Ashley Strickland - Writer

Ashley Strickland

Writer

Ashley is a space and science writer for CNN.

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Kaspar Hauser, c. 1812 - 1833. Hauser mysteriously appeared in 1828 claiming he had been locked in a dungeon since he was a small child. His strange case titillated public fancy. Amongst rumours were one that he was the hereditary Prince of Baden. His death from a stab wound in 1833 added further mystery to his case: some thought he had been murdered, others that he had stabbed himself. After a work by Friedrich Wagner. (Photo by: Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). udwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770- 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time. Beethoven in 1818 by August Klober

Design Pics Editorial/Getty Images; Universal History Archive/UIG/Shutterstock

Historical mysteries solved by science in 2024

Scientists explored Beethoven’s ailments, linked remains to a Norse saga, uncovered colonial secrets, peeked inside an alchemy lab and debunked a royal hoax in 2024.

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

History-making probe attempts closest-ever approach to the sun

On Christmas Eve, the Parker Solar Probe was set to become the closest spacecraft to the sun, flying within a few million miles of the solar surface.

Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction 2020 with Ursids Meteors. Oregon, Ashland, Winter

davidhoffmannphotography/iStockphoto/Getty Images

How to see the Ursids, the final meteor shower that peaks in 2024

Keep an eye on the sky during the early morning hours on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the Ursids, the final meteor shower expected to peak this year.

WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 07: The ancient neolithic monument of Stonehenge near Amesbury is viewed from a hot air ballon on September 7, 2016 in Wiltshire, England. To mark the 30th anniversary of Stonehenge becoming a World Heritage Site, English Heritage has launched a competition offering members of the public the chance of a hot balloon ride which allows the chance to see a unique view of Stonehenge within in a wider prehistoric landscape but also the see the recent changes to its setting in recent years including the removal of the A344 and the old car park. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Matt Cardy/Getty Images/File

Scientists think they know why Stonehenge was rebuilt thousands of years ago

New research has shed light on how Stonehenge may have served to unify Britain’s early farmers as newcomers from Europe began to arrive thousands of years ago.

This artist's illustration shows the wayward interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-ah-MOO-ah) racing toward the outskirts of our solar system. The object, heated by the Sun (lower right), is venting gaseous material from its surface, as a comet would.

Researchers suggest this outgassing is one possible cause for 'Oumuamua's slight acceleration, as detected by several telescopes. The irregularly shaped object is only a half-mile across. It is now farther from the Sun than Jupiter and traveling away at about 70,000 miles per hour. The orbits of the major planets are included for scale. The box-shaped constellation Corvus is in the background near image center, and the bright blue star Spica is at upper left of center, in the constellation Virgo. The stars at bottom left belong to the constellation Hydra.

NASA/ESA/Joseph Olmsted and Frank Summers, STScI

Astronomers discover two populations of unusual dark comets in our solar system

Astronomers posed over the past decade that dark comets, or objects that resemble asteroids but move like comets, may exist. Now, scientists have found a total of 14 of them.

Schulting et al. 2024

Grisly remains point to a bleak, ancient chapter in British history

At least 37 people from Early Bronze Age England were butchered and likely cannibalized before being thrown down a shaft during a grim chapter of British prehistory.

B8C6J6 Greenland shark

Avalon.red/Alamy Stock Photo

An elusive creature of the deep can live for centuries. Scientists think they know why

This week, learn why Greenland sharks can live for centuries, discover when Neanderthals and humans met, see the most volcanic world in our solar system, and more.

The north polar region of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io was captured by NASA's Juno during spacecraft's the 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023. The region was imaged at a scale of 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometers) per pixel.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

New observations of the most volcanic world in our solar system solve a mystery that began with Voyager 1

Observations made of Jupiter’s moon Io during the Juno mission’s flybys helped astronomers confirm how and why Io became the most volcanic world in the solar system.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its right-front navigation camera to capture this first view over the rim of Jezero Crater on Dec. 10, 2024, the 1,354th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, when it reached the end of its long climb from the crater floor.

The rover is looking west in this image from a location nicknamed "Lookout Hill." Not visible is "Witch Hazel Hill," a scientifically significant rocky outcrop that Perseverance is headed toward. Once there, the rover will spend about six months exploring the area.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Perseverance rover will uncover mysterious Martian history after a monthslong challenging trek

After acing a steep monthslong climb up the rim of Jezero Crater, the Perseverance rover is about to see a part of the red planet unlike anything it has encountered.

Deinococcus radiodurans aka Conan the Bacterium under a microscope.

Michael Daly/USU

‘Conan the Bacterium’ can withstand radiation that could kill a human. Scientists say they’ve found its secret weapon

A type of bacteria dubbed “Conan the Bacterium” can withstand radiation thousands of times stronger than what can kill a human. Now, scientists have figured out why.

Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, and nicknamed "Black Beauty," this Martian meteorite weighs approximately 11 ounces (320 grams).

‘Black Beauty’ was found on Earth in 2011. Now, scientists say it has revealed a new clue to life on Mars

A mineral grain from a meteorite preserved evidence that water was present on Mars 4.45 billion years ago, and it may have created hot springs habitable for life.

NASAâs Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted in this artistâs concept traveling through interstellar space, or the space between stars, which it entered in 2012.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

The 47-year-old Voyager probes are exploring interstellar space. Dwindling power could end their journey

This week, uncover the challenges faced by Voyager 1, meet flower-licking wolves, see an unexpected ancient lifesaving tool, and more.

Researchers at the Field Museum scan a mummified individual displayed in the Inside Ancient Egypt exhibition.

Morgan Clark/The Field Museum

Scans help solve a 3,000-year-old mystery of a high-status Egyptian woman

Scans of mummies at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History uncovered new details about how they were prepared for the afterlife and helped solve a baffling mystery.

This artist's concept depicts NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft entering interstellar space, or the space between stars. Interstellar space is dominated by the plasma, or ionized gas, that was ejected by the death of nearby giant stars millions of years ago. The environment inside our solar bubble is dominated by the plasma exhausted by our sun, known as the solar wind.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Voyager 1 is back online 15 billion miles away in interstellar space. But the end could be near

The Voyager 1 spacecraft is functioning normally again after the aging probe’s dwindling power supply triggered a communications blackout. It’s one of several challenges faced by the spacecraft this year.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged the Sombrero galaxy with its MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), resolving the clumpy nature of the dust along the galaxy’s outer ring. This image includes filters representing 7.7-micron light as blue, 11.3-micron light as green, and 12.8-micron light as red.

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

A galaxy named for its resemblance to a sombrero looks distinctly different in new image

The Sombrero galaxy looks entirely different in a new image by the James Webb Space Telescope. Instead of a Mexican hat, it appears more like an archery target.

Cassidy Delamarter

Ancient Egyptians drank a heady mix of alcohol, bodily fluids and hallucinogens during rituals, scientists say

Scientists discovered a mix of psychedelic drugs, bodily fluids, flavoring agents and alcohol after they scraped the inside of an ancient Egyptian mug that may have been used for fertility rituals.

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