Research

The mystery of how Pluto got a giant heart-shaped feature on its surface has finally been solved by an international team of astrophysicists. According to simulations, a collision between Pluto and a planetary body that happened relatively slowly and at an oblique angle left the impactor "splatted" onto Pluto's surface. The findings also cast doubt on the existence of a subsurface ocean on Pluto, as was previously speculated.

UArizona scientists mapped the moon for the Apollo missions. Now, as NASA astronauts prepare to return to the moon, two of the three instruments they'll bring have UArizona ties. The instruments will allow them to map moonquakes and the moon's subsurface.

New findings by UArizona researchers offer important insights into the evolution of the lunar interior, and potentially for planets such as Earth and Mars.

The observations will help astronomers refine their theories about the processes involved in planet formation and shed light on what our sun did when it was very young.

The discovery, led by Haijiang Cai, an associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience, was observed in mice, but the findings could lead to human drug treatments.

University of Arizona researchers have modified the gut proteins of mosquito larvae, marking a significant advance in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.

Researchers at the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction found that sleep disturbances increased vulnerability to migraine attacks, but the opposite isn't true.

Five colleges increased their National Institutes of Health research funding in 2022-2023, leading to higher rankings for some by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Seeking clues about the life cycle of stars, the GUSTO balloon mission, led by university astronomer Chris Walker, breaks the record as NASA's longest-flying heavy-lift balloon mission.