Science & Space
Science and spaceflight, from rocket launches and planetary exploration to astronomy, physics and discoveries that change our understanding of the world.
About this list
This reading list brings together items from the sources selected for Science & Space. Open each item at its original source for the complete article, episode or video. This is a selection of current coverage, not a complete archive.
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How Good Was Our Search for Extraterrestrial Life, Really?
🔴 [Interview+] No YT ads. Bonus Part. FREE for everyone https://www.patreon.com/universetoday/posts/170915698 PBS Spacetime video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OM0zTfdsPo Professor David Kipping's channel: @CoolWorldsLab We've done a lot of searching for extraterrestrial life over the years. But how good was it? Did we look hard enough or deep enough? Is it too early for conclusions? Could do a better job? If so, how? Figuring out in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Ben Zuckerman 📜 Broadband Searches for Extraterrestrial Technological Intelligence: a New Strategy To Find Nearby Alien Civilizations https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07333 00:00 Intro 01:36 SETI 05:07 How deep did we really look? 24:12 What could we have done differently 36:57 Most satisfying answer to the Fermi Paradox 43:25 Current obsessions 47:35 Final thoughts 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE NEWSLETTER Read by 70,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe for Free: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/podcast Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
We're trying something new
Veritasium's mission has always been to get to the truth - to understand how and why things work the way they do. We love the variety of topics we're able to cover - from the real to the abstract - and the heart of that is always hard science. But as our world is getting more complex and interesting, the team keep finding incredible stories that don't quite fit on the main channel. Stories that are less about physics and maths and more about how our society and global systems work; how a change on one side of the world can ripple through society affecting how you and I live our lives. So some of the team have been working on a new channel about just that. This is @InGeniusOfficial - an element of innovation. Hosted by Latif Nasser First video out now - https://youtu.be/eczB0uUx_k8
World's Largest Slingshot Threw A Spacecraft To Earth!
In 2007 a spacecraft was launched with a special tether experiment named 'YES2' - this was planned to deploy a 30km tether and swing it like a pendulum to return a payload to Earth without using rockets. It holds the record for the longest object ever deployed in space, but, we don't know what happened to the return capsule. Follow me on Twitter for more updates: https://twitter.com/DJSnM I have a discord server where I regularly turn up: https://discord.gg/zStmKbM If you really like what I do you can support me directly through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/scottmanley
We Were Promised A Firehose of Results From Vera Rubin. Where Are They? | Q&A 462
🔴 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/collection/116942 🟣 [Overtime] Even more Q&A https://www.patreon.com/collection/1720060 When will we see the surfaces of exoplanets? What non-western telescopes should we expect? Where are all the big promised results from Vera Rubin? And in Q&A+, how to get in space journalism and is it worth it now? 00:00 Intro 00:33 [@theindianking3000] Will Roman see exoplanets better than JWST? 03:13 [@fwd79] Which non-western space telescopes are coming? 05:55 [@paulwilson1529] How packed is the asteroid belt? 07:35 [@GadZookz] Are there any calories on the Moon or Mars? 10:26 [@rilanfelnar2698] Results from Vera Rubin. When? 14:57 Final thoughts 📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER Read by 70,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/podcast Astronomy Cast: https://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
Orbit Day - Starship Finally Takes A Big Leap
Get 5TB of cloud storage with Internxt: https://internxt.com/scott Starship flight 14 finally made it to orbit, even after we were told that they weren't going to go. We don't know exactly how the decision was made, but we were treated to some amazing views as the first Starlink V3 satellites deployed in daylight and captured full colour video of the deployment process. Ultimately the flight was cut short to just over 3 hours, as opposed to the almost 10 hours originally planned, but this was SpaceX erring on the side of caution as they still are seeing failures of V3 Raptors during ascent. A failure in orbit would be a disaster. Follow me on Twitter for more updates: https://twitter.com/DJSnM I have a discord server where I regularly turn up: https://discord.gg/zStmKbM If you really like what I do you can support me directly through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/scottmanley
Peru’s penguins are on the brink. A super El Niño could make it worse
Avian flu, overfishing, and a super El Niño have decimated Peru’s largest colony of Humboldt penguins. Scientists are holding out hope that their numbers will bounce back.
This Week in Space: Is It Starship’s Time? | TWiT.TV
This week it's Rod and Tariq working through the most important space headlines. The big story: Starship could launch test flight 14 as early as Monday the 28th. We've seen lots of tests, but this is the first attempt at an orbital flight, the success of which is necessary for the lunar landing system and eventual retirement of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.
Turns Out, Superflares Are Quite Possible for Our Sun
🔴 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/collection/125670 The Sun can produce superflares, the youngest exoplanet ever seen, another explanation for Little Red Dots, and on Space Bites Plus, tracking the exact center of the Earth’s mass. All these stories and more in this week’s Space Bites. 🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 00:00 Intro 00:33 Superflares are on the table https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-sun-is-physically-capable-of-producing-a-superflare-according-to-a-new-study 04:10 Direct image of the youngest exoplanet ever https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-directly-image-the-youngest-exoplanet-ever 05:56 Weather report for exoplanets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/researchers-develop-a-way-to-check-the-weather-on-a-exoplanet 07:34 Zombie white dwarf https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-zombie-white-dwarf-star-is-born-again-hallelujah 08:55 More on LRDs https://www.universetoday.com/articles/little-red-dots-are-the-seeds-of-quasars-and-supermassive-black-holes 11:10 Vote results 11:35 Smashed icy moons https://www.universetoday.com/articles/smashed-icy-moons-cool-too-rapidly-to-retain-oceans 13:57 Early galaxies https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-rare-distant-clump-of-early-galaxies-reveals-ancient-cosmic-secrets 15:59 More space news 17:10 Final thoughts Host: Fraser Cain Producer: Anton Pozdnyakov 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE EMAIL NEWSLETTER Read by 70,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/podcast Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
The Genius Reason Why SpaceX Deleted A Grid Fin
Perhaps one of the strangest and most obvious changes to SpaceX’s latest Starship, or Version 3, is the fact that the Super Heavy booster now only has 3 grid fins instead of 4. This makes the rocket look asymmetrical and honestly just kind of weird. But as strange as it looks, the reason they did this is actually quite genius. SpaceX Starship Superheavy Model V3 by Ijsz23 is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution -------------------------- Want to support what I do? Consider becoming a Patreon supporter for access to exclusive livestreams, our discord channel! - http://patreon.com/everydayastronaut Or become a YouTube member for some bonus perks as well! - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6uKrU_WqJ1R2HMTY3LIx5Q/join All music is original! Find it anywhere you listen to music! (Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, etc)
These are the first feathers ever found in fossilized dinosaur poop
The rare fossil hints that differences in plumage may explain why some Cretaceous-era birds survived an asteroid impact but others died.
See the secret to DNA hookups
A record player-like microscope and computer simulations solve a longtime mystery, showing that metal ions bridge DNA strands that would normally repel.
The Universe May Have Just Revealed the True Nature of Empty Space
Displate’s offering up to up to for 33% off at: https://displate.com/l/spacetime when you use the code: SPACETIME Nothing is complicated. By which I mean, everything is complicated, because in physics even completely empty space is described as being full of quantum fields doing complicated things even when nothing else is there. So if empty space has these exotic properties, what sort of crazy stuff can we make it do? One prediction that’s been around for a while is that under extreme conditions, empty space can be sort of crystalized. And there’s good evidence that we’ve observed this for the first time. Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: Mike Martin Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2026 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Alexander Tamas Filip Rolenec Juan Benet Kenneth See Mark Rosenthal MATTHEW OCKO Morgan Hough Peter Barrett Vinnie Falco Supernova Ethan Cohen Glenn Sugden Grace Biaelcki Justin Lloyd Mark Heising Rad Antonov Shaun Williams Stephen Wilcox Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke Hypernova Daniel Muzquiz Alex Kern Ben Delo Chuck Zegar Dean
What Happened At the Very Beginning? | Q&A 461
🔴 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/collection/116942 🟣 [Overtime] Even more Q&A https://www.patreon.com/collection/1720060 What does matter and antimatter annihilate into? How do we know what happened before the CMB? Is outer space dirty? And in Q&A+, initial thoughts about Seestar S50 pro. 00:00 Intro 00:48 [@SirIke49] What do matter and antimatter annihilate into? 05:00 [@nitstyles13] How do we know what happened before the CMB? 12:36 [@Wackyg6] Question from a 6 yr old. Is outer space dirty? 15:17 Final thoughts 📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER Read by 70,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/podcast Astronomy Cast: https://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
Meet the newest living cat species, the first described in 100 years
Genetic testing of two tiny tiger cats from Bolivia revealed a new species, adding a new branch to the feline family tree.
This year’s El Niño just broke a record months before it’s expected to peak
Daily sea surface temperatures in the region where El Niño develops are more extreme than at any point in recorded history.
A Far Side of The Moon Radio Telescope May Happen Sooner Than You Think
🔴 [Interview+] No YT ads. Bonus Part. FREE for everyone https://www.patreon.com/universetoday/posts/170358793 A radio telescope on the far side of the Moon should become a reality very soon. How will it operate? What science will it do? Who and how will deliver it? Finding out in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Dave Deboer 📜 The Lunar Farside Transients and Technology Telescope (LFT3) Mission https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.25762 https://lft3.space/ 00:00 Intro 01:59 Why the far side of the Moon? 08:01 Possible science 20:47 The potential survey 23:20 Getting to the Moon 31:55 Current obsessions 34:32 Final thoughts 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE NEWSLETTER Read by 70,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe for Free: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/podcast Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches 2026 Annual Minimum Extent
Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010, and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record.
Finally, a true blue rose exists
Scientists engineered roses that made both a blue pigment and a colorless helper molecule that brought out its shade.
First series of adult T. rex footprints hints at its walking speed
The steps were poorly preserved, but still hint at an ambling pace of 1.6 meters per second, roughly equivalent to a quick walking speed for a human.
How Feasible Is A Starship-Based Space Station? | Q&A 460
🔴 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/collection/116942 🟣 [Overtime] Even more Q&A https://www.patreon.com/collection/1720060 Is combining multiple space telescopes the way to go? Can we detect ice-shell exoplanets? How feasible would a Starship space base be? And in Q&A+, why didn't CMB go past us? 00:00 Intro 00:39 [@estraume] Space telescopes flying in formation 08:53 [@goatlord51] Do we have anything that can detect ice shell exo-planets? 14:26 [@kipnielsen8752] How feasible would a starship space station be? 18:45 Final thoughts 📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER Read by 70,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/podcast Astronomy Cast: https://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
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