In mid-March 2019, astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were readying themselves to make space history. Later that month, the pair were scheduled to conduct the first ever all-female spacewalk, when they stepped outside the International Space Station to install new batteries on the craft’s solar arrays. But McClain never made it outside the ISS for her landmark spacewalk. Instead, her place was taken by … Continue reading How Nasa failed female astronauts and built space travel for men

A piece of metal the size of a washing machine is currently orbiting the Moon. It’s been there since April 4, after leaving Earth on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in February, and it’s about to make history. On Thursday April 11 at 21:00 BST, Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft is all set to touch down on the Moon’s Mare Serenitatis. If successful, it will become the first privately funded … Continue reading Later today, Israel’s Beresheet craft will touch down on the Moon

Let’s take a few moments to think about algae. The green slimy stuff that accumulates on the surface of lakes is Earth’s unsung hero, responsible for producing at least half of the oxygen we breathe today. One of the biggest challenges in preparing for long-term human spaceflight is finding a way of providing the essential elements of survival – food, waste removal, radiation protection, water … Continue reading Clever space algae could be the key to getting humans to Mars

Mianzi, the Chinese concept of prestige, honour and morality, has been influencing how people behave for thousands of years. Now, it seems to be creating a very modern problem Read more on WIRED UK Continue reading In China, the prestige of online shopping is fuelling a debt crisis

A new planet, more than three times the mass of Earth, has been discovered orbiting our closest single star. The discovery, which took more than 20 years to make, marks a change in the way we look for new planets. This is the first time a planet of its size, known as a super-Earth, with an orbital period of 200 days, has been found using … Continue reading We’ve found an icy new super-Earth that’s orbiting our closest single star

Amidst the uncertainty of Brexit, more and more UK companies are rushing to open offices on the continent. While cities like Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam are appealing second homes for big companies, some up-and-coming fintech startups are instead looking further east. While before early-stage startups would fight to be part of London’s buzz, they are now turning to Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania as cheaper, … Continue reading To escape Brexit, UK startups are flocking to Eastern Europe

A few years ago, the astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson received an unusual letter. Dear Dr Tyson, it began. When I was eight, I sent you a letter calling you a poo poo-head for demoting Pluto. I have since done my own research and I’ve come to agree with your decision. I apologise for making fun of you. “It was a totally deadpan letter,” Tyson … Continue reading Neil deGrasse Tyson: The future of science in the US is bleak