Space science

According to scientists, graphene can generate clock speeds that transcend today’s GHz limitations. Here’s how.

A group of high schoolers and researchers have identified a new X-ray source thanks to an EU initiative. Their discovery could help scientists solve some of the cosmic mysteries.

Radio telescopes will be installed in Irish secondary schools, allowing students and teachers to observe Jupiter’s poles.

Researchers have published a comprehensive report on private- and public-sector Big Data policies affecting transport in EU countries and abroad.

New research reveals that Pluto has dunes made of ice, suggesting that the planet has Earth-like features.

Shortly before his death, Stephen Hawking left us his final legacy – a theory developed with physicist Thomas Hertog that tackles the problem of multiple, infinite universes.

In the quest for constantly reducing the costs of space missions and maximising their chances of success, any information we can get about the launcher’s environment and how to best protect it is invaluable. Research under the MaMMoTH-Up project aims to introduce a modular system that can provide such insights.

A scientific paper claims that these wondrously smart undersea animals are actually aliens brought to Earth by meteors.

When thinking about Earth-like exoplanet discoveries, the Kepler space telescope immediately comes to mind. Yet, it is not only Kepler, but also ground-based information from the HARPS-N spectrograph, that allowed the ETAEARTH consortium to obtain information on these planets with a degree of precision never reached before.

NASA announces plans to send a helicopter to the Red Planet on its next rover mission.

Scientists have created a new technique to measure dark matter at the core of dwarf galaxies. The secret to their success? Star clusters.

Gravity may be preventing aliens from leaving their planets, says new research.

New studies show that the seven planets orbiting the dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are made mostly of rock, and some could hold more water than Earth.

Space probe provides a fascinating glimpse into the interior of our solar system’s largest planet.

A new study has shown that if we human beings discovered that we’re not alone in the universe, we would probably take this earth-shattering news actually rather well.

Due to its distinctive properties graphene has been held out as a game-changing material for a range of industries and applications. The Graphene Flagship initiative was set up as Europe’s biggest ever multi-stakeholder research initiative, to quite literally shape the future of the technology.

The dwarf planets beyond Neptune’s orbit have remained relatively mysterious due to how far and small they are. Researchers supported by the EU-funded LUCKY STAR project, recently reported unexpected findings, including the first object in the solar system beyond Neptune to have a ring.

With the current state of scientific knowledge and equipment, understanding astrophysical black holes invariably requires detailed studies of the observable elements surrounding them. The STRONGGRAVITY project has developed novel analytical tools to do just that, with a focus on radiation.

Although their existence is undeniable, astronomers across the world are still unsure of how supermassive black holes actually form. An EU-funded project has set out to answer this question by simulating the formation and growth of their seeds – black holes created when an extremely massive star collapses.

The question of how the universe’s first galaxies and black holes emerged has yet to be answered. By accessing data from state-of-the art facilities, the COSMIC_DAWN team was able to detect previously inaccessible quasars and characterise their physical properties.

It was previously thought that molecules and dust would be completely obliterated by the tremendous explosions of supernovae. Yet, for the first time, scientists have discovered that this is not actually the case.

Launched in 1997, the nuclear-powered Cassini spacecraft has now made its final course correction that, after 13 years of studying Saturn, will see it propel itself headfirst into the ringed planet, tearing it to pieces.

On an initiative of Mrs. Cresson, Commissioner for research and development, Mr. Bangemann, Commissioner for industry, telecommunications and information technologies, and Mr. Kinnock, Commissioner for transport, the European Commission has set up six task forces to develop in...

NASA hopes to send a manned mission to Mars in the mid-2030s. On a planet where temperatures can fall to -125C generating energy presents a key challenge and new techniques are about to be tested. The best equipment needs the people to use it, so resilience experiments are also under way.

D-Sat is the first satellite in history that will end its mission by re-entering Earth’s atmosphere in a safe and controlled way, burning up instead of becoming new debris. The satellite, which was launched on Friday, 23 June 2017, used a decommissioning and re entry device created by the EU-funded D3 project.