Tanja Bosak interview: Using Perseverance rover to hunt life on Mars

Tanja Bosak is seeking traces of life in a rock reconnaissance mission. It's an awesome responsibility, as only the samples she and her team select will be returned to Earth

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Mars swung between humid and arid conditions before it dried up

Images captured on the Martian surface by the Curiosity rover indicate that the planet fluctuated between arid and humid conditions in its ancient past

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NASA is about to fly a helicopter on another planet for the first time

The Ingenuity helicopter, which hitched a ride to Mars aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover, is getting ready to perform its first test flight on 12 April

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Most alien civilisations risk fuelling global warming on their planets

Humans have influenced Earth’s climate so much that we have triggered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Now physicists say that around 60 per cent of alien civilisations could do the same on their home planets

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The Engineering Edge review: 3D printing meat and medicine in space

Imagine 3D printing your lunch or spare parts while travelling in space? Or even learning to "see" using vibrating devices? Extraordinary tech treats await in The Engineering Edge, a engaging podcast with Lucy Rogers

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Is there an ancient black hole at the edge of the solar system?

Hints of a hefty source of gravity beyond Pluto sparked the search for a possible “Planet Nine”. Now, some astronomers think it could instead be a black hole from the big bang, offering a rare glimpse into the early universe

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Weird lava flows reveal the moon’s insides may be wetter than expected

Some dried lava flows on the moon have far more water bound up in the rocks than their surroundings, indicating that the moon’s interior, once thought to be dry, may actually be full of water

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Interstellar comet Borisov is the most pristine space object ever seen

The interstellar comet Borisov probably formed in the presence of giant planets, but it has never been disrupted by coming near another star, making it the most pristine object ever spotted

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Blasts of intergalactic radiation hint at elusive mid-sized black hole

Mid-sized black holes are harder to spot than their smaller or supermassive cousins, but powerful bursts of radiation from a faraway galaxy have finally revealed one

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Mercury may have shrunk because magma was being piped to the surface

Mercury started shrinking rapidly just after its formation, which may be explained by magma travelling from the planet's core to the surface through heat pipes

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