Implantable payment chips: The future, or cyberpunk pipe dream?
Implantable payment chips are here -- enabling users to pay for things with a wave of their hand. Is this the wave of the future, or merely a flash in the pan?
Tiger steaks and lion burgers: Lab-grown exotic animal meat is on the way
Most cellular meat startups focus on growing familiar foods (like beef and chicken) in a lab, but Primeval Foods has its sights set on something more exotic.
NASA is teaming up with United Arab Emirates to gather data for a manned mission to Mars
NASA has announced a new agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) concerning research for a trip to Mars.
This NASA-backed startup is building a 3D bioprinter that makes human organs in space
Scientists have made history by 3D printing a heart structure
3D-printed satellite supports are enormous, yet incredibly lightweight
Europe’s two largest qualified 3D-printed metal parts have been successfully printed. Next stop? Space.
MIT is developing vibrating space boots that warn astronauts of tripping hazards
A team of researchers have developed vibrating boots which could sense obstacles and vibrate to warn their wearers.
NASA's EmDrive thruster just took an important leap forward
NASA's futuristic, physics-defying EmDrive thruster has just taken an important leap toward silencing its critics.
Bioengineered bacteria could be used to 3D print food and tools on Mars
A synthetic biology project called CosmoCrops wants to use bacteria to make it possible to 3D print everything needed for a space mission in space itself.
Innovative air conditioners could work by beaming heat into deep space
Researchers from Stanford University have come up with a new refrigeration method for providing cooling: simply beam the heat into space.
NASA has developed a futuristic 3D-printed ‘space fabric’
NASA has developed a smart, high-tech 3D-printed metallic "space fabric," capable of being used for a variety of functions in space.
Train like an astronaut in world’s first private facility
Want to be an astronaut, but don’t work for NASA? Then book a ticket to the world's first private astronaut training venue, opening 2019.
The future of satellite propulsion in space could be … water?
Purdue University researchers have developed a new water-based micropropulsion system for maneuvering satellites through space.
Artificial intelligence could help us see farther into space than ever before
New AI algorithm is 10 million times faster at analyzing images of so-called "gravitational lenses" in space.
Compare the gravity on different planets with the Space Museum desk toy
Space Museum is a Kickstarter desk display that let you compare gravity on different planets in our Solar System.
With 200,000 laser dots, this glass orb puts the Milky Way on your desk
Freshly arrived on Kickstarter, this awesome glass desk ornament compresses the entire Milky Way into an 8-cm sphere.
Prolonged time in space literally changes the structure of astronauts’ eyes
Optometrists have analyzed the pre- and post-flight data from astronauts. Their conclusion? That space changes the structure of their eyes.
Engineers want to 3D print stuff in space using recycled astronaut poop
Canadian researchers have developed a way to use astronaut poop as an ingredient for 3D printing in the stars.
Antarctic scientists are growing veggies without dirt, sunlight, or pesticides
Scientists in Antarctica have successfully grown the first crop of veg without the help of earth, daylight or pesticides.
‘Zero gravity’ champagne bottle lets you celebrate in outer space
What kind of champagne do astronauts pop on special occasions? No, it's not the setup for a joke, but the question answered by respected French champagne maker Mumm International with its new champagne, which is designed to be consumed in zero gravity. Coming soon to a space station near you.
MIT’s zero-gravity musical instrument provides a soundtrack for space travel
What will provide the soundtrack to our future space exploration? Quite possibly MIT Media Labs' Telemetron, the first electronic musical instrument to be designed specifically to be performed in zero-gravity environments. Check it out in all its oddball futuristic glory.
Oxford researchers think we’re probably alone in the universe — here’s why
You don't have to be an X-Files fan to have wondered whether or not humankind is alone in the universe? While the universe is a big place, a new paper published by researchers at Oxford University suggests that there's a good chance that we are indeed. So much for meeting E.T.!
Moving around in zero gravity is hard. MIT’s solution? Spider-Man’s web shooter
Researchers from MIT have been researching optimal ways for astronauts to more easily move around in microgravity conditions. One of their suggestions? That astronauts use Spider-Man-style web shooters to pull themselves from location to location. Check out the device they created.
Science says waste beer could help us live on Mars
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a new super-insulating gel, created from beer waste, which could one day be used for building greenhouse-like habitats on Mars. Here's how it works, and why this is such a promising material both on Earth and beyond.
Want a future-proof degree? Head to Colorado for asteroid mining
Are you an engineering grad, economist, physicist, or policy analyst looking to become an expert in an exciting new discipline? If so, the Colorado School of Mines has the perfect answer for you: You should take up space mining. And they have the perfect course to help.
Asteroid mining is almost reality. What to know about the gold rush in space
Mining resources from asteroids may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but it could be well on its way to becoming science fact. What will be mined? Why do we want this? And who are the big names to watch out for? Check out our beginner's guide to all things space rock-drilling.
Who will be the first private passenger to the moon? SpaceX will tell us today
Later today, Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to announce the name of the mystery passenger who it will launch into orbit around the Moon. Provided all goes according to plan, this person will become the first lunar traveler since the last U.S. Apollo mission way back in 1972.
New simulation shows how Elon Musk’s internet satellite network might work
Starlink is Elon Musk’s ambitious dream of building a network for conveying internet traffic via thousands of satellites Musk hopes to have in orbit by the mid-2020s. A new simulation created by a computer scientist looks at how feasible the idea is. Here's what he concluded.
New technique could allow astronomers to send messages through the void of space
What do you do when you really want to send a message, but your smartphone just isn’t up to the job? Simple: You vibrate space itself so as to harness it as a communication method. At least, that's one method of future space communication put forward by researchers in a new paper.
NASA’s space observatory will map the sky with unprecedented detail
NASA is preparing to launch a cutting-edge space observatory to create the most detailed map ever produced of the sky. Doing so will involve surveying hundreds of millions of galaxies -- some of which are so far away that their light takes 10 billion years to reach Earth.
Another giant leap: U.S. plans to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says that President Donald Trump is directing NASA to commit to sending American astronauts to the moon by 2024. Provided that this is carried out successfully, it will be the first time that people have walked on the moon since December 1972.
Sustainability guidelines could help solve the growing problem of trash in space
Not content with trashing our own planet, it seems that humanity has a growing problem with space debris as well. A new set of Space Sustainability Rating guidelines, aimed at future satellite and rocket launches, hopes to help by cracking down on the very worst offenders going forward.
NASA wants astronauts to light fires on the International Space Station
Lighting a fire carries an element of risk. Doing it in microgravity on a space station 250 miles above Earth is something else entirely. Which is exactly why astronauts on the ISS have been asked to unleash their inner pyromaniac for a new experiment. Here's what they're doing.