Image of the black hole M87*

Scientists dig deeper into subject of first-ever image of a black hole

March 24, 2021

Black holes are impossible to observe directly. But researchers like Jason Dexter are probing the hot and violent regions of space that circle these mysterious objects.

Image of the star Vega

A giant, scorching-hot planet may be orbiting the star Vega

March 8, 2021

Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, may play host to a giant planet with average surface temperatures of 5,390 degrees Fahrenheit.

Panorama of Martian mountain

Decades of Mars research laying groundwork for human astronauts

March 4, 2021

Mars is a dangerous place for vulnerable humans—but robotic space missions can probe the planet's radiation, dust storms and other threats safely and for a fraction of the cost of crewed missions.

Artist's depiction of astronaut standing on the surface of Mars

Help is a long way away: The challenges of sending humans to Mars

March 2, 2021

One day, Earth will send human astronauts to Mars. A team of aerospace engineers is studying how we can get them there—and back—safely.

Textured "skin" inspired by snake scales seen under a microscope

Snakeskin inspires new, friction-reducing material

March 2, 2021

The new technology, called SLIP, mimics the structure of snake scales to create an ultra-slick surface.

Artist's depiction of a robot laying out an antenna on the lunar surface.

NASA-funded project to explore one-of-a-kind lunar observatory

March 1, 2021

Scientists will probe whether the far side of the moon can become an unprecedented laboratory to study the early history of the universe.

Jack Chin standing on the wing of an airplane

Her father was a Tuskegee Airman. She's sharing his legacy

Feb. 25, 2021

Jack Chin, the father of Professor Karen Chin, was just 17 when he enrolled in the U.S. Army Air Forces as a member of the final class of Tuskegee Airmen.

A marmot standing on a rock pile

Small mammals climb higher to flee warming temperatures in the Rockies

Feb. 11, 2021

Since the 1980s, ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥'s small mammals have made an ominous trek—climbing, on average, 400 feet uphill in elevation to escape from climate change.

Hand with a thermoelectric wearable device worn like a ring

New wearable device turns the body into a battery

Feb. 10, 2021

A team of engineers has developed a new device that you can wear like a ring or bracelet and that harvests energy from your own body heat.

A gypsum crystal

New kinds of liquid crystals resemble solid crystals, could improve computer and TV displays

Feb. 10, 2021

New kinds of liquid crystals developed at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Boulder resemble gypsum or lazulite crystals—except they flow like fluids.

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