Research news on planetary sciences

Planetary sciences is an interdisciplinary field that investigates the formation, evolution, and current state of planets, moons, and smaller bodies within and beyond our Solar System using the methods of physics, chemistry, geology, and atmospheric science. It encompasses studies of planetary interiors, surfaces, atmospheres, magnetospheres, and ring systems, as well as orbital dynamics and interactions with stellar radiation and plasma environments. Planetary sciences integrates remote sensing, in situ spacecraft measurements, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling to constrain processes such as accretion, differentiation, tectonism, volcanism, impact cratering, climate evolution, and potential habitability on diverse planetary bodies.

The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug

On an August morning last year, an American couple soon to embark on a European river cruise awoke in a luxury hotel in Lisbon.

Plants & Animals

23 hours ago

Mars rovers give scientists a ground‑level view of the red planet—peek inside their NASA control room

Lights blink on as I enter the Rover Operations Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, at 7:30 a.m. I'm the first to arrive, even though I already feel late.

Astrobiology

Aug 27, 2026

Are earthquakes becoming more common? Here's what the numbers say

Whenever there's a series of destructive or notable earthquakes, scientists get asked the same question: Are earthquakes becoming more frequent?

Earth Sciences

Aug 26, 2026

Even biodiversity-friendly policies may not halt declines in Europe's common birds and butterflies by 2050

As part of its efforts to map out Europe's science-policy interface for biodiversity, a paper on the correlation between governance objectives for safeguarding the biosphere and on-the-ground realities for select species ...

Plants & Animals

Aug 25, 2026

Space kit for future 'away missions' tested in Scotland

Researchers from the University of Leicester and the University of Aberdeen have carried out a series of field demonstrations in Portsoy to test cutting-edge handheld analytical instruments. Designed for use by astronauts ...

Space Exploration

Aug 6, 2026

Asteroid Nysa's rare three-lobed structure challenges formation models

Named for the mythical valley where the god Dionysus was raised in secret by nymphs, the asteroid 44 Nysa inhabits the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Through observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers ...

Planetary Sciences

report

Aug 4, 2026

Moonquakes could reveal ice buried beneath lunar south polar craters

Finding water on the moon may only be a matter of detecting the right vibrations.

Space Exploration

Jul 31, 2026

ESCAPADE's cameras capture Earth and moon

In November 2025, NASA's Mars-bound ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral with special cargo on board: two camera systems designed and built by faculty and ...

Astronomy

Jul 29, 2026

Rocks from unexplored far side of the moon help rewrite lunar history

Ancient samples from the moon's far side are helping scientists uncover how asteroid impacts shaped the early solar system. The findings challenge decades of thinking about when those impacts occurred and offer new insights ...

Planetary Sciences

Jul 24, 2026

Should scientists have research 'reserves' on the moon?

The worlds of the solar system are exciting and, so far, mostly pristine places for planetary scientists to study. As space missions continue to travel to Mars, Europa, asteroids and other worlds, questions arise about keeping ...