Alien planet spins revealed a hidden clue to how worlds form
Using the Keck Observatory, astronomers measured the spins of dozens of giant planets and brown dwarfs orbiting distant stars. They found that giant planets can spin faster than much more massive brown dwarfs, challenging simple assumptions about mass and rotation. The results suggest that magnetic fields and formation processes play a major role in determining how fast worlds end up spinning.
The science section covers breakthroughs in medicine, physics, biology, and technology. We surface discoveries that expand what humanity can do, from new treatments reaching clinical trials to engineering feats that seemed impossible a decade ago. Every link goes to the original publisher so you can read the full study or press release yourself.
A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 found that brain health can improve at any age, chal…
Learning a musical instrument later in life may help keep the brain younger for longer. In a four-year study, older adul…
A bold claim that the universe’s accelerating expansion was an illusion has been put to the test-and failed. Researchers…
When a star dies, it generates an explosion of elemental nuclei and hurls them into space. Those elements, called cosmic…