Science

Astronaut Scott Kelly sets record for most days in orbit

By Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

As of today, International Space Station Commander Scott Kelly has spent more days off the planet than any other American. With 216 days in orbit, he sets the American record for most days spent space.

Flying through an icy plume to test a moon's hospitality

By PBS News Hour

In our NewsHour Shares video of the day, a NASA spacecraft flew into an icy spray coming off one of Saturn’s moon to figure out whether it has hydrothermal vents that could support life. A NASA video explains the science…

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7 times that science explained aliens

By Nsikan Akpan, Joshua Barajas

You want to believe in aliens, UFOs, crop circles and Roswell, but science says not so fast. Happy Halloween!…

FAQ: Exactly what processed meat should I avoid, and other questions

By Nsikan Akpan

Here's the chemistry behind how processed meats cause cancer.

Bacon, hot dogs and processed meats cause cancer, WHO says

By Nsikan Akpan

World Health Organization rewrites its health guidelines on meat consumption, arguing that processed meats cause cancer. Red meat carries a high risk too.

The science of how Hurricane Patricia became so colossal

By Nsikan Akpan

Hurricane Patricia's brute strength is just one sign that 2015's cyclone season is one for the ages.

NASA carefully steers New Horizons mission toward second target

By Joshua Barajas

Flight controllers initiated the first of four maneuvers Thursday needed to change New Horizons’ trajectory toward an object elsewhere in the Kuiper Belt.

Before the bubonic plague wrecked Europe, it was way less contagious

By Nsikan Akpan

A new study in the journal Cell rewrites the evolutionary history of the bubonic plague.

Will you die prematurely? This blood test may contain the answer

By Nsikan Akpan

In a new study in Cell Systems, scientists present the possible reasons why a set of blood markers correlate with premature death in ostensibly healthy people.