Asteroid impact created a massive dust cloud that trapped heat, causing widespread wildfires and spontaneous combustion. The cloud led to population collapse and atmospheric contamination, ultimately killing most dinosaurs and other species.
A new study suggests that a global blanket of dust after the Chicxulub asteroid impact trapped and radiated enough heat to ignite worldwide wildfires, killing even the thickest-skinned animals. The intense heat pulse would have been 3.5 times more intense than without the dust blanket.
The Genesis Mission aims to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery and national security through AI-powered research. Texas A&M University has joined the initiative, contributing to a unified discovery platform connecting government, industry, academia and philanthropy.
A study proposes two detonation defense modes to defend against large-sized near-Earth asteroids. The novel flyby pre-excavation detonation mode offers stronger energy coupling and can destroy hundred-meter-scale asteroids, making it the preferred option when warning time permits.
Researchers uncover new evidence about the timing and intensity of asteroid bombardment on the Moon's surface, finding it declined gradually rather than a short burst. The discovery allows scientists to reconstruct over three billion years of lunar impact history.
The PPPL-led project will use AI to autonomously operate high-power gyrotrons, a crucial method for heating plasma in fusion systems. Researchers from multiple institutions will collaborate on this project.
A new Yale study contradicts the long-held theory that an asteroid strike drove the rapid evolution of tunas and other large predators after the K-Pg extinction. Instead, the research reveals that these animals' body plans evolved over tens of millions of years, with increases in size occurring sporadically throughout their lineage.
A Southwest Research Institute-led study proposes a connection between an asteroid collision and an inner-solar-system-wide bombardment episode 800 million years ago. The research suggests that the catastrophic breakup of the Eulalia parent body may have led to widespread impacts on Earth, coinciding with biological and geological chan...
A new study proposes that chondritic asteroids are escaped satellites from chaotic final stages of planet formation. These mini-moons concentrate and confine molten mineral droplets, forming asteroid-sized bodies that become the parent bodies of chondrite meteorites.
A study proposes two detonation defense modes to deal with large-sized near-Earth asteroids. The flyby pre-excavation detonation mode offers stronger energy coupling and can destroy hundred-meter-scale asteroids, making it a preferred option when warning time permits.
Researchers suggest that frequent asteroid strikes may have kept the early Earth hotter and more unstable, making it difficult for rocks to survive. This led to a lack of preserved rocks from the first 500 million years of Earth's history, with long-lived continents forming only after impact intensity declined.
Researchers from Curtin University and the Geological Survey of Western Australia have precisely dated the oldest known asteroid impact on Earth to around 3 billion years ago. This discovery pushes the Earth's impact record deeper into geological time, offering a rare glimpse of the violent processes that shaped the early Earth.
A new study in Geology has discovered evidence of a major impact event about 3.5 billion years ago on the Moon, matching the ages of known impacts on Earth and in the asteroid belt. The discovery provides a key link to the history of the inner solar system and sheds light on catastrophic events that may have affected early life on Earth.
Southwest Research Institute scientists modeled the early impact history of Earth, finding that asteroid impacts fractured the crust and generated hydrothermal systems. These environments could have provided a suitable setting for the origin and evolution of early life on Earth.
A research team discovered six modern fish groups, including jack, moonfish, and pipefish, dated to 62.2 million years ago, helping to fill a 10 million year gap in the fossil record. The findings suggest that certain fish groups likely went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period, while others were established early on.
Researchers found a clear spike in fungal microfossils following the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. This global event, occurring tens of thousands of years before the extinction, suggests that volcanism may have contributed to the mass extinctions in that period.
Researchers from KIGAM report finding stromatolites in the Hapcheon impact crater, which could have formed in post-impact hydrothermal lakes. These structures may hold clues to Earth's history of atmospheric oxygen production, a transformative event around 2.4 billion years ago.
Researchers developed a hand-held device to differentiate tumors from healthy tissue using mechanical properties, reducing the need for future surgeries and delayed treatments. The wireless probe can aid surgeons in precise tumor removal during breast-conserving surgery.
The new fiber probe can track three key biomarkers - glucose, lactate, and ethanol - simultaneously, providing a more complete picture of metabolic health. This innovation offers faster, real-time sensing technologies for clinicians to respond rapidly to evolving metabolic crises.
Nine European high school students completed a six-day simulated Mars mission in Portugal, operating rovers and conducting scientific experiments. The EXPLORE-2 mission aimed to develop young Europeans' STEM skills and team management capabilities, with participants designing their own mission plans and making operational decisions.
Researchers developed a double-slit plasmonic platform-based fiber probe that combines easier light excitation, stronger tip enhancement, broadband stability, and controllable fabrication. The probe achieved 28.6 nm optical imaging resolution under ambient conditions and resolved structures smaller than the diffraction limit.
The NASA EDGE mission will help better understand changes to the Earth's surface, creating detailed 3D maps of vegetation and ice formations. This will improve capabilities for assessing pre-fire risk and evaluating post-fire impacts in semi-arid ecosystems.
The OSIRIS-REx mission has found that asteroid Bennu's boulders are cracked, not porous as initially thought. This discovery transforms our understanding of how to interpret an asteroid's thermal properties from Earth-based observations.
Researchers at the University of Arizona ran simulations to predict how a large crater near Psyche's north pole could have formed, shedding light on its composition. The study found that porosity plays a significant role in crater formation, with implications for understanding Psyche's makeup.
Asteroids in binary systems actively exchange rocks and dust through gentle, slow-motion collisions, reshaping them over millions of years. The DART mission's findings confirm the YORP effect, where sunlight makes small asteroids spin faster, causing material to fly off their surfaces.
The University of Portsmouth, in partnership with SARsatX and the Saudi Space Agency, is developing an Earth observation satellite mission concept aimed at supporting climate science and environmental resilience. The project combines academic and technical expertise to address shared environmental challenges.
Researchers analyzed Ryugu asteroid samples to understand magnetic field evolution in early solar system. The study found that 23 of 28 samples exhibited stable NRM components, providing critical information on the spatiotemporal evolution of magnetic fields.
A Johns Hopkins University study finds that tiny life forms can survive extreme pressure comparable to an ejection from Mars after an asteroid hit, and may potentially move between planets. The discovery raises implications for planetary protection and space missions.
The SwRI MST 8x8 probe uses guided-wave technology to detect corrosion in storage tanks with exceptional accuracy. It reduces expensive downtime by allowing inspections without emptying the tank, improving inspection safety in hazardous spaces.
Researchers developed a bioorthogonal fluorescence probe and matching reporter enzyme that selectively activates at targeted tumor sites, enabling high-contrast tumor visualization with minimal background. This technology has potential for improving cancer surgery outcomes and may also be adapted for targeted drug delivery.
Researchers developed a miniature side-viewing fiber probe that breaks the trade-off between image sharpness and depth. The probe achieves extended imaging depth while preserving high lateral resolution, enabling clinicians to see deeper without sacrificing detail.
Researchers developed a first-of-its-kind probe to track a fetus's vital signs in utero during surgery. The soft, flexible robotic probe provides accurate and precise measurements of heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and temperature, enabling faster interventions in case complications arise.
New research reveals that life rebounded astonishingly quickly after the asteroid impact, with new species of plankton emerging in fewer than 2,000 years. The study uses an isotope marker to determine the age of sediments and finds that complex life reestablished within a geologic heartbeat.
The Rubin Observatory has discovered a record-breaking asteroid, nearly the size of eight football fields, rotating every two minutes. The fastest-spinning asteroid larger than 500 meters ever found is 710 meters in diameter and completes a full rotation every 1.88 minutes.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a cosmic fender bender, revealing two luminous clouds of debris from violent collisions between space rocks. The discovery offers insights into planet formation and asteroid composition, shedding light on the structure of asteroids crucial for planetary defense programs.
SOHO has provided a nearly continuous record of our Sun's activity for close to three 11-year-long solar cycles. The mission has overcome challenges, including a critical error and failed gyroscopes, but continues to produce high-quality data on a daily basis.
The Soils for Europe conference in 2026 will bring together experts to discuss soil health and sustainability in Europe. The event aims to bridge the gap between science, policy and societal action, and features a range of sessions and activities focused on the latest research and innovations.
Researchers developed a probe to visualize lipid breakdown in living cells, revealing differences in breakdown rates among individual droplets. The study found that an enzyme called ATGL drives these variations, which may contribute to abnormal lipid metabolism in liver cancer cells.
The Austrian satellite mission PRETTY will continue to provide valuable services after being extended by the European Space Agency and Austrian Research Promotion Agency. The mission, originally planned for one year, has proven reliable and successful in monitoring climate changes and space radiation effects.
A team of researchers has developed a new machine called the Electronic Probe Computer (EPC60) that can solve NP-complete problems, including optimal routing, scheduling, and network design. The EPC60 outperforms leading commercial software solvers in solving complex problems with high accuracy and efficiency.
Scientists have successfully measured ultrafast electric fields using a diamond nonlinear probe, achieving femtosecond temporal and nanometer spatial resolution. This breakthrough enables the detection of local electric field dynamics near surfaces with unprecedented precision.
A study from Baylor University and New Mexico State University reveals that dinosaurs in North America were not fading away before the asteroid impact, but instead living in vibrant ecosystems. The research found that dinosaur communities across the continent were divided into bioprovinces based on temperature differences.
Researchers developed a small-molecule substrate-based fluorescent probe to visualize the nanoscale organization of glucose and serine transporters in breast cancer cells. The study found that SerT clustering correlates positively with function and is crucial for maintaining cellular serine homeostasis.
The development of a new pH probe, SITE-pHorin, offers precise organellar pH imaging in living cells. By harnessing quantum-entanglement interactions, the probe boasts unparalleled sensitivity and resolves long-standing controversies over mitochondrial and lysosomal pH.
A new study of the South Pole-Aitken basin reveals clues about the moon's interior structure, crust composition, and evolutionary history. The research suggests that the moon's near side was heated by radioactive elements from a magma ocean, leading to intense volcanism.
Asteroid rotation is dependent on collision frequency and internal friction. Gaia's dataset reveals a gap in rotational periods versus diameter, solved by a new model of asteroid-spin evolution. Tumbling motion starts from slow spinning due to increased collision vulnerability.
The Neuropixels Ultra probe overcomes technical challenges in recording individual cells across multiple brain regions. It detects twice as many brain cells and distinguishes specific subtypes, enabling scientists to decode and track brain cell performance related to visual stimuli.
The mission will investigate Earth's geocorona, the outermost layer of the atmosphere, to reveal how it evolves under the influence of the Sun and space weather. This research has direct applications for satellites, communications, navigation, and human space exploration.
Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope have found that asteroid 1998 KY26 is much smaller and spinning faster than previously thought. The asteroid is approximately 11 meters wide and completes a rotation in just five minutes, making it challenging for Hayabusa2 to land on its surface.
Astronomers have discovered that the 1998 KY26 asteroid, targeted by Japan's Hayabusa2 mission, is only 11 meters wide and spins twice as fast as previously thought. This smaller size will make a touchdown manoeuvre more challenging for the spacecraft.
A team of researchers discovered that liquid water once flowed on the ancient asteroid Ryugu, which was formed more than a billion years ago. The finding suggests that carbon-rich asteroids may have delivered much more water to Earth than previously thought, impacting models of the planet's early oceans and atmosphere.
Researchers have discovered a new type of tektite exclusively found in South Australia, recording an ancient asteroid impact event approximately 11 million years ago. The unique glasses provide valuable insights into the destructive power of past impacts and their importance for planetary defense.
A new technique uses ground-based observations and DART data to calculate safe asteroid deflection spots. The method takes into account asteroid shape, surface topology, rotation, and mass to minimize the risk of pushing the asteroid through a 'gravitational keyhole'.
The Europlanet Science Congress 2025 will feature press briefings on the RAMSES mission to asteroid Apophis and recent discoveries with the Juno Mission. These events aim to improve our ability to defend Earth from potential asteroid threats.
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study proposes a mission to fly by an interstellar comet, providing insights into its properties. The mission aims to determine the comet's physical and compositional properties, as well as its nature of coma.
A study of Bennu samples reveals the asteroid reflects light differently at red and blue wavelengths, offering insights into solar system evolution. The findings also enable future research on asteroid navigation and selection.
The OSIRIS-REx sample return mission revealed asteroid Bennu's composition, history, and unique materials. Researchers found stardust from other stars and organic material formed in interstellar space, shedding light on the early solar system's formation.
The DART mission successfully demonstrated asteroid deflection by causing a small satellite to detach from the spacecraft and alter Dimorphos' trajectory. The LICIACube images provided detailed information on the debris plume, revealing that it was composed mostly of large particles.
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) review of data collected from near-Earth asteroids Bennu and Ryugu supports the hypothesis that they were originally part of the Polana collisional family. The study found similarities in their near-infrared spectrum, suggesting a common origin.