Space News & Blog Articles

It feels like every time we publish an article about an exciting discovery of a potential biosignature on a new exoplanet, we have to publish a follow-up one a few months later debunking the original claims. That is exactly how science is supposed to work, and part of our job as science journalists is to report on the debunking as well as the original story, even if it might not be as exciting. In this particular case, it seems the discovery of dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18 b was a false alarm, according to a new paper available in pre-print form on arXiv by Luis Welbanks of Arizona State University and his co-authors.

Jupiter enters the evening sky and dominates the night.

This is Part 1 in a series on the physics of free will.

Gravitational Lensing is a vital tool for astronomers to observe objects that are too distant or faint (or both) to be resolved by current instruments. This method leverages a prediction from Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, namely that massive objects alter the curvature of spacetime. When a "lens" comes into view, its gravitational field bends and amplifies light from more distant objects. In a recent study, a team of astronomers used a combination of ground-based telescopes to discover the first spatially resolved, gravitationally lensed supernova.

The platypus is one of evolution's loveable, oddball animals. The creature seems to defy well-understood rules of biology by combining physical traits in a bizarre way. They're egg-laying mammals with duck bills and beaver-like tails, and the males have venomous spurs on their hind feet. In that regard, it's only fitting that astronomers describe some newly-discovered oddball objects as 'Astronomy's Platypus.'

We may not know what dark matter is, but that hasn't stopped scientists from trying to understand its role in the Universe. The Lambda-Cold Dark Matter (CDM) model is the standard model that explains the cosmos the best, although it's not the only model. It makes a number of predictions about dark matter and researchers look for opportunities to test those predictions. The results either help confirm or deny the model.

It feels like every week now we’re writing a new article about how 3I/ATLAS is not an alien technology. But it’s worth re-iterating, and perhaps taking a look at the methodology we used to prove that statement. A new paper, available in pre-print form on arXiv from Sofia Sheikh of the SETI Institute and her co-authors, details how one specific instrument - the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) - contributed to that effort.