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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Particle Physics

    The search for mysterious dark matter underdogs steps up

    Dark matter particles called axions are finally being put to the test.

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  2. Astronomy

    Dark matter isn’t interacting with itself after all

    Hints that a distant galactic collision knocked dark matter askew fizzled with new observations.

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  3. Paleontology

    Readers debate dinosaur designation and more

    Readers had questions about the dino family tree and Venus' habitability.

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  4. Astronomy

    A dozen new black holes found in Milky Way’s center

    Twelve small black holes spotted in the Milky Way’s center suggest thousands more in the galaxy’s inner region.

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  5. Cosmology

    Why the Nobel Prize might need a makeover

    In Losing the Nobel Prize, astrophysicist Brian Keating discusses the downsides of science’s top honor.

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  6. Astronomy

    A Chinese space station will fall to Earth this weekend

    The Chinese space agency’s first space station is coming back to Earth this weekend. It probably won’t cause damage, but it will cause fireworks.

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  7. Astronomy

    Dark matter is MIA in this strange galaxy

    A galaxy without dark matter bolsters the case that the invisible substance really exists.

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  8. Planetary Science

    Water may have killed Mars’ magnetic field

    Extra hydrogen near the Red Planet’s iron core could have shut down convection.

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  9. Planetary Science

    This spinning moon shows where debris from giant impacts fell

    A new map shows that light-colored lunar plains point back to huge impact basins, raising questions about the age and history of the moon.

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  10. Planetary Science

    Venus may be home to a new kind of tectonics

    Venus’ surface seems to be divided into jostling blocks of crust, defying conventional wisdom about how the surfaces of rocky planets work.

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  11. Anthropology

    Readers ponder children’s pretend play, planetary dust storms and more

    Readers had questions about children’s fantasy play, lasers creating 3-D images and dust storms on Mars.

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  12. Planetary Science

    5 things we’ve learned about Saturn since Cassini died

    The Cassini spacecraft plunged to its death into Saturn six months ago, but the discoveries keep coming.

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