York UK (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
Dark Matter, the substance that makes up most of the Universe, could potentially be detected as a red or blue light 'fingerprint', new research shows. Previously assumed to be invisible, the study, from researchers at the University of York, suggests that Dark Matter could leave faint, measurable marks on light as it passes through regions where the elusive substance is present - challengi

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 15, 2025
White dwarfs, the dense remnants of exhausted stars, are usually ancient, dim, and cool. Yet some binary systems containing them defy expectations, glowing tens of thousands of degrees hotter than theory predicts. A research team led by Lucy Olivia McNeill at Kyoto University has now shown that tidal heating could be the cause of this unexpected brightness. White dwarfs typically cool to a

Houston TX (SPX) Oct 14, 2025
A research team led by Rice University physicist Frank Geurts has successfully measured the temperature of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) at various stages of its evolution, providing critical insights into a state of matter believed to have existed just microseconds after the big bang, a scientific theory describing the origin and evolution of the universe. The findings were published in Nature Commu

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 15, 2025
What do you do when you have an unanticipated astronomical phenomenon, a dataset made of planets thousands of light-years away and theoretical models that fail to explain what exactly you're looking at? If you're Diego Munoz, an assistant professor in Northern Arizona University's Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, the answer is simple: You get to work on new models. With

Aberystwyth, Wales (SPX) Oct 13, 2025
The search for life on Mars takes a leap forward today, as a key instrument for a major space mission begins its journey from Aberystwyth University to Italy for testing. The infrared spectrometer, named Enfys, will be a part of the suite of remote sensing instruments onboard the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover. The Rosalind Franklin Rover is part of the European Space Agency's ExoMa

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 15, 2025
Life on Mars, if it ever existed, would need to survive an environment defined by violence and toxicity - from meteorite impacts to soil laced with corrosive perchlorate salts. Now, scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have found that even simple organisms like yeast can endure these punishing conditions by activating ancient stress-response systems. Led by molecular biolog

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 15, 2025
Mysterious gullies carved into Martian sand dunes have long puzzled planetary scientists. Now, new experiments by Utrecht University Earth scientist Dr Lonneke Roelofs suggest they were dug not by flowing water or lifeforms, but by sliding blocks of solid carbon dioxide that explode and burrow as they sublimate under Martian conditions. Roelofs replicated the process in a controlled "Mars

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 15, 2025
Rocket Lab has launched the first of 21 planned Electron missions for Japanese radar imaging company Synspective, successfully deploying the StriX-3 satellite to low Earth orbit on October 14. The mission, named "Owl New World," lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 16:33 UTC. The launch marked Rocket Lab's 15th mission of the year and its seventh for Synspective since

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Oct 15, 2025
PLD Space says it has advanced its reusable MIURA 5 orbital launcher from concept to near-validation in just two years, crediting vertical integration, MIURA 1 heritage, and in-house manufacturing. The company targets completing 2025 with its first fully integrated MIURA 5 ready for final qualification. MIURA 5 is progressing through subsystem qualification across engines, structures, avio

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 14, 2025
Aerospace startup company K2 Space will team up with SpaceX to deploy a small number of K2 satellites into multiple levels of Earth's orbit. On Tuesday, California-based K2 Space announced its new contract with Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch three K2 satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket for a 2027 mission dubbed "Trinity," which will lift three satellites into low, medium and geostationary tra