Science

Clár-Bríd Tohill reviews Starstruck by Sarafina El-Badry Nance Path to success Sarafina El-Badry Nance is an astrophysicist and science communicator who was named in 2021 by Forbes magazine as one of 30 inspirational women from all walks of life. (Courtesy: Lawrence Berkeley lab) When I was a girl, I was fascinated by science but had

SAN FRANCISCO – Benchmark Space Systems raised $33 million in a Series B funding round. With the money raised, Benchmark plans to shift its focus from propulsion system research and development to manufacturing and testing.    News of the investment round came on the heels of layoffs by the Burlington, Vermont-based startup. “The fundraising process

It’s said nature abhors a vacuum. The same is true of leadership. In the global space community, a government body is almost always a leading component of a nation’s growing space ecosystem. But what if it wasn’t? In Ecuador today, there is growing momentum around space ecosystem development. To be sure, Ecuador has some history

The shape of the brain Monash University researchers James Pang (left) and Alex Fornito studied over 10,000 MRIs to determine that brain geometry influences its activity. (Courtesy: Monash University) How does the human brain work? It depends on who you ask. At school, you were likely taught that our brains contain billions of neurons that

Dylan Taylor is the founder and CEO of Voyager Space and a commercial astronaut who flew on Blue Origin’s NS-19 New Shepard suborbital space mission. When Astronaut Chris Hadfield gazed at Earth from Space Shuttle Endeavour, tears formed in his left eye as he experienced the Overview Effect. He didn’t expect these tears would make

Edward Hearst is CEO of Hearst Technology and Trade, a former vice president at Astra Space, and served as a deputy assistant secretary for international affairs at the Treasury Department (acting), a senior official at the Commerce and State Departments, Counsel on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and as an attorney at the FCC

In the lab University of Connecticut researchers (from left to right): Kazem Kazerounian, Thanh Nguyen, Feng Lin, Thinh Le, Meysam Chorsi and Horea Ilies. The biodegradable ultrasonic transducer is shown in the foreground. (Courtesy: Thanh D Nguyen, University of Connecticut) A new type of biodegradable ultrasound implant based on piezoelectric nanofibres could improve outcomes for

WASHINGTON — As the European Space Agency continues to develop proposals for human space exploration efforts, more European countries are showing an interest in launching astronauts. At a June 29 briefing after a meeting of the ESA Council, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced that Poland was subscribing an additional 295 million euros ($325 million)

SAN FRANCISCO – Plasmos, the Los Angeles-based startup developing rocket engines, is pivoting to become an artificial intelligence-driven venture capital firm. Plasmos officially changed its business model in late May after struggling to attract investors and strategic partners due in part to the background of Plasmos CEO Ali Baghchehsara. Born in Iran, Baghchehsara moved to

Shining adventure: embark on a Minecraft tour of the solar system with Our Place in Space. (Courtesy: Our Place in Space) While Minecraft is the best-selling video game in history and might have kids glued to their screens more than their parents would like, it does come with some educational benefits. One example is a new

TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite TV broadcaster Dish Network is rumored to be considering recombining with internet-focused sister company EchoStar to strengthen its financial resources. The companies have engaged advisers to flesh out a potential deal, reported news publication Semafor July 6, citing people familiar with the matter. Dish and satellite fleet operator EchoStar — both

WASHINGTON — Europe, temporarily lacking its own access to space, plans to rely more on SpaceX to launch key science and navigation spacecraft while working to restore its launch capabilities. The successful final Ariane 5 launch July 5 means that Europe temporarily has no ability to launch payloads into orbit. The Ariane 5’s successor, Ariane

Building a clock based on a nuclear transition has long been a goal of metrologists. As well as offering the potential of greater accuracy than atomic clocks, such a timekeeper could be more immune to external noise and could also be used to probe new physics beyond the Standard Model. However, the challenges have been

WASHINGTON —  HawkEye 360, a commercial operator of remote-sensing satellites, announced July 6 it was selected by the government of Australia to help detect illegal fishing activity using radio-frequency sensors. The company received a contract of undisclosed value from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for a pilot program in support of the Pacific

WASHINGTON — One chapter in European access to space came to a close July 5 with the final launch of the Ariane 5, but the beginning of the next chapter faces additional delays. An Ariane 5 lifted off from the European spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, at 6 p.m. Eastern. The launch had been scheduled

Cool idea: metallic solid-state refrigerant tubes used for elastocaloric cooling, which is an environmentally friendly refrigeration technology. (Courtesy: Jiaqi Dai/Maryland Engineering) An elastocaloric cooling system that absorbs heat as tension is released in bundles of metal tubes has been developed by a team of researchers in the US and China. Led by Ichiro Takeuchi at

TAMPA, Fla. — International regulators have waived a requirement for Rivada Space Networks to launch 10% of its proposed 576 satellites by September, boosting plans to fund the multibillion-dollar connectivity constellation. Rivada expects to start deploying commercial satellites in 2025 under contracts with manufacturer Terran Orbital and launcher SpaceX, easily missing the first deployment deadline

Cool idea: images of the bolometer on a silicon chip. (Courtesy: Jean-Philippe Girard/Aalto University) A new type of bolometer that covers a broad range of microwave frequencies has been created by researchers in Finland. The work builds on previous research by the team and the new technique could potentially characterize background noise sources and thereby