'Ultra-primitive' particles found in comet dust
Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution. view more (2009-11-03)
NASA Researchers Make First Discovery of Life's Building Block in Comet
NASA scientists have discovered glycine, a fundamental building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA's Stardust spacecraft. view more (2009-08-18)
Primitive asteroids in the main asteroid belt may have formed far from the sun
Many of the objects found today in the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter may have formed in the outermost reaches of the solar system. view more (2009-07-16)
Personalized medicine helps cancer patients survive
Cancer patients can survive longer under treatments based on their individual genetic profiles, according to a nationwide study released jointly today by Phoenix-area healthcare organizations. view more (2009-04-20)
Caltech astronomers describe the bar scene at the beginning of the universe
Bars abound in spiral galaxies today, but this was not always the case. A group of 16 astronomers, led by Kartik Sheth of NASA's Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology, has found that bars tripled in number over the past seven billion years, indicating that spiral galaxies evolve in shape. view more (2008-07-30)
Scientists determine strength of 'liquid smoke'
Researchers have created a 3D image of a material referred to as "liquid smoke." Aerogel, also known as liquid smoke or "San Francisco fog," is an open-cell polymer with pores smaller than 50 nanometers in diameter. view more (2008-07-30)
NIST micro sensor and micro fridge make cool pair
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have combined two tiny but powerful NIST inventions on a single microchip, a cryogenic sensor and a microrefrigerator. The combination offers the possibility of cheaper, simpler and faster precision analysis of materials such as semiconductors and stardust. view more (2008-04-16)
Stardust comet dust resembles asteroid materials
Contrary to expectations for a small icy body, much of the comet dust returned by the Stardust mission formed very close to the young sun and was altered from the solar system's early materials. view more (2008-01-25)
U of M physicist reads the history of the solar system in grains of comet dust
Four years ago, NASA's Stardust spacecraft chased down a comet and collected grains of dust blowing off its nucleus. When the spacecraft Comet Wild-2 returned, comet dust was shipped to scientists all over the world, including University of Minnesota physics professor Bob Pepin. view more (2008-01-04)
Shrinking giants, exploding dwarves
When white dwarf stars explode, they leave behind a rapidly expanding cloud of 'stardust' known as a Type Ia supernova. These exploding events, which shine billions of times brighter than our sun, are all presumed to be extremely similar, and thus have been used extensively as cosmological reference beacons to trace distance and the evolution of... view more... (2007-08-28)
Comet probes reveal evidence of origin of life, scientists claim
Recent probes inside comets show it is overwhelmingly likely that life began in space, according to a new paper by Cardiff University scientists. view more (2007-08-15)
Circumstellar space: Where chemistry happens for the very first time
Picture a cool place, teeming with a multitude of hot bodies twirling about in rapidly changing formations of singles and couples, partners and groups, constantly dissolving and reforming. view more (2007-08-01)
Unlocking the frozen secrets of comet Wild 2
Eleven months ago, NASA's Stardust mission touched down in the Utah desert with the first solid comet samples ever retrieved from space. Since then, nearly 200 scientists from around the globe have studied the minuscule grains, looking for clues to the physical and chemical history of our solar system. view more (2006-12-20)
UC Berkeley researchers developed techniques to pluck comet dust from Stardust collectors
Ever since NASA's Stardust spacecraft delivered a payload of comet dust to Earth on Jan. 15, 2006, scientists by the hundreds have been clamoring for samples. view more (2006-12-18)
Stardust particles tell story about birth of solar system
Particulate materials captured from the comet Wild 2 have revealed clues about the birth of our solar system that counter some of the basic theories that the solar nebular is gently collapsing inward to form the sun and the planets. view more (2006-12-18)
ESRF helps reveal the origin of the Solar System
Particles returned to Earth last January by the Stardust spacecraft from comet Wild 2 are yielding precious information about the origin of the solar system, thanks to the brilliant X-rays produced at several of the world's synchrotron facilities, including the ESRF. view more (2006-12-18)
Carnegie scientists fine-tuning methods for Stardust analysis
On Sunday, January 15, NASA's Stardust mission landed safely with the first solid comet fragments ever brought back to Earth. Members of the mission's Preliminary Examination Team, including several from the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory and Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, are among the first to analyze these precious samples. view more (2006-03-23)
Comet from coldest spot in solar system has material from hottest places
Scientists analyzing recent samples of comet dust have discovered minerals that formed near the sun or other stars. That means materials from the innermost part of the solar system could have traveled to the outer reaches, where comets formed. view more (2006-03-14)
Comet dust from NASA mission under analysis
Scientists at the University of Chicago are among the first ever to analyze cometary dust delivered to Earth via spacecraft. view more (2006-02-21)
UW astronomer hits cosmic paydirt with Stardust
Scientists at the Johnson Space Center in Houston were excited and awed Tuesday by what they saw when the sample-return canister from the Stardust spacecraft was opened. view more (2006-01-19)
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