Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Ancient asteroid grains provide insight into the evolution of our solar system      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The UK's national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, was used by a large, international collaboration to study grains collected from a near-Earth asteroid to further our understanding of the evolution of our solar system. Researchers brought a fragment of the Ryugu asteroid to Diamond's Nanoprobe beamline I14 where a special technique called X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) was used to map out the chemical states of the elements within the asteroid material, to examine its composition in fine detail.

Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Alien planet found spiraling to its doom around an aging star      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The condemned planet could help answer questions about the fate of other worlds as their solar systems evolve.

Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Ancient grammatical puzzle solved after 2,500 years      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A grammatical problem which has defeated Sanskrit scholars since the 5th Century BC has finally been solved by a PhD student.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Marsquake!      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The quake lasted four hours and identified layering in the crust that could indicate a meteoroid impact. The 4.7 magnitude temblor happened in May 2022 and released five times more energy than any previously recorded quake on Mars. Mapping the seismic activity on Mars will help inform scientists where and how to build structures to ensure the safety of future human explorers.

Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Astronomers find that two exoplanets may be mostly water      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Astronomers have found evidence that two exoplanets orbiting a red dwarf star are 'water worlds,' planets where water makes up a large fraction of the volume.

Space: Cosmology Space: The Solar System
Published

Exquisite views of distant galaxies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For decades, the Hubble Space Telescope provided us with the most spectacular images of galaxies. This all changed when the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched and successfully completed commissioning. For astronomers, the universe is now revealed in a new way never imagined by the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument.

Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

ESPRESSO and CARMENES discover two potentially habitable exo-Earths around a star near the sun      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered the presence of two planets with Earth-like masses in orbit around the star GJ 1002, a red dwarf not far from our solar system. Both planets are in the habitability zone of the star.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Early humans may have first walked upright in the trees      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Human bipedalism -- walking upright on two legs -- may have evolved in trees, and not on the ground as previously thought, according to a new study.

Space: The Solar System
Published

VLA and ALMA study Jupiter and Io      (via sciencedaily.com) 

VLA teams up with Juno spacecraft to study Jupiter's atmosphere, and ALMA reveals new details about Io's volcanoes.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Sound recording made of dust devils (tiny tornadoes of dust, grit) on Mars      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When the rover Perseverance landed on Mars, it was equipped with the first working microphone on the planet's surface. Scientists have used it to make the first-ever audio recording of an extraterrestrial whirlwind.

Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil site reveals giant arthropods dominated the seas 470 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Discoveries at a major new fossil site in Morocco suggest giant arthropods -- relatives of modern creatures including shrimps, insects and spiders -- dominated the seas 470 million years ago.

Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Precise solar observations fed millions in ancient Mexico      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Without clocks or modern tools, ancient Mexicans watched the sun to maintain a farming calendar that precisely tracked seasons and even adjusted for leap years.

Archaeology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

True giant wombat gives Diprotodon podium a wobble      (via sciencedaily.com) 

While the Diprotodon -- the extinct megafauna species that is distantly related to wombats but was the size of a small car -- is commonly (but incorrectly) thought of as Australia's 'giant wombat', researchers have shed light on a large species that does belong in the modern-day wombat family. The complete skull of this true fossil giant wombat, found in a Rockhampton cave in Queensland, Australia and estimated to be around 80,000 years old, has been described for the first time.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

First ultraviolet imaging of Sun's middle corona      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered web-like plasma structures in the Sun's middle corona. The researchers describe their innovative new observation method, imaging the middled corona in ultraviolet (UV) wavelength. The findings could lead to a better understanding of the solar wind's origins and its interactions with the rest of the solar system.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Deep-space optical communication demonstration project forges ahead      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have demonstrated new laser systems for deep-space optical communication.

Space: The Solar System
Published

Hubble detects ghostly glow surrounding our solar system      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Imagine walking into a room at night, turning out all the lights and closing the shades. Yet an eerie glow comes from the walls, ceiling, and floor. The faint light is barely enough to see your hands before your face, but it persists. Sounds like a scene out of a scary movie?" No, for astronomers this is the real deal. But looking for something that's close to nothing is not easy.

Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: General
Published

Dinosaur teeth reveal what they didn't eat      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scratches on dinosaur teeth could reveal what they really ate. Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) has now been used to infer the feeding habits of large theropods, including Allosaurus and T. rex. By taking 3D images of individual teeth and analyzing the pattern of marks scratched into them, researchers could reason which dinosaurs may have frequently crunched on hard bone and which may have regularly eaten softer foods and prey. This technique opens up a new avenue of research for paleontology, helping us to better understand not only dinosaurs themselves but also the environment and communities in which they lived.

Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Smilodon's sabre teeth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have tested the biting efficiency of Smilodon, an extinct species of carnivore close to the extant felines. Using high-precision 3D scans and simulation methods, the team has just revealed how these animals managed to bite despite the impressive length of their teeth.

Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Discovery of world's oldest DNA breaks record by one million years      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Two-million-year-old DNA has been identified -- opening a 'game-changing' new chapter in the history of evolution. Microscopic fragments of environmental DNA were found in Ice Age sediment in northern Greenland. Using cutting-edge technology, researchers discovered the fragments are one million years older than the previous record for DNA sampled from a Siberian mammoth bone. The ancient DNA has been used to map a two-million-year-old ecosystem which weathered extreme climate change.