Space

And other stories from the stranger side of life

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Why does Nasa want to bring Martian soil samples back to Earth? Will cookie warnings soon be a thing of the past? And are dachshunds getting too cute …

Planets ‘hiding in plain sight’ could provide habitable conditions for life

And other stories from the stranger side of life

And other stories from the stranger side of life

It has landed craft on Mars and on the dark side of the Moon, and it is building a space station. What are China’s ambitions in space?

Experts argue that we should be searching for microbial life rather than human-like aliens

And other stories from the stranger side of life

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Scientists have real concerns that extreme weather on the Sun’s surface could unleash a catastrophe on humanity

Are the world’s environmentalists about to take power? Is financial advice getting cheaper? And why are private citizens leading the space race?

Unexpected behaviour of subatomic particle could change our understanding of the universe

And other stories from the stranger side of life

What links monks and Myanmar’s military? Are we past peak skyscraper? And why is Turkey joining the space race?

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Richard Branson’s company successfully sends rocket into orbit using a modified Boeing 747

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Should George Elliot now be called Mary Ann Evans? Is the Thai monarchy in trouble? What can our twin galaxy tell us?

Government announces launch of ten new space-based projects tackling wide range of global issues

Your guide to the best columns and commentary on Wednesday 5 August

The Perseverance rover is looking for evidence of life on the red planet

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Moscow strikes back after being excluded from Washington’s lunar mining pact plan

European Space Agency mission to study Sun’s polar regions launches in Florida

Japanese billionaire advertising for ‘single woman’ to accompany him on trip to Moon

Study finds the key element phosphorus forming on a comet around Jupiter

New research reveals that grains in meteorite that hit our planet 50 years ago predate the Solar System

And other stories from the stranger side of life

US president achieves long-held goal as final frontier arms race ramps up

The space agency’s robot debris collector is set for its first mission in 2025

The discovery that Earth revolves around the Sun laid the foundations for modern physics

Nato expected to declare space a ‘warfighting domain’ at the end of the year