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☆ Two meteor showers are set to peak this week. Here’s how to see them
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Look up at the night sky this week for a chance to see high-speed meteors and bright fireballs from two meteor showers set to peak around the same time. Meteor showers are the debris left by comets and asteroids orbiting the sun that Earth encounters annually at some point during its orbital path. Constellation Aquarius is the radiant for the Southern Delta Aquariids, and constellation Capricornus is the radiant for the Alpha Capricornids. The Southern Delta Aquariids are about 40 kilometers (25 miles) per second, according to NASA, and typically last for half a second. I think that makes them particularly special.”Meteor showersHere are the remaining meteor showers that are expected to peak in 2024.

Persons: Robert Lunsford, Lunsford, Andrew Rivkin, ” Rivkin, “ Organizations: CNN, Southern, American Meteor Society, NASA, Meteor, Applied, Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Northern, Southern Delta, Alpha, Taurids, Farmers, Almanac Locations: Baltimore, Southern, New York , New Jersey , Connecticut, East, Perseids

☆ Surprising element traced back to Renaissance alchemist’s basement laboratory
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors produced the first maps of the stars and practiced alchemy, the precursor to chemistry. But ancient alchemists actually developed technology and discovered chemical elements that are still widely used today. Now, a new discovery links both astronomy and alchemy in one intriguing figure who lived during the Renaissance. Once the Starliner mission concludes, SpaceX will ferry a quartet of astronauts for NASA’s Crew-9 mission to the space station.

Persons: Sir Isaac Newton, Uraniborg, Tycho Brahe, Brahe, wasn’t, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Mark Nappi, Craig Smith, Diva Amon, Andrew Sweetman, Sweetman, ”, David Flannery, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Chemists, Lund University Danish, NASA, Boeing, Engineers, SpaceX, NASA’s, Marine, Scottish Association for Marine Science, JPL, Caltech, Perseverance, CNN Space, Science Locations: Ireland, Brazil, Mars

☆ Surprising element found in traces of Tyco Brahe’s alchemy lab confounds scientists
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The covert nature of Brahe’s work was common among alchemists of the Renaissance, who kept their knowledge close to the vest. “Tungsten had not even been described at that time, so what should we infer from its presence on a shard from Tycho Brahe’s alchemy workshop?” Rasmussen said. In addition to serving as Brahe's home, Uraniborg functioned as a scientific center where students across Europe came to live and work. And Brahe himself wrote that the king was eager to support the scientist’s work in both astronomy and alchemy. Given the amount of gold found in Brahe’s remains, he may have also taken medicine containing potable, or drinkable, gold.

Persons: Tycho Brahe, Brahe, Kaare Lund Rasmussen, Poul Grinder, Hansen, Uraniborg, Lund University Gold, Rasmussen, ”, “ Tungsten, ” Rasmussen, Ann Ronan, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Juan José, Fausto d’Elhuyar y de Suvisa, wolfram, Georgius Agricola, Agricola, Lawrence Principe, Drew, ” Principe, King Frederick II of Denmark, De Agostini, Paracelsus, Rudolph II, Emperor, Stjerneborg, “, ” Brahe, Isaac Newton, Johns, King Frederick II’s, Christian IV, Johannes Kepler, Kepler, Newton, Galileo Galilei Organizations: CNN, University of Southern, National Museum of Denmark, Heritage, Lund University, Getty Images, Humanities, Singleton Center, Johns Hopkins University, De Agostini Editorial, Culture, Hulton, Art, Sun, Scientific Locations: Danish, Ven, Sweden, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Europe, Baltimore . Principe, Norway, Uraniborg, Brahe’s, Mercury, Principe, Johns Hopkins

☆ NASA Perseverance rover’s rock find may show microbial life existed on Mars
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The NASA Perseverance rover may have found a pivotal clue that’s central to its mission on Mars: geological evidence that could suggest life existed on the red planet billions of years ago. “These spots are a big surprise,” said David Flannery, member of the NASA Perseverance science team and an astrobiologist at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, in a statement. But the arrowhead-shaped specimen could help the Perseverance team unlock whether Mars was once a planet hospitable to life. Perseverance rover captured a 360-degree panorama of a region on Mars called “Bright Angel,” where a river flowed billions of years ago. Exploring Mars’ pastSince landing on Mars, Perseverance has crossed Jezero Crater and explored an ancient river delta in search of microfossils of past life.

Persons: ”, David Flannery, haven’t, Mars, “ We’re, Briony Horgan, we’ve, —, Morgan Cable, MSSS “ We’ve, Ken Farley, it’s, Perseverance, Nicola Fox, Bill Nelson, ” Horgan, ” Farley Organizations: CNN, NASA, Queensland University of Technology, Purdue University, Chemicals, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Caltech, ASU, ” Cable, California Institute of Technology, MSSS Geologists, Science Locations: Australia, West Lafayette , Indiana, Mars, Pasadena , California, Cheyava, Pasadena, Neretva

☆ SpaceX cleared to launch Falcon 9 rocket after rare failure
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket — the most prolific launch vehicle in the world — is ready to return to flight after suffering a mission-ending failure during a routine journey earlier this month. On its website, SpaceX has already revealed that it will put the Falcon 9 back to work as soon as Saturday, launching a batch of Starlink internet satellites. If successful, the launch could put SpaceX back on track to returning to its routine but crucial work launching astronauts to the International Space Station. What happened to Falcon 9The Falcon 9, which is the smallest vehicle among SpaceX’s fleet of rockets, is the linchpin of the US rocket industry. A Falcon 9 had launched a group of Starlink satellites out of California on July 11 shortly before the mishap occurred.

Persons: CNN —, —, NASA —, Jared Isaacman, Elon Musk, SpaceX, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Federal Aviation Administration, Falcon, FAA, SpaceX, International Space, NASA, Polaris, Twitter Locations: California

☆ Boeing Starliner officials may know ‘root cause’ of issues with astronaut flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They then fired the thruster to try out several ways the engines might fire on the way home from space, according to Boeing. Officials said they were able to recreate how the thrusters in space deteriorated during flight with the ground tests. Additional Starliner testingSeparately, engineers may have made headway understanding helium leaks that hampered the first leg of Starliner’s journey. “The key attributes of the flight rationale really are that we understand the helium leaks — we understand the stability of the leaks and how we can manage those, should they get bigger,” Stich said, referring to the possibility that helium leaks affecting the Starliner service module may worsen. NASA and Boeing plan to carry out a review to plan for Starliner’s undocking, which “could be as early as late next week,” according to Stich.

Persons: Mark Nappi, ” Nappi, Boeing’s, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, ”, Steve Stich, NASA’s, Still, Butch, Suni, ” Stich, Williams, Wilmore, Stich, Nappi, Starliner’s Organizations: CNN, NASA, Boeing, International Space, Officials, International, Harmony, Station Locations: New Mexico, Starliner, White Sands , New Mexico

☆ NASA’s Chandra Observatory just celebrated 25 years in space. Budget cuts could threaten its future
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASASo far, Chandra has taken nearly 25,000 observations of the universe. Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASAShortly after launch, the observatory focused on what has become an iconic celestial target: supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. Chandra has returned to this feature again and again, revealing new insights each time. Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASA“Before Chandra, it was known that there was a sort of diffuse haze of X-ray emission coming from all directions in the sky. The NASA budget allotment for Chandra will gradually dwindle in the coming years, based on the agency’s budget request released in March. Chandra X-ray Observatory Center/NASADespite 25 years spent in space, Chandra remains in good health and virtually all of the spacecraft’s systems are in good condition, Slane said.

Persons: NASA’s Chandra, Chandra, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Eileen Collins, ” Collins, ”, Pat Slane, astrophysicists Riccardo Giacconi, Harvey Tananbaum, NASA’s, Slane, Chandra’s, ” Slane, “ Organizations: CNN, NASA, Center, Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Hubble, Telescope, Spitzer, Compton Gamma, “ NASA, Chandra Locations: Columbia, Cambridge , Massachusetts, “

☆ Massive shark is struck by boat in rare video footage
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Rare footage captured by a camera strapped to the back of an endangered shark shows the jarring moment it was struck by a boat — prompting the animal to dash into deep waters and rest for hours. It’s not clear whether the massive 23-foot (7-meter) animal, known as a basking shark, ultimately survived the collision. The basking shark is a massive creature, growing up to 40 feet (12 meters) long, and is among the largest fish in the world — second only to the whale shark. But the video and study findings that came out of the incident are timely for the shark research community, noted Dr. Christopher Lowe, the director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach. Protecting basking sharksMcInturf emphasized that Ireland — and the United Kingdom — have already taken significant steps to help protect endangered basking sharks.

Persons: Alexandra McInturf, “, ” McInturf, Christopher Lowe, —, McInturf, they’re, “ I’m, ” Lowe, it’s heartening Organizations: CNN, Oregon State University, Marine Science, International Union for Conservation, California State University, Ireland Locations: Ireland, Long Beach, Southern California, United Kingdom

☆ Komodo dragons have iron-tipped teeth, new study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Komodo dragons, the world’s largest species of lizard, have iron-tipped teeth that help them to rip their prey apart, according to new research. Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and weigh around 80 kilograms (176 pounds) on average. LeBlanc analyzed teeth from museum collections as well as from a Komodo dragon named Ganus, which lived at London Zoo until it was euthanized last year. Analysis showed that iron was already present when the teeth erupted from the gum tissue, and was also present despite Ganus having a very different diet to wild Komodo dragons, he added. The findings may help us understand how carnivorous dinosaurs, which had curved, serrated teeth similar to Komodo dragons, would have killed and eaten their prey, LeBlanc said.

Persons: Charlotte Ellis, Aaron LeBlanc, LeBlanc, ” LeBlanc, ”, “, Ganus, Benjamin Tapley Organizations: London CNN, Zoological Society of London, King’s College London, CNN, King’s College London “, London Zoo Locations: London, Indonesia

☆ Scientists discover ‘dark’ oxygen being produced more than 13,000 feet below the ocean surface
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

It’s also possible, these scientists warn, that deep-sea mining could disrupt the way carbon is stored in the ocean, contributing to the climate crisis. A documentary about deep-sea mining that Sweetman watched in a hotel bar in São Paulo, Brazil, unleashed a breakthrough. However, several countries, including the United Kingdom and France, have expressed caution, supporting a moratorium or ban on deep-sea mining to safeguard marine ecosystems and conserve biodiversity. Earlier this month, Hawaii banned deep-sea mining in its state waters. Many unanswered questions remain about how dark oxygen is produced and what role it plays in the deep-sea ecosystem.

Persons: Andrew Sweetman, they’re, ”, Sweetman, ‘, SAMS, I’ve, “, Franz Geiger, ’ ”, Geiger, Charles E, Emma H, Morrison, Daniel Jones, Beth Orcutt, Orcutt, Craig Smith, Smith, Camille Bridgewater, Hawaii’s Smith, ” Geiger, Diva Amon, ” Sweetman Organizations: CNN, Clarion, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Nature, NHMDeepSea, SMARTEX, International, Authority, UN, AA, Northwestern University, Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, National Oceanography, Bigelow Laboratory, Ocean Sciences, University of Hawaii, Geological Survey, University Locations: São Paulo, Brazil, Evanston , Illinois, Southampton, England, Maine, Mānoa, Jamaica, United Kingdom, France, Hawaii, Clarion

☆ First confirmed moon cave could provide future astronauts shelter
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The surface feature is Mare Tranquillitatis, or the Sea of Tranquility, where the Apollo 11 mission landed on the afternoon of July 20, 1969. Scientists have discovered a large lunar cave connected to a pit found within the moon's Sea of Tranquility. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityScientists have found a subterranean cavity beneath the Sea of Tranquility, and it may provide shelter for future lunar astronauts in the form of a cave. Lunar caves, or underground passages formed by volcanic processes during the moon’s early history, are connected to pits covering the lunar surface. The long, wide cave, found by reviewing archival NASA data, could be used to protect astronauts from harsh radiation and extreme temperature swings as well as provide a new avenue to study lunar rocks.

Persons: revel, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Artemis, Ramses, Hamilton, Lori Hilton, Maine coons, squint, ”, Dana Varble, Sharp, Jürgen, Missy Elliott’s, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, NASA, Goddard, Arizona State University Scientists, European Space Agency, French bulldogs, North American Veterinary Community, Space Agency, Sharks, New, CNN Space, Science Locations: Maine, Hamilton, Mexico, Mexican, Nuevo, Argentina, Americas, New Zealand, —, Cambodia, New York City, New Jersey

☆ NASA’s Curiosity rover makes its ‘most unexpected’ find on Mars
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The Curiosity rover has made its most unusual find to date on Mars: rocks made of pure sulfur. “I think it’s the strangest find of the whole mission and the most unexpected,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Previously, while exploring Mars, NASA’s Spirit rover broke one of its wheels and had to drag it along while using the other five to drive backward. And Vasavada says it’s what inspired the team to “look behind” the Curiosity rover — otherwise they wouldn’t have seen the crushed sulfur. To determine what process formed the sulfur rocks, the team considered nearby bedrock instead.

Persons: ”, Ashwin Vasavada, “, Sharp, White, Vasavada, ” Vasavada, Briony Horgan, Curiosity, Mount Sharp, Becky Williams, Gediz, “ It’s, we’re, ” Curiosity’s, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, NASA, Caltech, Mars, NASA SVS, Spirit, Purdue University, Planetary Science Institute, Curiosity’s Locations: Pasadena , California, ”, Mars, West Lafayette , Indiana, Mt, Gediz, Gale, Tucson , Arizona

☆ July’s full buck moon will peak in time for the Apollo 11 lunar landing anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —July’s full moon will shine bright in the sky this weekend — and lands near the anniversary of a special lunar event worth celebrating. The full moon — nicknamed the buck moon — will peak at 6:17 a.m. “The first moon landing was in the afternoon on (July 20, 1969), and then they did the moonwalk that night,” Petro said. Lunar discoveriesNASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Petro recommends observing the full moon with these recent findings and future space missions in mind.

Persons: CNN —, It’s, Noah Petro, ” Petro, “, Neil, Armstrong, Aldrin, Michael Collins, Petro, ”, Artemis III Organizations: CNN, Reconnaissance, Artemis, NASA, Farmers Locations: Northern, Southern

☆ Unusual world offers astronomers a glimpse into how planets become ‘hot Jupiters’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The star is one of a binary pair, so the planet orbits the primary star, while the primary star orbits a secondary star. While Jupiter takes 4,000 Earth days to complete one orbit around the sun, hot Jupiters complete one orbit every few days. Astronomers use “eccentric” to refer to the shape of a planet’s orbit on a scale from zero to 1. “It’s a pretty extreme process in that the changes to the planet’s orbit are massive,” Millholland said. Discovering a second hot Jupiter precursor is helping astronomers to confirm the idea that high-mass gas giants transform into hot Jupiters as they migrate from eccentric to circular orbits, the researchers said.

Persons: —, ”, Arvind Gupta, NOIRLab, Gupta, Suvrath Mahadevan, Verne, Willaman, Jason Wright, ” Wright, ” Gupta, Sarah Millholland, “, ” Millholland, Wright, James Webb Organizations: CNN —, Penn State, Astronomy, Mercury, NASA, Massachusetts Institute, Technology’s Kavli, for Astrophysics, Space Research, chrysalis Locations: Kitt, Arizona

☆ Rare daytime fireball sighting over New York metropolitan area captured by videos
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A dedicated meteor camera system captured the fireball over Northford, Connecticut. Mark KirschnerThe American Meteor Society received over 40 reports of a fireball sighting at around 11:15 a.m. The society confirmed that two videos submitted to AMS included footage of the fireball. During the same time eyewitnesses said they observed the fireball, several other spectators reported a loud sound as well as shaking in the area. The last fireball reported in daylight over the area was about a year and a half ago, Cooke said.

Persons: Bill Cooke, Cooke, Mark Kirschner, ” Cooke, Jason Stier, Robert Lunsford, ” Lunsford, “ Organizations: CNN, East Coasters, New, American Meteor Society, AMS, NASA, Southern Locations: New York City, New Jersey, Meteoroid, Northford , Connecticut, New York , New Jersey , Connecticut, Wayne , New Jersey

☆ Giant armadillo fossil reveals humans were in South America a surprisingly long time ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Instead, the team determined that the shape of the cut marks was consistent with those made by stone tools. “The cut marks were not randomly distributed but focused on those skeletal elements that harbored large muscle packs like the pelvis and the tail,” he said. A detailed examination of cut marks on the fossils revealed they were made by stone tools in a deliberate sequence. Along with three perforated giant sloth bones found in Brazil that archaeologists believe humans used as pendants 25,000 to 27,000 years ago, the butchered armadillo bones suggest that humans were in South America a surprisingly long time ago. “Until recently, the traditional model indicated that humans entered the continent 16,000 calendar years ago,” he said.

Persons: CNN —, —, ”, Miguel Delgado, ” Delgado, Delgado, Miguel Eduardo Delgado et, “, paleoanthropologist Briana, Pobiner, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, National University of La, Smithsonian National Museum of, North Locations: what’s, Argentina, Americas, National University of La Plata, Buenos Aires, Merlo, Washington ,, North, South America, Africa, New Mexico, North America, New York City, Cincinnati, Des Moines , Iowa, Asia, Alaska, Brazil

☆ When a cruise liner-size asteroid zips by Earth, two spacecraft may follow it
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When a cruise liner-size asteroid comes within 19,883 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth on April 13, 2029, it won’t be alone. The European Space Agency has announced that its new Ramses spacecraft may accompany the asteroid Apophis before and after its safe, albeit rather close, pass of Earth. Astronomers think that an asteroid this large comes within such proximity to Earth only once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. In September 2022, NASA’s DART mission intentionally slammed a spacecraft into Dimorphos, a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger parent asteroid known as Didymos. “The Ramses mission concept reuses much of the technology, expertise and industrial and science communities developed for the Hera mission,” said Paolo Martino, spacecraft manager for Hera who will also work on the Ramses mission, in a statement.

Persons: won’t, Ramses, Apophis, Apophis doesn’t, ”, Patrick Michel, ” Michel, Richard Moissl, NASA’s, OSIRIS, REx, “ Apophis, Hera, Paolo Martino, “ Hera Organizations: CNN, European Space Agency, NASA’s Center, Studies, ESA, NASA, System, National Centre for Scientific Research, NSF, JPL, Caltech, ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, APEX Locations: Europe, Africa, Asia, Apophis, France

☆ Fossil of an ancient shark that swam in the age of dinosaurs solves centuries-long mystery
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ancient relative of the great white sharkMost species of Ptychodus lived between 100 and 80 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period. Because shark skeletons are made of cartilage, they do not fossilize well, typically leaving archaeologists only teeth and few skeletal remains to find. Lamniformes also includes the modern species of megamouth, sand, goblin and basking sharks, among others. “The crushing teeth together with the gigantic size make Ptychodus a very unique shark,” Amadori said. … Modern durophagous sharks (that consume hard-shelled organisms) are demersal, feeding on or near the bottom.

Persons: ”, Eduardo Villalobos Segura, Villalobos Segura, Lamniformes, Manuel Amadori, Amadori, Michael Everhart, Louis Agassiz, Everhart, mortoni, —, ” Amadori, “, Jürgen, Bretton Kent, ” Kent Organizations: CNN, Royal Society, Biological Sciences, University of Vienna, Sternberg, Nuevo León, University of Maryland Locations: Mexico, Austria, Nuevo León, Vallecillo, Nuevo, Hays , Kansas, Ptychodus

☆ Bronze Age-style ship recreates a 4,000-year-old journey
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Fast-forward to seventh century East Anglia in the United Kingdom, where an Anglo-Saxon warrior king was buried alongside exquisite goods within a massive ship. Researchers are hoping to reconstruct the ship — and it’s not the only vessel gaining new life centuries after disappearing from time. Emily Harris/Zayed National MuseumUsing a supply list written on a clay tablet, a team of experts in the United Arab Emirates has reconstructed a Bronze Age ship. Once upon a planetScientists excavated a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin from the Siberian permafrost. Love Dalén/Stockholm UniversityThe freezing temperatures of the Siberian permafrost preserved a piece of 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin so well that it contains a first-of-its-kind genetic treasure trove.

Persons: it’s, Emily Harris, Shipwrights, Jacob, Alex Braczkowski, Griffith University Jacob, Tibu, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, James Webb, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, East, Zayed National, United Arab Emirates, Zayed National Museum, Griffith University, Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth, International Space Station, NASA, Boeing, European Space Agency, James Webb Space, Penguin, —, CNN Space, Science Locations: Siberia, East Anglia, United Kingdom, Persian, Mesopotamia, Zayed, Abu Dhabi, Sweden, Denmark, Peru, Machu Picchu, Uganda’s, Stockholm, Western Australia

☆ Cosmic dance of the Penguin and Egg galaxies glows in new Webb image
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new view of two galaxies, nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, locked in a cosmic dance to mark the observatory’s second anniversary. Launched on December 25, 2021, the Webb telescope shared its first science observations of the universe on July 12, 2022. Astronomers estimate that the Penguin and the Egg galaxies first interacted 25 million to 75 million years ago. NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI Arp 142 Hubble Webb NASA, ESA, CSA, STScIInitially, the Penguin looked like a spiral, but over time, its appearance has been reshaped through interactions with the Egg galaxy. Meanwhile, the oval-shaped Egg galaxy remains much the same.

Persons: James Webb, Webb, Bill Nelson, Arp, ”, Mark Clampin, “ Webb Organizations: CNN, Telescope, Penguin, NASA, Hubble, ESA, CSA, Hubble Webb NASA, NASA’s Astrophysics

☆ Scientists unveil prototype spacesuit system that recycles urine as drinking water
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Now, such technology appears to be on the horizon, with scientists unveiling a prototype spacesuit system that turns urine into drinking water. When spending these long periods on spacewalks, astronauts currently wear the familiar white puffy EVA suits, which contain a maximum absorbency garment. Above is a side view of the whole system, worn as a backpack. ‘Dune’ systemTo “promote astronaut wellbeing,” the researchers have designed a novel in-suit urine collection and filtration system, or “Dune” system,” Etlin said. Luca BielskiThe liquid would then enter the filtration system, a two-step apparatus that removes water from urine into a salt solution, with a pump then separating pure water from salt.

Persons: “, Sofia Etlin, Weill Cornell Medical College’s, Karen Morales, ” Etlin, Luca Bielski, Spacesuits, Etlin, Artemis, ” Organizations: CNN, Cornell University, Space Technology, NASA, Collins Aerospace, Weill Cornell Medical, Astronauts Locations: New York, Houston, Mars

☆ Bronze Age-style ship sails the Persian Gulf 4,000 years after it was designed
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Writings on an ancient clay tablet have allowed experts to reconstruct a Bronze Age ship made of reeds and sail it on a maiden voyage off the coast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the world’s largest reconstruction of a Bronze Age Magan boat, according to the team. The research project’s goals were to uncover ancient craftsmanship techniques, determine the connections between Bronze Age societies and better understand the role Abu Dhabi once played in Bronze Age trade. After passing five days of trials, the ship sailed toward Saadiyat Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi and the open sea on March 2 and 3. “Seeing the Magan Boat sail on the water for the first time actually took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes.”

Persons: Magan, “, ”, Eric Staples, Abu Dhabi, Emily Harris, Umm, Robert B, Jackson, ” Jackson, Peter Magee, Marwan Abdullah Al, Marzouqi, ” Marzouqi, Abdallah Alremaithi, Ayesha Almansoori, Tayla Clelland, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, ” Clelland Organizations: CNN, United, United Arab Emirates, Zayed University, Zayed National Museum, Zayed National Museum , New York University, British Museum, ., Department of Culture Locations: Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Persian, UAE, Oman, Mesopotamia, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Zayed National Museum ,, Zayed National Museum , New York University Abu Dhabi, Umm, South Asia, Girsu, what’s, Saadiyat, Tourism, “

☆ Fossils of ancient chromosomes found for the first time in 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —A piece of woolly mammoth skin excavated from the Siberian permafrost has been found to contain fossil chromosomes in a first-of-its-kind discovery, according to a new study. The new study revealed that fossils of ancient chromosomes survive in this skin sample. But the DNA from elephants was also needed to assemble the mammoth genome. The researchers hope to use the findings to assemble the woolly mammoth genome completely. “This structural information provides insights into functions of the woolly mammoth genome that were invisible using previous genomic methods,” Heintzman said in an email.

Persons: ”, Erez Lieberman Aiden, Lieberman Aiden, Olga Dudchenko, Dudchenko, Elena Kizilova, Kevin Campbell, ” Campbell, ” Dudchenko, ” Aiden, “, Cynthia Pérez Estrada, ” Pérez Estrada, there’s, Adam Fotos “, Marcela Sandoval, Velasco, Pérez Estrada, Peter Heintzman, ” Heintzman, Dmitry Filatov, ” Filatov, ” Hendrik Poinar, Poinar Organizations: CNN, Baylor College of Medicine, Center, Theoretical, Rice University, of Cytology, University of Manitoba, Stockholm University, Houston Astros, Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor, Rice’s, University of Copenhagen, University of Oxford, McMaster University Locations: Belaya Gora, Siberia, Canada, Stockholm, Denmark, “, Sweden, paleogenomics, United Kingdom, Ontario

☆ UK’s most complete dinosaur fossil in a century reveals new species
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Louis Mian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —A previously unknown species of plant-eating dinosaur roamed on an island off the south coast of England around 125 million years ago, new research has found. The bones were found by avid local fossil collector Nick Chase, who died of cancer in 2019. The dinosaur's large pubic hip bone revealed it was a previously unknown species. University of PortsmouthThe researchers were able to determine the skeleton belonged to a new dinosaur species because of unique features, such as its jaw and particularly large pubic hip bone. “Nick Chase’s remarkable find and Jeremy Lockwood’s dedicated research are a testament to the incredible history waiting to be uncovered here,” he added.

Persons: London CNN —, Jeremy Lockwood, Lockwood, ” Jeremy Lockwood, Nick Chase, “ Nick, Mary Anning, ” Lockwood, weathers, we’d, chasei, Chase, Compton, Mike Greenslade, ” Greenslade, “ Nick Chase’s, Jeremy Lockwood’s Organizations: London CNN, University of Portsmouth, Isle of Wight University of Portsmouth, Trust Locations: London, England, United Kingdom, Compton, Isle of, Isle of Wight, Compton Bay

☆ Plague linked to mysterious disappearance of Europe’s first farmers
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The oldest known plague victims date back to around 5,000 years ago in Europe. Genetic time travelGenetic information about pathogens can be preserved in human DNA, allowing scientists to time travel to find out about ancient diseases and how they evolved. (It’s also not possible to know for sure whether the people studied died of the plague — only that they were infected.) Karl-Göran SjögrenNonetheless, the study authors said their findings did not necessarily suggest a swift and deadly plague epidemic. Instead, the team found evidence of three distinct infection events, plus different variants of the bacterium that causes plague.

Persons: it’s, “, ”, Frederik Seersholm, ” Seersholm, Seersholm, Yersinia pestis, It’s, Karl, Göran, —, Mark Thomas, Thomas, wasn’t, he’s, ” Thomas Organizations: CNN, Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics, Globe Institute , University of Copenhagen, University College London Locations: Europe, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Northern Europe, France, it’s, Frälsegården, Scandinavia

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