millionaire’s Shortbread, scientists find

Mars’s interior more like Rocky Road than Millionaire’s Shortbread, scientists find New research published in the journal Science reveals the Red Planet’s mantle preserves a record of its violent beginnings. The inside of Mars isn’t smooth and uniform like familiar textbook illustrations. Instead, new research reveals it’s chunky - more like a Rocky Road brownie than a neat slice of Millionaire’s Shortbread. We often picture rocky planets like Earth and Mars as having smooth, layered interiors - with crust, mantle, and core stacked like the biscuit base, caramel middle, and chocolate topping of a millionaire’s shortbread. But the ...

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