How is it that galaxies merge and collide but the universe is expanding and everything is moving away from everything else? Justin HammersleySterling Heights, Michigan Whether or not galaxies merge ...

Another describes a long straight contrail cutting across a galaxy called NGC3627. This one is likely caused by a black hole of about 2 million times the mass of the sun, travelling at 300km/s. Its ...

Scientists have new insight into why we have trouble focusing after a bad night of sleep. Attention lapses when we’re sleep-deprived result from our brain’s efforts to clean itself up, a process that ...

In my January 23, 2026, “The Universe” column, I wrote about some of the biggest bangs the universe has to offer: exploding stars, hiccupping magnetars, stellar disruptions and colliding black holes.

As foretold, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider—among the most powerful heavy-ion colliders in the world, second only to CERN’s LHC—ran its final particles and ceased operations last Friday. This is ...

Every dream has a breaking point. Sometimes it’s rejection. Sometimes it’s time. And sometimes, it’s a phone call that drags you out of the city you’ve clung to for nearly two decades and drops you ...

Looking ahead: Future Euclid observations will enable scientists to watch how galaxy collisions spark bursts of star formation, fuel shrouded black holes, and unleash energetic feedback. According to ...

Planning to withdraw $10,000 or more in cash from your bank account? The government will find out about it. But don't panic, unless you plan on doing something illegal. Here's what really happens when ...

Ask not what will happen to your country—although that’s of grave importance. Ask what will happen to you. In 1981, novelist Walker Percy wrote a column he titled “A View of Abortion with Something to ...

Someone says something to us, and we are suddenly struck with a sinking feeling in our stomach. Someone does something, and instantly we become enraged or alarmed. Someone comes at us with a certain ...

If you've recently sold a car, received a generous wedding gift, or finally emptied that literal "rainy day" jar of cash, you might be staring at a stack of bills with some concern. Many people wonder ...