Category archives: Weekly Selection

MI weekly selection #486

MI weekly selection #486

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Magma may bubble below Mars’ surface A new study of quake data from Mars rover InSight suggests the red planet may experience underground volcanism. Characteristics of 20 quakes in the Cerberus Fossae region of the planet are consistent with movement generated in a warm subsurface locale. Full Story: Space Spiderwebs do more than simply catch […]

MI weekly selection #485

MI weekly selection #485

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Mutation found to affect circadian rhythm Researchers have discovered genetic mutations in hamsters that speed up the animals’ internal clock and affect circadian rhythms. “We suspect this might be relevant in understanding the effects of jet lag and shift work,” said neurobiologist Eric Bittman, a co-author of the study. Full Story: ScienceDaily Viruses found active […]

MI weekly selection #484

MI weekly selection #484

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Black hole collision behaves as Einstein predicted Scientists studying the collision of two huge black holes observed massive gravitational waves and a phenomenon known as precession, which resembles the wobbling motion of a spinning top. Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicted a century ago that precession would occur in massive objects — but this […]

MI weekly selection #483

MI weekly selection #483

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Long-lost moon may have been cause of Uranus’ stark tilt Astronomers have long suspected that a series of giant impacts early in the planet’s formation flipped Uranus on its side, but new research suggests the planet’s 98-degree-tilt could have been caused by a long-lost moon. It is possible that the tilt was caused by the […]

MI weekly selection #482

MI weekly selection #482

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Climate change boosted hurricane rainfall Using the scientifically-accepted attribution technique they developed and shared earlier this year, a pair of researchers have released a subsequent study finding climate changes has led to at least 10% more rainfall during Hurricane Ian, which struck the US this week, than in a world without excess greenhouse gases trapping […]

MI weekly selection #481

MI weekly selection #481

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Optimal workout timing may depend on gender Research on the relationship between exercise timing and gender indicates that women may see greater abdominal fat and blood pressure benefits with morning workouts, and evening exercise may help men burn more fat and better control their blood pressure. Working out in the evening also appeared to improve […]

MI weekly selection #480

MI weekly selection #480

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Perseverance captures sun halo Despite decades of exploration on the surface of Mars and thousands of photographs of the skies above the red planet, scientists only observed signs of a sun halo recently. NASA’s Perseverance rover finally documented the phenomenon, which occurs when atmospheric ice crystals warp sunlight to create the appearance of a halo […]

MI weekly selection #479

MI weekly selection #479

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Spaceflight alters DNA of astronauts’ blood Blood samples collected from all 14 astronauts who traveled to space as part of NASA’s space shuttle program between 1998 and 2001 showed evidence of DNA mutations after being stored for 20 years. While the mutations are below a key threshold for concern, researchers suggest astronauts submit to periodic […]

MI weekly selection #478

MI weekly selection #478

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Blazars draw power from black holes High-energy particles such as neutrinos and cosmic rays that pummel the Earth from the depths of space originate in actively galactic nuclei fueled by giant black holes, known as blazars. “The discovery of the connection between these objects and the cosmic rays may be the ‘Rosetta stone’ of high-energy […]

MI weekly selection #477

MI weekly selection #477

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Mammals became warm-blooded around 233M years ago Warm-blooded mammals evolved roughly 233 million years ago, nearly 20 million years later than previously believed, after studying tiny inner ear canals that carry a viscous fluid called endolymph, which flows more easily when warmed and requires smaller passageways. The study looked at the inner ear canals of […]