NASA’s Insight Mars lander recorded a magnitude 5 quake on the Red Planet last week, the largest such rumble ever observed on another world. The news comes just one week after the lander confirmed the intensities and locations of its previous largest quakes. Those occurred in August and September 2021 and were magnitudes 4.1 and …
NASA’s Insight Mars lander recorded a magnitude 5 quake on the Red Planet last week, the largest such rumble ever observed on another world. The news comes just one week after the lander confirmed the intensities and locations of its previous largest quakes. Those occurred in August and September 2021 and were magnitudes 4.1 and …
A disease that is so rare in the United States that it is recognized in only about 40 people each year has taken the life of a person living in Maine. The cause, Powassan virus, is transmitted by ticks, which can pass it on within 15 minutes of biting. The virus causes neurological damage; one …
Ticks Are Spreading in the US—and Taking New Diseases With Them Read More »
Late last week, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter managed to reestablish its connection with the Perseverance rover following a brief communications disruption. The space agency says the looming winter is likely responsible and is making adjustments as a result. On Thursday, Ingenuity—mercifully—sent a signal to Perseverance after the intrepid helicopter missed a scheduled communications session. It marked …
Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Went Silent, Leaving Anxious NASA Team in the Dark Read More »
The research team collected data in blistering cold of Antarctica for weeks to map the continent’s subsurface.Photo: Kerry Key Antarctica, far from just a sprawling mass of ice, is a geologically complex continent made of expansive glaciers, jagged bedrock, and, as new research finds, large amounts of groundwater. HAS study published today in the journal …
Huge Groundwater System Discovered Under Antarctica Read More »
Space agencies are trying to figure out ways to mitigate the effects of space debris.Photo: Arne Dedert (PA) An old Russian motor that’s been aimlessly floating through space for more than a decade has finally met its demise in a sudden explosion, producing at least 16 shards of orbital debris that now threaten satellites and …
Russian Motor Spontaneously Explodes in Orbit, Creating Debris Cloud Read More »
A civet cat in a cage.Photo: Sakchai Lalit (PA) As climate change permanently alters our environment, the world is increasingly opening up to new viruses—with potentially deadly consequences for us humans. HAS study published Thursday in Nature finds that as climate change is forcing animals to move habitats, they will increasingly come into contact with …
We’ll Likely Deal With More Pandemics as Earth Heats Up Read More »
A paleontologist excavating in the Swiss Alps in 1976.Photo: Heinz Furrer A team of paleontologists has discovered fossils of three impressive new ichthyosaurs—ancient marine reptiles—in rocks located 9,000 feet above sea level. The ichthyosaurs were found in excavations that took place between 1976 and 1990, but the remains were very fragmentary. Since then, more comparative …
Fossils of Giant Dolphin-Like Marine Reptiles Found in Swiss Alps Read More »
Artistic conception of a crewed mission to Mars. Picture: NASA Scientists are on the fence as to whether solar or nuclear should be the preferred source of power for small teams visiting the Martian surface. New research suggests both options are good, with geographical location being the determining factor. Tea researchers compared two different power-generating …
Here’s How Martian Explorers Could Best Produce Electricity on the Red Planet Read More »
PFAS chemicals end up in our environment through the plastic products and other trash we throw out. Picture: Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/NurPhoto (Getty Images) New research finds evidence that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, can damage people’s lives over time. The study, a review of the evidence in both rodents and humans, might also …
PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Might Be Hurting Our Livers, Study Finds Read More »
