Feb 9th, 2026 - Key Takeaways: Elon Musk announced that SpaceX will prioritize building a city on the Moon before building on Mars. The reason is speed: a trip to the Moon will take 2 days, while a trip to Mars will take 6 months. SpaceX plans to land an unscrewed ship on the Moon before March 2027, this will adjust with goals of the government. Elon Musk changed his timeline. For years, he promised that humans can live on Mars. Today, he announced a major focus. SpaceX will first focus on building a self-growing city on the Moon. Musk explained the logic that  it is because of speed. A trip to Mars is ... [Read More]

Feb 9th, 2026 - Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com . Can we generate a way to interact with dark matter with current technology? – Leonardo S., age 13, Guanajuato, Mexico That's a great question. It's one of the most difficult and fascinating problems right now in both astronomy and physics, because while scientists know that the elusive substance called dark matter makes up the majority of all matter in the universe, we've never actually observed it directly. Dark matter is so difficult ... [Read More]

Feb 7th, 2026 - Mathematical thinking may have developed long before writing We generally associate the origins of mathematical thinking with the emergence of writing, about five to six thousand years ago. However, a new study challenges this assumption looking at floral designs found on the painted pottery sherds from the Halafian sites across northern Mesopotamia, dating back 8000 years. "The study suggests that mathematical cognition developed well before writing, embedded in craft traditions such as pottery painting and seal engraving. It shows that complex abstract thinking was already present in ... [Read More]

Feb 7th, 2026 - Badgers are common on the Prairies, but a recent federal assessment suggests they're vulnerable to the same threats facing the endangered populations in Ontario and British Columbia. Large mustelids are 'ecosystem engineers' of grasslands, biologist says Listen to this article Estimated 5 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Badgers are common on the Prairies, but a recent federal assessment suggests they're vulnerable to the same threats ... [Read More]

Feb 6th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Modern agriculture relies heavily on pesticides to protect crops and keep food production high. But over the years, scientists have learned that many of these chemicals do more than kill pests – they can also harm insects, fish, soil organisms, and plants that support healthy ecosystems. Recognizing those risks, countries meeting at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal agreed to cut pesticide-related risks in half by 2030. The pledge was meant to slow biodiversity loss while still maintaining global food supplies. Now, a new global analysis ... [Read More]

Feb 6th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google A faint hand outline on a cave wall has now been dated to at least 67,800 years ago, making it the oldest reliably dated example of rock art. That minimum age pushes confirmed cave art deeper into the Ice Age, and it changes where early symbolic culture clearly took hold. A hidden stencil emerges Tucked among newer paintings, the hand mark survived as a worn fragment until careful recording brought it back into view. Researchers from Griffith University returned to Liang Metanduno on Muna Island, where the stencil lay hidden beneath later deposits. Working from the ... [Read More]

Feb 6th, 2026 - A million years of kitchen accidents may have forced the human immune system to evolve. All major technological achievements of our civilization can be traced back to the most ancient of technologies: controlled fire. We tamed fire, cooked our food, then our brains grew, and we conquered the planet. But there is a hidden, painful chapter to this story that has been etched into our genome for over a million years. While every other animal on Earth flees from flame, humans invite it into their homes. This fiery love affair comes with a cost. For as long as we have been human, we have been ... [Read More]

Feb 6th, 2026 - Headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) are inescapable on Earth, ranging from celebrity deepfakes to breakthroughs in fundamental science. Now, it seems even Mars is no longer a haven from AI's ubiquitous presence. On Dec. 8 and 10, NASA's Perseverance Rover was guided across 1,496 feet (455.9 meters) of Martian surface on a route planned and executed entirely by a "vision language model" — a form of generative AI capable of deciphering videos and images along with text. "Autonomous technologies like this can help missions to operate more efficiently, respond to challenging ... [Read More]