All Stories by James R. Riordon
- Astronomy
A bar of stars at the center of the Milky Way looks surprisingly young
The ages and locations of metal-rich stars in the galaxy suggest the Milky Way’s central bar finished forming just a few billion years ago.
- Space
The James Webb telescope took some stunning images in 2023
Star nurseries. Planets. Supernova remnants. Here’s a look at some of this year’s stellar JWST images. And the mission is still just getting started.
- Astronomy
How tiny red stars can test ideas about the origin of life
A survey of ultracool dwarf stars finds they don’t emit enough UV light to kick-start life, but they could reveal other ways for life to get going.
- Physics
How neutron imaging uncovers hidden secrets of fossils and artifacts
The technique can complement X-ray scanning and other tools to uncover details of dinosaur fossils, mummies and more.
- Planetary Science
Marsquakes and meteorite hits show Mars has a dense liquid metal core
Mars’ dense liquid iron core is wrapped in a layer of molten rock, which threw off previous measurements of the Red Planet’s heart.
- Physics
How quantum ‘squeezing’ will help LIGO detect more gravitational waves
An upgrade to LIGO that comes from exploiting a quantum rule known as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle makes it easier to detect spacetime ripples.
- Space
Here’s how citizen scientists can help during the 2024 solar eclipse
The sun will be near the peak of its activity cycle during the eclipse on April 8, 2024, making it a great time to crowdsource solar research.
- Space
NASA’s first look at a sample from asteroid Bennu reveals life’s building blocks
Scientists have begun to analyze roughly 250 grams of Bennu, which could offer insight into solar system formation and life’s origins on Earth.
- Physics
Technique to see the ultrafast world of electrons wins 2023 physics Nobel
Physicists Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier won for work creating light bursts that last billionths of a billionth of a second.
- Cosmology
New JWST images suggest our understanding of the cosmos is flawed
JWST data don’t resolve a disagreement over how fast the universe is expanding, suggesting we might need strange new physics to fix the tension.
- Space
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx has returned bits of the asteroid Bennu to Earth
Asteroid dirt from Bennu could help reveal clues about the material that came together to make the solar system — and possibly where life comes from.
- Physics
Centuries on, Newton’s gravitational constant still can’t be pinned down
A new experiment could finally answer the question 'What is the strength of gravity?' But it's a hard test to do.
