I’ve just written an article over on the Universe Today about the stunning discovery that Mars regolith actually bears very close resemblance to terrestrial soil. This is very cool as this shows Mars may be capable of sustaining life (as we know it) and it has implications for the future of manned...

For the big week six-oh, we take a novel approach at doing the Carnival, and I must admit, I found it quite entertaining. Over at Slacker Astronomy, the 60th Carnival of Space, our host Michael takes the week’s news from the blogosphere and literally hard-wires it straight onto the web. Every...

A black hole, artist impression (NASA) Could small, primordial black holes be efficient antimatter generators? It is well known that cool planetary bodies, surrounded by equal numbers of protons and electrons in thermal equilibrium, will eventually become positively charged. Why? Because electrons, with...

I’ve only just stumbled on this fantastic presentation Brian Cox did in Monterey, California in March this year explaining the stunning science behind CERN’s newest addition. I have followed the progress of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) intently and I personally cannot wait until the accelerator...

In 2002, I spent five months on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago, studying the aurora and upper polar atmosphere. It was one of those life-changing experiences I will never forget. One day, during 24 hour daylight in Arctic spring, I found some time to have a walk across...

I’ve been busy compiling two new articles about the 2012 doomsday scenario. This time I’ve investigated why Planet X is not the same thing as the Sumerian planet “Nibiru”, and why a “killer solar flare” will not be possible in the year 2012. This brings the 2012 series...

On June 10th, I was invited on Captain Jack’s Paranormal Radio show to chat about the various 2012 Doomsday scenarios. We had a great time for three hours talking about everything from the Mayan calendar and Planet X to the Phoenix Mars Mission and Saturn. The show has just been made available...

Finally, proof that water has been found on Mars. The Phoenix Mars lander took a scoop of regolith on Sol 20 (June 19th), exposing a white powdery substance. Immediately, scientists announced that the substance was either some form of ice or salt deposits. The prime mission objective for Phoenix is...

We’re on week 59 of the Carnival and we have a great edition this week over with Maria Brumm at Green Gabbro. From black holes that go “bweep!” to the end of the Universe, we have everything! I’ve entered my solar article about the detection of axions, a possible component of...

As a science public outreach advocate, I am totally behind a new deal between NASA and animation experts Disney-Pixar. Using the new movie WALL-E, a story about the last robot-rover on Earth exploring space (with all the fuzzy, heart-warming Disney stuff in between), NASA has signed a deal with the...