Biological & Physical Science Stories

A young scientist is measuring the growth of plants in a laboratory setting. She is wearing glasses, a navy blue jacket, and a lanyard around her neck. She uses a wooden ruler to measure the height of leafy green plants growing in a black tray under bright LED lights. The background shows various scientific posters and equipment, including a shelf with additional plants and grow lights.

Seed Funding Proposals Due November 19 This Year!

2 min read

Since 2020, NASA’s Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) has launched 24 new projects to expand citizen science in professional research. This year, proposals are due by November 19, 2024, with optional Notices of Intent by October 1, 2024. The…

Article4 days ago
Randi Neff of the NASA SciAct-funded Smoky Mountains STEM Collaborative presents at the National Rural STEM Learning Summit.

NASA Science Activation Teams Present at National Rural STEM Summit

1 min read

NASA Science Activation (SciAct) teams participated in the National Rural STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) Summit held June 4-7, 2024 in Tucson, Arizona. Hosted by Kalman Mannis of the Rural Activation and Innovation Network (Arizona Science Center) and the…

Article3 weeks ago
The image shows two black-and-white microscopic views of a material's surface, with each view spanning 10 micrometers. The left image, labeled "1g" and the right image, labeled "µg," depicts the material in microgravity, showing a more structured formation.

NASA Selects 5 Proposals to Conduct Research Using Openly Available Data in the Physical Sciences Informatics System

3 min read

NASA’s Physical Sciences Research Program has selected five ground-based proposals in response to the Physical Science Informatics System call for proposals. These proposals are in the research areas of biophysics, combustion science, fluid physics, and materials science. The five investigators…

Article4 weeks ago

Space Station Research Advances NASA’s Plans to Explore the Moon, Mars

4 min read

Space, the saying goes, is hard. And the farther humans go, the harder it can get. Some of the challenges on missions to explore the Moon and Mars include preventing microbial contamination of these destinations, navigating there safely, protecting crew…

Article2 months ago

Researchers Develop ‘Founding Document’ on Synthetic Cell Development

3 min read

Cells are the fundamental units of life, forming the variety of all living things on Earth as individual cells and multi-cellular organisms. To better understand how cells perform the essential functions of life, scientists have begun developing synthetic cells –…

Article3 months ago
A student speaks into a microphone while pointing up at the projector screen behind them showing comparative graphs of their research results. Another student presenter stands near them on the stage.

Growing Beyond Earth Annual Student Research Symposium

2 min read

NASA Science Activation’s Growing Beyond Earth project is a 6th-12th grade classroom-based citizen science project developed by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in partnership with scientists at NASA, designed to advance NASA research on growing plants in space. It includes a…

Article3 months ago

International Space Station welcomes biological and physical science experiments

3 min read

NASA is sending several biological and physical sciences experiments and equipment aboard SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply services mission. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay…

Article4 months ago

Compact Robot Takes Flight to Support CERISS Initiative

3 min read

NASA’s TechFlights 2023 Selections Advance Space Science in Collaboration with Industry A new robot will be taking flight soon to test its ability to support biological and physical science experiments in microgravity.  As one of NASA’s 2023 TechFlights selections, this…

Article4 months ago
A grey space vehicle consisting of several attached sections; purple solar panels protrude from several of the sections.

Zero-Boil-Off Tank Experiments to Enable Long-Duration Space Exploration

10 min read

Do we have enough fuel to get to our destination? This is probably one of the first questions that comes to mind whenever your family gets ready to embark on a road trip. If the trip is long, you will…

Article5 months ago
Event advertisement Join the next Do NASA Science LIVE event as we explore ways to participate in NASA’s winter-themed volunteer research projects. Register here for this event on February 21st at 7pm ET. (credit: SciStarter)

Do NASA Science LIVE on February 21! What’s it mean to be cool?

2 min read

Snow and ice are everywhere this time of year—mountain tops, Alaska, and even outer space. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and join us for the next Do NASA Science LIVE event as we explore ways to participate in NASA’s winter-themed volunteer…

Article6 months ago