In 2009, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand. Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe this object. Now, new radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) has been combined with Chandra’s X-ray data to provide a fresh view of this exploded star and its environment, to help understand its peculiar properties and shape.

At the center of this new image lies the pulsar B1509-58, a rapidly spinning neutron star that is only about 12 miles in diameter...

The ability to correct disease-causing genetic mistakes using genome editors holds great promise in medicine, but it is not without risk. When this type of “genetic surgery” is performed on DNA, for instance, there is always the danger of leaving permanent genetic scars that may even be heritable.

To alleviate this risk, researchers have experimented with gene editing processes on messenger RNA (mRNA), a central link between DNA and proteins that doesn’t carry the same risks because it doesn’t involve permanent changes to the DNA. But existing RNA editing tools have proven either too cumbersome to use or too toxic to human cells.

Yale researchers have developed a new—and safe—family of RNA-editing tools th...

High frequency radio waves can wirelessly carry the vast amount of data demanded by emerging technology like virtual reality, but as engineers push into the upper reaches of the radio spectrum, they are hitting walls. Literally.

Ultrahigh frequency bandwidths are easily blocked by objects, so users can lose transmissions walking between rooms or even passing a bookcase.

Now, researchers at Princeton Engineering have developed a machine-learning system that could allow ultrahigh frequency transmissions to dodge those obstacles...

Learning how to study the leopard-like spots found on both terrestrial and Martian rocks can prepare scientists for when the real samples arrive from space. A curious red Martian rock nicknamed Sapphire Canyon has scientists excited, as its spotted appearance hints at possible organic origins. On Earth, researchers tested a powerful laser technique, O-PTIR, on a similar rock found by chance in Arizona, proving it can rapidly and precisely reveal a material’s chemical makeup...