Space Sciences & Astronomy

Method used to track ants underground could revolutionize how we measure snow depth from space

May 18, 2022

By Simona Pesce, Frontiers writer Photo of snow taken by crew of the International Space Station. Image: NASA With the help of some ants, NASA scientists have developed an [...]

Solar energy is superior to nuclear for powering crewed mission to Mars, show scientists

April 27, 2022

By Peter Rejcek, science writer A crewed mission to Mars will require transporting equipment for creating electricity to power life support systems. The choice for the type [...]

‘Science is a measure of our ignorance: the more we know, the more we realize how little we know’

March 22, 2022

By Dr Gianluca Calcagni, IEM-CSIC Image: Shutterstock.com Writing as part of our Frontier Scientists series, Dr Gianluca Calcagni of IEM-CSIC in Madrid gives us an insight [...]

Brains of cosmonauts get ‘rewired’ to adapt to long-term space missions, study finds

February 18, 2022

Brains of cosmonauts get ‘rewired’ to adapt to long-term space missions, finds study in Frontiers in Neural Circuits [...]

Extremely harsh volcanic lake shows how life might have existed on Mars

January 28, 2022

By K.E.D. Coan, science writer Fieldwork at Laguna Caliente, Poás volcano, Costa Rica. Credit: Justin Wang Only a few microbes inhabit Earth’s most extreme environments, [...]

DNA of future deep-space explorers could become more ‘error prone’ in microgravity

November 29, 2021

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer During parabolic flight to simulate weightless conditions in space, researchers show for the first time that a DNA polymerase [...]

Off-world colony simulation reveals changes in human communication over time with Earth

November 9, 2021

By Colm Gorey, Frontiers science writer Image: SciePro/Shutterstock.com Future planetary colonists will experience isolation like no other group in human history, which is [...]

Reach for the stars: Research Topics on space exploration

October 11, 2021

With recent advances in commercial space exploration, we have curated a list of our best Research Topics on outer space. Explore collections edited by experts from NASA, The Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Science Institute, German Aerospace Center, Canadian Space Agency, National Space Science Center, European Space Agency, International Space University, and many more. [...]

New method predicts ‘stealth’ solar storms before they wreak geomagnetic havoc on Earth

July 21, 2021

For the first time, stealth coronal mass ejections can be detected before they wreak havoc on Earth without the need for dedicated spacecraft: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences [...]

Researchers identify five double star systems potentially suitable for life

April 15, 2021

Habitable Zones, potentially suitable for life, can exist in systems with twin stars and giant planets: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences [...]

Astronauts in crewed Mars missions could misread vital emotional cues

March 17, 2021

By Tania Fitzgeorge-Balfour, Frontiers science writer Long-exposure photo of the centrifuge used to simulate microgravity in the research subjects. Image: DLR Spending an [...]

3 bacterial strains discovered on space station may help grow plants on Mars

March 15, 2021

By Colm Gorey, Frontiers science writer Interior view from the International Space Station cupola. Image: NASA Swab samples of 8 surfaces aboard the International Space [...]

Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars

February 22, 2021

Researchers send microbes to Earth’s stratosphere to test if these could survive on Mars: Frontiers in Microbiology [...]

Biotech fit for the Red Planet

February 16, 2021

Cyanobacteria can grow under a N2-CO2-rich low-pressure atmosphere with only water and nutrients from Mars dust: Frontiers in Microbiology [...]

Finding magnetic eruptions in space, with an AI assistant

September 22, 2020

A study by NASA presents the first machine learning algorithm to help scientists detect magnetic eruptions: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences [...]

Gut microbes could allow space travelers to stay healthy on long voyages

September 8, 2020

New review highlights the potential of microbiotics to keep astronauts healthy: Frontiers in Physiology [...]

Bacteria could survive the travel from Earth to Mars, and vice versa, when forming aggregates

August 26, 2020

Deinococcus bacteria can survive in outer space for years: Frontiers in Microbiology [...]

Are we alone? The search for new planets continues

February 14, 2020

Exoplanets, a new specialty section in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, is now open for submissions. [...]

Red wine’s resveratrol could help Mars explorers stay strong

July 18, 2019

Nutraceuticals that preserve muscle in reduced gravity will support long-term space missions; Frontiers in Physiology [...]

Sedimentary, my dear Johnson: is NASA looking at the wrong type of rock for clues to Martian life?

May 20, 2019

Scientists at the Swedish Museum of Natural History have begun compiling an atlas of fossils in volcanic rock, to guide where and what to look for in the search for Martian life; Frontiers in Earth Science [...]

Superbugs have colonized the International Space Station – but there’s a silver lining

March 25, 2019

An antimicrobial coating made of precious metals reduced growth of bacteria on contamination-prone surfaces inside the ISS, where extreme conditions can foster antibiotic-resistant superbugs; Frontiers in Microbiology [...]

Dormant viruses activate during spaceflight – NASA investigates

March 18, 2019

The stress of spaceflight gives viruses a holiday from immune surveillance, putting future deep-space missions in jeopardy; Frontiers in Microbiology [...]

Clues to Martian life found in Chilean desert

March 1, 2019

A trial NASA rover mission in the Mars-like Atacama desert has successfully recovered subterranean organisms -- strange, scattered, salt-resistant bacteria that could lead the search for Martian life deeper underground; Frontiers in Microbiology [...]