Tag: cosmic

Scientists use cosmic rays to date earliest evidence of humans in Europe

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Stone tools unearthed in a quarry in Ukraine belonged to ancient humans who used them more than a million years ago, according to new research. The fresh dating analysis of the artifacts reveals the earliest known presence of […]

Dark matter detected dangling from the cosmic web for 1st time

For the first time, astronomers have detected dark matter hanging from massive filaments that stretch across the universe and form a “cosmic web” that trap galaxies like morning dew on a spiderweb. Researchers from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, used the Subaru Telescope — an 8.2-meter optical-infrared telescope near the summit of Maunakea in […]

Where do cosmic rays come from?

Earth is under constant bombardment by cosmic rays, showers of high-energy particles that blast our planet from all directions at near light speed. While this might sound like the precursor to a sci-fi alien invasion, it is a real phenomenon that scientists have been aware of for over a century. Despite their dramatic description, cosmic […]

How do galaxies grow while ensnared in the universe’s cosmic web?

Just like being trapped within a spider’s web drastically changes a fly’s life, galaxies ensnared in the vast cosmic web are dramatically and irreversibly altered. Now, scientists from the University of Kansas are aiming to better understand the mechanisms at play in shaping clusters of galaxies as they travel through a cosmic web of different […]

Scientists discover cosmic fossil created by erupting supermassive black hole

NASA scientists have observed a stunning cosmic fossil that was created when a supermassive black hole erupted over 5 million years ago. The team at the space agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center used the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) space telescope with help from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to spot the  X-rays that outline cold gas clouds in […]

Surprise gamma-ray discovery could shed light on cosmic mystery

Astronomers have discovered an unexpected and unexplained feature outside our Milky Way galaxy that’s radiating high-energy light called gamma rays. The team behind the discovery, including NASA and University of Maryland cosmologist Alexander Kashlinsky, found the gamma-ray signal while searching through 13 years of data from NASA’s Fermi Telescope. “It is a completely serendipitous discovery,” […]