SpaceX’s Ninth Starship Test Flight Delivers Mixed Results The largest, most powerful launch vehicle ever built is meant to be a key part of SpaceX’s plans to send humans to Mars—and NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon, too By Gayoung Lee edited by Lee Billings The SpaceX Starship rocket launches from Starbase, Tex.,… Continue reading Latest Starship Test Flight Suggests SpaceX Is Short on Time
How I Became a Bird Launcher, not an Empty Nester
The other weekend, after my husband and I enjoyed our third consecutive Sunday brunch, a friend said to me, “Boy, Wendy, you are really owning this empty nester thing.” She’s right, I am owning it. But let’s be clear: I’m not a rookie. I’ve been at this for two years since my youngest flew the… Continue reading How I Became a Bird Launcher, not an Empty Nester
AI Comes Up with Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work.
If the AI’s insights had been available when LIGO was being built, “we would have had something like 10 or 15% better LIGO sensitivity all along,” he said. In a world of sub-proton precision, 10 to 15% is enormous. “LIGO is this huge thing that thousands of people have been thinking about deeply for 40… Continue reading AI Comes Up with Bizarre Physics Experiments. But They Work.
Five Questions: Peter Hussey on How to Fix American Health Care
The United States is projected to spend more than $5 trillion this year on health care. Yet by most measures, from chronic disease burden to the availability of hospital beds, our system performs worse than those in other wealthy nations. Americans can expect to live four years less, on average, than people in those countries.… Continue reading Five Questions: Peter Hussey on How to Fix American Health Care
Astronomers Discover Mysterious Object Bursting with X-Rays
Astronomers Discover Mysterious Object Bursting with X-Rays A celestial object some 15,000 light-years away is emitting bright flashes of radio and X-rays that scientists are struggling to explain By Robert Lea & SPACE.com An X-ray, infrared and radio view of the sky surrounding ASKAP J1832−0911 (circled) using combined light from multiple telescopes. X-ray: NASA/CXC/ICRAR, Curtin Univ.,… Continue reading Astronomers Discover Mysterious Object Bursting with X-Rays
Should I Let My Pet Sleep With Me? The Truth About Sleeping with Cats and Dogs
As a sleep researcher who studies couples and their nighttime habits, I’ve seen just about every sleep arrangement imaginable. Separate bedrooms, snoring solutions, blanket wars—you name it. However, nothing gets people more defensive than when I suggest their beloved pet might be the reason they’re not sleeping well. Suggesting a “sleep divorce” from a human… Continue reading Should I Let My Pet Sleep With Me? The Truth About Sleeping with Cats and Dogs
Trump Administration Shutters New York City–Based NASA Institute
In the early 1980s, then real estate developer Donald Trump famously tried to evict a group of New York City residents from a rent-controlled building that he wanted to replace with a luxury high-rise. The tenants eventually beat back the plan. Today President Trump is having more luck with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies… Continue reading Trump Administration Shutters New York City–Based NASA Institute
Doing Research Better: The Role of Metascience in the UK Research Sector
In terms of both resources and output, the UK research sector is under serious strain. For the United Kingdom to continue to be a leader in the increasingly competitive space of global research and innovation (R&I), the machinery of the system should be tested and updated. ‘The important thing is to never stop questioning.’ Albert… Continue reading Doing Research Better: The Role of Metascience in the UK Research Sector
New Sphere-Packing Record Stems From an Unexpected Source
The advantage of Rogers’ method was that you didn’t have to start with a particularly efficient lattice to get an efficient sphere packing. You just had to choose the right ellipsoid. But this introduced a new complication. Unlike a sphere, which is completely defined by a single number — its radius — an ellipsoid is… Continue reading New Sphere-Packing Record Stems From an Unexpected Source
Iran and the Logic of Limited Wars
Israel’s air war against Iran—“Operation Rising Lion”—may be over, but the controversy surrounding the attacks lives on. One key question is whether the U.S. strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” succeeded in obliterating the deeply buried Fordow site or merely incapacitated it for a few months.… Continue reading Iran and the Logic of Limited Wars