
Rafi Letzter
Latest articles by Rafi Letzter

The world's largest iceberg has just broken in two
By Rafi Letzter published
A chunk of ice about the size of Queens and the Bronx combined has broken off what was, until this fracture, the world's largest iceberg.

The Milky Way is probably full of dead civilizations
By Rafi Letzter published
If there are other intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way, they are probably much closer than we are to the galactic center, and fairly young.

Invisible 'arches of chaos' span the solar system
By Rafi Letzter published
Scientists have mapped the "arches of chaos:" a vast network of arching structures filling the solar system that could one day aid space travel.

Red Sea oil tanker 4 times as big as Exxon Valdez could spill any day now
By Rafi Letzter published
A mammoth oil tanker is decaying into the Red Sea, threatening to pollute the water supply of millions of people and the world's most resilient coral reef.

US could reach 'net-zero' carbon by 2050. Here's how.
By Rafi Letzter published
The U.S. can cut its carbon output to zero by the middle of the 21th century, according to a major new Princeton University study. It might even save money.

Watch SpaceX test a giant 'Starship' over Texas today [UPDATED]
By Rafi Letzter published
SpaceX plans to test its enormous Starship prototype over Boca Chica, Texas at some point Tuesday (Dec. 8).

Did the universe's creator hide a message in the cosmos?
By Rafi Letzter published
Did the creator of the universe leave a hidden message in the cosmos for intelligent life? If so, scientists have yet to find it. But at least one is still trying.

China claims fastest quantum computer in the world
By Rafi Letzter published
"Jiuzhang" would be the most powerful quantum computer in the world, capable of performing some tasks 100 trillion times faster than the world's fastest supercomputers.

Earth spent 500 million years creating and eating dead continents
By Rafi Letzter published
For more than a billion years, Earth covered itself in new continents. New research shows that those continents were quickly swallowed up again but their deaths fertilized life on the surface.

Chinese submarine reaches the deepest place on Earth
By Rafi Letzter published
The Chinese submarine Fendouzhe has completed a months-long expedition to the deepest part of the ocean, a feat matched by only James Cameron, a hobbyist investor and the U.S. Navy.

Swarms of 'primordial' black holes might fill our universe
By Rafi Letzter published
What if dark matter weren't a new type of matter at all, but huge swarms of tiny, "primordial" black holes?

Physicists built an 'anti-laser' to charge your phone from across a room
By Rafi Letzter published
A device demonstrated in a groundbreaking new experiment acts like a laser, only backwards. And someday it might send power invisibly through the air.

Hidden world of bacteria and fungi discovered on Leonardo da Vinci's drawings
By Rafi Letzter published
Researchers examining Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings found a microbiome — a hidden biological signature of their travels across centuries.

Deadly hemorrhagic fever in Bolivia can spread between people
By Rafi Letzter published
A deadly virus that causes fevers, abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding gums, skin rash and pain behind the eyes can now jump from one person to another.

Watch SpaceX launch 4 astronauts to the ISS Saturday
By Rafi Letzter published
Watch here as SpaceX launches its first fully crewed mission to the International Space Station (despite mounting pre-launch woes).

Birth of magnetar seen for the first time
By Rafi Letzter published
Two neutron stars slammed together far away from Earth, and the Hubble may have spotted a magnetar emerging from the aftermath.

2020 Atlantic hurricane season shatters record
By Rafi Letzter published
Tropical storm Theta cements the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season's status as a record-breaker. And there's still time to run up the score.

SpaceX set to launch first fully-crewed ISS mission Saturday
By Rafi Letzter published
We're likely just days away from the first fully-crewed SpaceX launch, after SpaceX fixed engine problems that cropped up in October.

What happens if a president loses an election but won't leave the White House?
By Rafi Letzter published
President Donald Trump might win the election. But if he fails — if Biden is elected, and Trump makes good on his threat to not peacefully transfer power — what happens?

How to watch rare Halloween 'blue moon' tonight
By Rafi Letzter published
If anyone's trying to wake some dark spirits, tonight's the night. A "blue moon" and "beaver moon" will rise over All Hallow's Eve.

Arctic sea ice goes through 'historic' loss in 2020
By Rafi Letzter published
Arctic sea ice has been in decline for a while now, but 2020 is turning out to be the second-worst year ever — with implications for the whole planet.

How Hurricane Zeta rapidly strengthened before slamming New Orleans
By Rafi Letzter published
Zeta was a weakened tropical storm just yesterday. Now it threatens a huge swath of the United States.

The Milky Way's quiet, introverted monster won't spin
By Rafi Letzter published
This supermassive black hole's spin has been measured for the first time, and it's surprisingly low.
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