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Categories: Paleontology: Fossils, Space: General
Published Signatures of the Space Age: Spacecraft metals left in the wake of humanity's path to the stars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using tools hitched to the nose cone of their research planes and sampling more than 11 miles above the planet's surface, researchers have discovered significant amounts of metals in aerosols in the atmosphere, likely from increasingly frequent launches and returns of spacecraft and satellites. That mass of metal is changing atmospheric chemistry in ways that may impact Earth's atmosphere and ozone layer.
Published Scientists, philosophers identify nature's missing evolutionary law
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new article describes 'a missing law of nature,' recognizing for the first time an important norm within the natural world's workings. In essence, the new law states that complex natural systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity. In other words, evolution is not limited to life on Earth, it also occurs in other massively complex systems, from planets and stars to atoms, minerals, and more.
Published Extinct ape gets a facelift, 12 million years later
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has reconstructed the well-preserved but damaged skull of a great ape species that lived about 12 million years ago. The species, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, may be crucial to understanding great ape and human evolution.
Published Extraordinary fossil find reveals details about the weight and diet of extinct saber-toothed marsupial
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A 13-million-year-old saber-toothed marsupial skeleton discovered during paleontological explorations in Colombia is the most complete specimen recovered in the region.
Published NASA's Webb captures an ethereal view of NGC 346
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source One of the greatest strengths of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is its ability to give astronomers detailed views of areas where new stars are being born. The latest example, showcased here in a new image from Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), is NGC 346 -- the brightest and largest star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Published Removal of magnetic spacecraft contamination within extraterrestrial samples easily carried out, researchers say
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By demonstrating that spaceflight doesn’t adversely affect the magnetism of moon rocks, researchers underscore the exciting potential of studying the magnetic histories stored in these samples.
Published Researchers capture first-ever afterglow of huge planetary collision in outer space
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A chance social media post by an eagle-eyed amateur astronomer sparked the discovery of an explosive collision between two giant planets, which crashed into each other in a distant space system 1,800 light years away from planet Earth.
Published 'Starquakes' could explain mystery signals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are an astronomical mystery, with their exact cause and origins still unconfirmed. These intense bursts of radio energy are invisible to the human eye, but show up brightly on radio telescopes. Previous studies have noted broad similarities between the energy distribution of repeat FRBs, and that of earthquakes and solar flares. However, new research has looked at the time and energy of FRBs and found distinct differences between FRBs and solar flares, but several notable similarities between FRBs and earthquakes. This supports the theory that FRBs are caused by 'starquakes' on the surface of neutron stars. This discovery could help us better understand earthquakes, the behavior of high-density matter and aspects of nuclear physics.
Published Finding explanation for Milky Way's warp
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Though scientists have long known through observational data that the Milky Way is warped and its edges are flared like a skirt, no one could explain why. Now, astronomers have performed the first calculations that fully explain this phenomenon, with compelling evidence pointing to the Milky Way's envelopment in an off-kilter halo of dark matter.
Published Stellar fountain of youth with turbulent formation history in the center of our galaxy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An unexpectedly high number of young stars has been identified in the direct vicinity of a supermassive black hole and water ice has been detected at the center of our galaxy.
Published Source of electron acceleration and X-ray aurora of Mercury local chorus waves detected
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Observations during two flybys by the Mio spacecraft as part of the BepiColombo International Mercury Exploration Project have revealed that chorus waves occur quite locally in the dawn sector of Mercury. Mercury's magnetic field is about 1% of that of Earth, and it was unclear whether chorus waves would be generated like on Earth. The present study reveals that the chorus waves are the driving source of Mercury's X-ray auroras, whose mechanism was not understood.
Published Race to find world's oldest mammal fossils led to mud-slinging
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The hunt for the world’s most ancient mammals descended into academic warfare in the seventies, researchers have discovered.
Published Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in ancient 14,300-year-old tree rings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists have discovered a huge spike in radiocarbon levels 14,300 years ago by analyzing ancient tree-rings found in the French Alps. The radiocarbon spike was caused by a massive solar storm, the biggest ever identified. A similar solar storm today would be catastrophic for modern technological society – potentially wiping out telecommunications and satellite systems, causing massive electricity grid blackouts, and costing us billions. The academics are warning of the importance of understanding such storms to protect our global communications and energy infrastructure for the future.
Published Astronomers discover first step toward planet formation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have gotten very good at spotting the signs of planet formation around stars. But for a complete understanding of planet formation, we also need to study examples where planet formation has not yet started. Looking for something and not finding it can be even more difficult than finding it sometimes, but new detailed observations of the young star DG Taurus show that it has a smooth protoplanetary disk without signs of planet formation. This successful non-detection of planet formation may indicate that DG Taurus is on the eve of planet formation.
Published Ginger pigment molecules found in fossil frogs
(via sciencedaily.com) Palaeontologists discover molecular evidence of phaeomelanin, the pigment that produces ginger coloration. Phaeomelanin is now toxic to animals – this discovery may be first step in understand its evolution.
Published Pulsars may make dark matter glow
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A team of astrophysicists has now shown that if dark matter consists of axions, it may reveal itself in the form of a subtle additional glow coming from pulsating stars.
Published Scientists discover the highest energy gamma-rays ever from a pulsar
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have detected the highest energy gamma rays ever from a dead star called a pulsar. The energy of these gamma rays clocked in at 20 tera-electronvolts, or about ten trillion times the energy of visible light. This observation is hard to reconcile with the theory of the production of such pulsed gamma rays, as the international team reports.
Published Plot thickens in hunt for ninth planet
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A pair of theoretical physicists are reporting that the same observations inspiring the hunt for a ninth planet might instead be evidence within the solar system of a modified law of gravity originally developed to understand the rotation of galaxies.
Published New type of tiny wasp comes with mysterious, cloud-like structures at ends of antennae
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fossil researchers have discovered a novel genus and species of tiny wasp with a mysterious, bulbous structure at the end of each antenna.
Published New 'Assembly Theory' unifies physics and biology to explain evolution and complexity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of researchers has developed a new theoretical framework that bridges physics and biology to provide a unified approach for understanding how complexity and evolution emerge in nature. This new work on 'Assembly Theory' represents a major advance in our fundamental comprehension of biological evolution and how it is governed by the physical laws of the universe.