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Journey to the Savage Planet review: It's wacky but not in a good way

There’s nothing like crash-landing on an alien planet. Journey to the Savage Planet doesn't always get it right, but it has echoes of classic Metroid Prime, says Jacob Aron




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A wobbling star may explain pattern of weird radio signals from space

We’ve spotted strange blasts of radio waves from space in a pattern that may be produced by a magnetised neutron star wobbling as it spins




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A planet could have been stolen from the solar system as it formed

Stars like our sun formed in a dense cluster with thousands of others, during which time they may have swapped planets




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For All Mankind review: A superb alternative history of the space race

When the Soviet Union lands on the moon first people in the US are shocked. But For All Mankind provides an even bigger surprise when one cosmonaut's identity is revealed, says Emily Wilson




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Five things we have learned about Mars from NASA's InSight mission

NASA’s InSight lander has been on the surface of Mars for over a year now – here are five of its strangest and most fascinating discoveries from the Red Planet




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Our galaxy’s huge black hole may have created organic molecules

The enormous black hole at the centre of the Milky Way was active millions of years ago, and its intense X-rays may have formed some molecules necessary for life




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Earth has acquired a brand new moon that's about the size of a car

Astronomers have spotted an asteroid that has been captured by Earth's gravity, making it a temporary mini-moon. It will probably fly away again in April




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China’s rover has discovered what lies beneath the moon’s far side

China’s Yutu-2 rover has used radar to peer 40 metres under the surface of the far side of the moon and revealed how past impacts have shaped its geology




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The atmosphere gets in the way of the universe’s most amazing objects

Earth’s atmosphere thankfully provides air for us to breathe, but when trying to study interesting objects in space it causes all sorts of problems, writes Chanda Prescod-Weinstein




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First private space rescue mission sees two satellites latch together

A private satellite that is low on fuel could survive five more years because another satellite has come to its rescue – a technique that could be used by future service spacecraft




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Rocket start-up Astra tries back-to-back launches to win $12 million

A space flight start-up called Astra is about to attempt to launch two small rockets into orbit over a few weeks to win $12 million from the US military




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Astronomers have discovered the biggest explosion in the universe

A huge black hole in a distant galaxy caused the largest explosion we have ever seen, with the energy of 10 billion suns – and it isn't clear why it was so big




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Weird star was born when two white dwarfs merged instead of blowing up

White dwarf stars are common in the galaxy, but astronomers have found one that doesn't seem to obey the rules. They think it was born when two smaller white dwarfs merged together




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Have we really found an alien protein inside a meteorite?

A team of researchers say they have discovered a protein molecule inside a meteorite, the first extraterrestrial example ever found, but others are sceptical




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NASA's next Mars rover is called Perseverance and will search for life

Out of 28,000 suggestions, NASA selected the name Perseverance for its Mars 2020 rover, which will search for signs of life on the Red Planet




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SpaceX plans to send 3 tourists to the space station next year

SpaceX is partnering with a US start-up called Axiom Space to launch three space tourists on a 10-day trip to the International Space Station




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Lettuce grown on space station is just as good as on Earth

Lettuce grown on the International Space Station has been served with tacos and cheeseburgers, and it turns out to be just as nutritious as the Earth-grown version




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Neutrinos determined where galaxies formed in the early universe

In the early universe, particles called neutrinos had a starring role in determining where galaxy clusters formed and which elements were created when stars exploded




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Black hole from the early universe is blasting us with a powerful jet

A huge black hole from when the universe was less than a billion years old is shooting a powerful jet at Earth, and studying it could help us understand the young cosmos




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Oxygen in lunar rocks suggests the moon formed in huge collision

A leading theory for the formation of the moon is that a planet called Theia smashed into the early Earth, but doubts remain. Now a new analysis of lunar rock supports this idea




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How red is a black hole? The strange reality of what space looks like

Our images of deep space are spectacular, but don’t reflect what our eyes would see. Here's what their stunning true colours reveal about the cosmos




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Liquid iron rain spotted on super-heated exoplanet WASP-76b

Exoplanet WASP-76b, which is about 390 light years from the solar system, has a strange iron signature in its atmosphere, suggesting the metal is raining down on the planet's night side




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ESA and Russia delay troubled ExoMars mission launch until 2022

The ExoMars mission, a joint venture between the European and Russian space agencies, will be delayed for two years. It has already been plagued by issues and the coronavirus hasn't helped




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Solar flares and cosmic rays may make Proxima b warm enough for life

Proxima Centauri b, a planet orbiting our nearest stellar neighbour, is being blasted with cosmic rays and solar flares – which could make it warm enough to host life




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Comet 67P is hiding nitrogen that could solve a solar system mystery

The Rosetta spacecraft’s measurements of comet 67P have revealed a hidden source of nitrogen that may help us learn how giant planets – and even life – formed




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Mars may once have had right conditions for RNA to develop into life

When Mars was young, parts of the planet may have been able to sustain RNA, a molecule that probably played a key role in the beginnings of life on Earth




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Strange lines on Venus may be folded stacks of lava eroded by wind

Venus’s surface is covered in strange wiggling lines that may form when colossal stacks of lava are carved by gentle winds over hundreds of millions of years




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Bombing asteroid Ryugu reveals it is a spritely 9 million years old

The Hayabusa-2 spacecraft bombed the asteroid Ryugu in April. Analysing the crater it left behind suggests Ryugu is a relative youngster at 9 million years old




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Interstellar comet Borisov may be breaking up as it exits solar system

The first-ever interstellar comet is showing signs of brightening, suggesting it may have been heated up as it passed near to the sun




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Mysterious crater on Mars could be a good place to look for life

Could life on Mars have hidden from extreme weather in a cavern on the Pavonis Mons volcano? This 2011 orbiter image of an otherworldly crater has NASA asking just that




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Tiny meteorite found in Antarctica came from an unknown asteroid

A tiny meteorite found in Antarctica doesn’t match any asteroid or comet we know of. Instead, it must have come from a mystery parent body that’s full of water




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We still don't understand a basic fact about the universe

Our measurements of the Hubble constant can't seem to come up with a consistent answer. What we learn next may alter our view of the cosmos, writes Chanda Prescod-Weinstein




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Pluto formed quickly with a deep ocean covering its entire surface

Pluto’s ancient oceans may have come about just after the icy world was born, melting from ice in a process that suggests the dwarf planet took just 30,000 years to form




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Venus may have an underground magma ocean spanning the whole planet

When Earth and Venus formed, they both had global magma oceans deep underground. Earth’s has turned solid by now, but Venus’s may still remain hidden




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Supermassive stars may have formed by repeatedly eating their siblings

Some black holes are way bigger than we can explain, and they may have come from supermassive stars that formed by devouring the other stars around them




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Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: The unsung discoverer of star chemistry

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who discovered that hydrogen dominates our universe, finally gets the recognition she deserves in a rich biography, What Stars Are Made Of




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An asteroid strike may have popped the surface of Mars

An unusually round and symmetrical deposit on Mars may be the result of an impact that popped the surface of the planet, causing a volcanic eruption less than 200,000 years ago




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Rockets armed with talcum powder could stop deadly space junk

Thousands of dead satellites and chunks of debris in orbit are a threat to active satellites, but rockets that launch clouds of talcum powder may prevent a disastrous collision




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We may have spotted a parallel universe going backwards in time

Strange particles observed by an experiment in Antarctica could be evidence of an alternative reality where everything is upside down




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Monster rocky exoplanet could let us glimpse the heart of Jupiter

An enormous rocky planet orbiting a distant star may be a gas giant that has had its atmosphere ripped off, which could help us understand how huge worlds like Jupiter form




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Vast worlds called brown dwarfs have extraordinarily powerful winds

Brown dwarfs, which are halfway between huge planets and small stars, have extremely powerful winds whipping around them at speeds of about 650 metres per second




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Astronomers have spotted the most powerful supernova ever

An explosion 4.6 billion light years away has released 10 times more energy than the sun will put out in its lifetime, making it the most extreme supernova ever found




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Long space flights can increase the volume of astronauts’ brains

Spending at least six months in microgravity can cause astronauts’ brain volumes to increase, causing pressure to build up in their heads and creating vision problems




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The orbit of a star near our galaxy’s black hole proves Einstein right

A star that swoops close to the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole has a strange, looping orbit that proves Einstein was right about the gravity of black holes




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Asteroid Arrokoth may have broken its neck in 6400 km per hour impact

Arrokoth, a strange two-lobed space rock, was hit by another rock at some point – the collision may have snapped Arrokoth’s narrow neck before it reformed again




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Interstellar comet Borisov came from a cold and distant home star

The interstellar comet Borisov, which flew past Earth in December, is full of carbon monoxide ice that implies its home star is smaller and colder than our sun




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A giant raft of rock may once have floated across Mars’s ancient ocean

Mars could have had an ancient ocean in its northern hemisphere, and a large raft of volcanic rock may have floated across it to settle into mounds we can see today




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Mysterious ‘Planet Nine’ on the solar system’s edge may not be real

Strange orbits of distant space rocks have been used to infer that the solar system has an unseen ninth planet, but those orbits may be less strange than we thought, meaning there is no need for a new planet




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Ripples in Earth’s atmosphere make distant galaxies appear to flash

Faraway galaxies have been spotted unexpectedly flashing up to 100 times their usual brightness, and it seems to be caused by eddies in Earth’s atmosphere




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Our nearest star system may have a planet with a colossal set of rings

We know that there is at least one planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our solar system, and now astronomers may have taken the first picture of a second world