explainer Earth
Why is the sky orange? Red, yellow and pink skies explained
Why is the sky orange, red, yellow or pink? Air scatters blue light about 6 times more than red, and sunset light crosses ~38 times more air. Smoke adds more.
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Latest science stories
Browse SciQuest reporting and explainers in reverse chronological order, with the newest evidence-led stories first.
news Astronomy Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Calculated colours from existing spectra and models
White dwarf colours: most look white, a few would glow green or pink
Nearby white dwarfs look white on average, Warwick astronomers calculate, but about 1 in 30 would look yellow or pink, and one known star would look green.
news Earth Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Mineral-proxy study
Crystals hint Earth’s mantle was oxidizing before the Great Oxidation Event
Sulfur in apatite sealed in zircons up to 3.42 billion years old suggests the mantle under early arcs grew more oxidized long before oxygen stayed in the air.
explainer Astronomy
How many moons does Venus have? Zero, and Mercury has none either
How many moons does Venus have? None, and Mercury has none either. See NASA's moon counts for every planet and why the Sun and tides leave both moonless.
news Chemistry Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Laboratory materials study
Niobium–titanium alloys stay tough at 20 K (−253 °C) in lab tests
Two niobium–titanium alloys showed no ductile-to-brittle transition at 20 K (−253 °C) in Nature lab tests. How twins make new defects, and what's unproven.
explainer Space
Gravity on Venus: how strong is it compared with Earth?
Gravity on Venus is 8.87 m/s², about 90% of Earth's. See the NASA values, the GM/R² calculation, what you would weigh, and why Venus is still deadly.
explainer Astronomy
How long does it take to get to each planet? Real mission times
How long does it take to get to each planet? From 94 days to Venus to 12 years for Neptune: real NASA and ESA mission times, Hohmann math and gravity…
news Biology Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Meta-analysis of published fossil records
Fossil pollen ties plant life’s two biggest turnovers to extreme ancient warmth
A Nature Plants study of fossil pollen links most plant turnover of the past 120 million years to two hot spells. How it was done, and what it cannot show.
news Astronomy Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Observational study of one planet
JWST maps WASP-17b’s atmosphere: evening edge runs about 650 K hotter
JWST mapped hot Jupiter WASP-17b's atmosphere angle by angle: the evening edge is about 650 K hotter and puffier than the morning edge. How, and the catch.