Headlines

How dark energy changed cosmology forever

Let's rewind the clock back…oh, I don't know, let's say a hundred years. It was 1917, and Einstein had just developed his general theory of relativity. It was a masterpiece, giving us our modern-day view of the gravitational force. And like anybody curious about gravity,

Researchers launch new Kansas Flood Mapping Dashboard

For Jude Kastens, who grew up on a farm in northwest Kansas, rainfall was always serious business. Although flooding wasn't as big a problem in his hometown as in central and eastern Kansas, it was "always memorable" when heavy rain caused local streams to swell from their

PFAS in ski wax: Forever chemicals hit the slopes

PFAS—short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—are currently the subject of numerous discussions and legislative proposals. Many of these so-called "forever chemicals" are harmful to human health and the environment. Since they can potentially remain in the environment for

What teenagers want adults to know about their digital lives

Teenagers all over the world use social media and messaging apps as part of their daily lives. This is accompanied by growing concerns about negative effects of social media on youth mental health—and ongoing debates around limiting screen time and access to digital devices.

Searching for exoplanets in the remnants of a dwarf galaxy

Our search for exoplanets is focused on Milky Way stars. It's been successful, with more than 6,000 detected so far. Scientists are even beginning to move beyond mere detections, and working on characterizing other characteristics of these planets, especially their atmospheres.

How three runaway stars solved a galactic mystery

All motion is relative. That simple fact makes tracking the motion of distant objects outside our galaxy particularly challenging. For example, there has been a debate among astronomers for decades about the path that one of our nearest neighbors, the Large Magellanic Cloud