Articles for author: Jan Otte

NASA reveals new details about Artemis 3 astronaut mission

NASA Outlines Artemis 3 Crew Plans for 2027

Jan Otte

NASA reveals new details about Artemis 3 astronaut mission – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pexels) NASA has released additional information on its Artemis 3 mission. The crewed flight remains targeted for late 2027 and will operate in Earth orbit. This update adds to the agency’s ongoing preparations for the next phase of ...

Perseverance Rover Pauses on Martian Outcrop for Sixth Self-Portrait

Jan Otte

The Perseverance rover has spent more than five years traversing the surface of Mars since landing in Jezero Crater in 2021. On March 11, 2026, it stopped on a rocky rise known as the Arethusa outcrop to record a new series of images that NASA later assembled into its sixth self-portrait. The composite view, released ...

Birds vs. Viruses: Ancient Proteins and the Future of Respiratory Medicine

Jan Otte

In the high-stakes battle against respiratory infections from avian flu to COVID-19 scientists have uncovered an unlikely ally: birds. A groundbreaking study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B reveals that avian lungs harbor ancient immune proteins that could revolutionize how we combat deadly respiratory diseases in humans. Led by Professor Sandra Orgeig ...

Visible planets and night sky guide for May

May 2026 Sky Watch: Venus and Jupiter Close In as a Blue Moon Appears

Jan Otte

Astronomers and casual observers alike have reason to look up this month, as May brings a sequence of planetary pairings, lunar phases, and stellar patterns that unfold across both morning and evening skies. The period stands out because two of the brightest planets will draw noticeably closer each evening while a full moon arrives at ...

The Universe's Biggest Black Holes Aren't Born, They're Built

Giant Black Holes in The Universe Aren’t Born, They’re Built

Jan Otte

The Universe’s Biggest Black Holes Aren’t Born, They’re Built – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash) Most black holes form when a single massive star exhausts its fuel and collapses under its own gravity. That process produces objects of modest size. Yet the heaviest black holes detected so far, identified through the faint ...

The Surprising Origins of Christmas Carols

The Surprising Origins of Christmas Carols

Jan Otte

You might be surprised to learn that those festive melodies filling the air each December have roots reaching back thousands of years. The we sing today aren’t just cheerful holiday songs. They carry echoes of ancient winter celebrations, medieval dances, and even rowdy tavern traditions. Their journey from pagan rituals to church pews is far ...

Jellyfish at night.

The Fascinating Lives of Deep-Sea Creatures

Jan Otte

The deep sea, a vast and largely unexplored frontier, is home to some of the most bizarre and fascinating creatures on Earth. With conditions that test the limits of life, the deep ocean hosts a variety of organisms uniquely adapted to survive in darkness, high pressure, and extreme cold. This article explores the intriguing adaptations ...

Basking Shark with a wide mouth

8 Deep-Sea Creatures Straight Out of Science Fiction

Jan Otte

Deep-sea creatures inhabit one of the most mysterious and least explored environments on our planet. With the ocean covering more than 70% of Earth’s surface and depths that reach over 36,000 feet, the deep sea is a world of darkness, extreme pressure, and strange life forms. In this article, we will dive into the abyss ...

The Universe's Most Extreme Environments and How Life Survives Them

The Universe’s Most Extreme Environments and How Life Survives Them

Jan Otte

You know that feeling when someone tells you life can only exist in just the right conditions? Yeah, turns out that’s not quite the whole story. Life has this incredible talent for showing up in places where, honestly, it has no business being. We’re talking about environments that would vaporize, freeze, or crush most living ...