Artist’s impression of a future Interlune moon mining mission Interlune A space start-up will launch a moon mining mission in 2027, with the eventual goal of delivering a rare form of helium that is essential for some quantum computers and future nuclear fusion reactors. If successful, it will be the first commercial mission of its…
No more hunger after cooking? A newly identified network of nerve cells is responsible, a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research has discovered in mice. They discovered a direct connection from the nose to a group of nerve cells in the brain that are activated by the smell of food and,…
A group of bat viruses closely related to the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) could be one small mutation away from being capable of spilling over into human populations and potentially causing the next pandemic. A recent study published in the journal Nature Communicationsexamined an understudied group of coronaviruses known as merbecoviruses —…
A suspected volcano (circled) is close to the large Jezero crater on Mars NASA/JPL/MSSS/JHUAPL/ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/Aster Cowart A volcano seems to have been identified near the rim of Jezero crater on Mars, which is being explored by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The vehicle may have already sampled material spewed out by ancient eruptions. Perseverance landed in Jezero…
The forerunners of dinosaurs and crocodiles in the Triassic period were able to migrate across areas of the ancient world deemed completely inhospitable to life, new research suggests. In a paper published in Nature Ecology and Evolution on June 11, researchers from the University of Birmingham and University of Bristol have used a new method of geographical…
An artist’s impression of the Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Titan NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben NASA’s Dragonfly mission is due to land on Titan in 2034, giving us an unprecedented look at Saturn’s largest moon – but it may also have to dodge wind-driven rolling boulders. The mission, which will launch in 2028, includes…
Romulus and Remus are genetically modified grey wolves Colossal Biosciences A company called Colossal Biosciences says it has revived an extinct species – the dire wolf. “On October 1, 2024, for the first time in human history, Colossal successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction. After a 10,000+ year absence, our team…
Reconstruction of North America roughly 66 million years ago Davide Bonadonna Dinosaurs likely weren’t declining before an asteroid wiped them all out; instead, there may just be limited fossils from that time period, according to a new study. It has been hotly debated whether dinosaur populations were thriving or dwindling when a huge asteroid slammed…
Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News WWF Krill are just a few centimetres long fully grown, but are one of the most abundant animals on Earth Scientists say subtle differences in the colour of seawater will enable them to count tiny – but critically important – Antarctic marine creatures, from Space. The target of the…
A fracture on Mars’s surface, taken in January 2018 by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express craft ESA/DLR/FU Berlin Thousands of mysterious quakes on Mars that only happen during summer are unlike any known earthquakes, puzzling scientists. Since NASA’s InSight lander reached Mars in 2018, it has recorded thousands of marsquakes, including some surprisingly large…
