Science

Earning a PhD at 26, Xu Ying became one of the key scientists behind BeiDou, China’s GPS-equivalent navigation system, while pushing back against stereotypes about women in science. The 43-year-old scientist was born in Sichuan Province to a mathematics teacher mother and an agricultural technician father, according to the South China Morning Post. Chinese scientist Xu Ying, a key figure behind the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System Fascinated by mathematics and physics from

Utilizing the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, astronomers have scanned for artificial radio signals emanating from the famed interstellar object 3I/ATLAS—a celestial body that deeply divided the scientific community over the past year. Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object discovered transiting our solar system. Due to its numerous anomalous characteristics, some scientists have hypothesized t

Four prominent Chinese researchers have been stripped of senior academic roles after investigations uncovered manipulated or fabricated data in high-profile scientific studies. (From top left to right) Chinese scientists Wang Ping, Chen Quan, Kang Tiebang and Kuang Dongming Last weekend, Nankai University dismissed Quan Chen, dean of its College of Life Sciences, for failing to properly oversee the quality and authenticity of experimental data in a 2024 paper published in Nat

China launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday as part of Beijing's ambitions to send humans to the Moon by 2030, state media said. During this mission, a Chinese astronaut is scheduled to spend a full year in orbit on the Tiangong space station, a crucial first in the Chinese lunar landing programme. The Long March 2-F rocket blasted off in a cloud of flames and smoke on time at 11:08 pm (1508 GMT) Su

In 2025, an ultra-sensitive network of gravitational-wave detectors registered a powerful ripple in the fabric of space-time, designated as GW250114. Image of a cosmic black hole This is the result of the largest recorded collision between two black holes. The event provided the clearest, most noise-free data to date. As a result, scientists were handed a perfect "laboratory" to test the classic physical theories of past decades. Most notably, researchers utilized data from t

Space debris—ranging from defunct satellites and discarded rocket stages to fragmented collision debris—poses an escalating threat to spacecraft and, in certain scenarios, to populations on the ground. A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences indicates that during periods of heightened solar activity, both the risk and the velocity of space debris re-entering Earth's atmosphere increase significantly. Low Earth Orbit (LEO), situated at

The NASA Administrator announced his support for restoring Pluto's planetary status, stating that scientific studies are being prepared to be presented to the international astronomical community. The debate over how to define Pluto has just been rekindled after 20 years. During a hearing before the US Senate Budget Committee, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman declared that Pluto should be returned to the list of planets in the Solar System. He also revealed that NASA is prep

Terence Tao, a UCLA mathematics professor widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest living mathematicians, rose from child prodigy to Fields Medalist at 31. The 51-year-old Australian-American mathematician earned the nickname "Mozart of math" for displaying extraordinary talent at a very early age, as well as for his gentle personal style. "Terry is like Mozart; mathematics just flows out of him," UCLA professor John Garnett told UCLA Magazine, adding that such talent a