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scientific research

Boeing Was This Close to Launching Astronauts

May 31, 2024

Blurred image of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft

Scientists Are Very Worried About NASA’s Mars Plan

May 21, 2024

An illustration of the red planet Mars with the "pause button" symbol on its face

Asteroids Could Fuel the Clean-Energy Transition

May 11, 2024

An asteroid in outer space

The Mysteries of Plant ‘Intelligence’

June 2024 Issue

An illustration of a plant with central nervous system like tendrils coming out of the stem.

The Most Powerful Rocket in History Had a Good Morning

March 14, 2024

A pair of onlookers gaze at SpaceX's Starship system, which stands upright on its launchpad on the coast of South Texas.

The Science Behind Ozempic Was Wrong

March 5, 2024

A series of brain scans interrupted by an image of a drug-injection pen

Apollo’s Sequel Will Be a Gold Rush

February 24, 2024

A picture of the moon with a giant orange "Welcome" sign sitting on top

Where Not to Look for Alien Life

February 4, 2024

A planet forms in outer space.

The Powerhouse of the Cell Is Also a Chatterbox

Viviane Callier

January 22, 2024

Two pink cartoon mitochondria talking, a pink conversation bubble between them

Civilization Owes Its Existence to the Moon

January 3, 2024

An antique-style chart of moon phases, set on a light-blue background

Science Is Becoming Less Human

December 11, 2023

Computer code twisting like a DNA helix

An Existential Problem in the Search for Alien Life

December 5, 2023

Illustration of a flower in space

Another ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ for Elon Musk

November 18, 2023

Spectators watch as SpaceX's Starship lifts off in a cloud of fire and smoke from the Gulf Coast

You Won’t Hear Much About the Next Chapter of Space Travel

October 19, 2023

A passenger floats in weightlessness on a Virgin Galactic flight to the edge of space

The Most Believable Reality TV Is Set on Mars

August 28, 2023

Two 'Stars on Mars' contestants, dressed in orange-and-white spacesuits, interact in the Mars-esque Australian desert

America’s Most Popular Drug Has a Puzzling Side Effect. We Finally Know Why.

June 27, 2023

Photo of a pack of statins

One Giant Leap for Brand Kind

May 12, 2023

How to Build Manhattan in Space

April 27, 2023

Illustration of the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Chrysler Building balanced on a small asteroid

Elon Musk’s Explosive Day

April 20, 2023

At left, a photograph of SpaceX's Starship rocket flying in mid-air, engines blazing; at right, a photograph of white smoke left behind after Starship exploded

Medicine Has a Rat Problem

Katherine J. Wu

April 13, 2023

a green rat on a zig-zag background

Not Your Grandfather’s Moon Mission

April 3, 2023

Holy Week: Rupture

Vann R. Newkirk II

March 14, 2023

The word "Part 1" is in blue print in the upper left corner and in large black text of the word rupture is split in half over red lettering of the word rupture behind that. All the text is set in a white square.

The ‘Small Self’ Effect

Shannon Stirone

February 14, 2023

A green leaf floating on water, over which a blue-and-gold image of a galaxy has been laid

Our Strange New Era of Space Travel

Marina Koren and Kevin Townsend

December 29, 2022

Tesla Roadster in space

If You Must Cry Over a Space Robot, Make It This One

December 28, 2022

An illustration of NASA's InSight lander, with its wing-like solar panels, on the surface of Mars

NASA’s Plan to Bounce People Off the Atmosphere

December 11, 2022

A gumdrop-shaped spacecraft, charred from the heat of reentry, coasts through blue sky beneath a trio of red-and-white parachutes.

Seeing Earth From Space Will Change You

January/February 2023 Issue

photo of astronaut on spacewalk isolated over luminous curved horizon of Earth against black

The Atlantic Daily

How We Could Discover Alien Life

December 5, 2022

Jupiter and two of its moons, Io (left) and Europa (right)

NASA’s Overshadowed Moon Launch

November 16, 2022

NASA's new moon rocket, the Space Launch System, lifts off from the launchpad, its engines blazing bright

Space Might Wreak Havoc on the Human Gut

November 5, 2022

Astronaut with intestines visible

The Russian Space Program Is Falling Back to Earth

October 14, 2022

The International Space Station’s U.S. segment and portions of the Russian segment, captured from the perspective of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule

There’s Hope for Life on Europa, a Distant Moon

October 6, 2022

An image of Europa, Jupiter's icy moon, with one half illuminated

Well, That’s One Way to Save a Space Telescope From Falling Back to Earth

September 30, 2022

A picture of the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit, shining against the darkness of space

Maybe We Won’t End Up Like the Dinosaurs

September 26, 2022

A spacecraft approaches two asteroids in a dark sky.

Just Like That, We’re Making Oxygen on Mars

September 12, 2022

The gold moxie box is examined in a lab; the Perseverance rover carries it on Mars

The Moon Will Have to Wait

September 6, 2022