Aerosol pollution reduces Pacific’s storm activity Increasing aerosol pollution from China and India has had a cooling effect, leading to reduced storm activity in the Pacific Ocean in recent decades, according to a study that relied on computer simulations. As a result, as the governments of those countries aim to reduce aerosol pollution, they also […]
Data from Mars rover suggest presence of rare rock Scientists who studied images collected by a Mars rover say the planet may contain ignimbrite, a rare rock created by powerful volcanic eruptions. The presence of ignimbrite, also found on Earth, would suggest eruptions on Mars were more violent than thought. Space Robotic rat can handle […]
Lava creates dunes on surface of volcanic Jupiter moon Using observations from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft and complex mathematical simulations, researchers discovered new information about the mysterious dunes on the surface of Io, Jupiter’s third-largest moon. The dunes are formed not by wind as on Earth but by “effusive” lava streams from Io’s hundreds of active […]
Water may be hidden beneath Europa’s icy surface Beneath the 20-kilometer thick ice crust covering Jupiter’s Europa moon, researchers think an ocean awaits. Scientists studying the frozen surface of Greenland have determined Europa is similar enough that its hidden water store could host microbial life. Space Climate crisis leaves parts of world with 50% fewer […]
Massive protoplanet formed in unexpected way A protoplanet with a mass many times larger than Jupiter’s likely formed as the result of a massive implosion, pulling together gas and dust. Based on the planet’s size and distance from the nearest star, astronomers found that planet AB Aur b didn’t form as they originally thought, but […]
Scientists find galaxy far, far away Astronomers discovered HD1, an extremely energetic galaxy candidate that is 13.1 billion light-years from Earth, making it 100 million light-years farther away than what is currently the most distant galaxy. According to research, the energy emitted from HD1 could be because it is a gigantic black hole or contains […]
Heartbeats as passwords By recording and isolating the unique “musical” properties of a heartbeat — both rhythm and pitch — researchers have created a biometric identification system which can distinguish between people with a 99.6% accuracy rate. “We might use this solution in a building’s access control system where pre-registered users provide a template (a […]
Why don’t boa constrictors suffocate while eating? Constrictor snakes use their ribs and muscles to draw in air similar to a bellows, so they don’t suffocate while squeezing and swallowing large prey. Researchers put blood pressure cuffs on different sections of constrictors’ bodies and fitted the snakes’ heads with small helmets that measure air flow […]
Mice brains wired with “competitive” neurons Researchers studying social behaviors of mice have identified that competition among the rodents was tied not only to social status but to the activation of neurons in the brain associated with feelings of ambition, decision making and rank. Results of the study, published in Nature, could be used to […]
Ancient asteroid may have carried life to Earth The chemical analysis of granular samples collected from the surface of Ruygu — an asteroid several billions of years old — revealed the presence of amino acids within the rocky terrain, which researchers believe may be responsible for the foundation of the development of life on Earth […]