Organic molecules detected in Curiosity collection A soil sample collected by the Curiosity rover at Bagnold Dune contained organic molecules, the first ever detected on Mars. Instead of dropping the sample into an empty cup, scientists decided to put the sample into a cup prepped with a chemical reagent, which revealed organic molecules not detected […]
New look at fossils puts bryozoans in Cambrian Explosion Researchers reexamined ancient fossils with new technology to find that bryozoans, filter-feeding creatures that live in water like corals, were present during the Cambrian Explosion and describe their findings in Nature. The fossil, which is shaped like a honeycomb, was revealed in finer detail using micro-computed […]
Genetically edited pig kidney transplanted into patient The genetically altered kidney of a pig was transplanted into a brain-dead patient exhibiting signs of kidney dysfunction at New York University Langone Health with the consent of the patient’s family. The genes of the pig were edited to remove a molecule that can trigger immediate rejection. Reuters […]
Hint of our solar system’s future observed A planet the size of Jupiter circling a deceased white dwarf star about 6,500 light-years from Earth is offering a glimpse of what may happen when the sun burns out roughly 5 billion years from now. Researchers were surprised to discover that the gas giant survived its sun-like […]
Mysterious space object has dual personality A space object called 2005 QN173 is both a comet and an asteroid, according to a study set for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The object is icy, leaves a dust trail like a comet and has an orbit of an asteroid, circling the sun on the outer […]
Deep canyons on Mars created by ancient floods Deep canyons and valleys on Mars were likely carved by flooding caused by overflowing lakes billions of years ago. “Our results show that many Martian valleys are in fact more analogous to catastrophic floods on Earth, such as those that shaped the northwest United States at the […]
Humans walked the Americas earlier than once thought Archaeologists have uncovered footprints in New Mexico that date back as much as 23,000 years, suggesting humans traversed the Americas much earlier than previously believed. The 61 footprints, described in the journal Science, were found near a dry lake bed and hint that humans were trying to […]
Organic molecules found in planet-forming disk material Planet-forming disk material orbiting some young stars has been found to contain a large amount of organic molecules, “some which are implicated in the origins of life here on Earth,” said Karin Oberg, an author of one of 20 papers on the discovery scheduled for publication in The […]
Smoke from wildfires may block clouds’ rainmaking ability Water droplets are more abundant in clouds affected by wildfire smoke but, surprisingly, those clouds are less likely to produce rain and may contribute to drought conditions in the Western US. Scientists say the droplets inside the affected cumulus clouds are much smaller and less likely to […]
Early Homo groups once trekked to a well-watered Arabia The Arabian Peninsula was once a green oasis that attracted ancient Homo groups as early as 400,000 years ago during wet periods. Researchers have found evidence of animals migrating to the area’s lakes, rivers and wetlands as well as stone tools. Science News Amputees feel sensations […]