Science
How Do We Do Research in Zero Gravity? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 62
How Do We Do Research in Zero Gravity? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 62 Research in zero gravity, also known as microgravity, poses several challenges due to the unique environment on the International Space Station. One major issue is that objects can float away, making it difficult to contain experiments and equipment, as seen […]
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E. coli use an ancient war trick to kill viruses
E. coli use an ancient war trick to kill viruses E. coli bacteria have discovered an ancient war trick to kill viruses by hijacking viral enzymes to produce an immune signal molecule that triggers a defense against the virus. The newly discovered “Kongming” defense system allows the bacterium to commit suicide, taking the virus down […]
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Eccentric ‘Star’ Defies Easy Explanation, NASA’s Chandra Finds
Eccentric ‘Star’ Defies Easy Explanation, NASA’s Chandra Finds Scientists have discovered a star behaving like no other seen before, giving fresh clues about the origin of a new class of mysterious objects. Astronomers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the SKA Pathfinder radio telescope to study the object, known as ASKAP J1832, which cycles in […]
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Cosmic Dawn Screening
Cosmic Dawn Screening Join NASA for a free screening of “Cosmic Dawn,” a documentary about the James Webb Space Telescope’s mission to unveil the early universe. The 90-minute film takes viewers on an unprecedented journey through the telescope’s assembly, testing, and launch, showcasing its complexity and risks. The documentary follows the telescope from its idea […]
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AI goes to ‘kindergarten’ to learn the basics
AI goes to ‘kindergarten’ to learn the basics A team of scientists has shown that AI systems need to learn basic tasks before they can handle more complex ones, similar to how humans develop skills from a young age. The researchers used recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and found that training them on simple cognitive tasks […]
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NASA Interns Conduct Aerospace Research in Microgravity
NASA Interns Conduct Aerospace Research in Microgravity NASA’s SEES Microgravity Research Team conducted research in microgravity aboard the ZERO-G parabolic aircraft, exploring topics such as galvanic vestibular stimulation and wound irrigation systems. The team of four interns, selected from nearly 100 proposals, spent months preparing for flight through technical mentorship and structured milestones, including proposal […]
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How horses run through a ‘genetic stop sign’
How horses run through a ‘genetic stop sign’ Horses have evolved a genetic mutation that allows them to bypass a “genetic stop sign” in their NRF2/KEAP1 pathway, enabling them to produce high levels of energy and protect themselves from damage during exercise. This adaptation, which involves a molecular mechanism that recodes the stop codon, is […]
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Career Spotlight: Mathematician (Ages 14-18)
Career Spotlight: Mathematician (Ages 14-18) A mathematician uses their expert knowledge of math to solve problems and gain new understanding about how our world works, applying math to various fields like engineering, finance, and sciences. NASA employs mathematicians in various roles, including astronomer, mathematical modeler, electrical engineer, data analyst, and computer scientist, who use math […]
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Summary of the 2024 SAGE III/ISS Meeting
Summary of the 2024 SAGE III/ISS Meeting The 2024 SAGE III/ISS meeting was a success, providing valuable updates on the status of SAGE III/ISS operations, data product calibration and validation, and new developments. SAGE III/ISS remains essential for profiling key atmospheric constituents, including water vapor, aerosols, O₃, and NO₂, with its long-term, consistent data record […]
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Photophoretic Propulsion Enabling Mesosphere Exploration
Photophoretic Propulsion Enabling Mesosphere Exploration Photophoretic Propulsion Enabling Mesosphere Exploration (PPEMSE) is a NASA-funded concept that aims to explore Earth’s upper atmosphere using no-moving-parts flying vehicles. The concept utilizes photophoretic levitation and propulsion, which creates lift in structures that absorb light on the bottom yet stay cool on the top, maximizing payload capabilities. The proposed […]
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Mountain chickadee chatter: Scientists are decoding the songbird’s complex calls
Mountain chickadee chatter: Scientists are decoding the songbird’s complex calls Scientists are studying the complex calls of mountain chickadees to understand their communication system, which is unusual compared to other songbird species. The “chick-a-dee” call contains six elements that can be combined in hundreds of unique combinations to convey different information, similar to human grammar, […]
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Mars Roundtrip Success Enabled by Integrated Cooling through Inductively Coupled LED Emission (MaRS ICICLE)
Mars Roundtrip Success Enabled by Integrated Cooling through Inductively Coupled LED Emission (MaRS ICICLE) Mars roundtrip missions will require improved long-duration storage of cryogenic propellants to enable efficient, flexible, and productive trips. A breakthrough mission concept, MaRS ICICLE, proposes an ultra-efficient round-trip Mars mission with zero boil-off of propellants using low-cost, efficient cryogenic liquid storage […]
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Managing forests and other ecosystems under rising threats requires thinking across wide-ranging scenarios
Managing forests and other ecosystems under rising threats requires thinking across wide-ranging scenarios Climate change is causing unprecedented threats to forests and ecosystems, including giant sequoia forests in California, which are facing multiple stressors like wildfire, drought, and pests. Traditional management approaches focus on maintaining or restoring historical ecosystem conditions, but this may not work […]
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Johnson’s Paige Whittington Builds a Symphony of Simulations
Johnson’s Paige Whittington Builds a Symphony of Simulations Paige Whittington, a NASA engineer, combines her passion for music and space exploration by developing simulations to inform human spaceflight decisions. As a principal flutist for Purdue University’s Wind Ensemble, Whittington learned the importance of harmonization and teamwork, skills she now applies to her work as a […]
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Gravity Poppers: Hopping Probes for the Interior Mapping of Small Solar System Bodies
Gravity Poppers: Hopping Probes for the Interior Mapping of Small Solar System Bodies Gravity Poppers are small, minimalistic probes that hop around the surface of small solar system bodies, allowing for precise gravity field mapping and interior density reconstruction. The concept relies on a mother spacecraft tracking a swarm of poppers from orbit to estimate […]
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Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds – an ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions
Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds – an ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions Every year, over 1 billion birds die from collisions with glass windows in the United States alone, making window collisions the top human cause of bird deaths. Most frequently, glass acts as a mirror, reflecting clear […]
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Sols 4547-4548: Taking in the View After a Long Drive
Sols 4547-4548: Taking in the View After a Long Drive The NASA Mars rover Curiosity has completed a 45-meter drive on Sol 4546 (May 21, 2025), positioning itself for two full sols of imaging. The geology and mineralogy theme group (GEO) chose “Big Bear Lake” as their contact science target, which will be analyzed using […]
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Preflight Flower
Preflight Flower A NASA photographer captured a unique flower, Borshchov’s tulip, near the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The flower is native to Kazakhstan and attracts many visitors who come to study and appreciate its beauty. The photo was taken on April 7, 2025, ahead of a NASA astronaut and cosmonauts launching […]
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Percolating Clues: NASA Models New Way to Build Planetary Cores
Percolating Clues: NASA Models New Way to Build Planetary Cores NASA has discovered a new way planetary cores may have formed, challenging the long-held belief that large-scale melting was necessary for core formation. The study suggests that molten sulfide could percolate through solid rock and form a core, even before a planet’s silicate mantle begins […]
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NASA Videographer Wins Top Award for Capturing Human Side of Science
NASA Videographer Wins Top Award for Capturing Human Side of Science NASA videographer Jacob Shaw has won first place in NASA’s 2024 Videographer of the Year Awards for his film “Reflections,” which chronicles the Airborne Science mission PACE-PAX. The award recognizes Shaw’s ability to capture the human side of science through his storytelling approach and […]
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Moon and Flag at NASA Michoud
Moon and Flag at NASA Michoud The waning gibbous moon phase occurs after the full moon, when the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun. During this phase, the opposite side of the Moon reflects the Moon’s light, causing the lighted side to appear smaller from our perspective. The Moon’s orbit is simply carrying […]
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Lifecycle of a research grant – behind the scenes of the system that funds science
Lifecycle of a research grant – behind the scenes of the system that funds science Research grants are awarded to support specific research projects, and the process involves careful review by experts to ensure high standards of scholarship and financial integrity. The grant application process typically includes a literature review, a detailed description of the […]
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Hubble Spies a Spiral So Inclined
Hubble Spies a Spiral So Inclined Hubble Spies a Spiral Galaxy: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of the spiral galaxy NGC 3511, located 43 million light-years away in the constellation Crater. Astronomers are studying NGC 3511 as part of a survey to understand the star formation cycle in nearby galaxies, using […]
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Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy
Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy Light travels at an incredible speed of 186,000 miles per second, making it the fastest thing in the universe. Despite its immense speed, light does not wear out or lose energy over vast cosmic distances because space is […]
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Can you upload a human mind into a computer? A neuroscientist ponders what’s possible
Can you upload a human mind into a computer? A neuroscientist ponders what’s possible The concept of mind uploading, where a human mind is uploaded into a computer, is theoretically possible but still largely unexplored. The brain’s complexity and the need for accurate sensory simulation make it challenging to replicate the human experience in a […]
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Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them
Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them Billions of cicadas from Brood XIV are emerging across 12 states in May and June 2025, creating a loud and noisy spectacle as they mate and lay eggs. The emergence of these cicadas is part of […]
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A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration
A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration Despite predictions made by Andy Weir’s bestselling novel “The Martian,” real-life Mars exploration has taken a different path than expected. While NASA plans to return humans to the Moon […]
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Ancient pollen reveals stories about Earth’s history, from the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs to the Mayan collapse
Ancient pollen reveals stories about Earth’s history, from the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs to the Mayan collapse Pollen grains are not just allergens, but nature’s time capsules that preserve clues about Earth’s past environments for millions of years. Fossil pollen can provide scientists with a unique history of ancient forests, track sea-level changes, […]
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1 region of the brain links all your senses
1 region of the brain links all your senses A new study published in NeuroImage has found that all five senses stimulate a region of the brain that controls consciousness. The study, led by Yale researcher Aya Khalaf, used fMRI data from 1,561 healthy adult participants to analyze how different senses interact with each other […]
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Back to Earth
Back to Earth Astronaut Don Pettit and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner safely returned to Earth on April 19, 2025, after a mission aboard the International Space Station. Pettit conducted hundreds of hours of scientific research during his time in space, focusing on advancements in metal 3D printing, water sanitization, plant growth, and fire […]
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