Space & Physics: Have we already found life on Mars?

Plus, the physics of time travel                    

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July 30— This week, we’re pondering the shocking possibility that we’ve already found alien life—50 years ago, in fact. Our top story examines the controversial legacy of NASA’s Viking landers, which touched down on the Red Planet in the summer of 1976 toting three experiments meant to look for Martian microbes. Elsewhere, we have stories on a newfound “wandering” supermassive black hole, an imperiled mission to rescue a space telescope, the physics of time travel, and much more. Enjoy! Thoughts? Questions? Let me know via e-mail (lbillings@sciam.com), X or Bluesky. —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences

Top Stories

Has NASA already found life on Mars? In searches for past and present Martian life, some scientists say we’ve been too cautious to see what’s right in front of us Nadia Drake

Astronomers spot best-yet example of a wandering supermassive black hole Giant black holes adrift in deep space are normally invisible—unless they’re dining on stars Mary Randolph

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Does physics allow time travel? Physicists, mathematicians and philosophers have been exploring the possibility of going forward to the future or back to the past Manon Bischoff

Rescue mission to save NASA’s Swift space telescope is imperiled in orbit A private spacecraft launched to boost the decaying orbit of NASA’s Swift Observatory is now suffering from potentially mission-ending malfunctions Lee Billings

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Spacecraft will swarm asteroid Apophis during fateful 2029 Earth flyby Space agencies around the globe are coordinating missions to visit the asteroid Apophis during a close encounter with Earth in 2029 Andrew Jones

Scientists get best-yet glimpse of Betelgeuse’s companion star After decades of hints and speculation, scientists have at last unveiled the hidden companion to the iconic star Betelgeuse Adam Kovac

This decade-long ‘movie’ of the sky will be revolutionary Using the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, astronomers are beginning the largest and deepest survey of the sky. What will they see? Phil Plait

The Hiroshima atomic bombing created a bizarre new material. Scientists just discovered it The extreme conditions of atomic bomb explosions create “uncontrolled microexperiments” that, in Hiroshima, forged a never-before-seen metallic alloy Mary Randolph

Mathematical ‘einstein’ tile works in the real world, to everyone’s surprise Discovered by an amateur mathematician in 2022, this strange construct can tile an infinite surface without repeating. But can it be useful in the real world? Joseph Howlett

How a 99-year-old mathematician unraveled a century-old braid mystery Joan Birman popularized the Burau representation problem decades ago. Now she and two colleagues have a proof that reveals brand new insights into the geometry of braids Lyndie Chiou

SpaceX launches Starship on successful test flight Starship demonstrated key abilities on its path to becoming a fully reusable transport to take astronauts to the moon Claire Cameron, Adam Kovac

Environmental groups seek to halt SpaceX’s land swap deal with the government If approved, this deal would give SpaceX hundreds of acres that are currently part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for private land Jackie Flynn Mogensen

What We're Reading

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From the Archive

I’m Convinced We Found Evidence of Life on Mars in the 1970s The Labeled Release experiment on the Viking mission reported positive results, although most have dismissed them as inorganic chemical reactions Gilbert V. Levin

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