The Solar System's Oort Cloud May Harbor an Astonishing Number of Objects from Other Stars

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September 09, 2021

Dear Reader, This week, we're getting to know the neighbors. Our lead story details new research postulating that the Oort Cloud—a diffuse, distant shell of comets that envelops our solar system—may be mostly populated by icy interlopers from other nearby stars. If true, this would place a potent collection of material from other planetary systems right at our proverbial doorstep. Much closer to home, we also have coverage of the Perseverance Mars rover's first successful collection of rock specimens in its search for alien life, as well as a host of other articles on the latest space-related happenings on Earth and beyond. Enjoy!

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Planetary Science The Solar System's Oort Cloud May Harbor an Astonishing Number of Objects from Other Stars Contrary to what we've long assumed, this reservoir of comets surrounding the solar system may have more visitors than permanent residents By Amir Siraj

Planetary Science Success! Perseverance Mars Rover Finally Collects Its First Rock Core The mission is living up to its name, drilling and storing a Martian rock after a misstep in August By Alexandra Witze,Nature magazine

Microbiology COVID Advances Win $3-million Breakthrough Prizes Pioneers of mRNA vaccines and next-generation sequencing techniques are among the winners of science's most lucrative awards By Zeeya Merali,Nature magazine

Aerospace Starlink, Internet from Space and the Precarious Future of Broadband in Rural America President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan includes an unprecedented $65 billion for broadband deployment, but money alone will not fix the U.S.'s Internet problem. This short documentary shows why By Jacob Templin

Particle Physics Hidden Particle Interactions Exposed by Peeling Layers of Graphene Ions flowing through atom-thin stacks of carbon confirm classic theories but also yield new surprises By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Extraterrestrial Life To Look or Not to Look? That Is the Question The search for technological relics of extraterrestrial civilizations will inspire the public and attract talent to the field of astronomy By Avi Loeb

Nanotechnology The Kavli Prize Presents: Understanding Atoms [Sponsored] Gerd Binnig shared the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience in 2016 for inventing the atomic force microscope. What transformative impact has this invention had on nanoscience? By Scientific American Custom Media | 07:03

Quantum Physics Talking to My Daughter Can Be Harder Than Learning Quantum Mechanics Ordinary human dilemmas are tougher to solve than the most difficult problems of physics and mathematics By John Horgan

Space Exploration China Wants to Build a Mega Spaceship That's Nearly a Mile Long A proposal plans to study how to build a giant spacecraft By Edd Gent,LiveScience

FROM THE STORE Scientific American Space & Physics, Volume 4, Issue 4

QUOTE OF THE DAY "There are far more interstellar interlopers in the dark reaches of the solar system at any given time than there are comets of local origin." Amir Siraj, astrophysicist

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FROM THE ARCHIVE The Risky Rush for Mega Constellations Some experts are alarmed by plans to launch tens of thousands of revolutionary telecommunications satellites in coming years By Jonathan O'Callaghan | October 2019

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