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☆ Mars gets hit by hundreds of basketball-size space rocks every year
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Hundreds of basketball-size space rocks slam into Mars each year, leaving behind impact craters and causing rumblings across the red planet, according to new research. During its time on Mars, InSight used its seismometer to detect more than 1,300 marsquakes, which take place when the Martian subsurface cracks due to pressure and heat. Meteoroids are space rocks that have broken away from larger rocky bodies and range in size from dust grains to small asteroids, according to NASA. “We’re interested in studying that on Mars because we can then compare and contrast what’s happening on Mars to what’s happening on the Earth. Between 280 and 360 meteoroids hit the red planet each year, and they form impact craters larger than 26 feet (8 meters) across, according to the study.

Persons: ”, Ingrid Daubar, ” Daubar, NASA’s, “ We’re, Géraldine Zenhäusern, ” Zenhäusern, Natalia Wojcicka Organizations: CNN, NASA, Reconnaissance, JPL, Caltech, University of Arizona, Brown University, NASA’s Mars, Nature Communications, Switzerland’s ETH Zürich, Imperial College London’s Locations: Mars, Switzerland’s

☆ NASA simulated an incoming asteroid impact, and the biggest roadblock to action was penny pinchers in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The tabletop simulation presented a hypothetical scenario in which cities like Dallas, Washington, DC, and Madrid were at risk of a large asteroid impact. "A large asteroid impact is potentially the only natural disaster humanity has the technology to predict years in advance and take action to prevent," Lindley Johnson, a NASA planetary defense officer emeritus, said in a press release. That's because they didn't think Congress would approve funding for a critical space mission to study the asteroid "unless impact became certain," NASA's summary said. Options for preventing an asteroid impact include shooting the asteroid with lasers, launching a nuclear bomb at it, or simply smacking a space probe into it to nudge it away from Earth. Participants weren't sure Congress would fund the mission unless the asteroid was a certain threat — not a 72% chance of threat.

Persons: —, Lindley Johnson, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Anna Moneymaker, Ed Whitman, Johnson, Richard Binzel, Binzel, it's Organizations: Service, NASA, Business, Capitol, US State Department, FEMA, Defense Interagency, JHU, MIT, NASA DART, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Academies, White Locations: Dallas , Washington, Madrid, Europe, Japan, Canada, North America, Africa

☆ Fact check: Sea levels are already rising faster per year than Trump claims they might rise over ‘next 497 years’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

And he said of Biden: “He said it again last night, that global warming is an existential threat. The global average sea level is currently rising more per year than Trump claimed that people say it will rise “in the next 497 years.”NASA reported in March that the current global average sea level rise in 2023 was 0.17 inches per year, more than double the rate in 1993. And a World Meteorological Organization report this year said the rate of sea level rise between 2014 and 2023 was about 0.19 inches per year. In other words, sea level rise is already more than an eighth of an inch annually – and it is accelerating. In fact, Trump’s claims about sea levels are highly inaccurate for the area near Mar-a-Lago, which is on the Atlantic.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, ” Trump, Biden, “, Trump, Gary Griggs, Griggs Organizations: CNN, NASA, Meteorological Organization, University of California, Oceanic Locations: Virginia, Santa Cruz, Gulf of Mexico, Trump’s, Florida, Mar

☆ Asteroid Bennu has a surprisingly watery past, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An early analysis of a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu suggests that the space rock had an unexpectedly water-rich past — and it may have even splintered off from an ancient ocean world. But the compound from the Bennu sample is purer and has larger grains. Rocks and dust were collected from asteroid Bennu and returned to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx mission. Erika Blumenfeld/Joseph Aebersold/NASA“The sample we returned is the largest reservoir of unaltered asteroid material on Earth right now,” Lauretta said. “Each week, analysis by the OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Team provides new and sometimes surprising findings that are helping place important constraints on the origin and evolution of Earth-like planets.”

Persons: REx, ”, Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS, Connolly, Dante Lauretta, “, Erika Blumenfeld, Joseph Aebersold, ” Lauretta, Nick Timms, Harold Connolly Jr Organizations: CNN, NASA, Planetary, Goddard Space Flight, Japan Aerospace, Earth, University of Arizona, Bennu, Curtin University’s School of, Planetary Sciences, Rowan University’s School of Earth Locations: Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Glassboro , New Jersey

☆ NASA tasks SpaceX to build disposal vehicle for International Space Station
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It would latch onto the International Space Station — a nearly 1 million-pound structure roughly the size of a football field — and guide the craft as it plunges out of Earth’s orbit. The federal agency operates the International Space Station alongside Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, which controls a key wing of the station and propulsion modules. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency also play roles in its operations. But the space agency stipulated that it would only require that the vehicle be ready by 2029. In the news release, NASA noted that it is committed to continuing space station operations through 2030.

Persons: Roscosmos, ” Ken Bowersox, Tracy Dyson, “, ” Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Space, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, International, ” NASA, Deorbit, Collins Aerospace Locations: Roscosmos, Russian, North Carolina

☆ China’s Chang’e-6 moon mission returns to Earth with historic far side samples
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module returned to Earth Tuesday, successfully completing its historic mission to collect the first ever samples from the far side of the moon in a major step forward for the country’s ambitious space program. “The Chang’e-6 lunar exploration mission has been a complete success,” said Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), from the control room. Once they receive the samples, Chinese scientists are expected to share data and carry out joint research with international partners, before Beijing later opens the samples for access by international teams, according to statements from CNSA officials. China and the US are not alone in eyeing the national prestige, potential scientific benefits, access to resources and further deep space exploration that successful moon missions could bring. Last year, India landed its first spacecraft on the moon, while Russia’s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna 25 probe crashed into the moon’s surface.

Persons: China’s, ”, Zhang Kejian, Xi Jinping –, –, zhong ”, Luna, James Head, Yuqi Qian, Artemis, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Tuesday, CCTV, China National Space Administration, CNN, Brown University, “, University of Hong, International, NASA, Luna Locations: Hong Kong, Mongolia, United States, Beijing, China, Soviet, University of Hong Kong, India, Japan, Texas, Chang’e

☆ The Titanic is overrated, deep-sea explorers say. The wealthy keep venturing to it anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe Titanic may be one of the most popular and identifiable wreckage sites in the history of sea travel. It also may be one of the most overrated, deep-sea explorers told Business Insider. Söhnlein's company, Blue Marble Exploration, recently announced it would venture into Dean's Blue Hole, a site in the Bahamas about 660 feet from the surface. Dean's Blue Hole EyesWideOpen/Getty Images"Dean's Blue Hole is an enigma for geologists studying underwater caverns," Blue Marble Exploration's website says. The company adds that it expects to find "human remains" of people who drowned in the blue hole "due to a variety of misfortunes."

Persons: —, James Cameron's, Larry Connor, Karl Stanley, That's, Stanley, Guillermo Söhnlein, OceanGate, Söhnlein, it's, James Cameron, they're, Rush, Nicholas Mevoli Organizations: Service, Business, Titan, Stanley, OceanGate's, Stockton Rush, Stockton, Blue, Blue Marble Exploration, New York Times Locations: Kea, Blue Marble, Bahamas

☆ The planetary health diet may help you live a longer, healthier life, study shows—here's how it compares to the Mediterranean diet
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

How does the planetary health diet compare to other diets? But what makes the planetary health diet different from other popular eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet or the heart-healthy DASH diet? And maybe in higher quantities than the planetary health diet, because it's not looking specifically at planetary health," Vadiveloo notes. The planetary health diet also places more limits on total fat consumption than the DASH diet does, she adds. The popular diet has a higher emphasis on unsaturated fat components like olive oil and fish compared to the planetary health diet.

Persons: Vadiveloo, wasn't, it's Organizations: Lancet, University of Rhode, American, Nutrition, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, CNBC Locations: University of Rhode Island

☆ Webb telescope pinpoints asteroid collision in nearby planetary system
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The James Webb Telescope: Are We Alone?” on The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper offers an inside look at the most powerful telescope ever built. The Beta Pictoris system, located just 63 light-years from Earth, has long intrigued astronomers because of its proximity and age. “So I was super excited to reobserve this system in 2023 using the James Webb Space Telescope,” Chen said. The dust was then pushed out of the planetary system by radiation from the central star, which is slightly hotter than our sun. But the powerful Webb telescope was unable to detect any dust.

Persons: James Webb, Anderson Cooper, Pictoris, Christine Chen, ”, “, ” Chen, Beta, Chen, Webb, JWST, Cicero Lu, Johns Hopkins, Spitzer, Kadin Worthen, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Beta, Johns Hopkins University, American Astronomical Society, Spitzer, Telescope, Johns, Johns Hopkins Locations: Baltimore, Madison , Wisconsin

☆ Jeff Bezos has a vision to colonize space with a trillion people. We asked experts to put it to the test.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jeff Bezos's space colonies would look like cylindersAn artist's concept of an O'Neill space colony, which could theoretically emulate Earth-like living conditions in space. O'Neill space colonies would be large enough to host entire cities, 10,000-foot-tall mountains, and millions of people. AdvertisementBezos isn't suggesting that people will be living in O'Neill space colonies by the end of the century. AdvertisementSaving Earth would be far easier than building Bezos' space colonies, he told BI. Even if we never make it to space colonies, the work of researchers studying extraterrestrial colonization could benefit us here on Earth.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos, podcaster Lex Fridman, Bezos, Fridman, astrobiologists —, Jeff Bezos's, O'Neill, Gerard K, Anthony Longman, Longman, Rebeca Gonçalves, Adam Watkins, we've, Watkins, you've, We've, Martin Rees, Gonçalves, Rees Organizations: Service, Business, Elon, SpaceX, European Space Agency, NASA, University of Nottingham, United, Royal Locations: Antonio , TX, O'Neill

☆ Dyson spheres: Could alien megastructures exist in the Milky Way? Scientists found 7 places to look
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Now, a new study that looked at 5 million stars in the Milky Way galaxy suggests that seven candidates could potentially be hosting Dyson spheres — a finding that’s attracting scrutiny and alternate theories. If Dyson spheres really exist, what could they be used for? “Freeman Dyson said that we should dismantle Jupiter — the whole planet (for the raw materials).”That supercolossal scale probably means that Dyson spheres, if they exist at all, are very rare. “However, contamination by circumstellar debris disks, which mimic Dyson Sphere infrared signatures, remains a concern,” he added in an email. However, he added, the radiation fingerprint of the seven Dyson sphere candidates might be explained by natural phenomena as well.

Persons: Freeman Dyson, ”, Dyson, Olaf Stapledon’s, George Dyson, ’, Freeman J, couldn’t, Matías Suazo, Suazo, “, Webb, that’s, Gabriella Contardo, NASA’s James Webb, ” Suazo, “ Freeman Dyson, Jason Wright, James Webb, —, Leslie Surginer, ” George Dyson, Tomotsugu Goto, Zaza Osmanov, ” Osmanov, George Organizations: CNN, Institute of, “, ‘, AP, Dyson, SETI Institute, Fermi, Accelerator Laboratory, Fermilab, Royal Astronomical Society, Uppsala University, NASA, Survey, JPL, ESA, European Space Agency, Micron, Sky Survey, University of Massachusetts, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, International School, Studies, Telescope, Penn State University, James Webb Space Telescope, William Press, Computer Science, University of Texas, Tsing Hua, SETI, of Physics, Free University of Tbilisi Locations: British, Princeton , New Jersey, Sweden, Trieste, Italy, Austin, Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, Georgia

☆ New pterosaur species discovered by Australian farmer
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An amateur paleontologist has discovered a new species of pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived alongside dinosaurs around 100 million years ago. Kevin Petersen, an avocado farmer and curator of the Kronosaurus Korner fossil museum in northwest Queensland, Australia, unearthed a number of fossilized bones in western Queensland in 2021. Fewer than 25 sets of pterosaur remains belonging to four species have been found in Australia since the 1980s, while more than 100 sets have been found in Brazil and Argentina. In finding Haliskia, Petersen found the most complete specimen of any pterosaur discovered in Australia to this day, Pentland said in the statement, praising Petersen for his “careful preparation” of the remains. “I’m thrilled that my discovery is a new species, as my passion lies in helping shape our modern knowledge of prehistoric species,” he said in the statement.

Persons: Kevin Petersen, Korner, Haliskia, Adele Pentland, ” Pentland, Pentland, ”, Petersen, “, Kronosaurus Korner, “ I’m, Palaeontologists, Victoria – Organizations: CNN, Curtin University, Curtin’s School of, Planetary Sciences Locations: Queensland, Australia, Perth, Brazil, Argentina, Australian, Victoria

☆ A mysterious hole on Mars could be a jackpot of scientific discoveries, from extraterrestrial life to where astronauts could live
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But there is a possibility that residual underground lava tubes may still exist. HUM Images/Getty ImagesIf these lava tubes are anything like Earth's, they could be the perfect place for astronauts to hunker down during their stay on Mars. It's unclear if lava tubes on Mars would also be this warm — it's not a stretch to imagine, just a challenge to confirm. But to be clear, just because there could be life in these pits, doesn't mean Mars definitely hosts extraterrestrials. "This is a good place to look, but we don't know if there's life on Mars at all," Johnson said.

Persons: —, Brandon Johnson, Johnson, George Rose, Ross Beyer, Beyer, there's, it's Organizations: Service, University of Arizona, Business, NASA, JPL, Scientists, Purdue University, Olympus, SETI Institute, Goddard, Arizona State University, Reconnaissance Locations: Arizona, Tharsis, Hawaii

☆ Water frost detected on Mars volcanoes in ‘unexpected’ first
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Based on rough estimates, it’s about 150,000 metric tons of water ice, the equivalent of 60 Olympic swimming pools,” he said. The volcanoes are near the Mars equator, the warmest area of the planet, which makes a water discovery particularly intriguing, Valantinas said. “Mars is a desert planet, but there’s water ice in the polar caps, and there’s water ice in the midlatitudes. Now we also have water frost in the equatorial regions, and equatorial regions are quite dry in general. “If the frost on these volcanoes is confirmed to be water (and not carbon dioxide), it would be surprising,” he said.

Persons: Adomas Valantinas, ”, Ceraunius, Valantinas, CaSSIS, ” Valantinas, “, Mars, John Bridges, ” Bridges, Taylor Perron, Cecil, Ida Green, Perron Organizations: CNN, Olympus, NASA, JPL, Brown University, University of Bern, Nature Geoscience, University of Bern’s, European Space Agency, Orbiter, ESA Mars Express, Stereo, Mars, ESA, University of Leicester, Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Locations: —, Mauna Loa, Hawaii, Switzerland, Ascraeus, Russian, CaSSIS, United Kingdom

☆ Eating what’s best for the planet can lengthen your life, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“For every major cause of death we looked at, there was a lower risk in people with better adherence to the planetary health diet,” Willett said. The planetary diet asks you to fill half your plate at each meal with fruits and vegetables. All the people were enrolled in long-term government studies — the Nurses’ Health Study I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study — and had no major diseases when the research began. While other studies have looked at the impact of the planetary health diet, none has matched the scope of this study, Willett said. “The findings show just how linked human and planetary health are.

Persons: ”, David Katz, Katz, what’s, Walter Willett, ” Willett, Lew Robertson, Willett Organizations: CNN, True Health Initiative, UN, Harvard, of Public Health, Lancet, American, Clinical Nutrition, Nurses, Health Locations: Chan, Boston

☆ China’s Chang’e-6 probe lifts off with samples from moon’s far side in historic first
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Nectar Gan | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe departed from the far side of the moon on Tuesday, moving a step closer to completing an ambitious mission that underlines the country’s rise as a space superpower. Its return journey to Earth is estimated to take about three weeks, with a landing expected in China’s Inner Mongolia region around June 25. “The lunar surface is rich in basalt,” Zhou added. It marked the second time a mission has successfully reached the far side of the moon, after China first completed that historic feat in 2019 with its Chang’e-4 probe. Last year, India landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time, while Russia’s first lunar landing mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna 25 probe crashed into the moon’s surface.

Persons: China’s, Bill Nelson, Nelson, –, “ zhong, CNSA, ”, Zhou Changyi, Zhou, James Head Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing, China National Space Administration, NASA, CNSA, Brown University, Luna Locations: Hong Kong, China, Mongolia, Aitken, India, Japan, Texas

☆ Ancient crystals reveal the earliest evidence of fresh water, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

We have discovered the earliest evidence of fresh water and representative evidence for dry land above the sea,” he added. The research indicates that the Earth’s water cycle — when water moves between land, oceans and atmosphere through evaporation and precipitation — was operating at that point in time. The earliest widely agreed upon evidence of life — and fresh water — comes from stromatolites, fossilized microbes that formed mounds in hot springs 3.5 billion years ago, Gamaleldien said. Two zircon crystals showed isotopic evidence of meteoric or fresh water; one was 4 billion years old, while the other was 3.4 billion years old, he said. What’s more, land and fresh water, which likely would have fallen as rain, would have provided the essential ingredients for the origin of life, he said.

Persons: ”, Hamed Gamaleldien, ” Gamaleldien, Gamaleldien, … landmasses, Hugo Olierook, Hamed, “, John Valley, Geochemist Beth Ann Bell, wasn’t, ” Bell Organizations: CNN, Nature, “, Curtin University’s School of, Planetary Sciences, Khalifa University, United Arab, Curtin’s School of, geoscience, University of Wisconsin Locations: Australia, United Arab Emirates, Western Australia, Jack, John, Madison

☆ Planet parade: What’s really going on with June’s planetary alignment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The order in which the planets will align on Sunday is Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn, and they will be accompanied by a crescent moon. The alignment will be visible to sky-watchers everywhere, but the ideal date to see the planets with the closest alignment might differ depending on where you are in the world. Planetary alignments: What to knowIt’s important to note that this alignment is not happening in space, but just in the sky as seen from our planet. This kind of planetary alignment is in fact not rare at all. “Jupiter will be the easiest to spot, because it’ll be the brightest thing in the sky after the moon,” Pattle said.

Persons: You’ll, ”, James O’Donoghue, there’s, O’Donoghue, “ It’s, Kate Pattle, “ There’s, they’re, ” Pattle, “, we’ll, Pattle, it’ll Organizations: CNN, University of Reading, Mercury, University College London Locations: United Kingdom, Europe, North America

☆ NASA isn’t just creating a lunar time zone. It’s establishing an entirely new time scale
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

They’re also going to be communicating with one another or driving their moon buggies while on the lunar surface. Lunar clockworkWhat scientists know for certain is that they need to get precision timekeeping instruments to the moon. Exactly who pays for lunar clocks, which type of clocks will go, and where they’ll be positioned are all questions that remain up in the air, Gramling said. Focke Strangmann/APThe new time scale would underpin an entire lunar network, which NASA and its allies have dubbed LunaNet. But how future astronauts living and working on the lunar surface will experience time is a different question entirely.

Persons: aren’t, Cheryl Gramling, NASA’s, Gramling, Omer Tarsuslu, They’re, ” Gramling, Albert Einstein, Paco, Sao, Sundials, —, ”, Bruce Betts, Kevin Coggins, you’ve, ” Coggins, “, Bijunath, Patla, ” Patla, Focke Strangmann, It’s, “ It’s, Betts, Artemis III, Arizona State University “ It’ll Organizations: CNN, NASA, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight, Getty, White, Astronauts, Planetary Society, NASA’s Space Communications, Navigation, US National Institute of Standards, Technology, Vehicles, Physical, National, European Space Agency, International Astronomical Union, Reconnaissance, Arizona State University Locations: United States, China, Maryland, Kars, Turkey, Anadolu, German, Sao Miguel, Evora , Portugal, Germany, Malapert Massif

☆ Rivers of Lava on Venus Reveal a More Volcanically Active Planet
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Robin George Andrews | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But to see molten rock bleed out of a volcano on a different planet would be extraordinary. That is close to what scientists have spotted on Venus: two vast, sinuous lava flows oozing from two different corners of Earth’s planetary neighbor. Earth and Venus were forged at the same time. So why is Earth a paradise overflowing with water and life, while Venus is a scorched hellscape with acidic skies? One theory holds that, eons ago, several apocalyptic eruptions set off a runaway greenhouse effect on Venus, turning it from a temperate, waterlogged world into an arid desert of burned glass.

Persons: ”, Davide Sulcanese Locations: Pescara, Italy, Venus

☆ Giant oddball planet has the density of fluffy cotton candy, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

An international coalition of astronomers has newly discovered an unusual planet, dubbed WASP-193b, that’s about 50% bigger than Jupiter and somehow still the second lightest planet ever found. Because of how small the mass signal was, it took the team four years to gather data and calculate WASP-193b’s mass, Barkaoui explained. Eventually the team discovered the planet’s mass is a measly 14% that of Jupiter, despite being so much bigger. But a bigger size means a bigger “extended atmosphere,” said study coauthor Julien de Wit, an associate professor of planetary science at MIT. “WASP-193b is an outlier of all planets discovered to date,” he said.

Persons: puffy, Kepler, Jupiters, Khalid Barkaoui, James Webb, ”, Barkaoui, Francisco Pozuelos, Julien de Wit, Wit, Stone, puffy Jupiters, it’s Organizations: CNN, James Webb Space Telescope, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, WASP, Spain’s Institute of Astrophysics, MIT Locations: Andalucia

☆ Near collapse of Earth’s magnetic field 591 million years ago may have allowed complex life to thrive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Earth’s magnetic field plays a key role in making our planet habitable. However, Earth’s magnetic field almost collapsed 591 million years ago, and this change, paradoxically, may have played a pivotal role in the blossoming of complex life, new research has found. The discovery of the sustained weakening of Earth’s magnetic field also helped resolve an enduring geological mystery about when Earth’s solid inner core formed. Shuhai Xiao/Virginia TechUncovering the magnetic field’s near collapseThe intensity of Earth’s magnetic field is known to fluctuate over time, and crystals preserved in rock contain tiny magnetic particles that lock in a record of the intensity of Earth’s magnetic field. The research on the intensity of Earth’s magnetic field suggests that the age of Earth’s inner core is on the younger end of that timescale, solidifying after 565 million years ago and allowing Earth’s magnetic shield to bounce back.

Persons: “, ”, John Tarduno, Xiao, Tarduno, Shuhai Xiao, ” Tarduno, Peter Driscoll, wasn’t, ” Driscoll Organizations: CNN, University of Rochester, Environment, Virginia Tech, Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science Locations: New York, South Australia, Virginia, Quebec, Brazil, South Africa, Washington ,, Newfoundland, Canada

☆ 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

☆ Philippine dam: A 300-year-old settlement resurfaces as severe drought dries up a reservoir
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Emily Blumenthal | Monica Garrett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A nearly 300-year-old settlement once submerged beneath a major dam in the Philippines has reemerged as sweltering heat and drought dry up the reservoir. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesSome visitors brave the extreme heat to see the dam, where parts of damaged structures still stand. But a drought currently affecting about half of the country’s provinces has pushed the dam’s water levels down, according to AFP. The town of Muñoz near the dam has seen heat index over 41 degrees (106 degrees Fahrenheit) the last five days. On Sunday the temperature felt like 47 degrees (117 degrees Fahrenheit) because of other contributing factors.

Persons: Marlon Paladin, Ezra Acayan, Paladin, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, ” Organizations: CNN, National Irrigation Administration, PAGASA, AFP, Prediction Locations: Philippines, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, Philippine, Southeast Asia, Muñoz, Luzon, El

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