Space junk

The tragedy of the commons observes that common access to a resource can quickly degrade it, and we are now littering low earth orbit in space just as we have polluted the Earth and its oceans.

The universe according to AI

AI is becoming an essential tool for astronomers, helping them analyse the torrents of data produced by a new generation of telescopes on Earth and in space.

In search of super-earths

Super-sized Earth-like planets are much easier to spot in other solar systems than planets our own size, and may prove more common and more habitable than Earth itself.

Looking for life on alien worlds

The James Webb space telescope should be able to detect the chemical signatures of life in the atmosphere of planets far beyond our solar system.

Is anybody out there?

The passive search for alien intelligence has failed to bear fruit, so scientists are now actively sending messages to potentially habitable planets.