Life expectancy in the US is finally on the rise again
For several years in a row now, life expectancy in the United States has seen a small but steady decline. This unfortunate trend has been …
Articles by Mike Wehner
This is actually what the surface of the Sun looks like
The Sun rises and falls every day, giving us plenty of opportunities to see it. From Earth, we can’t really make out what it is …
Two satellites are about to make an incredibly close pass in Earth orbit
It’s easy to imagine the area around Earth being so incredibly large that there’s no way we could ever clog it with manmade debris. Unfortunately, …
Voyager 2 is acting strange, and it’s up to NASA to figure out why
It’s not often that a NASA mission is still up and running over four decades after launch, but the space agency’s Voyager twins are anything …
No, the coronavirus doesn’t have anything to do with beer
With all the news about the scary new coronavirus coming out of China, you’d have to be completely cut off from the daily news cycle …
United States military escorts hundreds of Americans from China as coronavirus fears spread
As the deadly coronavirus continues to spread across parts of China, foreigners traveling through the area are doing their best to get out. As was …
NASA and ESA want to see the Sun’s poles, but it won’t be easy
Over the course of human history, astronomers have spent a lot of time studying our nearest star. Telescopes on the ground can only see so …
Wattbike Atom review: Pelo-who?
If you’ve turned on the TV at any point in the past three months or so you’ve surely seen a flood of personal fitness ads. …
The FDA just had to scold Purell for claiming it can prevent Ebola
With the bizarre and undeniably scary situation happening in China right now with the new coronavirus, you might be tempted to reach for your nearest …
Americans stuck in Wuhan, China are looking for an escape from the coronavirus
The scary new strain of coronavirus that is spreading across parts of China and beginning to pop up in other areas, including the United States, …
SpaceX is about to launch 60 new satellites, and you can watch it live right here
After Monday’s planned launch was delayed due to high upper-level winds, SpaceX is about to try one again to launch its newest batch of Starlink …
‘Hot Jupiter’ exoplanets are super weird
In the hunt for planets outside of our own solar system, scientists have spotted a number of interesting planet types that we simply don’t have …
There may be a hidden planet orbiting a nearby star
Besides the Sun, the nearest star to Earth is a big flaming orb known as Proxima Centauri. As far as we know, there’s at least …
ISS astronauts may have finally fixed a $2 billion ISS instrument
The International Space Station is a complex thing. It’s a massive laboratory, living space, and observation platform all in one. But, like any machine, sometimes …
5th coronavirus case confirmed in US as China warns of rapid outbreak
A total of five people in the United States are now confirmed to have the coronavirus which originally popped up in China several weeks ago. …
Watch SpaceX launch 60 new Starlink satellites live right here
Update: The launch has been delayed until Tuesday, January 28th. SpaceX’s continued efforts to build a vast communications network will continue today with the launch …
Elephants escaped a circus in Russia and used their freedom to play in the snow
It’s hard to know how zoo and circus animals feel about their lives, but it’s certainly within reason to assume some of them would prefer …
This adorable husky with surprised eyes found her new home after going viral on Facebook
When a four-year-old husky named Jubilee was surrendered to New Jersey’s Husky House earlier this month, the breeder who brought her in said they couldn’t …
NASA’s Kepler spots a star slurping up a planet
NASA’s Kepler space telescope is extremely good at spotting the subtle hints of distant exoplanets. It does this by detecting slight drops in the brightness …
China is building an entire hospital in a week to treat virus outbreak patients
The coronavirus outbreak that began in China weeks ago is now growing by the hour. The tally of infected individuals has skyrocketed in the past …
Boeing backs out of military spaceplane project
To say it’s been a rough couple of years for Boeing would be an understatement. The company has endured a number of significant setbacks — …
Astronauts baked cookies in space and it took forever
One of the coolest things about being chosen for a mission to the International Space Station is that you get to carry out experiments that …
China just released the most stunning images from the far side of the Moon
China started off 2019 by completing the first soft landing on the far side Earth’s moon. It was a monumental achievement, and the months since …
Stress really does turn your hair grey, scientists say
It’s long been thought that when it comes to graying hair, stress plays a role. Most of us will go gray over time, regardless of …
Uh oh: NASA’s Curiosity rover just suffered a puzzling glitch on Mars
It’s been a while since NASA was forced to pull the plug on its Mars rover Opportunity. The trusty bot fell silent after a dust …
Coronavirus outbreak prompts lockdown of 11 million people in China
The new virus that popped up in Wuhan, China, weeks ago has since spread to over 500 people, claimed over a dozen lives, and is …
Scientists found ancient never-before-seen viruses locked in a glacier
You can find a lot of interesting things if you start digging around in ice that’s been frozen for thousands and thousands of years. For …
The oldest crater on Earth was found in Australia
When we gaze out into our solar system and observe its several planets and many moons, one thing tends to be true of just about …
CDC confirms Chinese coronavirus has arrived in the US
The bizarre new virus strain that popped up in China weeks ago has now made its way to the United States. Officials from the Centers …
NASA narrows down Mars 2020 rover name to 9 finalists
In case you haven’t been paying much attention to NASA’s plans for 2020, let me get you up to speed on what is probably the …
