ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN

AP Science Writer
This artist’s illustration provided by the European Southern Observatory shows an exoplanet orbiting around two brown dwarfs, celestial objects that are lighter than stars, but heavier than gas giant planets. (M. Kornmesser/ESO via AP)
Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say
Scientists may have found a new Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system that orbits two failed stars. Located 120 light years away, the planet appears to take an unusual path around two brown dwarfs, whipping around at a right angle.
 
The northern lights appear over Anchorage, Alaska, on Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
A strong solar storm heads to Earth. Here’s what to know about northern lights
A strong solar storm is headed to Earth and this could cause colorful aurora displays in parts of the United States.
 
A full moon rises above the clouds at sunset in Lisbon, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
A micromoon will grace the night skies this weekend
 
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, members of a China search and rescue team transfer a pregnant survivor from a collapsed building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua via AP)
After an earthquake, how long can trapped victims survive?
For those trapped in rubble after an earthquake, survival depends on many factors, including weather and access to water and air.
 
This photo provided by Qiong Wu in March 2025 shows an ancient wasp, preserved in amber from Myanmar, whose back end resembles a Venus flytrap plant. (Qiong Wu via AP)
A Venus flytrap wasp? Scientists uncover an ancient insect preserved in amber that snatched its prey
Scientists have discovered an ancient wasp with a body like a Venus flytrap to seize and snatch its prey. More than a dozen female wasps were found preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar, dating back to the dinosaurs.
 
An annular solar eclipse rises over the skyline of Toronto, June 10, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Get ready for a partial solar eclipse across Europe and parts of North America and Africa
The moon will appear to take bites out of the sun during a partial solar eclipse in the Northern Hemisphere. The eclipse will be visible Saturday across Europe, western Africa, eastern North America and northern Asia.
 
This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that's capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP, File)
A NASA spacecraft will make another close pass of the sun
A NASA spacecraft will make its second close brush with the sun. The Parker Solar Probe made its record-breaking first pass within 3.8 million miles of the scorching sun in December, flying closer than any object sent before.
 
This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows Venus taken from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
Venus passes between the Earth and sun this weekend -- but don’t try to look for it
Venus will pass between the Earth and sun during what’s called an inferior conjunction. But don’t plan on seeing the linkup. The sight is extremely difficult to spot without special equipment and a trained eye.
 
This image provided by NSF’s NOIRLab shows the trails of stars above Kitt Peak National Observatory, where a telescope is mapping the universe to study a mysterious force called dark energy. (NSF’s NoirLab via AP)
How will the universe end? A changing understanding of dark energy may provide a new answer
Scientists are homing in on the nature of a mysterious force called dark energy, and nothing short of the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.
 
This photo provided by the European Space Agency shows various galaxies imaged by the Euclid mission. (European Space Agency via AP)
European telescope studying the dark universe unveils new images of distant galaxies
A European space telescope launched to explore the dark universe has released a trove of new data on distant galaxies.
 
This photo provided by the United States Geological Survey shows a female Lau banded iguana in Fiji. (Robert Fisher/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
Iguanas likely crossed the Pacific millions of years ago on a record-setting rafting trip
Iguanas may have pulled off a 5000 mile voyage on a raft of floating vegetation to get to Fiji. Researchers have long wondered how iguanas got to the collection of remote islands in the South Pacific.
 
Light shines from a total lunar eclipse over Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
Watch the moon turn red during a total lunar eclipse in March
A total lunar eclipse will flush the moon red across the Western Hemisphere. On Thursday night into Friday morning, the Earth will cast a shadow that totally blocks the moon. Best viewing will be from North America and South America.
 
This photo provided by João Zilhão shows forearm bone fragments belonging to an ancient child that appeared to have features from both humans and Neanderthals. (João Zilhão via AP)
Scientists date remains of an ancient child that resembles both humans and Neanderthals
Scientists have dated the skeleton of an ancient child that caused a stir when it was first discovered because it carries features from both humans and Neanderthals.
 
This illustration provided by NASA depicts Voyager 1. (NASA via AP, File)
NASA powers down two instruments on twin Voyager spacecraft to save power
NASA is switching off two science instruments on its twin Voyager spacecraft to save power. The space agency said Wednesday an instrument on Voyager 2 that measures charged particles and cosmic rays will shut off later this month.
 
People break their fasts during the Muslim's holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a rooftop restaurant near the historical Badshahi mosque, in background, in Lahore, Pakistan, March 15, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
How to practice healthy fasting during Ramadan
As Ramadan approaches, keeping healthy fasting practices in mind can make the month more meaningful. Young children, the elderly and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding are exempt from fasting.
 
People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
Every planet of our solar system is lining up in the February night sky
Seven planets grace the sky at the end of February in what’s known as a planetary parade, though some will be difficult to spot. Venus, Mars and Jupiter are visible to the naked eye through the end of the month.
 
A woman applies lip balm in Long Pond, Pa., Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Does lip balm help chapped lips? Here’s what to know
Lip balm can soothe chapped lips, but some people may be allergic to its ingredients. For those few, the products can sting instead of soothe.
 
Scientists prepare to lower equipment used to detect neutrinos into the Mediterranean Sea. (Paschal Coyle, KM3NeT via AP)
A deep-sea neutrino telescope spots the most energetic ghost particle yet
A neutrino detector submerged in the Mediterranean Sea has sniffed out the most energetic ghost particle yet. The newly detected neutrino is 30 times more energetic than the previous recordholder.
 
This photo provided by researchers in February 2025 shows two pots, one with boiling water, left, and the other with a basket of eggs in lukewarm water, in a new method of boiling eggs dubbed "periodic cooking." (Emilia Di Lorenzo, Ernesto Di Maio via AP)
This is how you can cook a great boiled egg
Scientists say they’ve cracked the code for boiling the perfect egg. Making an ideal boiled egg is a challenge because the yolk cooks at a lower temperature than the whites. Researchers cooked hundreds of eggs and used math to tackle this challenge.
 
NASA’s four Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, satellites at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida, March 2015. (NASA via AP)
Scientists detect chirping cosmic waves in an unexpected part of space
Scientists have detected cosmic waves that sound like chirping birds in an unexpected place. These bursts of plasma, called chorus waves, ripple at the same frequency as human hearing.
 
Taormina Lepore, foreground, who has low vision, walks with a white cane during an accessible field trip to the San Andreas Fault organized by the International Association of Geoscience Diversity Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in San Bernadino, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
How scientists with disabilities are making research labs and fieldwork more accessible
Disabled scientists are trying to make research labs and fieldwork more accessible. They say labs and field sites aren’t designed to serve them. The Americans with Disabilities Act sets minimum regulations for new buildings and lab spaces to follow.
 
The photo provided by the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection shows fragments collected from a meteorite which fell in front of a resident's home in Marshfield, P.E.I., Canada, in July 2024. (University of Alberta Meteorite Collection/The Canadian Press via AP)
A meteorite strike was captured on video by a Canadian home’s doorbell camera
A doorbell camera on a Canadian home captured rare video and sound of a meteorite striking Earth as it crashed into a couple’s walkway.
 
A youth looks through a telescope during a stargazing and comet-watching gathering at Joya-La Barreta Ecological Park in Queretaro, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme, File)
How to glimpse a parade of planets in the January night sky
Six planets grace the sky this month in what’s called a planetary parade. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye in January and for part of February. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.
 
The northern lights flare in the sky over a farmhouse, May 10, 2024, in Brunswick, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Northern lights could be visible in upper fringes of the US this New Year’s Eve
Solar storms may bring northern lights to several states in the northern U.S in time for the new year. Minor disruptions to radio communications are also possible.
 
This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that's capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP, File)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe survives close brush with the sun’s scorching surface
NASA has confirmed that a spacecraft has made the closest approach to the sun. Earlier this week, the Parker Solar Probe passed within a mere 3.8 million miles of the sun.
 
This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that's capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP, File)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before
A NASA spacecraft is about to make the closest approach to the sun. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. On Tuesday, Parker will pass within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface.
 
The $300 million detector is seen at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory located 2297 feet (700 meters) underground in Kaiping in southern China's Guangdong province on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A new neutrino detector in China aims to spot mysterious ghost particles lurking around us
Scientists in China have almost finished building a massive underground detector to sniff out mysterious particles called neutrinos. Neutrinos are tiny, cosmic particles with a mind-bogglingly small mass, but they’re found all around us.
 
This image released by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, May 12, 2022, shows a black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way black hole is called Sagittarius A*, near the border of Sagittarius and Scorpius constellations. (Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration via AP)
Two stars may be orbiting each other near a supermassive black hole in our Milky Way galaxy
Scientists have spotted what appear to be two stars whipping around each other near the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Nearly every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its heart.
 
This image provided by National Museum, Prague shows the skull of an ancient human called Zlatý kůň, originally discovered in the Koněprusy caves of the Czech Republic. (Marek Jantač/National Museum, Prague via AP)
Ancient genes pinpoint when humans and Neanderthals mixed and mingled
A new study says Neanderthals and humans likely mixed and mingled during a narrow time frame 45,000 years ago. Researchers analyzed ancient genes to pinpoint the time period, which is slightly more recent than previous estimates for the mating.
 
Weighted blankets on display in a Saatva mattress showroom in New York, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)
Do weighted blankets help you sleep better? Here’s what to know
Weighted blankets are a popular choice to warm up in cold weather, but research on their effectiveness is limited. Such blankets come with extra heft in the form of glass beads, pellets or cotton. They’re also more expensive than regular blankets.
 
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