10 mysteries of the universe: Why does anything exist at all?
19 September 2018
Our best theories predict that all the matter in the universe should have been destroyed as soon as it existed. So how comes there’s something, not nothing?
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Premium
10 mysteries of the universe: Is there life out there?
19 September 2018
Given the vastness of the cosmos, it seems implausible we’re alone. And alien life could be closer than we think – but just don’t assume it looks like we expect
10 mysteries of the universe: What makes supermassive black holes?
19 September 2018
Black holes billions of times the mass of the sun pose a huge challenge to cosmic theories: there hasn’t been enough time since the big bang for them to form
10 mysteries of the universe: Is our solar system normal?
19 September 2018
Puffball planets the density of polystyrene are just some of the oddities we’ve spied in other solar systems – is our own backyard the exception, not the rule?
10 mysteries of the universe: What is dark matter?
19 September 2018
It’s invisible, and yet the motions of galaxies suggest it must be there. But a recent discovery has just deepened the mystery of the universe we cannot see
10 mysteries of the universe: What makes monster stars?
19 September 2018
Mega-stars hundreds of times the mass of our sun lurk in a galaxy nearby. We don’t know how they formed – but they could make the cosmos a richer brew for life
10 mysteries of the universe: Is Earth in a special place?
19 September 2018
From Copernicus on, we’ve resisted the idea that Earth has a special place in the cosmos. Whisper it, but recent discoveries suggest that’s not the whole truth
10 mysteries of the universe: How will it all end?
19 September 2018
Supernovae are violent stellar explosions that pepper the cosmos. Studying them revealed the enigma of dark energy – a force that will determine the universe's fate
10 mysteries of the universe: What came before the big bang?
19 September 2018
Searing bursts of radio waves first spotted a decade ago could come from bouncing black holes – and that suggests a universe might have existed before ours
10 mysteries of the universe: How did it all begin?
19 September 2018
A faint afterglow in the sky tells of a universe that exploded into being 13.8 billion years ago. But we haven't got the full story of the big bang nailed yet
