The NASA Perseverance Rover discovered organic matter in a rock, which could be a sign of ancient Martian life. The rover took two samples from a rock named Wildcat Ridge in Jezero Crater’s old river delta. Its chemical compounds may serve as biosignatures, which is what makes it so intriguing. A biosignature is a chemical or structural indicator that may or may not require the presence of life to form.
On Saturday, the American space agency attempted to launch a rocket constructed mostly out of parts from the space shuttle, which was developed and constructed almost four decades ago. The inaugural flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket was scrubbed a few hours before its launch window opened, which came as little surprise given the frequency with which technical issues delayed the space shuttle. A line of 8-inch diameter that
Salami and bacon, for example, are preserved using nitrite or nitrate salts so that they last longer after being cured and processed. In the body, nitrate can be broken down into more reactive nitrite. Once combined with ammonia, nitrite can generate carcinogenic nitrosamines. Methods now used to assess nitrite content in food aren’t always user-friendly, requiring specialised equipment and time-consuming manual effort. An easy-to-use method for quantifying nitrite has been
Once upon a time, dugongs swam without disturbance throughout the seas of southern China. However, a report published this week in the journal Royal Society Open Science claims that hunting, habitat loss, collisions with ships, and other human interventions have rendered these once-abundant marine animals “functionally extinct” in China. Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are huge mammals that spend most of their time feeding on underwater seagrass, where they can weigh up
A group of US chemists converted scientific charts and graphics into tactile materials. This could aid low-vision students and scientists. The team lead by Baylor University biochemist Bryan Shaw used 3D printing to turn scientific images into thin 3D constructs called lithophanes. Shaw’s endeavour began as a personal outreach effort. My baby was born with eye tumours, so I became a doctor. Despite losing an eye and having tumours in
In the early morning hours of Thursday, an asteroid that is larger than two football fields will fly by the planet Earth (Aug. 4). At precisely 12:23 in the morning, the asteroid will go by (ET). Only a few days ago, on July 26, astronomers from NASA identified the asteroid that is now known as 2022 OE2. The meaty space rock is predicted to measure between 170 and 380 metres
According to fossils recently found in France, a pre-dinosaur species resembled a rotund lizard with a small head and a semiaquatic existence. The amphibian represents a previously unknown genus and species of mammalian ancestor, researchers stated in October’s Palaeo Vertebrata. Lalieudorhynchus gandi lived 265 million years ago on Pangaea, before dinosaurs. Fossils of the strange species were initially discovered in 2001 in the Lodève Basin in southern France by research
A constellation of more than 20 massive radar antennas will be used to gather data on potential rock-borne threats. An array of more than 20 massive radar antennae has begun construction at a renowned Chinese university to track asteroids that could be damaging to Earth. It’s called China Fuyan (or “composite eye”), and the Beijing Institute of Technology is leading it. Asteroids within 93 million miles (150 million kilometres) of
Any form of energy that is produced using natural resources like sunshine, wind, or water is considered to be a form of green energy. The term “green energy” is often used interchangeably with “renewable energy,” but there are a few key distinctions between the two that we will go over in the next section. The fact that these forms of energy don’t cause damage to the environment by doing things
Starlink satellite Internet service has been approved by the US government for use on moving vehicles, ships, and planes. The FCC on Thursday approved SpaceX’s proposal to operate ESIMs (Earth Stations in Motion) in the United States for both consumers and businesses. The FCC also granted Kepler Communications’ request to operate ESIMs on ships. As of now, ships in US territorial waters and international waters can use Starlink or Kepler.
