The ever-present hail of cosmic rays streaming into the Solar System from an outer galaxy may not be what we thought. According to Chang’e 4 on the far side of the Moon, there is a mysterious ‘bag’ of cosmic ray flux between the Earth and the Moon that occurs when the two bodies line up … Read more
For the first time, physicists have discovered that ‘holes’ of light can travel faster than light itself. They are known as phase singularities or optical vortices, and since the 1970s, scientists have predicted that, just as the eddies in the river can move faster than the water flowing around them, so can the waves of … Read more
The discovery of large amounts of nickel in the once water-filled surface of Mars provides further evidence that the red planet may have once provided suitable conditions for life. In Neretva Vallis, an ancient channel that once carried water to the slopes of Jezero Crater, researchers found more nickel than ever before in a Martian … Read more
We may finally know what created the cosmic rhythms in the early Universe. According to information from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, the origin of free-flying photons in the early universe were small clusters of young stars that burst into life, removing the fog of smooth hydrogen that filled the interstellar space. A … Read more
As water cools, its behavior becomes more surprising from a physics point of view, and researchers looking for an explanation have discovered something new: a previously hidden “point” that appears in supercooled water that doesn’t freeze. By varying pressure and temperature, scientists can keep liquid water below the normal ice surface. Previous studies have shown … Read more
Primordial black holes (PBHs) are a very special type of black hole, thought to have formed from dense pockets of subatomic matter in the seconds after the Big Bang – and a new study reports what may be the first direct time. That may take years to prove, but the prospect is exciting. Black holes … Read more
Long ago, billions of years ago, the Universe was covered in darkness. It wasn’t until the first stars began to shine that space became transparent and light flowed. Surprisingly, none of those early stars, known as Population III, have ever been found. Now, astronomers have found the next best thing: A star so chemically depleted … Read more