Hunt for Alien Life Tops Next-Gen Wish List for U.S. Astronomy

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November 04, 2021

Dear Reader, This week, we're thinking big. Our lead story covers what may first seem a minor procedural detail—the release of a new technical report—but in actuality is an epochal moment for the entire enterprise of astronomy and astrophysics. The latest Decadal Survey, a once-every-ten-years exercise in communal planning, was just released today, and charts the course for the next few decades of celestial research in the United States. Our coverage explains its importance and the details of its ambitious recommendations, which include a call for a large space telescope to seek out signs of life on any potentially habitable exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. Elsewhere this week, we have stories on the uncertain fate of sterile neutrinos, a worrisome glitch on the Hubble Space Telescope, new ideas in the history of water on Mars, and more. Read on! Also, if you happen to be in the vicinity of New York City this coming Sunday evening, consider attending this event in Brooklyn. I'll be giving a short introduction to a conversation between three amazing scientists about the past, present and future of exoplanet studies.

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Astrophysics Hunt for Alien Life Tops Next-Gen Wish List for U.S. Astronomy A major report outlining the highest priorities and recommendations for U.S. astronomy has finally been released, revealing the shape of things to come By Lee Billings

Particle Physics Can Sterile Neutrinos Exist? Physicists have wondered if neutrino particles come in a mysterious fourth variety. Now new experimental findings complicate the question By Clara Moskowitz

Astronomy NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Goes Dark Due to Glitch The space agency is working to bring the observatory's science instruments back online By Meghan Bartels,SPACE.com

Planetary Science Jupiter's Great Red Spot Is Surprisingly Deep NASA's Juno spacecraft peered underneath the gas giant's dense clouds to determine the structure of its iconic spinning storm By Katrina Miller

Dark Energy Could Gravity's Quantum Origins Explain Dark Energy? A potentially transformative theoretical study links a new model of quantum gravity with the universe's bizarrely accelerating rate of expansion By Conor Purcell

Planetary Science Ancient Martian 'Lake' May Have Just Been Ephemeral Puddles One study suggests the Curiosity rover's landing site is not as it seems By Lee Billings

Space Exploration At Long Last, the James Webb Space Telescope Is Ready for Launch The long-delayed successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is set to take flight in December By Clara Moskowitz,Chris Gunn

Quantum Computing 2-D Room-Temperature Magnets Could Unlock Quantum Computing A new magnetic material, just one atom thick, can manipulate electrons' spin for next-generation data storage By Joanna Thompson

FROM THE STORE Existence and Other Questions: Selected Works of John Horgan Does free will exist? Is the Schrödinger Equation True? How does matter make a mind? In his Scientific American column, John Horgan takes a scientific approach to exploring mysteries such as these, and in this eBook, we collect some of his most thought-provoking work on consciousness, quantum mechanics, the science of psychedelic drugs and more.

QUOTE OF THE DAY "This is a generational initiative that is beyond any individual. Humanity is about to truly embark on a quest to learn whether we are alone in the universe." Astronomer Marc Postman on the profound potential of a newly proposed planet-imaging telescope.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Search for Alien Life Should Be a Fundamental Part of NASA, New Report Urges A blue-ribbon committee finds the science of astrobiology is worthy of deep integration into the space agency's exploration efforts By Adam Mann | October 2018

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