2,500 years ago, one of the most beautiful features of space was born: the South Ring Nebula. The nebula was vividly photographed by the Webb Space Telescope earlier this year, and astronomers now think they know exactly how a star’s violent explosion took place, leaving the elegant nebula in its wake . The star that …
Webb Telescope Reveals Bright Stellar Crime Scene Read More »
An Icelandic Sheepdog.Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) A new study could help us better understand our canine companions. National Institutes of Health scientists say they have discovered some of the ways genes can influence the behaviors of certain breeds, such as herding dogs. For about two decades, a team led by Elaine Ostrander at the National Human …
How Genes Determine Your Dog’s Lovable and Goofy Behavior Read More »
An open pit tin mine in the Brazilian Amazon.Photo: mario tama (Getty Images) As the gears engage for the world to transition to clean energy, it is becoming increasingly clear that we are going to need more minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which help power our cars and form the backbone of our …
More than half of the world’s energy transition minerals are found on indigenous lands Read More »
An illustration of Cape Copenhagen 2 million years ago.Drawing: Beth Zaiken A team of scientists has sequenced the oldest DNA to date, found in permafrost in the far north of Greenland. The DNA is 2 million years old, surpassing the previous oldest DNA record by a million years. The genetic material came from 41 sediment …
‘Amazing’ DNA 2 million years old reveals ancient ecosystem in Greenland Read More »
The dish destroys the day it collapses.Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP (Getty Images) It happened in less than 10 seconds, two years ago today: the 300 meters of the Arecibo observatory the satellite dish collapsed, eliminating one of the world’s most renowned sources of radio sightings. During its 57 years of operation in northern Puerto Rico, the …
Remembering the parabola of the Arecibo observatory, two years after its collapse Read More »
Artistic impression of ispace’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander. Image: ispace SpaceX is preparing a Falcon 9 rocket for launch on early Wednesday morning. The mission, which includes private and public payloads, illustrates the current state of the spaceflight industry and the changing way we explore space. It’s a fairly routine launch for SpaceX, but the …
SpaceX set to launch private lunar lander, plus NASA ‘flashlight’ probe Read More »
The Deepwater Horizon platform burns down on April 21, 2010.Photo: Gerald Herbert (PA) The network of offshore oil and gas facilities in the United States is at serious and growing risk from a potentially devastating cyberattack, according to a government watchdog. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report last week, finding that …
Pirates could cause the next deep-sea disaster on the horizon Read More »
Burns and other minor damage to Launch Pad 39B.Screenshot: NASA television A scorched platform, fried cameras, broken pipes and a broken elevator were among the victims of NASA’s SLS rocket launch last week. Mobile Launcher 1 and Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center will require repairs, but NASA says they will be ready for …
NASA minimizes damage to launch pad from SLS rocket Read More »
The Artemis 1 mission taking off from Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday morning. Photo: Nasa The launch of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission sent the Orion capsule on a journey to the Moon, in addition to 10 cubesats included as secondary payloads. The upper stage of the Space Launch System successfully deployed the tiny satellites yesterday, …
A satellite launched aboard SLS is already in trouble Read More »
Artist’s rendering of Orion passing in front of the Moon, with an Earthrise in the background. Drawing: Nasa from NASA The Space Launch System lifted off on Wednesday, sending the uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 25-day journey to the Moon and back. Orion is expected to reach its destination early next week, when it will …
What’s next for the Orion spacecraft as it heads for the Moon Read More »
