Microsoft Bets $60M on AI for Science

For the first time, astronomers have detected an atmosphere around a rocky planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a nearby star. Such planets have long been considered the best places in the galaxy to look for signs of alien life. But so far, “the planets looked like bare rocks,” says astronomer Laura Kreidberg of…

Twelve people are about to embark on the world’s longest sleepover, all in the name of space research. The group will be confined to beds designed to mimic the rigors of space for 60 days straight. Some of the volunteers will also be testing strategies that can hopefully reduce the bodily strain caused by a…

The moon’s south pole has long been the target of NASA’s Artemis lunar landing missions, but one Artemis astronaut is questioning if that’s still the best plan. NASA’s Victor Glover, who piloted the Artemis II mission around the moon this past April, proposed a different approach while speaking at the NASA Exploration Science Forum at…

Some 7,500 languages are spoken or signed around the world today. Though that might sound like a lot, the number could have been up to 10 times higher a few thousand years ago, researchers report July 23 in Science. “That was the golden age of linguistic diversity,” says Claire Bowern, a linguist at Yale University….

K’gari, the world’s largest sand island, is celebrated for its striking freshwater lakes. New research from the University of Adelaide, however, suggests that even the island’s largest and deepest lakes may be vulnerable to disappearing under certain climate conditions. By examining ancient layers of lake sediment, researchers uncovered evidence that several lakes dried out roughly…

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