Apr 26th, 2026 - THE ATACAMA DESERT – It takes a moment for the eyes to adjust. A faint spark appears in the darkness; then another, brighter one. Soon, stars, planets and entire constellations emerge. Before long, a whole galaxy stretches across the sky, visible to the naked eye. In Chile's Atacama Desert, the night sky feels infinite. Considered , its darkness is also one of the clearest windows to the universe. A rare combination of dry climate, high altitude and, crucially, isolation from urban , makes the Atacama an unrivaled hub for world-class astronomy and home to the world's largest ... [Read More]

Apr 24th, 2026 - NASA scientist says a mysterious "fifth force" may be hiding in our solar system Astronomers are grappling with a cosmic mystery: Why does the Universe behave differently on massive scales compared to our own solar system? While distant galaxies reveal clear signs of something bending the rules of gravity—often attributed to dark energy or a hidden "fifth force"—everything nearby seems to follow Einstein's playbook perfectly. A force refers to an action that can cause an object to change its velocity or its shape, or to resist other forces, or to cause changes of pressure. Dark ... [Read More]

Apr 24th, 2026 - Languorous tree dwellers from Guyana and Peru died from 'cold stun' in warehouse with no power or running water Wildlife officials in Florida said in a newly released report that dozens of sloths taken from South American rainforests for display at a controversial new tourist attraction in Orlando died in the care of their new owners. An incident report from the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) said that 31 of the mammals procured from Peru and Guyana by the owners of a forthcoming attraction called Sloth World perished in a storage warehouse more than a year ago, ... [Read More]

Apr 24th, 2026 - Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, April 24 Venus passes 0.8° due north of Uranus at 1 A.M. EDT. After their close conjunction yesterday , the two remain within 1.5° of each other in the evening sky tonight, offering a second chance to spot them in a single field of view with your telescope. Look west an hour after sunset, and you'll spot a bright point of light just to the left of the slowly appearing Pleiades star cluster. That light is magnitude –3.9 Venus, your guidepost to finding much fainter Uranus. Center Venus in binoculars or a telescope, ... [Read More]

Apr 24th, 2026 - A hundred million years ago during the late Cretaceous period, the oceans were filled with giant predators, prowling for their next meal. There was the mosasaur — a giant toothy marine reptile (and a surprise hero in Jurassic World). There were large sharks. And now, in the journal Science , researchers present evidence for ancient colossal octopuses — what they believe are the largest invertebrates ever described. Using innovative fossil reconstruction techniques, the researchers revealed remnants of two extinct species locked inside large rocks. They appear to have been up to ... [Read More]

Apr 23rd, 2026 - By Share "Fluid gears" invention shows promise for improving mechanical devices. A group of researchers at New York University has developed a new type of gear system that uses fluid motion to produce rotation. This approach could pave the way for mechanical devices that are more adaptable and resilient than traditional gears, which trace their origins back to ancient China. The findings are detailed in the journal Physical Review Letters . "We invented new types of gears that engage by spinning up fluid rather than interlocking teeth—and we discovered new capabilities for controlling ... [Read More]

Apr 23rd, 2026 - A destructive "jumping worm" species is threatening gardens in Colorado and the West, state officials said, as they urged green thumbs to keep their eyes peeled for the invasive pests. There are "currently no effective eradication methods" for the "Asian jumping worm" — also known as a "crazy worm" or "snake worm" — which has been detected in the Hilltop neighborhood of Denver, according to a Tuesday statement by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) . The agency is "asking nurseries, landscaping contractors and landowners to be on the lookout for any signs of the invasive ... [Read More]

Apr 23rd, 2026 - Meet the 19-metre octopus that prowled the ancient seas Giant octopuses may have ruled the ancient oceans 100 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed, according to new research. Some of the earliest octopuses are believed to have been powerful predators equipped with strong arms for grabbing prey and beak-like jaws for munching on the shells and bones of other animals. A new study of some remarkably well preserved jaws suggest they reached up to 19 metres, potentially making them the largest invertebrates ever known to scientists. For decades, palaeontologists believed that the largest ... [Read More]