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☆ What’s on the far side of the moon? Here’s why scientists want to find out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The far side of the moon is very different from the near side,” said Li Chunlai, China National Space Administration deputy chief designer. The Yutu-2 lunar rover took an image of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on January 11, 2019. Far side mysteriesDespite years of orbital data and samples collected during six of the Apollo missions, scientists are still trying to answer key questions about the moon. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesChang’e-6 is just one mission heading to the moon’s far side as NASA has plans to send robotic missions there as well. Cracking the lunar codeOne of the most fundamental questions that scientists have tried to answer is how the moon formed.

Persons: Von, hasn’t, ”, Li Chunlai, David Trone, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson, “ We’re, Pink Floyd, Renu Malhotra, Louise Foucar, we’ve, Noah Petro, Artemis III, “, ” Petro, Artemis, Malhotra, Brett Denevi, ” Denevi, Hector Retamal, Denevi, Aitken, “ it’s, CNN’s Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN, China National Space Administration, NASA, Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research, Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Apollo, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Soviet Union, Johns Hopkins, Getty Locations: China, Tucson, AFP, Hainan Province

☆ Crater offers new clue near-Earth asteroid is really a piece of the moon, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The space rock, known as 2016 HO3, is a rare quasi-satellite — a type of near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun but sticks close to our planet. Astronomers first discovered it in 2016 using the Pan-STARRS telescope, or Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, in Hawaii. Scientists call the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, a name derived from a Hawaiian creation chant that alludes to an offspring traveling on its own. Kamo’oalewa specimen: A connecting puzzle pieceStudying crater impacts on the moon can also help scientists better understand the consequences of asteroid impacts should a space rock pose a threat to Earth in the future. There’s no other place, no other planet in our solar system with a moon like our moon.

Persons: they’ve, Giordano Bruno, Yifei Jiao, ”, Erik Asphaug, Kamo’oalewa, “ You’d, Asphaug, ” Jiao, ” Asphaug, Renu Malhotra, China’s, Patrick Michel, Noah Petro, Artemis III, Petro, “, ” Petro, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Survey Telescope, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, Tsinghua University, University of, London, NASA, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, National Centre for Scientific Research, Reconnaissance, Artemis Locations: Hawaii, Beijing, “, France

☆ Lyrid meteor shower peaks this week right before the pink full moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The total solar eclipse has come and gone, but sky-gazers have reason to keep looking up — a meteor shower will peak this week right before a full moon rises. The Lyrid meteor shower will be most active Sunday night through the early morning hours of Monday, according to the American Meteor Society. And April’s full moon, also known as the pink moon, reaches the crest of its full phase at 7:49 p.m. The pink moon actually got its moniker due to its annual appearance not long after the start of spring, much like its namesake, a hot pink wildflower called Phlox subulata that blooms in early springtime, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Instead, an annular solar eclipse creates a “ring of fire” in the sky as the sun’s light surrounds the moon.

Persons: Ashley King, don’t, “, ” King, Paul Hayne, Hayne, It’s, ” Hayne, Lorenzo Di Cola, Alpha Capricornids, Perseids, Draconids, Orionids, Leonids, Geminids, Ursids Organizations: CNN, American Meteor Society, Northern, NASA, University of Colorado, Orvieto Cathedral, •, Alpha Locations: Southern, University of Colorado Boulder, Orvieto, Umbria, Italy, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America

☆ Pluto’s heart was likely created by an ancient collision
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A deep basin called Sputnik Planitia, which makes up the “left lobe” of the heart, is home to much of Pluto’s nitrogen ice. The New Horizons spacecraft took an image of Pluto's heart on July 14, 2015. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/NASAThrough new research on Sputnik Planitia, an international team of scientists has determined that a cataclysmic event created the heart. The teardrop shape of Sputnik Planitia is a result of the frigidity of Pluto’s core, as well as the relatively low velocity of the impact itself, the team found. The researchers believe that the new theory regarding Pluto’s heart could shed more light on how the mysterious dwarf planet formed.

Persons: Clybe Tombaugh, Pluto, it’s, ”, Harry Ballantyne, Erik Asphaug, ” Asphaug, “ That’s, Sputnik Planitia, Martin Jutzi, Kelsi Singer, ” Singer Organizations: CNN, Regio, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Research Institute, NASA, Sputnik, Pluto, University of Bern, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, University of Bern’s Physics, Kelsi, Southwest Research, New Locations: United States, Switzerland, Boulder , Colorado

☆ Mars volcano the size of Mount Everest was hiding in plain sight, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Scientists may have pinpointed a massive, oddly shaped volcano taller than Mount Everest on the surface of Mars — and it has been hiding in plain sight for decades, according to new research. Some of the largest volcanoes on Mars lie relatively close to the proposed “Noctis volcano.” Shown here: 1) Olympus Mons, the tallest known volcano in our solar system. This NASA visualization of the Tharsis rise shows Olympus Mons, Tharsis Montes, Noctis Labyrinthus, and Valles Marineris. NASA SVSA volcano, a glacier and the history of MarsThe existence of a volcano in Noctis Labyrinthus could also help explain the creation of this bizarre landscape. The existence of a volcano in the region, Lee said, might offer more support for the latter theory.

Persons: Everest, Pascal Lee, NASA SVS Lee, Sourabh, Lee, “ It’s, ”, NASA’s, Noctis Labyrinthus, “, ” Lee, Shubham, Adrien Broquet, we’ve, —, we’re, Noctis, Ernst Hauber, ” Hauber, David Horvath —, Tucson , Arizona —, Broquet, Horvath, ” Horvath, Carl Sagan Organizations: CNN —, Mars, Planetary Science Conference, Olympus, NASA, University of Maryland, College, CNN, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance, Marineris, Humboldt Research, German Aerospace Center, SETI Institute, German Aerospace Center’s, of Planetary Research, Planetary Science Institute Locations: The Woodlands , Texas, That’s, Mars, Noctis, Valles, Tharsis Montes, Labyrinthus, Tucson , Arizona

☆ NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will carry a poem and millions of names to ocean moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —When NASA’s Europa Clipper aims to launch on its highly anticipated mission to an icy moon in October, the spacecraft will carry a unique design etched with names, poetry and artwork symbolizing humanity. This latest mission is headed to Jupiter’s moon Europa, one of several lunar ocean worlds considered to be the best places to search for life beyond Earth. NASA/JPL-CaltechA planetary legacyEarly NASA probes such as Pioneer 10 and Voyager have continued to inspire the artwork that travels aboard other planetary science missions. “The content and design of Europa Clipper’s vault plate are swimming with meaning,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, in a statement. “We’ve packed a lot of thought and inspiration into this plate design, as we have into this mission itself,” said Robert Pappalardo, project scientist at JPL, in a statement.

Persons: Ada Limón, Ron Greeley, Drake, Frank Drake, ”, Lori Glaze, Robert Pappalardo, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Clipper, Parker, Probe, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ”, US, Arizona State University, University of California, NASA, JPL, Caltech, Planetary Science, Europa Clipper Locations: Pasadena , California, Europa, University of California Santa Cruz

☆ NASA’s DART mission: Spacecraft impact reshaped Dimorphos asteroid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —When NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft intentionally slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022, the impact may have caused “global deformation” of the space rock, according to new research. Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger parent asteroid known as Didymos. The DART mission ended upon impact, but prior to colliding with Dimorphos, the spacecraft transmitted an incredibly detailed view of the little asteroid’s boulder-covered surface that is helping researchers learn more about how the space rock formed. Rather than forming a simple crater on Dimorphos, the DART impact reshaped the entire asteroid, the results have suggested. Recreating the DART impactA team of researchers modeled the impact using the Bern smoothed-particle hydrodynamics shock physics code to achieve their results.

Persons: Dimorphos, It’s, ”, Dr, Sabina Raducan, Japan’s, ” Raducan, Martin Jutzi, Hera, Raducan, Sir Brian May, Claudia Manzoni Organizations: CNN, DART, Dimorphos, University of Bern’s Physics Locations: Italian, Dimorphos, Bern, Switzerland

The East Coast Is Sinking New satellite-based research reveals how land along the coast is slumping into the ocean, compounding the danger from global sea level rise. SINKING BY 2050 RISING –5 +5 cm –20 –15 –10 0 Atlantic City is sinking up to 4 centimeters per decade. SINKING BY 2050 RISING –5 +5 cm –20 –15 –10 0 Several hotspots in Maryland are sinking over 10 centimeters per decade, while other areas are rising. SINKING BY 2050 RISING –5 +5 cm –20 –15 –10 0 Charleston, S.C., which is affected by groundwater pumping, is sinking up to 5.7 centimeters per decade. Portland, Maine 47.0 cm 45.8 cm +40 cm 40.6 cm Relative sea level rise 33.8cm +30 cm +20 cm SUBSIDENCE +10 cm Change since 1925 Global sea level rise 1925 2023 1925 2023 1925 2023 1925 2023 Sources: Dangendorf (2019) and the National Oceanography Centre.

Persons: ”, Leonard Ohenhen, Kenneth Miller, Inner Harbor BOSTON Charles, “, Miller, “ We’ve, Sandy, we’ve, Sandy Hertz, Hertz Organizations: Virginia Tech, U.S . Geological Survey, NASA, Rutgers University ., Places New, National Oceanography, The New York Times, East Boston Charleston East Cambridge Airport, Inner, Pleasure, Roxbury, Boston City Archives, Boston Public Library, Boston Groundwater Trust, PNAS, Rutgers University, American Society of Civil Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of Transportation Locations: Boston, New York City, Long, Maryland, Hampton, Va, Charleston, S.C, Florida, Miami, Places New York City, N.Y, Atlantic City, N.J, Mass, Portland , Maine, York City, New Jersey, East, Inner Harbor BOSTON, Pleasure Bay, Savin, Roxbury Grove, Shirzaei, Cape Canaveral, exurbs, Delaware, Atlantic, East Coast

☆ Sea of Nectar: What you should know about the moon area where Japan’s lander touched down
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

If the lander turns on again, it could make good on its objectives to collect unprecedented information about a region called the Sea of Nectar. The 1969 US moon mission Apollo 11 captured this oblique view of the large crater Theophilus at the northwest edge of the Sea of Nectar. Here's the first picture sent back by the Moon Sniper after it landed on the lunar surface. The Sea of Nectar is much smaller than its neighbor the Sea of Tranquility, which is over 540 miles (875 kilometers) across and is similarly smooth and flat. “After the Apollo missions, we brought back samples and learned they were essentially massive lava planes,” Osinski said.

Persons: Smart, SLIM —, Moon, Theophilus that’s, ”, Gordon Osinski, who’s, Artemis, Osinski, we’ve, ” Osinski, Sara Russell, haven’t, Russell, “, SLIM, ” “, John Pernet, Fisher, Pernet, it’s, Tranquillity, Canada’s, maria ”, “ It’s, NASA’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, Western University, Lunar Reconnaissance, Planetary Materials, Ritsumeikan University, Aizu, University of Manchester, Planetary Institute, Apollo, Getty Locations: Japan, , Ontario, Shioli, United Kingdom

☆ The mystery of how the moon formed is still puzzling scientists. The secret could lie deep within our planet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementHere are four leading theories of how the moon was formed, and why the secret to uncovering the truth could lie deep within our planet. The moon wandered by the Earth and was captured into its orbitAccording to the capture theory, the moon was wandering through the universe like a giant asteroid. NASA/NOAAThe moon formed alongside the EarthThe accretion hypothesis ties the moon to the birth of the Earth. The problem is that while the moon and the Earth share isotopes, the way they put them together is very different. The moon also pulls as the earth, scientists have found.

Persons: we're, —, Elon Musk, Sara Russell, Russell, Russel, it's, Vincent Eke, Jacob A, Theia, Deng, Artemis Organizations: Service, NASA, Elon, Apollo, NOAA, Chinese Academy of Sciences, ESA Locations: Theia

☆ Researchers explored pitch-black pits in Yucatán's labyrinthine underwater caves to unlock the secrets of the rivers that provide drinking water to millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementThe Sac Actun cave system on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula contains many wonders, from a 13,000-year-old skeleton to human artifacts and fossils of giant sloths. The underwater cave microbial communityThe cave system is a network of over 900 miles of connected caves that contain a mix of freshwater and saltwater. Caves flooded with coastal seawater had different microbes than The Pit, a deep cenote exposed to the surface, for example. For example, she noted that a planned train system from Cancún to the Yucatán Peninsula could affect the cave system. The potential for contamination is a problem anywhere there are caves, Osburn said.

Persons: —, It's, Magdalena, Osburn, Natalie Gibb, Comamonadaceae Organizations: Service, Northwestern University, Microbiology, Reuters Locations: Cancún, In Kentucky

☆ Iceland volcano: What’s going on and what are the risks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

So, what do we know about this potential eruption, what are its risks, how could it affect travel and why is Iceland, an island of just 103,000 square kilometers (40,000 square miles), home to so much seismic activity? “If it erupts undersea, it could cause a Surtseyan eruption similar to the one that happened in 1963, also in Iceland, and created the island of Surtsey. Iceland is accustomed to volcanic eruptions, though they often occur in the wilderness, away from populated areas. The Bárðarbunga volcanic system situated in the center of the country erupted in 2014, producing lava that covered 84 square kilometers (32 square miles) of highland that didn’t damage any communities. It also didn’t threaten populated areas and even become a tourist attraction as people flocked to witness a volcanic eruption.

Persons: Ragnar Visage, ” Michele Paulatto, Bill McGuire, “, ”, Dave McGarvie, –, ” Paulatto, “ Eyjafjallajökull, Lionel Wilson, Micah Garen Organizations: CNN, Iceland, Iceland’s Met, Civil Protection Agency, Imperial College London, Geophysical, University College London, University of Lancaster, Authorities, Planetary Sciences, Lancaster University, Police, North Locations: Grindavík, Iceland, Vestmannaeyjar, Surtsey, ”, Iceland’s, Reykjavík, Reykjavik, Keflavík, North America, Eurasia

☆ A volcano could erupt in Iceland within hours. Experts say you shouldn't cancel your flights — yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no reason to cancel your travel plans to Iceland, despite the country warning of potentially dangerous volcanic activity happening within the next few hours or days, experts told Insider. Iceland declared a state of emergency after an unexpected acceleration of activity at Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano near the town of Grindavik. It is always difficult to know exactly how a volcanic eruption will develop, but the latest developments in the peninsula took volcanologists by surprise, McGarvie said. While the Reykjanes peninsula was known to have volcanic activity, and its volcano had had fairly mild eruptions over the past decade, this activity accelerated drastically since mid-October. "It is not something that's ever been observed in Iceland, certainly monitored in Iceland, in the last few decades," he said.

Persons: —, Dave McGarvie, Raul Moreno, Andrew Hooper, Lionel Wilson, Hooper, McGarvie Organizations: Service, University of Lancaster, Emergency Management, —, Getty, Geophysics, Leeds, University of Leeds, Planetary Sciences, Lancaster University, UK's Science Media, Icelandic, Iceland Google Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, Reykjavik, tktktk

☆ A volcano could erupt in Iceland within hours, but maybe don't cancel your international flights yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But that shouldn't affect your travel plans, though the Blue Lagoon may be off-limits, experts said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no reason to cancel your travel plans to Iceland, despite the country warning of potentially dangerous volcanic activity happening within the next few hours or days, experts told Insider. Iceland declared a state of emergency after an unexpected acceleration of activity at Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano near the town of Grindavik. It is always difficult to know exactly how a volcanic eruption will develop, but the latest developments in the peninsula took volcanologists by surprise, McGarvie said. "It is not something that's ever been observed in Iceland, certainly monitored in Iceland, in the last few decades," he said.

☆ Unlocking the clues of a metal world
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —For the first time, a NASA mission is setting off on a distant journey to visit a metal world in our solar system. This illustration depicts how scientists envision the Psyche asteroid. Over time, Psyche likely collided with other rocky objects, losing its outer crust and mantle until only its metal core remained. “We have never seen the surface of a metal world up close. “If you brought back as much metal as likely exists in Psyche, then the metals would no longer be rare and the price would plummet,” Metzger said.

Persons: REx, Annibale de Gasparis, ”, Zoe Landsman, Psyche, Landsman, isn’t, ” Landsman, NASA’s, Anicia Arredondo, “, ” Arredondo, Philip Metzger, ” Metzger Organizations: CNN, NASA, JPL, Caltech, ASU, Exolith, University of Central, Radar, Astronomy, Boeing, ASU “, Southwest Research Institute, Division, Planetary Sciences, Europlanet Science Congress, Scientists, University of Central Florida’s Florida Space Institute Locations: Italian, University of Central Florida, San Antonio

☆ What the Nobel Prizes get wrong about science
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Peter Brzezinski, the secretary of the committee for the Nobel chemistry prize, said there were no plans to change the rule. He said the Nobel Prize committees, at least for science prizes, are “innately conservative.”DiversityOther criticism leveled at the Nobel Prizes includes the lack of diversity among winners. Of course, these flaws and gaps only matter because the Nobels are far better known than other science prizes, Rees added. The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine will be announced on Monday, followed by the physics prize on Tuesday and the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday. The Nobel Prize for literature and the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Persons: Alfred Nobel, Martin Rees, Rees, ”, Jonathan Nackstrand, Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, Kip Thorne, David Pendlebury, “ Nobel, ” Pendlebury, Nobel’s, Peter Brzezinski, “, ” Brzezinski, John Jumper, AlphaFold, Lasker, Pendlebury, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna, it’s, Carolyn Bertozzi, Andrea Ghez, Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea, ” Rees Organizations: CNN, Royal Society, Getty, Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific, Nobel Foundation, Academy, Google, Harvard University Locations: Swedish, AFP, Stockholm

☆ OSIRIS-APEX mission sets off for new asteroid target
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —After successfully delivering NASA’s first asteroid sample collected in space, the OSIRIS-REx mission, now renamed OSIRIS-APEX, is embarking on a new journey — this time to study an asteroid that will closely approach Earth in just a few years. The asteroid was named for the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness and is believed to be shaped like a peanut. An artist's rendering shows OSIRIS-APEX kicking up dust so it can study Apophis. What Apophis could revealApophis is of interest because it’s an S-type, or stony, asteroid, in contrast to Bennu, which is a C-type, or carbonaceous, asteroid. The spacecraft’s ability to closely orbit the asteroid can reveal the surface strength of stony asteroids and how much weathering the asteroid endures in the space environment.

Persons: CNN —, NASA’s, REx, OSIRIS, ”, Dani DellaGiustina, APEX's, Heather Roper, Dante Lauretta, ” Lauretta, “ Organizations: CNN, APEX, University of Arizona, Space Center, NASA, “, NASA’s Center Locations: NASA’s, Houston, Europe, Africa

☆ OSIRIS-REx: A long-awaited asteroid sample has landed in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seven years after launching to space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth Sunday to deliver the pristine sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample capsule, about the size of a large truck tire, and its main parachute can be seen after landing in the Utah desert. What the sample may revealDetails about the sample will be revealed through a NASA broadcast from Johnson Space Center on October 11. If a government shutdown occurs, “it will not endanger the curation and safe handling of the asteroid sample,” said Lori Glaze, director for NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. “Scientists believe that the asteroid Bennu is representative of the solar system’s own oldest materials forged in large dying stars and supernova explosions,” Glaze said.

Persons: REx, Rich Burns, OSIRIS, Sandra Freund, Burns, ”, Dante Lauretta, Nicole Lunning, REx curation, NASA’s, Lauretta, Lori Glaze, ” Glaze Organizations: CNN, NASA, Earth Sunday, Goddard, University of Arizona, Defense Department’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, Space Center, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Monday, Johnson Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA’s Planetary Sciences Locations: Bennu, Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Utah, Houston

☆ Earth's deep blue oceans are fading and changing color — and scientists aren't sure why
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two decades of satellite images have revealed that more than 56% of the world's oceans have seen significant changes in color. Scientists fear these color changes could be harbingers of yet another global crisis in ocean food chains as the planet warms. Greener oceans mean more life — and that's not necessarily goodThe color of the oceans can tell us a lot about their health. The ocean's color depends on what's in the upper layer of the water column. In the latest study, scientists used imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite, which has been monitoring ocean color changes for more than two decades.

Persons: It's, it's, Cael, that's, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Dutkiewicz, I've, Michael J Behrenfeld Organizations: Service, Nature, National Oceanography Center, Guardian, MIT's Department of, Planetary Sciences, Center for Global Change Science, CNN, Oregon State University Locations: Southampton

☆ Oceans absorb 90% of the heat from climate change — here's why record ocean temps are so harmful
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +22 min

"Over 90 percent of the excess energy on earth due to climate change is found in warmer oceans, some of it in surface oceans and some at depth." Put simply, the greenhouse gases serve to trap more heat, some of which is absorbed by the ocean," Kirtman told CNBC. In addition to the daily record on July 31, the monthly sea surface temperature for July was the hottest July on record, "by far," Copernicus said. CopernicusThese record sea surface temperatures arise from multiple factors, including the El Niño weather pattern, which is currently in effect. "These climate variations occur when sea surface temperature patterns of warming and cooling self-reinforce by changing patterns of winds and precipitation that deepen the sea surface temperature changes."

Persons: Baylor, Carlos E, Del Castillo, Castillo, Benjamin Kirtman, Kirtman, Copernicus, Gavin Schmidt, Kemper, Zeke Hausfather, Sarah Kapnick, Kapnick, Kempler, Hurricane Ian, Michael Lowry, Lowry, Rainer Froese, Daniel Pauly, Pauly, Vigfus, pollack, Sean Gallup, Lorenz Hauser, Hauser, Froese, Phanor Montoya, Javier, Carolyn Cole, Hans W, Paerl, Justin Sullivan, Christopher Gobler, Gobler, Gary Griggs, Kimberly McKenna, Angela Weiss, Griggs, it's, Judith Kildow, Kildow, It's Organizations: International, Baylor Fox, Kemper, Brown University, CNBC, Ecology Laboratory, NASA, University of Miami, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Fox, El, Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, heatwave, NOAA, Northern Hemisphere, Miami Herald, Tribune, Service, Getty, Helmholtz, Ocean Research, University of British Columbia's Institute, Fisheries, School of, Fishery Sciences, Restoration Foundation, Coral Restoration Foundation, Looe Key, Los Angeles Times, University of North, Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences, Berkeley Marina, San, Quality, Centers for Disease Control, Stony Brooke University's School of Marine, Atmospheric Sciences, University of California, Stockton University Coastal Research, Afp, Ocean Economics Locations: Florida, El, Pacific, Berkeley, Fort Myers, Hurricane, Germany, New York, Nova Scotia, Hofn, Hornafjordur, Iceland, Seattle, Alaska, Looe, University of North Carolina, San Francisco Bay, Berkeley , California, San Francisco, Europe, Santa Cruz, Atlantic City , New Jersey, Atlantic City, Antarctica, Greenland

☆ Climate change is making our oceans change color, new research finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The color of the ocean has changed significantly over the last 20 years and human-caused climate change is likely responsible, according to a new study. They analyzed color variation data from 2002 to 2022 and then used climate change models to simulate what would happen to the oceans both with additional planet-heating pollution and without. The color changes matched almost exactly what Dutkiewicz predicted would happen if greenhouse gases were added to the atmosphere – that around 50% of our oceans would change color. Dutkiewicz, who has been running simulations that showed the oceans were going to change color for years, said she is not surprised at this finding. Dutkiewicz told CNN it was difficult to say whether color changes could become visible to humans if the process continues.

Persons: Artur Widak, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Dutkiewicz, ” Organizations: CNN, National Oceanography Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT’s Department of, Planetary Sciences, Center for Global, Aqua

☆ Texas heat is not letting up at night
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Evan Bush | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The heat wave in Texas has offered little reprieve. Heat at night disrupts sleep and prevents the body from recovering and cooling down, making minimum temperatures a critical indicator of a heat wave's severity, experts said. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said temperatures during this heat wave in the state have threatened records at both ends of the spectrum — including maximums and minimums — in its urban centers. Ebi said the high nighttime temperatures and the prolonged nature of the Texas heat wave are particularly concerning. "A very small percentage of death certificates during a heat wave put down, 'heat' as an underlying cause," Ebi, who studies heat deaths, adding that about half of excess deaths, on average, are from cardiovascular diseases.

Persons: Del, Ben Zaitchik, John Nielsen, Gammon, We've, Kristie, Ebi, Everything's, Nielsen, We're Organizations: National Weather Service, Johns Hopkins University, Nielsen, Center for Health, Global, University of Washington Locations: Texas, Del Rio, San Antonio, Houston, Midland, San Angelo

☆ The future of medicine may lie in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Days after I got my first taste of working at a lab bench, a company set forth to prove scientific research can be successfully done in orbit without any humans present. Look upVarda Space Industries plans to use a small capsule, shown in the rendering above, to conduct pharmaceutical research in space. Varda Space industriesThe future of medicine may take flight in space. Unearthed in Ethiopia in 1974 and representing 40% of a skeleton, the remains revealed an early human relative who lived millions of years before Homo sapiens. Meanwhile, other, more recent fossil discoveries are shaking up what we know about early human migration.

Persons: Varda, Lucy, Dave Einsel, paleoanthropologist Dr, Ashleigh L.A, Wiseman, waddle, Frank Postberg, Jochen Brocks, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Logan Science Journalism, Marine Biological, Space Industries, Research, British Antarctic Survey, Sky, University of Cambridge, ATP, Freie Universität Berlin, Australian National University, CNN Space, Science Locations: Woods Hole , Massachusetts, California, Antarctica, Weddell, Ethiopia, Barney Creek, Northern Australia, Australia, New England

☆ Key building block of life found on ocean world orbiting Saturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A key chemical building block of life has been found on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. An ocean exists beneath the thick, icy surface of Enceladus, and plumes of material regularly release from geysers at the moon’s south pole. “Previous geochemical models were divided on the question of whether Enceladus’ ocean contains significant quantities of phosphates at all,” Postberg said. “This key ingredient could be abundant enough to potentially support life in Enceladus’ ocean; this is a stunning discovery for astrobiology.”Some of the additional ocean world moons around Jupiter and Saturn include Europa, Titan and Ganymede. Although the building blocks of life and conditions for habitability exist on Enceladus, no actual life has been detected yet.

Persons: ”, Frank Postberg, ” Postberg, Fabian Klenner, “, Postberg, Christopher Glein, Cassini, Linda Spilker, Spilker, ” Spilker, ” Glein, ” “, Nozair Khawaja, Mikhail Zolotov, Zolotov Organizations: CNN, Cassini, NASA, JPL, Space Science, Freie Universität, ATP, University of Washington, Southwest Research Institute, Clipper, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Freie Universität Berlin, Arizona State University Locations: Freie Universität Berlin, San Antonio , Texas, Europa, Pasadena , California

☆ Webb telescope spies evidence of hidden planets around nearby star
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The revelation of the Fomalhaut’s two inner rings has suggested that planets hidden deeper within the star system may be affecting the dust belt’s shape. Stars form from gas and dust, and then a ring of leftover material called a protoplanetary disk orbits the star, where planets are born. Once the planets form around a star, debris belts form and become shaped by the gravity of the planets. Studying the dust belts can help unlock more of the secrets behind how planetary systems form. “I think it’s not a very big leap to say there’s probably a really interesting planetary system around the star.”

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