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Claudia de Rham has spent much of her life exploring the universe's most enigmatic force. Joshua Howgego takes her indoor skydiving to get a flavour of what she has discovered [...]

Dante Lauretta leads NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. He tells Joshua Howgego why he thinks the material it returned from the asteroid Bennu could be remnants of a planet once fit for [...]

An astrophysicist and a surgeon walk into a bar. No, this isn't the start of a bad joke. A few years ago, astrophysicist https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/franco.vazza2/en met his childhood friend https://www.dnbm.univr.it/?ent=persona&id=56250 , [...]

Cracking secret messages from centuries past is painstaking work. But linguists and computer scientists are starting to automate the process, with some sensational results. Joshua Howgego reports https://www.katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N4-927 strode past [...]

This document provides a concise overview of various aspects related to space and the universe. It begins by discussing Edwin Hubble's discovery that the Andromeda nebula is a separate galaxy, which revolutionized our understanding of the universe's scale. It then explores the competing forces of gravity and dark energy that determine the universe's size and the ongoing study of space-time's shape to determine if the universe is finite or infinite. The text also mentions the impact of constants of nature on the existence of life and the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life. It further discusses how contemplating the vastness of space can provide perspective and comfort, as well as the limitations of our subjective experience in understanding the universe objectively. The document also explores different theories about the nature of the universe, including the possibility of a multiverse, cyclic universes, and mirror universes, and mentions ongoing research in these areas. It provides information about the Earth's physical location in the universe, including its position in the Milky Way, the Local Group, the Virgo supercluster, and the observable universe. Additionally, it highlights key facts such as the distance of Proxima Centauri, the nearest star, the number of confirmed exoplanet discoveries, the diameter of the observable universe, and the current knowledge of only one planet supporting life. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses five ambitious megaprojects aimed at combating climate change and its impacts. The projects include launching a solar power station into space, building artificial "energy islands" in the North Sea, stabilizing the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica, deploying an undersea curtain near the West Antarctic ice sheet, and regreening the Sinai peninsula. While these projects have potential benefits, critics argue that they may not address the root causes of climate change and could have unintended consequences. Additionally, scaling up direct air capture technology will require advancements in technology and policy incentives. [Extracted from the article]

A sample from the asteroid, brought back by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, hints it was once part of a small planet with conditions favourable for life to emerge, finds Joshua Howgego [...]

The article discusses the podcast "Past Present Future" hosted by David Runciman, which explores the history of ideas. The author mentions a recent episode on why taxonomy might have been a bad idea, which they were initially skeptical about but found persuasive. Another episode examines the book "Gulliver's Travels" and unpacks the layers of meaning in its satire of the Royal Society. The author also recommends the TV series "The Chosen," which imagines the lives of Jesus Christ's disciples and explores the intersection of faith and evidence. [Extracted from the article]

Book Magisteria Nicholas Spencer Oneworld Publications SCIENCE and religion are in opposition from their foundations upwards, right? One is built on reason and evidence, the other on belief. Well, I [...]