![Charles Q. Choi](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RFpKKa82rLFLtHZpeicnMB.jpg)
Charles Q. Choi
Charles Q. Choi is a contributing writer for Space.com and Live Science. He covers all things human origins and astronomy as well as physics, animals and general science topics. Charles has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica. Visit him at http://www.sciwriter.us
Latest articles by Charles Q. Choi
![a dark red fiery orb jets away from a burning yetllow star, ringed in plasma.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ifG9uaGvRi7HsdAaQwL9vb-320-80.jpg)
1 in 12 stars might have swallowed a planet
By Charles Q. Choi published
A new study suggests that stars may chomp on planets way more often than you'd expect.
![Artist's illustration of Venus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RifjtkFLBEFgzkZqWEh69P-320-80.jpg)
Venus facts: Everything you need to know about the 2nd planet from the sun
By Charles Q. Choi, Chelsea Gohd last updated
Reference Uncover the mysteries of Venus, the solar system's scorching second planet from the sun, renowned for its intense heat and brightness.
![a map of a grey moon dotted with red dots indicating volcanoes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qLbsfuSanAtkn6HMp6Hny3-320-80.jpg)
Jupiter's moon Io is covered in active volcanoes. Now we have the 1st map of them
By Charles Q. Choi published
Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active world in the solar system, may possess a global ocean of magma underneath its surface, as well as mysteriously warm poles, a new study finds.
![A spectacular example of gullies on Mars, at roughly 71 degrees latitude in the southern hemisphere.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tH9YcKVt5mnmDRDzCfCZ2h-320-80.jpg)
AI chemist finds molecule to make oxygen on Mars after sifting through millions
By Charles Q. Choi published
Scientists want to split Martian water to make oxygen. They're employing AI to light the way.
![about 10 small green sprouts grow out of dark, damp dirt inside a small glass jar.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fv9uxzR6xm2xBvCu48NjV4-320-80.jpg)
Astronauts might be able to grow plants on the moon, thanks to a few Earth microbes
By Charles Q. Choi published
Microbes could help unlock vital nutrients in lunar soil to one day help farms sustain astronaut crews on the moon, a new study reports.
![two planets collide, sending fiery rocks into space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4XitBcr9BBSsCZjVRFNRB3-320-80.jpg)
A chunk of the 'protoplanet' that made the moon may be stuck near Earth's core
By Charles Q. Choi published
The newborn Earth was struck by a Mars-size rock that helped create the moon, and the impact may have left behind continent-size remnants of the rock near Earth's core, a new study finds.
![An artist's illustration of the center of Mars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WwAmhNAoJjpSVotN4CV7RY-320-80.jpg)
Thanks to a layer of molten rock, Mars' core appears bigger than it is
By Charles Q. Choi published
Scientists have wondered why Mars' core can be so big and light at the same time. Two new studies might have an explanation.
![A rendering of what tiled moon roads would look like in the future. In the sky you can see the Earth, an astronaut is in the foreground and the tiles are in the background on what looks to be the surface of the moon. A structure is seen on the surface as well,](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cMjwvTiBL3qBeGTDdUF3i4-320-80.jpg)
Scientists want to make moon roads by blasting lunar soil with sunlight
By Charles Q. Choi published
Lunar dust can be a hazard for off-world rovers — so scientists are suggesting we create a road system on the moon.
![a swirling blend of planetary orbs and color gasses with math equations overlated transparently throughout](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cKv7HxWyBnssGKKbVqSPd3-320-80.jpg)
Alien life may not be carbon-based, new study suggests
By Charles Q. Choi published
Self-sustaining chemical reactions that could support biology radically different from life as we know it might exist on many different planets, a new study finds.
![A total solar eclipse creates streams of light with a fantastic range of brightness, presenting challenges when photographing the event.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/t8iXSCBvaZ63eXe4AuDgNi-320-80.jpg)
Scientists may finally know why the sun's outer atmosphere is so freakishly hot
By Charles Q. Choi published
Our host star's corona is hotter than its 'surface.' It's unclear as to why.
![A pale blue planet, partly shrouded in shadow, against the backdrop of space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ngcqNj2ZB3eNczBQr264Bk-320-80.png)
Scorching Neptune-size world is way too massive for astronomers to explain
By Charles Q. Choi published
Astronomers have unexpectedly discovered the heaviest Neptune-like planet yet — one four times more massive than our solar system's Neptune.
![close-up photo by the curiosity rover showing hexagonal cracks in ancient martian mud](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oERPBFhi92r25g3yquMaEV-320-80.jpg)
Ancient mud cracks on Mars suggest Red Planet may have been more habitable than thought
By Charles Q. Choi published
Ancient mud cracks found by NASA's Curiosity rover suggest that Mars underwent a repeated cycle of wet and dry spells that could have supported the emergence of life.
![Graphic illustration showing the layers of Mars against the backdrop of space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EjjVxJ8DCca2MVc8qBGtXK-320-80.jpg)
Mars: Everything you need to know about the Red Planet
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
Reference Mars, the fourth planet from the sun is famed for its rusty red appearance. Here we explore the Red Planet in more detail and see why scientists find it so intriguing.
![The comet appears to have a glowing green/blue nucleus and a long pink/white tail stretch off in one direction as it streaks across a star-studded sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KLXJHZX37JfEjgsppM2qmG-320-80.jpg)
Comets: Everything you need to know about the 'dirty snowballs' of space
By Charles Q. Choi, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference Comets are icy leftovers from the formation of the solar system. Explore these 'dirty snowballs' in more detail with our comet guide.
![artist's concept of a planet-forming disk in deep space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JH3UADJnjyENQSB6kNFsgS-320-80.jpeg)
James Webb Space Telescope spies water near center of planet-forming disk in cosmic 1st
By Charles Q. Choi published
Rocky exoplanets could possess large amounts of water from the moment they form, observations by the James Webb Space Telescope suggest.
![illustration of a spacecraft studying purplish auroras over the planet mercury, with the blackness of space in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8Ej4T4UTvjm4CxhTESUZVk-320-80.jpg)
Auroras across the solar system are powered in the same way, Mercury results suggest
By Charles Q. Choi published
The way in which the radiant displays of colors in the sky known as auroras form on Earth may be how these lights arise throughout the solar system, according to new findings from Mercury.
![deep ravines in the surface of Mars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NuQq4JjHRDG3qzGmDRSiC5-320-80.jpg)
Water on Mars carved deep gullies and left a 'great puzzle' for Red Planet history
By Charles Q. Choi published
Gullies on Mars may have formed when the Red Planet was highly tilted on its side, triggering dramatic shifts in climate that sent water cascading down slopes to carve out ravines.
![mars rover perseverance studies a rock with its robotic arm, with a rocky outcrop in the distance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fs8T9kdxenZTVgFq7AdV5c-320-80.jpg)
Building blocks of Mars life? Perseverance rover digs up diverse set of organic molecules on the Red Planet
By Charles Q. Choi published
NASA's Perseverance rover has found an intriguing menagerie of organic molecules in a Martian crater, but their source remains unclear.
![Landscape showing the east Africa rift valley panorama from Ethiopia](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LYUCGyJHstefQZyxpYo3JC-320-80.jpg)
Mushroom-shaped superplume of scorching hot rock may be splitting Africa in 2
By Charles Q. Choi published
Strange, never-before-seen movements in the East Africa Rift Valley appear to be driven by super-heated rock from deep beneath Earth's surface.
![a bright white spiral in space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A9g7gwBvUw94oWHJGoLcWJ-320-80.jpg)
Alien's-eye view of the Milky Way: Our galaxy is unusual but not unique
By Charles Q. Choi published
Astronomers have now deduced what alien scientists might see when they gaze at the Milky Way from afar. Our home galaxy is unusual but not unique, at least when it comes to chemistry.
![The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is seen under a starry night sky, with the Milky Way appearing over low auroras in the background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UFuETnhoXFLosPiqTcn5YV-320-80.jpeg)
Scientists find 'ghost particles' spewing from our Milky Way galaxy in landmark discovery (video)
By Charles Q. Choi published
Astronomers have detected high-energy neutrinos coming from within our Milky Way galaxy, potentially opening up an exciting new window of research.
![jupiter's moon europa, its icy surface criscrossed by dark reddish-brown lines, against the blackness of space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wEkX9JhAKJxyA62aVRGZGj-320-80.jpg)
Surprise! Jupiter's ocean moon Europa may not have a fully formed core
By Charles Q. Choi published
The core of Jupiter's ocean moon Europa might have formed billions of years after the rest of it did, if indeed it has formed at all, a new study finds.
![two suns in the night sky over a rocky planet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cs2xP7WBqJFyzWCsrKjkoM-320-80.jpg)
New Tatooine-like exoplanet discovered orbiting twin suns. Meet BEBOP-1c.
By Charles Q. Choi published
The discovery of the new planet BEBOP-1c confirms the 2nd-ever known planetary system orbiting twin stars similar to the fictional planet Tatooine of Star Wars fame.