Nathaniel Scharping
Nathaniel is a freelance science writer based in Tacoma, WA. He writes about space, medicine, and the environment, and his work has been featured in Atlas Obscura, Science, Undark, Knowable Magazine, and more.
Inside the space start-up that plans to fling satellites to orbit
The dizzying concept could launch precious cargo relatively cheaply and efficiently.
This space diamond could transform manufacturing on Earth
There’s diamonds in them thar meteorites.
A powerful “umbrella” satellite will count every single tree on Earth
Scientists are taking a closer look than ever possible.
Look! New image shows an elusive black hole behavior for the first time
A reprocessing of Event Horizon Telescope data yields a ring of photons around the black hole at M87.
“Quantum materials” could give the human brain a run for its money, scientists say
With this new design, our machines may reach general intelligence — and perhaps even consciousness.
A key Webb Telescope partnership could reveal black holes in all their monstrous glory
JWST and Event Horizon Telescope, sittin' in a tree ...
New repeating fast radio burst doesn't seem to have an off-switch
The puzzling object could give astronomers key insight into their origin.
Can the world’s most powerful telescope find alien civilizations?
Astronomers tease apart what the Event Horizon Telescope can actually spot.
70-year-old astronomy photos may be clues to alien visitors — study
The plates, taken prior to the launch of Sputnik, show satellite-like objects near Earth.
Is Russia's withdrawal from the ISS a bluff? Why it’s too soon to say if it’s leaving
Recent comments suggest Roscosmos intends to leave the International Space Stations over Ukraine war-related sanctions.
NASA extends 8 missions, including plans to scrutinize a large asteroid that will swing by Earth in 2029
NASA granted eight missions an extension, allowing continued exploration of Mars, asteroids, the Kuiper Belt, and the Moon.
Astronomers finally figure out the size of the largest comet ever found — and it's twice as big as Rhode Island
We shouldn’t read too much into it being the size of the Death Star ... probably.
Look: Stunning new images show details of mysterious deep space radio rings
The ORC is one of the biggest mysteries in radio astronomy — but maybe not for much longer.
8 years ago, the U.S. and Russia played chicken with the ISS — will history repeat itself?
Russian and the USA's 2014 diplomatic spat over the ISS also provides a blueprint for understanding the current clash over the space station — and how this fresh fight may ultimately pan out.
Hubble, the ISS, and Chandra: Why NASA has an aging hardware problem
Sometimes, a hobbled mission is a setback. Other times, the consequences can run deep.
Axiom Space VP defends private mission to the ISS: “We’re not space tourists”
This is not supposed to be fun...
How scientists pinpointed the death of the dinosaurs to a warm spring day
The answer came in a surprisingly aquatic way.
This rare Frankenstein star wears the skin of its dead companion
This kind of "merger" is so rare that only two stars of this type are known.
Whose rocket is going to hit the Moon? The space debris culprit, revealed
Updated information seems to point to the rocket coming from China's space agency.
Behold! The James Webb Space Telescope is on the launchpad
In development since the 1990s, it's finally a reality.
