Nearly 4.5 million years ago, two enormous, blazing stars swung close to the solar system. They did not touch the sun, but they came close enough to leave a permanent mark on the thin mist of gas that ...

In recent years, whenever astronomers have gazed into the night sky, they’ve noticed something peculiar: Some of its massive stars—the true titans of the cosmos—appear to be missing. The largest of ...

What’s the link between an exploding star, climate change and human evolution? Francis Thackeray, who has researched ancient environments and fossils for many years, sets out his ideas about what ...