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Lunar magnetic field mystery may finally have an explanation

Three people standing in front of a green and grey cutaway model of the Earth's layers. Yellow lines representing magnetic fields spring out from the model Earth's poles.

Long-distance quantum sensor network advances the search for dark matter

Physicists in China have set the tightest constraint yet on a parameter known as axion-nucleon coupling

A net made from faintly glowing filaments and bright nodes appears poised to scoop up a dark-purple region of space

Quantum memories could help make long-baseline optical astronomy a reality

Single-photon interferometry achieved over 1.5 km

Latest news

India announces three new telescopes in the Himalayan desert

Artist's impression of the NLST observatory

‘Relief’ as industrial megaproject in Chile that threatened world’s darkest skies is cancelled

ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert

European Space Agency unveils first images from Earth-observation ‘sounder’ satellite

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Research headlines

Ancient reversal of Earth’s magnetic field took an extraordinarily long time

A researcher in a laboratory looking through samples

2D materials help spacecraft electronics resist radiation damage

Composite image showing a spacecraft launch, a diagram of circuits, and an excerpt from the sheet music of the "Anthem of Fudan University"

Black hole is born with an infrared whimper

Illustration of a newly formed black hole

Earthquake-sensing network detects space debris as it falls to Earth

Proof-of-principle experiment resolved the shock waves produced by the Shenzhou-15 module when it re-entered the atmosphere

Samples from the far side of the Moon shed light on lunar asymmetry

Unusual isotopic ratio in samples brought back by Chang'e-6 reveals clues about the early history of Earth's satellite

Unusual astronomical event might be a ‘superkilonova’

Merger of two neutron stars in the aftermath of a supernova may have been observed for the first time, though questions remain

Interactions between dark matter and neutrinos could resolve a cosmic discrepancy

Finding challenges the standard model of cosmology

New cosmic map will put dark-matter theories to the test

COSMOS-Web uses JWST’s enhanced imaging capabilities

Uranus and Neptune may be more rocky than icy, say astrophysicists

Novel modelling approach suggests that the traditionally ice-rich image of these planets may be skewed

Explore more in astronomy and space

Asteroid deflection: why we need to get it right the first time

Aerospace engineer Rahil Makadia on the danger of asteroid “keyholes”

Photo of Rahil Makadia at an alpine lake

Cosmic time capsules: the search for pristine comets

Ancient icy wanderers like comet 3I/ATLAS, spotted in July 2025, can reveal secrets of our cosmic origins

Small white dot with a blue halo. Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS observed by the Hubble telescope

Hot ancient galaxy cluster challenges current cosmological models

Observations of the thermal energy in a baby galaxy cluster 12.4 billion light-years away suggest much more energetic early cluster growth than current theories assume

Artist’s impression of the SPT2349–56 galaxy cluster

Astronomer Daniel Jaffe named president of the Giant Magellan Telescope project

Jaffe will be aiming to secure the funding necessary to complete the $2.5bn telescope

Gravitational lensing sheds new light on Hubble constant controversy

Astronomers calculate new value for the universe's expansion

A montage of eight time-delay gravitational lens systems. There is an entire galaxy at the centre of each image, and bright points in rings around them.

Mission to Mars: from biological barriers to ethical impediments

Emma Chapman reviews Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds by Scott Solomon

Two adults and a child wearing spacesuits on a red planet with biodomes in the background

Solar storms could be forecast by monitoring cosmic rays

Forbush decrease effect is tracked between the Sun and Earth

CERN team solves decades-old mystery of light nuclei formation

ALICE collaboration identifies three-phase process that allows particles to form despite energetically unfavourable conditions

Image showing a neutron and a delta particle emerging from a white flash. The neutron and the delta particle both contain three quarks, represented by colourful spheres. Arrows indicate that the neutron and the delta subsequently undergo a reaction that produces a deuteron (a neutron-proton pair) and a pion.

Quantum information theory sheds light on quantum gravity

Our podcast guest is Alex May of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Motion through quantum space–time is traced by ‘q-desics’

Subtle quantum effects could be observed in how particles traverse cosmological distances

Artist's impression of how quantum deviations could affect the motion of a particle through the cosmos

Components of RNA among life’s building blocks found in NASA asteroid sample

Samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu found to contain molecules and compounds vital to the origin of life

Bio-essential sugars found in asteroid Bennu samples

Astronomers observe a coronal mass ejection from a distant star

Burst from M-dwarf star could be powerful enough to strip the atmosphere of any planets that orbit it, with implications for the search for extraterrestrial life

An artist’s impression of a large red star releasing a bright, explosive burst of light. Swirling red and orange patterns surround the star, suggesting intense activity. In the background, a smaller blue planet appears with a faint, wispy trail extending away from it, indicating its atmosphere being blown off. The scene is set against a dark space backdrop dotted with stars.

Galactic gamma rays could point to dark matter

Spectrum from the Milky Way’s halo matches WIMP annihilation

Light pollution from satellite mega-constellations threaten space-based observations

Study finds 96% of images from planned telescopes could be compromised

Bring gravity back down to Earth: from giraffes and tree snakes to ‘squishy’ space–time

Emma Chapman reviews Crush: Close Encounters with Gravity by James Riordon

child sat cross legged on grass with a book on their lap and windfall apples by their feet

Quantum gravity: we explore spin foams and other potential solutions to this enduring challenge

Bianca Dittrich of the Perimeter Institute is our podcast guest

Photograph of Bianca Dittrich at the Perimeter Institute

Did cannibal stars and boson stars populate the early universe?

Objects formed by exotic particles could have created primordial black holes

Accelerator experiment sheds light on missing blazar radiation

Measurement discounts loss from plasma instabilities

The Fireball experiment installed in the HiRadMat irradiation area at CERN

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