Nancy Atkinson

Dark matter is thought to account for 25 percent of the mass of the universe, but it has never been observed. Berkeley Lab researchers hope to change that with a new approach.

The Xinjiang Qitai 110-meter Radio Telescope — QTT, for short — could help advance research on dark matter, gravitational waves, and extraterrestrial intelligence.

Astronauts can lose 2 percent of their bone mass each month, and experiments on the International Space Station are testing a method for countering bone loss in orbit — and back on Earth.

Sky watchers discovered 11 new streams of stars that are the remnants of nearby galaxies and star clusters absorbed by the Milky Way.

Astronomers observed two 13-billion-year-old galaxies spinning in whirlpool motions, which was thought to be characteristic of mature galaxies like ours.

Physicists have a new scenario of the universe's expansion at the Big Bang that may explain why our universe has three large spatial dimensions.

Previously undetected matter was found in the form of gas filaments between galaxies, which is a major step toward explaining the structure of the cosmos.

A new estimate of our planet's chemical composition will help scientists understand how the Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago.

Micrometeorite fossils embedded in the cliffs could help explain events that took place as many as 98 million years ago.

The discovery could help scientists better understand how the sun formed 4.6 billion years ago.

Astronomers looking at how intergalactic gas and dust moves across great distances found that up to half of the matter surrounding us comes from galaxies far, far away.

The latest research suggests with even more certainty that Mars was once habitable, while revealing striking mineralogical diversity on the Red Planet.

Some have cast doubt about the existence of black hole event horizons from which nothing, not even light, can escape the gravitational pull.

KELT-11b will help astronomers develop the best tools for assessing habitability or possible life on distant exoplanets.

The finding shows that oxygen can be generated in space without the need for life, and could influence how researchers search for signs of life on exoplanets.

Researchers have produced what they say is the first composite image of a dark matter filament that connects galaxies across the cosmos.

A new study pursues a kind of “paleontology” for gravitational waves in an attempt to explain how and why black holes collide and merge.

A team of astronomers has mapped distortions caused by the dust that pervades our galaxy in order to begin measuring how quickly the universe is expanding.

The Atacama Desert in Chile offers an unparalleled approximation of the conditions on Mars — which also makes it a good place to practice looking for life on the Red Planet.

The hunt is on for moons orbiting distant exoplanets — but only the most massive "exomoons" may be detectable.