Jacob Andreas and Brett McGuire named Edgerton Award winners
MIT Associate Professor Jacob Andreas of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science [EECS] and MIT Associate Professor Brett McGuire of the Department of Chemistry have been selected as the winners of the 2026 Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement...
The Lyrid meteor shower returns with ideal viewing conditions! Here’s what to look out for this week
For enthusiastic meteor watchers, it has been a long stretch — nearly 16 weeks to be exact — since there has been a good opportunity to catch sight of a reasonably good meteor shower. There are ten displays during the year that are generally considered reliable and...
‘Tall waves moving in slow motion’: Here’s how oily oceans on Saturn’s giant moon Titan may behave
If you're looking for the best waves in the solar system, Saturn's moon Titan could be your ideal extraterrestrial surfing spot, where a gentle breeze that merely raises a ripple on Earth could drive waves 10 feet (3 meters) tall on the frigid world. A new model...
Synthetic universe allows you to ‘see and hear’ galaxies evolving from the dawn of time (video)
Ever dreamt of being present during the birth of the first galaxies? Perhaps being able to fast-forward through billions of years of cosmic evolution to watch those galaxies grow and shape the universe we know today? Of course, that sadly isn't possible. But thanks to...
Giant BlueBird 7 mobile phone satellite will be deorbited after faulty Blue Origin launch
Blue Origin, the space launch company founded by Jeff Bezos, just achieved a successful recovery of its first reused orbital-class rocket, but the payload it placed into space has ended up in the wrong location. The New Glenn rocket lifted off on its third-ever...
Blue Origin reuses huge New Glenn rocket for 1st time, lands booster at sea — but deploys satellite into wrong orbit (launch video)
Jeff Bezos' space company just notched a big reusability milestone — but also suffered a sizable setback. Blue Origin's huge New Glenn rocket launched into space for the third time ever Sunday morning (April 19) — but, in a first for the company, it soared into orbit...
Lyrid meteor shower 2026: See spring’s first rain of ‘shooting stars’ peak in moonless skies
The night sky is set to deliver one of spring's most anticipated celestial events as the Lyrid meteor shower returns this week. One of the oldest recorded meteor showers, the Lyrids peak Wednesday (April 22), offering stargazers a rare treat: a chance to witness...
Can the US be trusted with the moon? A law scholar raises concerns after Artemis II’s success.
The successful Artemis II trip around the Moon was a historic achievement — the first crewed lunar fly-by in more than 50 years, and the greatest distance yet travelled by humans from our "pale blue dot". The mission was marked by engineering, scientific and technical...
‘The chances of you living 50 years are very small’: Theoretical physicist explains why humanity likely won’t survive to see all the forces unified
For theoretical physicist David Gross, a pivotal moment arrived at age 13: a personally inscribed copy of "The Evolution of Physics." This 1938 popular science classic, co-authored by Albert Einstein himself, ignited Gross's fascination with the subatomic realm. That...
New pain-relief opioid could be much less addictive than morphine, rodent study finds
**New Opioid Candidate Shows Potential as Safer Pain Relief Alternative** A groundbreaking study in laboratory rats indicates that a newly developed synthetic opioid may offer a promising alternative to highly addictive pain medications such as morphine and fentanyl....