Science & Space News: Discoveries, Astronomy and Research

The Rubin Observatory in Chile has found an object just beyond Neptune that circles the sun on a steeply tilted, retrograde orbit, EarthSky reported. The object, temporarily labeled R631, moves in the opposite direction from most planets, a

Nov. 9 would have been the 92nd birthday of Carl Sagan, the astronomer who became one of the best-known science popularizers through his books and the 1980 television series "Cosmos," according to EarthSky. The anniversary comes as Voyager

A newly described dinosaur nicknamed the hell chicken appears to have been among the first known dinosaurs specialized for eating fruit, according to a study in Nature Communications. Called Infernogallus jamesi, it was roughly turkey-sized

Eating in line with a range of well-known healthy diets is associated with slower biological aging, according to a study in Nature Communications reported by ScienceAlert. Researchers found the link for all 10 sets of dietary guidelines the

Researchers have found two giant tears in a tectonic plate deep beneath southeastern Iran, and computer models indicate they will eventually link up, according to ScienceAlert. The work, led by a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, w

A small, fast-spinning asteroid called 1998 KY26 is speeding up in a way that gravity and sunlight alone were not expected to explain. A new study suggests one popular theory for the oddity, that it is a disguised "dark comet" pushed along

NASA said on Saturday that eight companies are eligible to compete for future Moon delivery missions under a new contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion. The agency also confirmed it is moving ahead with PROMISE, a six-wheeled

Older adults who spent at least 42 minutes a day in bright light were less likely to develop dementia about eight years later, according to a new analysis of nearly 88,000 people. ScienceAlert reported that the study, published in the journ

The ancient Maya may have poisoned their own lakes and sinkholes with mercury from red paint, according to a study published Nov. 4 in the journal Science Advances. Mud cores from two sites in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula contain extreme merc

NASA has opened applications for its next class of astronauts, and U.S. citizens have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 3, to apply. The agency said the new recruits will join as it returns to the Moon, builds what it calls the Moon Ba

Female mice settle on surfaces roughly 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) warmer than males do, and testosterone appears to be part of the reason, according to a study published Oct. 28 in the Journal of Physiology. Live Science repor

Astronomers have found a dead star encircled by two separate rings of planetary wreckage, a structure never before seen around a star of this type. The system, called J1328−1450, may offer a glimpse of what could happen to our own Solar Sys