Space
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SpaceWeird star explodes over and over, cheating death
There’s a weird supernova out there. This dying diva may have had multiple explosions, and it’s lately been glowing for more than three years.
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ClimateRevisit 2017’s most important stories
The year was full of major scientific events and discoveries, from the finding of a new continent to a solar eclipse witnessed by millions.
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Materials ScienceWant a tougher space suit? Just add liquid
Using a special liquid, engineers are designing new treatments for spacesuits so that they can better resist puncturing from tiny meteorites and other hazards.
By Marcus Woo -
PhysicsAncient light may point to where the cosmos’ missing matter hides
The universe is missing some of its matter. Now astronomers may have a way to find it.
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EarthScientists Say: Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a region of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The molecules there absorb ultraviolet light and reflect radio waves.
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PlanetsSpace toilet may teach scientists how to scout for life on distant icy moons
Lessons learned from flushing space toilets may help plan life-hunting missions on distant icy moons.
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EarthMiddle-school scientists take home big prizes
Top finalists in the 2017 Broadcom MASTERS competition shared awards worth $100,000.
By Sid Perkins -
PhysicsAstronomers finally find the cosmic source of gold and silver
After a collision between neutron stars is caught rippling spacetime, telescopes home in on where the ripples came from. The afterglow of light they found provided interesting new science.
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PhysicsTrio wins physics Nobel for detecting gravity waves
The 2017 Nobel Prize in physics went to three physicists for helping figure out how to search for ripples in spacetime — which launched a new field of astronomy.
By Emily Conover and Lisa Grossman -
PhysicsThe Milky Way galaxy houses 100 million black holes
Astronomers are estimating the number of black holes in galaxies of all sizes.
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PlanetsCassini spacecraft takes its final bow
Twenty years after it left Earth, NASA’s Cassini mission is about to end — with a crash into Saturn.
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MathMeet the people behind the film Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures a true story. So is the math and physics in the movie. Meet experts who kept the movie accurate, as well as an engineer now working at NASA.
By Gerri Miller