Since the first satellite, Sputnik 1, was successfully launched into Earth's orbit on October 4, 1957, humans have launched more than 5,000 large objects into space. The list includes satellites, spacecraft, rovers, probes and other scientific equipment. In addition, thousands of fragments produced by accidental collisions or deliberate destruction of original materials exist beyond Earth. Since the 1990s, space archaeologists have studied this material culture in an effort to preserve it. “Fr ...read more

Researchers recently cleaned up a family of dinosaurs that once served as a “waste basket” for loosely related species. The group now represents small herbivores that appear to be unique to Europe, according to a new paper.The study announces the discovery of Vectidromeus insularis, a specimen found in the fossil beds that line the coast of the Isle of Wight, off the coast of England. These fossils belonged to a juvenile, chicken-size dinosaur with bird-like hind limbs that lived about 125 m ...read more

There are always volcanoes erupting on Earth. Likely since the planet was formed over four and a half billion years ago, volcanic eruptions have rocked some part of the planet. Sometimes it might be an explosion only noticed by the wildlife near a remote volcano. Other times, the blast might catch the world's attention and we feel the impacts for months or years. As you sit there reading this paragraph, somewhere between 10-20 volcanoes are doing their thing.A Planet of VolcanoesThe Smithsonian ...read more

When exactly humans took to the water in boats is unclear. Long considered a practice exclusive to our own species – Homo sapiens – researchers are gathering evidence that our early ancestors may have crafted and sailed boats thousands of years ago. But this theory remains contentious.What Is the Oldest Boat Ever Found?The world’s oldest boat dates back around 10,000 years. Discovered in 1955 in the Netherlands, the dugout canoe – known as the Pesse canoe – was crafted by axe from a Sc ...read more

Back in 2005, the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe made a dramatic landing on the surface of Saturn’s largest moon Titan. During its descent through the dense nitrogen-rich atmosphere, Huygens sent back pictures of a complex landscape shaped by familiar forces. The images showed hills and valleys, meandering rivers leading to complex deltas that eventually fed into lakes and seas with vast shorelines. Titan, it appeared, had many features in common with Earth.But there is a crucial diff ...read more

For someplace so cold, Antarctica sure is a hotbed of scientific endeavors, from geology and meteorology to astronomy and archaeology.Wait, archaeology?That’s right. Even in one of the most desolate places on Earth, archaeologists have conducted research on the ice, although not in the way that you might think.The Mystery Beneath the IceHere, we have to acknowledge that, among a subset of pop-culture theorists and conspiracy buffs, it’s a popular pastime to imagine that somewhere beneath the ...read more

It’s dawn in the savanna, and its inhabitants are already starting to stir. Giraffes are munching on the tops of trees, and gazelles are ambling through the shrub-spotted grasslands. Elephants are trampling the thirsty turf, sending sprays of dust into the dry savannah air, and buffalos are bent with their snuffling snouts to the ground. Rarely are any of these grazing animals alone, at this time of day or any other. And though they typically travel in herds, including tens to hundreds to thou ...read more

Under the age of 25, GenZers are digital natives who can shop, order takeout, and find a romantic partner, all with a few swipes of the finger. On the other hand, Baby Boomers, who are over the age of 57, have a shakier grasp on technology and are more likely to struggle with basic online tasks like product returns, per a Nfinite study. What makes these two generations so different? Social Media Use by GenerationFor many GenZers, it’s typical to spend about three hours a day using social m ...read more

As fall begins across the Northern Hemisphere, hundreds of millions of birds are preparing for a journey that can take them thousands of miles to warmer climates near the equator. These fall migrations are both a simple fact of life for many avian species, and an epic adventure that takes them halfway across the globe.Seasonal migrations allow birds to take advantage of prime habitats for feeding and reproducing in the warmer summer months before escaping the deadly cold of winter. But many bird ...read more

A supercomputer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee called Summit takes up the same floor space as a couple of tennis courts, and weighs more than a large commercial aircraft. In certain cases, the machine can perform about a billion calculations per second, allowing it to simulate complex systems in physics, biology and other fields.Recently, a team of astronomers used Summit to simulate a supermassive black hole and the swirl of matter (the “accretion disk”) that surrounds it ...read more