Once again, life has been found in an environment that would be deeply inhospitable to most organisms living on this planet. Fed by waters that pass through 600 meters (1,970 ft) of permafrost, the sub-zero, salty, virtually oxygen-free Lost Hammer Spring in the Canadian Arctic is one of the harshest places on Earth. Even here, however, … Read more
SpaceX has transported the most powerful rocket booster ever assembled to its Starbase orbital launch site (OLS) and used giant robotic arms to install it. It’s not the first such trip for Starship’s Super Heavy first stage in general, nor for this specific booster, which is known as Booster 7 or B7. Booster 7 first … Read more
A Jurassic vampire squid-like creature used supersuckers to snatch prey out of the water column and lock it in place with a watertight seal, 3D imaging of several fossils reveals. For the first time, scientists used advanced 3D imaging techniques to examine in great detail the prey-snatching suckers of Vampyronassa rhodanica, an extinct relative of … Read more
Antarctica is a bucket list destination for countless landscape and wildlife photographers, and for good reason. Dramatic, jagged mountain peaks rise high over colonies consisting of millions of penguins living on the frozen earth below. While photographing Antarctica is a rare experience in itself, photographing a total solar eclipse in Antarctica is akin to winning … Read more
Researchers uncovering fossils at the fossil site in 1951 before its location was initially lost. (Image credit: Ferraz et al) (opens in new tab) Scientists have finally rediscovered a lost fossil site in Brazil, after the researchers who originally discovered it 70 years ago were unable to retrace their steps to the remote location. The … Read more
The newly formed double crater, spotted on the far side of the Moon near Hertzsprung crater. Image: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University Observations made by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have allowed scientists to identify the spot where a mystery object—likely a discarded rocket body—smashed into the Moon several months ago. The crash site is located near Hertzsprung … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain When asteroid 2019 OK suddenly appeared barreling toward Earth on July 25, 2019, Luisa Fernanda Zambrano-Marin and the team at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico jumped into action. After getting an alert, the radar scientists zoned in on the asteroid, which was coming from Earth’s blind spot—solar opposition. Zambrano-Marin and … Read more
The miniscule satellite, called a CubeSat, is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs just 55 pounds (25 kilograms), but it will be the first to test out a unique, elliptical lunar orbit. The CubeSat will act as a pathfinder for Gateway, an orbiting lunar outpost that will serve as a way station … Read more
Plants are growing in complete darkness in an acetate medium that replaces biological photosynthesis. Credit: Marcus Harland-Dunaway/UCR Photosynthesis has evolved in plants for millions of years to turn water, carbon dioxide, and the energy from sunlight into plant biomass and the foods we eat. This process, however, is very inefficient, with only about 1% of … Read more
The second section of the Florida launch tower for SpaceX’s huge Super Heavy and Starship rocket was lifted on top of the first tower segment Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center, continuing construction of a structure that will stand more than 400 feet tall. SpaceX transferred the second metal tower segment — itself as tall … Read more