Science Editor
Dr. Thomas Wright is a science writer covering space exploration, physics, and environmental research. He holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from MIT and transitioned to science journalism to make complex research accessible to the public. His coverage of NASA missions and climate science has earned multiple awards.
NASA's Artemis II crew has exited the Moon's gravitational sphere, marking Flight Day 8 of their 10-day mission. The historic lunar flyby sets the stage for a Friday splashdown off San Diego, with re-entry speeds nearing 35,000 feet per second.
On April 6, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II crew became the first humans to photograph the Moon’s far side from space, revealing Earthrises, a rare solar eclipse, and unprecedented geological details. The images, captured during a seven-hour lunar flyby 406,771 km from Earth, offer new insights into lunar g
A 300-million-year-old fossil once celebrated as the world's oldest octopus has been reclassified as a nautiloid relative after advanced imaging revealed hidden teeth. The discovery, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, rewrites evolutionary timelines and removes the fossil from the Guin
NASA confirms the Artemis 2 space toilet remains functional despite venting issues during the crewed moon flyby. Mission leads reveal a clogged filter may stem from chemical reactions in wastewater treatment. The Orion capsule and its four astronauts are set to splash down April 10.
NASA released the first-ever photograph of Earth from the far side of the moon, dubbed 'Earthset,' during the Artemis II lunar flyby. The historic image, reminiscent of the 1968 'Earthrise' photo, was captured by astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft as Earth appeared to set behind the lunar horizo
NASA’s Artemis 2 crew has shattered a 54-year-old human spaceflight record, venturing farther from Earth than any astronauts in history during a groundbreaking lunar flyby. The mission marked the first crewed trip beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, paving the way for future lunar exploration.
The Artemis II crew will name a lunar crater 'Carroll' after Reid Wiseman's late wife, honoring her legacy while making history 240,000 miles from Earth. NASA's decision reflects a personal tribute amid humanity's first crewed moon mission in over 50 years.
The HETDEX study has identified 33,000 Lyman-alpha nebulae, hydrogen gas halos surrounding early galaxies 10-12 billion years ago. This tenfold increase reveals critical fuel sources for star formation during Cosmic Noon.
NASA's Artemis 2 crew encountered multiple failures in the new Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) toilet, including a burning odor in the hygiene bay. The issues required urgent intervention from ground control to restore limited functionality.
Humans evolved unique adaptations to survive in extreme environments, from a low larynx enabling speech to genes from ancient hominins like Denisovans. These traits highlight evolution's trade-offs, including choking risks, altitude sickness, and enhanced diving abilities.
NASA’s Artemis II crew will break Apollo 13’s 1970 distance record during Monday’s lunar flyby, venturing 4,100 miles farther than the famed mission. The six-hour maneuver will offer unprecedented views of the moon’s far side and a rare solar eclipse from space.
NASA has issued a stop-work order on Mobile Launcher 2, the $383 million platform meant for the canceled SLS Block 1B rocket. The agency is repurposing hardware to support ongoing Artemis missions amid cost overruns that ballooned to $2.5 billion.
NASA’s Artemis II mission is exceeding expectations, but a recent focus on Orion’s toilet system—including frozen urine—underscores the critical role of life support in deep space. Engineers discuss the complexities of space sanitation and why this seemingly mundane issue is vital for future Mars mi
Fossils unearthed in China reveal complex, three-dimensional animals thriving 539 million years ago—millions of years earlier than thought. The discovery challenges long-held theories about the Ediacaran period and the rise of modern animal life.
Physicists at the University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute propose a radical new quantum gravity theory that eliminates the need for inflation to explain the Big Bang. Their quadratic gravity model suggests cosmic expansion arose naturally from quantum effects, offering testable predictions fo
Scientists discovered new fossil deposits containing Ediacaran and Cambrian species, including cnidarians, ctenophores, and worms, predating the Cambrian by millions of years. The findings challenge traditional timelines of animal evolution.
Hours after launching NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, the Orion capsule’s $23 million toilet malfunctioned—jamming a critical fan. Astronauts temporarily used backup urine bags before flight controllers remotely fixed the system, underscoring the challenges of long-duration lunar missions.
From puzzle-solving raccoons and gravity-disoriented sperm to rediscovered Archimedes manuscripts and crepe-folding physics, March’s overlooked science stories reveal surprising insights into animal cognition, space reproduction, ancient texts, and culinary physics.
Astrophysicists analyzing years of LIGO data have identified a 45-solar-mass limit in black holes, confirming pair-instability supernovae theory. This gap, where no black holes form, arises when massive stars annihilate themselves in explosions so violent they leave no remnant.
In a celestial first, astronomers observed comet 41P Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák reverse its spin during a 2017 Earth flyby using Hubble Space Telescope data. The 1-kilometer-wide Kuiper Belt comet's unexpected reversal may signal an imminent self-destruct.