New fossil deposits show complex animal groups predating the Cambrian
The details of how animal life began are a bit murky. Most of the groups familiar today are present in the Cambrian, a period when they rapidly diversified, with familiar…
2026
NASA’s 1977 computers aboard Voyager are still working in interstellar space
As millions around the world watched on smartphones, T.V.s, or in person, Artemis II and its four-person crew burst from the ground on April 1 and successfully began its 10-day…
New Rowhammer attacks give complete control of machines running Nvidia GPUs
The cost of high-performance GPUs, typically $8,000 or more, means they are frequently shared among dozens of users in cloud environments. Two new attacks demonstrate how a malicious user can…
Renewables dominate 2025’s newly installed generating capacity
On Wednesday, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released its numbers on what was built in 2025. And much as we saw in the US, solar power is the primary…
Space now has 10 toilets
At this time yesterday, there were only nine toilets in space. Today, the freshly-launched Orion space capsule’s commode makes it an even 10. Orion (on its way around the moon):…
Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best…
LIGO data hints at supernovae so powerful they leave nothing behind
Many of the early exoplanet discoveries were exciting on their own, confirming that there really were strange new worlds out in the Universe. But over time, our focus has shifted…
Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom
In 2023, the Swedish government announced that the country’s schools would be going back to basics, emphasizing skills such as reading and writing, particularly in early grades. After mostly being…
Launch day has arrived for NASA’s Artemis II mission—here’s what to expect
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida—Launching to the Moon is an all-day undertaking, something the four astronauts waiting to climb aboard NASA’s Artemis II rocket know well. “It is actually a very…
NASA is leading the way to the Moon, but the military won’t be far behind
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida—The US military has always been part of NASA’s human spaceflight program. The first astronauts were nearly all military pilots, and two of the four crew members…