LATEST
Earth's early life endured long asteroid bombardment
TODAY: 13:00 15 August 2014
Massive asteroids may have pounded Earth for a billion years longer than we thought – with early life forms suffering periodic melting of the surface
Space is the place to solve the riddle of life, maybe
LEADER: 08:00 15 August 2014
Understanding how life got started here on planet Earth may mean searching for its counterparts "out there"
Stardust team reveals first specks of interstellar dust
TODAY: 19:00 14 August 2014
The NASA spacecraft caught seven grains of dust that probably originated beyond our solar system – and now scientists have analysed them on Earth
Rosetta probe poised to touch and taste a comet
THIS WEEK: 16:00 14 August 2014
Now that it has finally reached comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the Rosetta spacecraft is ready to help tackle the question of how Earth got its oceans
Small, sticky asteroids could be extra dangerous
TODAY: 18:00 13 August 2014
Fast-spinning small asteroids hold together using the same, weak forces that make flour clumpy. This could make it difficult to protect Earth from them
Snap-happy space fans deserve quick pics
LEADER: 08:00 12 August 2014
Space agencies hoarding exciting new images from space probes doesn't help science
Get Hubble out of trouble: How you can rescue an icon
FEATURE: 20:00 11 August 2014
Earthlings, here's how you can save the Hubble space telescope from plunging to a fiery death and enjoy 10 more years of spectacular images
Sleep tight? Not a chance if you're in space
TODAY: 15:26 08 August 2014
The most comprehensive astronaut sleep study to date found that astronauts' sleep debt starts well before blast-off, and sleeping pills might not help
Saturn moon may host its own Dead Sea
TODAY: 15:27 06 August 2014
A lab model of hydrocarbon lakes on Titan shows the liquids may be saturated with benzene, with underground cave networks carved out of its deposits
Cool your jets: NASA's quantum spaceship is doubtful
COMMENT: 14:58 06 August 2014
A research paper suggesting the possibility of a futuristic spaceship engine is most likely the result of an experimental error, says Phil Plait
Rosetta arrives – and sends images of 'superstar comet'
TODAY: 14:02 06 August 2014
After a 10-year journey, the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe has reached comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and sent back tantalising photos
Space salad glows purple in a greenhouse made for Mars
APERTURE: 12:00 05 August 2014
In warm colours of artificial lights, lettuce is growing in an aeroponic greenhouse module for use on the moon or Mars
Einstein's perfect theory: General relativity rebooted
FEATURE: 21:00 04 August 2014
From the first images of a black hole to exploring time before the big bang, we're in a new golden age for general relativity, says cosmologist Pedro Ferreira
Comet-mapping Rosetta spacecraft prepares for duty
TODAY: 16:07 04 August 2014
With comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko two days away, European Space Agency researchers must tackle unprecedented challenges for the mission to succeed
Next rover will pull oxygen from Martian air
TODAY: 20:03 31 July 2014
NASA's Mars 2020 rover will be bristling with new gadgets, including a camera with zoom, an enhanced laser, and equipment for turning CO2 into oxygen
ASTROPHILE
The outermost ocean in the solar system
Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, has a surface temperature of -235 °C. But below the surface, conditions could be warm enough to support a liquid ocean
COSMOLOGY
Square Kilometre Array contest ends in a draw
The world's largest radio telescope will be split between continents: one section will be built in South Africa, the other in Western Australia
