Science That Matters

Explore the best in science that matters

A cardboard spectroscope and a little library of lamps

Compare household light sources with a fixed slit and diffraction grating, without pretending an uncalibrated box is a laboratory instrument.

Sep 10, 2026

Science That Matters

Hubble and Webb Found Tiny Icy Worlds That Keep Their Past

A joint Hubble-Webb survey found 27 faint worlds beyond Neptune. Their colors and scarcity offer a fresh test of how planets get their building blocks.

Sep 8, 2026

Science That Matters

ESA Followed a Dying Satellite to Learn How Spacecraft Break Apart

Cluster's final spacecraft reentered on September 1. An aircraft full of instruments watched its last seconds to improve the science of satellite disposal.

Sep 2, 2026

Science That Matters

Saturn Has a New Ten-Sided Mystery at Its South Pole

Hubble has tracked a growing ten-sided wave around Saturn's south pole. The surprise is not just its shape, but watching a planetary pattern emerge.

Sep 2, 2026

Science That Matters

Roman Has Launched. Its Biggest Trick Is Seeing More Sky at Once

NASA's Roman telescope launched on August 30. Its wide-field camera turns Hubble-like detail into a survey machine, with commissioning still ahead.

Aug 30, 2026

Science That Matters

NASA Is Blasting Fake Moon Dirt to Make Real Landings Safer

Inside a 60-foot vacuum sphere, NASA is measuring how landing-engine plumes throw lunar soil. The six-second tests target a serious landing hazard.

Aug 26, 2026

Science That Matters

NASA's Roman Telescope Is Fueled, Mounted, and Almost Ready to Fly

NASA has fueled the Roman Space Telescope and mounted it to SpaceX launch hardware ahead of a no-earlier-than August 30 Falcon Heavy flight.

Aug 10, 2026

Science That Matters

Naked Mole-Rat Queens Rule Their Colonies With a Single Scent

Researchers found that pregnant naked mole-rat queens release one odorless chemical that suppresses fertility and conflict throughout the colony.

Jul 15, 2026

Science That Matters

Scientists Found the First True Sugar in Interstellar Space

Astronomers detected erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, in a Galactic Center molecular cloud - the first true sugar identified in interstellar space.

Jul 13, 2026

Science That Matters

The World's Biggest Camera Just Started a 10-Year Movie of the Universe

Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun the LSST, using its 3,200-megapixel camera to photograph the southern sky every few nights for a decade.

Jun 30, 2026