How realistic are China's plans to build a research station on the Moon?

Jan 20, 2019 09:01 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

The world is still celebrating the historic landing of Chinas Change-4 on the dark side of the moon on January 3. This week, China announced its plans to follow up with three more lunar missions, laying the groundwork for...

What the moon's craters reveal about the Earth's history

Jan 19, 2019 09:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

Most scientists believe the rate at which the moon and Earth have been bombarded by meteorites has remained constant for the past two to three billion years. Understanding the age of craters on the moon can help us better...

DNA sequencing can help fight epidemics -- but there are privacy risks

Jan 14, 2019 10:58 am UTC| Science Health

The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling an Ebola outbreak. As is the case with any disease caused by pathogenic viruses like Zika or influenza Ebola spreads dangerously and unpredictably. This makes tracking the...

Will China's moon landing launch a new space race?

Jan 07, 2019 13:25 pm UTC| Science

China became the third country to land a probe on the Moon on Jan. 2. But, more importantly, it became the first to do so on the far side of the moon, often called the dark side. The ability to land on the far side of the...

China goes where no one has gone before – the moon's far side

Jan 04, 2019 16:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

In a spectacular few days for solar system exploration during which NASA whizzed the New Horizons spacecraft past the Kuiper Belt object 2009 MU69 (somewhat controversially nicknamed Ultima Thule) and eased OSIRIS-REx...

Why microbeads are such a threat and why they're so hard to handle

Jan 04, 2019 16:03 pm UTC| Science

Plastic is everywhere. It is used across a spectrum of applications from durable industrial equipment, household appliances to throw-away single-use items and even the clothes we wear. This wide scope of uses is ascribed...

Microbial aromas might save crops from drought

Jan 04, 2019 16:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson writes: The sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories…. You might wonder how this relates to microorganisms. In fact, they produce most...