Science

Stellar-mass black holes that reside in globular clusters — small regions of space, usually at the edges of a galaxy, that are packed with hundreds of thousands to millions of stars — could combine repeatedly to form objects bigger than anything a single star could produce. A snapshot of a …

A new study published online in the journal eLife indicates that satellite DNA — commonly called ‘junk’ DNA — performs the vital function of ensuring that chromosomes bundle correctly inside the cell’s nucleus, which is necessary for cell survival; and this function appears to be conserved across many species. Jagannathan …

Researchers on NASA’s Juno mission shared a 3D infrared movie depicting densely packed cyclones and anticyclones that permeate the north polar region of Jupiter. The movie utilizes imagery derived from data collected by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument aboard the Juno orbiter during its fourth pass over the …

SpaceX has big plans for Mars, some of which seem profoundly difficult to accomplish. The company has a goal of building a colony of 1 million people on Mars in the next few decades. The chance that SpaceX can reach the red planet and begin colonization drops to zero if …

According to a study released this week in the journal PLoS ONE, an isolated bone from the lower jaw of a prehistoric marine reptile found in Somerset, UK, belongs to one of the largest animals ever. Giant ichthyosaurs Shonisaurus. Image credit: Nobumichi Tamura. Fossil collector Paul de la Salle found …

Taking part in a hot chili pepper eating contest might have some unexpected consequences, according to a team of doctors from Bassett Medical Center and the Henry Ford Health System. The Carolina Reaper, also known as the HP22B, is a cultivar of Capsicum chinense. Image credit: Magnolia677 / CC BY …

SpaceX had been behind several “wow, this is the future” moments in recent years, but it didn’t get there without a few failures. SpaceX has lost rockets in flight and on the launchpad, but there’s one failure for which it is not to blame. According to a new government report, …

A cache of rare coins from the period of the Jews’ Great Revolt against the Romans has been discovered at the Ophel archaeological site near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel. Some of the bronze coins found at the Ophel site near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: …

In a groundbreaking genetic kinship study, a research team led by the Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute is the first to reveal that just like human societies, beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) appear to value culture and their ancestral roots and family ties. The researchers have demonstrated that related …

Virgin Galactic is today much closer to its goal to take passengers on quick jaunts into space. Its prototype vehicle known as SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity successfully engaged its rocket engine for the first time in flight, reaching a maximum speed of Mach 1.87 (1,424 miles per hour) in just 30 …