NASA astronaut captures dazzling view of Starlink satellite train over Earth
Astronaut Don Pettit captured a stunning video from the ISS of a SpaceX Starlink satellite train streaking over Earth's auroras. The satellites appeared as bright as Jupiter against the green northern lights, highlighting the growing visibility of the expanding satellite network. Pettit's footage offers a unique perspective on human-made objects transforming the night sky.
New research reveals fungi, not plants, were Earth's first land colonizers, emerging hundreds of millions of years earlier. These ancient fungi partnered with algae, recycled nutrients, and built proto-soils, stabilizing surfaces and releasing essential elements. This groundbreaking discovery shows fungi created the foundational ecosystems that paved the way for plants and all terrestrial life.
Why shooting stars arent stars at all: Understanding meteors, meteorites, and meteor showers
Witnessing a meteor, or shooting star, is a dazzling event caused by tiny space rocks burning up in Earth's atmosphere. These celestial fragments, originating from comets or asteroids, offer crucial insights into the early Solar System. Astronomers distinguish between meteoroids (in space), meteors (burning in the atmosphere), and meteorites (those that land on Earth).
The most pristine star ever found reveals secrets about the universes first moments
Astronomers have identified the most pristine star ever observed, located in the Milky Way's halo. This ancient star, with exceptionally low levels of heavy elements, offers a rare glimpse into the universe's earliest moments, potentially formed from the remnants of the first generation of stars.
Earths first animal revealed and its not what you think
Scientists at MIT have uncovered compelling evidence that ancient sea sponges were Earth's first animals. Chemical fossils found in rocks over 541 million years old point to these soft-bodied ocean dwellers. This discovery challenges previous ideas about the dawn of animal life. It suggests sponges existed long before the Cambrian explosion, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of evolution's earliest stages.
What happens to your brain and body when you get scared
When startled, your brain and body activate the fight-or-flight response, flooding you with stress hormones. This rapid reaction, coordinated by the amygdala and hypothalamus, quickens breathing, raises heart rate, and sharpens senses for survival. While essential, chronic activation can harm health, but managing fear through mindfulness, exercise, and support is possible.
Trio win Nobel chemistry prize for work on 'Hermione's handbag' materials
Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These innovative materials, with exceptionally large surface areas, offer solutions for critical global challenges like water scarcity and climate change.
Save NASA: Bill Nye calls proposed cuts an extinction-level event for space exploration
Bill Nye, the 'Science Guy,' led a protest on Capitol Hill against proposed NASA budget cuts by the Trump administration. These significant reductions threaten ongoing missions like the Perseverance rover and the Artemis program. Nye argued that NASA's investment yields substantial economic and technological returns, supports thousands of jobs, and is vital for US global leadership in space.
Today marks the birth anniversary of G.N. Ramachandran, a brilliant Indian scientist whose work revolutionized protein structure and medical imaging. His groundbreaking collagen model and the Ramachandran plot are vital tools in biology and medicine. Despite his immense contributions, he remained largely unrecognized in India, a testament to his enduring, yet underappreciated, genius.
Only human deaths in space: How three cosmonauts died in just two minutes aboard Soyuz 11
The Soyuz 11 mission tragically ended with the deaths of three cosmonauts due to a rapid depressurization during re-entry. A faulty valve opened, venting the capsule's air into space. This disaster led to crucial safety upgrades, including mandatory pressure suits for all future missions.
Three scientists win Physics Nobel for work that paved way for cellphones
US scientists John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking experiments demonstrating quantum physics in action. Their work, proving quantum tunneling and energy quantization in a visible system, laid the foundation for technologies like cellphones and current quantum computing efforts.
