Space & Physics: The search for dark matter just got a lot harder

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September 5—This week, physicists are closer than ever to learning the true nature of dark matter. Elsewhere, we have stories on black holes and Moore's law, spotting boot prints on the moon, the shocking geophysics of gold nuggets, and more. Enjoy! —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space and Physics

Top Stories

The Search for Dark Matter Just Got a Lot Harder Dark matter may be lighter in mass than once hoped Saima S. Iqbal, intern writer

Black Hole Detectors Fulfill Moore's Law A famous prediction that microchips improve exponentially over time can be applicable in unrelated developments, such as the technology used to discover colliding black holes Imre Bartos; Szabolcs Márka

Can a Telescope See Astronauts' Boot Prints on the Moon? Even Earth's mightiest telescopes aren't up to the task of imaging Apollo lunar landing sites. A lack of resolution is the biggest reason why Phil Plait

Earthquakes May Forge Large Gold Nuggets Scientists propose that large chunks of gold could form from earthquakes' pressure Kate Graham-Shaw

Cutbacks to U.S. Antarctic Science Risk Geopolitical Shifts at the South Pole Reductions to American research at the South Pole could affect the politics of the southernmost continent Sarah Scoles

Moon 'Spiders' Suggest Extensive Underground Lunar Caves Newfound spiderlike features suggest lunar explorers should watch their step Theo Nicitopoulos

Has the Last Great Space Observatory Already Launched? Astronomy's future may be slipping away—one climate disaster at a time Seven Rasmussen

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Stunning New Images Show Bright Future for Euclid, a Telescope Studying the 'Dark' Universe The latest images from Euclid, a European mission studying dark matter and dark energy, are spectacularly beautiful—and scientifically promising Phil Plait

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