Earth's Place in the Universe

  1. Planets

    Research on exoplanets took top award at 2023 Regeneron ISEF

    Six young researchers took home the top awards, each valued at a minimum of $50,000. Hundreds more shared nearly $9 million in prizes at international event.

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  2. Tech

    A new solar-powered gel purifies water in a flash

    The unusual, fruit-inspired structure of this material provides quick filtration that could satisfy people's daily water needs.

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  3. Space

    Scientists Say: Accretion Disk

    Cosmic swirls of gas, dust and plasma, accretion disks reveal the shadowy silhouettes of black holes and more.

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  4. Planets

    Planets like Star Wars’ Tatooine could be fit for life

    Like Luke Skywalker’s home, planets orbiting two stars may be plentiful. A new computer model suggests that many of those worlds could sustain life.

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  5. Earth

    Scientists Say: Equinox and Solstice

    Equinoxes and solstices mark the maximums, minimums and mediums of hours spent in daylight.

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  6. Space

    Spacecraft traveling through a wormhole could send messages home

    A probe going through a wormhole should be able to send messages home before such a tunnel forever closes, a new computer model finds.

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  7. Math

    Scientists Say: Calculus

    Calculus is math that deals with curves, from their changing slopes to the areas they enclose.

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  8. Planets

    Saturn’s moon Enceladus wears a thick blanket of snow

    Pits on the frosty moon reveal the snow’s surprising depth, up to 700 meters (2,300 feet) in some places.

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  9. Planets

    The dwarf planet Quaoar hosts an impossible ring

    Quaoar’s ring lies outside the Roche limit. That’s an imaginary line beyond which rings aren’t thought to be stable.

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  10. Physics

    Let’s learn about the quantum realm 

    On the smallest scales, the universe behaves in some pretty strange ways.

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  11. Physics

    Scientists Say: Fission

    Nuclear fission is the process of splitting atoms apart to release huge amounts of energy.

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  12. Physics

    Explainer: Radioactive dating helps solve mysteries

    Knowing the decay rate of radioactive elements can help date ancient fossils and other artifacts.

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