Astronomers have found a cave on the moon
Such structures could serve as habitats for future astronauts
FROM AN ESTATE agent’s perspective, the lunar surface has little to recommend it. Its none-too-metaphorical lack of atmosphere means it is bombarded by meteorites, cosmic radiation is unrelentingly harsh and temperatures range from lows of -246°C to highs of 121°C. Subsurface lunar caves, on the other hand, with stable temperatures and cover from projectiles, would be much more enticing habitats. The only question is, do any exist?
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “One giant leap for troglodytes”
From the July 20th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
How to reduce the risk of developing dementia
A healthy lifestyle can prevent or delay almost half of cases
GPT, Claude, Llama? How to tell which AI model is best
Beware model-makers marking their own homework
How America built an AI tool to predict Taliban attacks
“Raven Sentry” was a successful experiment in open-source intelligence
Gene-editing drugs are moving from lab to clinic at lightning speed
The promising treatments still face technical and economic hurdles, though
How Ukraine’s new tech foils Russian aerial attacks
It is pioneering acoustic detection, with surprising success
The deep sea is home to “dark oxygen”
Nodules on the seabed, rather than photosynthesis, are the source of the gas