NASA's Hubble spots a stellar sparkler for the Fourth of July

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular red, white, and blue view of one of the Milky Way's oldest star clusters to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary. Hidden within the ancient cluster are clues to how exploding stars helped transform the young universe in

NASA's Hubble captures a crimson stellar nursery sparkling with blue and white stars

Hubble has captured a spectacular view of LH 95, where about 2,500 young stars are still on their journey to becoming full-fledged stars. Scientists discovered these growing stars can keep pulling in gas and dust for millions of years, extending an important stage of stellar deve

NASA's Hubble captures a star-spangled sea of 500,000 stars

Celebrating the United States' 250th anniversary, NASA released a stunning Hubble portrait of Messier 3, an ancient globular cluster with more than 500,000 stars. The remarkable cluster is helping scientists unravel the Milky Way's past thanks to its rare stars and possible origi

NASA’s Hubble Spies Stellar Sparkler for July 4th

Red, white, and blue stars glitter like a sparkler being waved on a dark night in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA celebrates America's 250th birthday with incredible views of space

NASA is marking the United States' 250th birthday with four striking red, white, and blue images of deep space from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The collection features an exploded star, a stellar nursery, a galaxy where stars are rapidly forming, and a galaxy cluster that prov

New research reveals the hidden pollution left behind by fireworks

Scientists have uncovered new evidence that fireworks can pollute both the air and water in ways that extend beyond the visible smoke. The findings show that leftover debris, fine particles, and airborne chemicals may affect ecosystems and increase people's exposure to air pollut

Scientists discover why some brains resist Alzheimer's

Some brains appear to fight back against Alzheimer's by helping immature brain cells survive damage instead of succumbing to it. Understanding this natural resilience could point researchers toward entirely new ways to protect memory and slow dementia.

NASA’s Hubble Captures Crimson Cloud Sparkling with White, Blue Stars

Blue and white stars shine brightly against crimson gas in this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA’s Hubble Spots Star-Spangled Cosmic Scene

More than 500,000 stars blaze red, white, and blue in this NASA Hubble image of the globular cluster Messier 3 (M3).

A strange LIGO signal could reveal the missing link behind dark matter

An unusual gravitational wave signal has renewed hopes that primordial black holes, long considered purely theoretical, may finally be within reach of discovery. If confirmed, they could solve one of astronomy's greatest mysteries by explaining the nature of dark matter.

China boosts prestigious grants for young scientists — will it ease competition?

NASA’s Artemis II Breaks Agency Streaming Record

NASA’s live coverage of the Artemis II mission mission drew unprecedented public interest – including more than 149.4 million views of the launch, lunar flyby, splashdown on NASA-owned platforms, including the 24/7 streams covering the mission and the Orion spacecraft views – dem

Good Morning, Earth!

NASA astronaut Chris Williams took this photo of an orbital sunrise from the International Space Station on June 26, 2026. In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets. Learn more about the orbiting laboratory. Image credit: N

NASA’s Webb Reveals Stars Sparking to Life in Cosmic Celebration

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the infrared light of numerous features that previously were impossible to see beyond the thick dust of the FS Tau star system. In addition to myriad background galaxies that burst into view like fireworks for the United States’ 250t

Climate scientist who “proved” humanity is warming Earth says government report got it wrong

A pioneering climate scientist is challenging a U.S. government report that cited his research while reaching what he says is the exact opposite conclusion. Benjamin Santer and his colleagues say decades of satellite data clearly reveal the atmospheric “fingerprint” of human-caus

Tiny magnetic waves could unlock quantum computers the size of a penny

A major breakthrough in quantum technology has turned magnons, tiny magnetic waves once considered too short-lived for practical use, into promising carriers of quantum information. Researchers extended their lifetime by nearly 100 times, reaching up to 18 microseconds, and disco

390 gravitational wave detections reveal hidden population of black holes

Astronomers have released the largest gravitational wave catalog ever, revealing 161 new black hole collisions and pushing the total number of detections to 390. Among the highlights are the clearest gravitational wave signal ever recorded, the most accurate location of a black h

Scientists reveal what really happens when water is trapped in tiny spaces

A decades-old puzzle about water has finally been unraveled. Researchers found that water trapped in tiny nanoscale spaces is not inherently more reactive. Instead, the intense pressures created inside these microscopic gaps explain most of the effect, while the surrounding mater

Scientists create quantum sound device that could transform communications

A new quantum device can generate precisely controlled bursts of sound-like particles, or phonons, by forcing electrons through an ultra-thin crystal at extremely low temperatures. The surprising behavior pushes beyond the limits predicted by current theories, suggesting scientis

Great ape laughter reveals a hidden origin of human speech

The rhythm of human laughter appears to have deep evolutionary roots shared with chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. That ancient pattern may offer one of the clearest clues yet to how the vocal control needed for human speech gradually evolved.

What’s Up: July 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

A predawn Moon-and-planets meetup, a returning comet, a great chance to see the Milky Way, and Saturn’s rings at a new angle. Skywatching Highlights Transcript An early morning hangout with the Moon and planets, a comet swings by, prime time for the Milky Way, and Saturn’s rings

Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics

Author Correction: Synthesis of enantioenriched atropisomers by biocatalytic deracemization

Neutrino’s nursery found: the ‘Shadow Blaster’

Daily briefing: ‘Cyborg’ cockroaches breathe underwater with printed suit

Can you actually do a nine-to-five PhD? <i>Nature</i> readers weigh in

Incoming US science academy chief vows to ‘double down’ on research

NASA’s Chandra Examines Milky Way at Arms’ Length

A new result using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that the outer spiral arms in the Milky Way galaxy may reach wider than previously thought. This finding may lead astronomers to adjust their understanding of our home galaxy’s structure. A team of astronomers made this di

NASA Seeks Volunteers for New Yearlong Simulated Moon, Mars Mission

NASA is recruiting research participants for the agency’s next simulated deep space mission. Beginning no earlier than August 2027, research volunteers will spend one year living and working in interplanetary environments at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, operating

LINK Spacecraft Set for Mission to Boost NASA’s Swift Observatory

A first-of-its-kind mission to raise the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is poised for launch no earlier than Thursday, July 2, 5:09 a.m. EDT (9:09 p.m. UTC+12), from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. A roboti

Scientists discover a surprising link between vitamin C and brain health

Could something as simple as vitamin C help support a healthier aging brain? In a study of more than 2,000 older adults in Japan, researchers found that people with lower vitamin C levels in their blood also tended to have less gray matter and weaker connections in a key brain ne

Togetherness: How co-operation built the world

Backreaction of stimulated Hawking radiation in an optical analogue

Harmonizing standards and resources for the medical genome

Towards the construction of a virtual yeast

Isomeric multi-hydrogen-bonding enables blue perovskite LEDs

A secreted endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells

Replication-stress-induced chromatin loops protect fork stability

Identification of cross-stage, cross-species malaria CD8⁺ T cell antigens

Scientists discover a completely different way to fight viruses

Researchers have uncovered an unexpected antiviral defense system in sea anemones that works very differently from the one humans use. The discovery suggests evolution developed multiple ways to combat viruses, challenging long-held ideas about how animal immune systems evolved.

Scientists may have finally found how Alzheimer's spreads through the brain

A common brain protein may be giving Alzheimer’s disease an unexpected way to spread, carrying toxic Tau proteins from damaged neurons into healthy ones. By blocking these harmful protein packages before they reach new cells, researchers believe it may one day be possible to slow

Scientists say creatine may help fight depression

Creatine is best known as a muscle-building supplement, but scientists are now investigating whether it could also help treat depression by boosting the brain's energy supply. A new review examined five randomized clinical trials involving 238 participants and found mixed results

New calculator reveals whether you should really worry about statin side effects

Scientists at the University of Oxford have created a calculator that predicts a person's individual risk of serious muscle disorders from statin medications. Their analysis found that more than 98% of people who qualify for statins are at low risk for these rare complications, d

These tiny soil microbes could rescue crops from salty farmland

Researchers have discovered that beneficial soil bacteria give plants an unexpected survival advantage in salty soils. Instead of helping plants keep salt out, the microbes stimulate the production of lignin, a natural compound that strengthens roots and makes plants more resilie

Astronomers found two rare super puff planets lighter than cotton candy

Two newly confirmed "super-puff" planets are so diffuse that they are less dense than cotton candy, despite being about the size of Jupiter. Their rare orbital relationship and enormous, lightweight atmospheres could provide valuable clues about how some of the strangest planets

Einstein Probe may have caught a black hole tearing apart a white dwarf for the first time

Astronomers may have witnessed one of the rarest and most dramatic cosmic events ever seen: a long-sought intermediate-mass black hole ripping apart a dense white dwarf star and devouring it. The Einstein Probe space telescope caught the explosion in its earliest moments, reveali