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☆ Fossils show that massive pterosaurs could fly millions of years ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The newly discovered fossils preserved 3D structures within the delicate wing bones, which typically are found flattened like pancakes within rock layers. CT scans of the fossils provided a rare glimpse inside the wing bones belonging to two species of pterosaurs, including one new to science. These are not unlike those found in the wing bones of modern birds that flap their wings to fly, Rosenbach said. In contrast, spiral ridges within Arambourgiania’s wing bones resembled the interiors of vulture wing bones, which are thought to resist the forces associated with soaring. “They represent the largest animals with the capacity to fly,” Rosenbach said of the extinct reptiles.

Persons: Kierstin Rosenbach, It’s, Tal Inab, “, philadelphiae, Jordan, Rosenbach, ” Rosenbach, Kierstin, Monique Perez, Stacy Kaneko, Danielle Goodvin, Jeff Wilson Mantilla, ”, Michael Benton, Benton, “ It’s, Dr Organizations: CNN, University of Michigan, University of Michigan’s, of Paleontology, University of Bristol Locations: what’s, Jordan, Africa, Ann Arbor, Arambourgiania, United Kingdom

☆ Boeing Starliner capsule is back on Earth while crew will hitch a SpaceX ride home in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The spacecraft successfully launched and delivered NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station in June. But what seemed like an eight-day jaunt turned into months of questions surrounding Starliner’s ability to return the crew safely to Earth. NASAAfter nearly three months, the Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth without the two test pilots after undocking from the space station Friday night and parachuting into the New Mexico desert early Saturday. Starliner is the first US-made capsule to parachute to a ground landing, rather than splashing into the ocean. It remains to be seen how and when Starliner will be certified to carry astronauts regularly to space.

Persons: Boeing’s, —, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, jaunt, Starliner, Williams, “, Butch, Suni, ”, Steve Stich, mako, Guillermo López, Wells, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Radian Aerospace, NASA, International Space Station, Boeing, Starliner, European Union, Spanish, NSF, Cornell University, CNN Space, Science Locations: Seattle, New Mexico, Cod, Massachusetts, Zamora, Philippines, Luzon, Scotland

☆ Boeing Starliner capsule returns home from space — without astronauts on board
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Jackie Wattles | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Relive the Boeing Starliner capsule’s return home as it happened. CNN —Boeing’s Starliner capsule returned from the International Space Station Friday evening — concluding its nearly three-month stay in space. This screengrab taken from a video shows Boeing Starliner as it touches down in White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, at 12:01 a.m. Boeing and NASA teams work around NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed at White Sands, New Mexico, on September 7. NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, left, and Scott Tingle look inside NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, in New Mexico, on September 7.

Persons: CNN —, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Starliner, —, “, ”, Williams, Calypso, ” Williams, you’ve, uncrewed, Aubrey Gemignani, Mark Nappi, Steve Stich, we’ve, ” Stich, we’d, ” Stitch, Butch, Suni, NASA Starliner’s, Wilmore, Stitch, Stich, Mike Fincke, Scott Tingle, NASA ‘, …, Ken Bowersox Organizations: Boeing, CNN, International, NASA, NASA's Boeing, SpaceX, White, Space Operations, Software Locations: Sands, , New Mexico, terra firma, Starliner, White Sands , New Mexico, New Mexico

☆ Pregnant shark monitored by scientists eaten by a larger predator
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Habitat loss, overfishingand their fate as bycatch in fishing nets have threatened porbeagle shark populations. Northwest Atlantic porbeagle sharks are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The team pieced together several factors that indicated the shark had been eaten and the tag excreted by a larger predator that gobbled up the shark, Anderson said. Unusual suspectsPorbeagles belong to a family called lamnid sharks, which also includes great white sharks and mako sharks. Gutteridge, who was not involved in the study, agrees that a white shark is the most likely culprit.

Persons: ”, Brooke Anderson, ” Anderson, —, Jon Dodd, Anderson, porbeagles, “, porbeagle, James Sulikowski, Shortfin, chow, It’s, Adrian Gutteridge, ” Gutteridge, they’re Organizations: CNN, Marine Science, North Carolina Department of Environmental, International Union for Conservation of, Marine Stewardship Council, International Union for Conservation, Specialist Locations: Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Bermuda, Canada, New England, Atlantic

☆ Ancient asteroid 20 times larger than the one that wiped out the dinosaurs likely hit Jupiter’s moon Ganymede
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Jupiter’s moon Ganymede may have shifted on its axis when a massive asteroid smashed into it about 4 billion years ago, according to a new study. Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, is even bigger than Mercury and the dwarf planet Pluto. The crater left behind on Ganymede was 25% the size of the Jupiter moon, according to the study. Understanding how the impact altered the moon could reveal insights into its intriguing internal structure, Hirata said. “I want to understand the origin and evolution of Ganymede and other Jupiter moons,” he said.

Persons: ”, Naoyuki Hirata, Hirata, what’s, mission’s, It’s, Adeene Denton, Denton, “, we’re Organizations: CNN, Mercury, Kobe University, Pluto, Laboratory, University of Arizona, Sputnik Locations: Japan, Chicxulub, Mexico

☆ Perseverance rover begins steep climb to study the oldest parts of Mars
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This ascent is something scientists have been looking forward to for years, long before Perseverance landed on Mars. Turning back Martian timeThe impact that created Jezero Crater also generated a lot of heat, partly from the energy of the object that slammed into Mars. The crater rim site of Pico Turquino, as the hydrothermal rocks are called, provides another, different possibility. A panorama shows the area Perseverance will climb in the coming months to crest Jezero Crater’s rim. “For now, we’re just going to pursue our crater rim investigation.

Persons: ”, Thompson, Perseverance, Pico, Hazel Hill, Briony Horgan, “, Horgan, Ken Farley, Pico Turquino, ” Farley, Farley, Steven Lee, ” Lee, ” Horgan, we’re Organizations: CNN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, JPL, Caltech, University of Arizona, Purdue University, Mars, California Institute of Technology, ASU Locations: Pasadena , California, Mars, Dox, ”, West Lafayette , Indiana, Pico, Jezero

☆ Chandrayaan-3 mission finds new evidence to support lunar theory
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Pragyan made 23 measurements as it rolled along a 338-feet (103-meter) region of the lunar surface, located within 164 feet (50 meters) of Chandrayaan-3’s landing site, for about 10 days. The rover’s data marks the first measurements of elements within lunar soil near the south polar region. NASAThe first lunar samples collected during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 led researchers to the theory that the moon was once a molten ball of magma. The Pragyan rover, seen on Earth before being sent to the moon on Chandrayaan-3, used analytical tools to study lunar soil. APXSPOC, PRLPersistent lunar mysteriesThe mission proves why it is crucial to send spacecraft to different lunar regions to understand the history of the moon, Vadawale said.

Persons: Pragyan, Noah Petro, Artemis III, Petro, Santosh Vadawale, Vadawale, “, Shiv Shakti, ”, ” Petro Organizations: CNN, NASA, Mercury, Apollo, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Physical Research Locations: India, Aitken, Ahmedabad

☆ Leaked Microsoft salary data shows the pay gap between Microsoft AI and the rest of the company
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The doc includes more than 500 submissions from people who identified themselves as Microsoft employees in the US. The move came in response to a growing number of its workers feeling underpaid compared to Microsoft's tech peers like Amazon . AdvertisementAs a reminder, this pay data is based on Microsoft employees' self-reporting, so it's not a complete picture. However, the pay gap between Microsoft AI and the rest of the company is undeniable. These are the 100 most-used AI apps, according to a top VC.

Persons: —, Chelsea Jia Feng, Insider's Ashley Stewart, Ashley, Satya Nadella, Drew Angerer, Mustafa Suleyman, it's, they're, Tyler Le, Jerome, Jerome Powell's, Goldman Sachs, Jamie Dimon's, Dimon, Ned Davis, Justin Sullivan, Andreessen Horowitz, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Jack, Jerome Powell, Sabrina Carpenter, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, Milan Sehmbi, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business, Microsoft Microsoft, Getty, Bloomberg Creative, JPMorgan, Treasury, Ned Davis Research, Big Tech, RBC Capital Markets, Consumer, Engineers, BI Locations: Washington, New York, London

☆ Leaked Microsoft pay data shows how much hundreds of software engineers report making in units like Azure and AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-22 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft employees recently shared their pay details in a spreadsheet viewed by Business Insider. BI analyzed the data for software engineers working at Microsoft. AdvertisementHundreds of Microsoft employees recently shared details about their pay and promotions in a spreadsheet viewed by Business Insider. BI analyzed more than 500 submissions from those who identified themselves as Microsoft employees in the US. BI analyzed the data to calculate the average compensation, raises, and bonus percentages for software engineers in the US this year by level.

Persons: —, Mustafa Suleyman, Cash Organizations: Microsoft, Business, Service, Business Insider, Employees, BI

☆ VMware customers report massive price increases since Broadcom takeover: 'Feels quite a bit like being held for ransom'
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-20 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

AdvertisementVMware customers report seeing massive price increases since Broadcom acquired VMware late last year, with some paying as much as 10 times as much for the same services. VMware price hikesDave Russell, senior vice president and head of strategy at Veeam, said his company saw a 300% price increase in the VMware products it's using. Hinkley said CloudBolt's customers have seen VMware price increases ranging from 140% to 600%. Hinkley said longtime VMware customers have spent years developing code and automation processes in their IT infrastructure specifically for running VMware products. Similarly, Virtuozzo CEO Alex Fine said over 200 providers approached his company as a result of the price increases.

Persons: —, Craig Hinkley, Rick Vanover, David Rowe, Dave Russell, he's, Russell, Hinkley, they'd, Forrester, Rowe, We've, Steve Tuck, Renee Wells, Wells, Alex Fine, We're, Fine, Rajiv Ramaswami, Ramaswami, Rosalie Chan, Ashley Stewart Organizations: VMware, Service, Broadcom, VMware's, Microsoft, Gartner, Oxide Computer, Rimini, Dell, Nutanix Locations: Rimini, rosal

☆ Oceans of water may be trapped deep beneath the Martian surface
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Data from a retired NASA mission has revealed evidence of an underground reservoir of water deep beneath the surface of Mars, according to new research. A team of scientists estimates that there may be enough water, trapped in tiny cracks and pores of rock in the middle of the Martian crust, to fill oceans on the planet’s surface. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took an image of InSight sitting on the Martian surface on February 2, 2019. “It’s certainly true on Earth — deep, deep mines host life, the bottom of the ocean hosts life. Windows into Martian historyThe findings add a new piece to the Martian water puzzle.

Persons: ”, Vashan Wright, ‘, Mars, orbiters, InSight’s seismometer, Wright, James Tuttle Keane, Aaron Rodriguez, Michael Manga, “ It’s, haven’t, Alberto Fairén, Fairén, Bruce Banerdt, we’re, Banerdt, al, ” Banerdt, “, ” Wright Organizations: CNN, NASA, National Academy of Sciences, Reconnaissance Orbiter, JPL, Caltech, University of Arizona, University of California, Diego’s Scripps, of Oceanography, Mars, Interior Exploration, Transport, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of Maryland, Cornell University Locations: Mars, Berkeley

☆ New fossils could reveal origin of ancient ‘hobbit’ humans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More bones followed, and at first, archaeologist Thomas Sutikna and his team thought they had uncovered the ancient fossils of a child. And the newly studied fossils represent an earlier hobbit who was 2.4 inches (6.1 centimeters) shorter than the first specimen. Homo erectus was the first ancient human to migrate out of Africa about 1.9 million years ago. Together, the Homo floresiensis fossils paint a portrait of a hardy species able to adapt and thrive despite the presence of hulking Komodo dragons. Defying gravityAstronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have long outstayed a planned eight days in low-Earth orbit after traveling to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June.

Persons: Bua, Thomas Sutikna, floresiensis, Homo floresiensis, erectus, Homo erectus, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, SpaceX’s, Williams, David Brunetti, Pharaoh Djoser, NASA's, squaretail groupers, China’s Chang’e, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, International Space, NASA, Sutton, Exploration Rover, Rover, CNN Space, Science Locations: Indonesian, Flores, Africa, African, Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England, Sutton, Turkey, China, India’s

☆ Missing pieces of a Byzantine artifact recovered at Sutton Hoo
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The incomplete artifact is on display in the High Hall exhibition at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England. A researcher excavates part of the Bromeswell bucket from the trench at Sutton Hoo. Based on the forms of Greek letters at the top of the artifact, researchers think the vessel was already 100 years old when it arrived at Sutton Hoo, Howarth said. Future research at Sutton Hoo could reveal the broader history of the site and what kept drawing people to inhabit it over time, Howarth said. The aim of this project is to look at the landscape and think about who was inhabiting it and how that fits into the wider Sutton Hoo story.”

Persons: Count, David Brun, ”, Laura Howarth, Howarth, James Dobson, ’ ” Howarth, Angus Wainwright, “, David Brunetti, ” Howarth, Sutton, Edith Pretty Organizations: CNN, Sutton, harrow, National Trust ., National Trust, Field, Specialists, Heritage, Hoo, “, British Museum Locations: Suffolk, England, Hoo, African, Sutton Hoo, Byzantine, Antioch, Turkey, Britain, Sutton, Hampshire, East Anglia, what’s, Sri Lanka

☆ China rocket launch creates cloud of space debris in low-Earth orbit
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —One of China’s Long March 6A rockets has broken apart in low-Earth orbit and created a debris cloud consisting of hundreds of pieces, according to multiple space debris-tracking entities. And the reason for the rocket breakup remains unknown. Everything in low-Earth orbit travels at 17,500 miles per hour, Crassidis said. It’s the second time one of these rocket bodies has experienced a significant breakup event in low-Earth orbit, according to Victoria Heath, associate director of marketing and communications for LeoLabs. “Events like this highlight the importance of adherence to existing space debris mitigation guidelines to reduce the creation of new space debris and underscore the need for robust space domain awareness capabilities to rapidly detect, track, and catalog newly-launched space objects so they can be screened for potential conjunctions.”

Persons: China’s, SpaceX’s, “ USSPACECOM, ”, Rob Margetta, LeoLabs, John L, Crassidis, “, It’s, Victoria Heath, Audrey Schaffer Organizations: CNN, Taiyuan Satellite, Shanghai Spacecom, Satellite Technology, Space Command, US Department of Defense, NASA, International, Network, University, Buffalo’s School of Engineering, Applied Sciences, LeoLabs, Aerospace Locations: Taiyuan, Shanghai, Victoria

☆ Scientists digitally dissect ancient Egyptian ‘screaming’ mummy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ancient Egypt’s pyramids, pharaohs and artifacts delight the imagination, reigniting wonder of the distant past in every generation. Experts are also using the latest techniques to spill secrets hidden within discoveries made decades ago, with new research this week “digitally dissecting” an unusual mummy found in 1935. The "screaming woman" whose mummified remains were discovered in 1935 may have died violently, a new study suggests. — To keep swimmers and beachgoers safe, scientists are using artificial intelligence to detect juvenile sharks, which like to hang out near the shore. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Sahar Saleem, Saleem, Saleem couldn’t, Venus, Guillermo Legaria, Lonely Guy, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kasr Al, Cairo University, Mercury, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, JPL, Caltech Venus, Lonely, —, CNN Space, Science Locations: ., Damietta, Egypt, Luxor, New York City, Kasr Al Ainy, Europe, Asia, Thailand, Southeast Asia

☆ How Xs and Cs spotted in the ionosphere could disrupt life on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Earth’s electric and magnetic fields and gravity cause charged particles in the ionosphere to flow away from Earth’s magnetic equator. Typically, plasma bubbles are long and straight because they form along Earth’s magnetic field lines. GOLD observations captured C-shaped and reverse C-shaped plasma bubbles close together in the ionosphere on October 12, 2020, and December 26, 2021. So far, GOLD has only observed two instances of the close pairings, but the C-shaped bubbles have the potential to disrupt communications. “Due to such wide view and continuous measurements, GOLD has allowed us to observe these mysteries within the ionosphere,” Karan said.

Persons: Jeffrey Klenzing, “, it’s, ”, NASA SVS, Fazlul Laskar, —, Laskar, ” Klenzing, Karan et, Deepak Karan, Karan, ” Karan, John Deere, Tim Marquis, ” Laskar Organizations: CNN, International Space Station, NASA SVS, Goddard Space Flight, NASA, of Geophysical Research, University of Colorado’s Laboratory, Atmospheric Locations: Tonga, Greenbelt , Maryland, Baltimore, Boston

☆ The GenAI jitters: Is there enough demand for $1 trillion in AI spending?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Alistair Barr | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementBig tech companies are forecast to spend $1 trillion on data centers, real estate, chips and other gear to build AI models, tools and products. AdvertisementSome big tech companies have already whittled away a large chunk of their cash reserves chasing this AI trend. For more than a year, the assumption has been that generative AI will stoke a massive wave of new demand. What if that demand turns out to be weaker than expected? A major piece of evidence he shared was about demand for Microsoft's 365 Copilot service.

Persons: —, Ashley Stewart, I've, Ashley, Keith Weiss, Morgan Stanley, Weiss, Andy Jassy, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, BI's Ashley Stewart, Nadella Organizations: Service, Business, pharma, Big, Microsoft, stoke, Amazon, Google, CIO

☆ A CIO cancelled a Microsoft AI deal. The reason why should worry the entire tech industry.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A pharmaceutical company stopped using Microsoft's Copilot AI tool due to high cost and low value. The company used Office 365 Copilot for 500 staff, and found it comparable to middle school presentations. Microsoft is considering repackaging 365 licenses to better monetize AI features amid record capex. That's exactly what happened when an IT executive at a pharmaceutical company tried out Microsoft's Copilot AI features. The chief information officer of this pharma company paid extra to have 500 employees use Office 365 Copilot in the fourth quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024.

Persons: — Organizations: Microsoft, Service, pharma, Business

☆ Why Are So Many Americans Choosing to Not Have Children?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Teddy Rosenbluth | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, some conservatives have framed the declining fertility rate of the United States as an example of eroding family values, a moral catastrophe in slow motion. JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, recently came under fire for saying in 2021 that the nation was run by “childless cat ladies” who “hate normal Americans for choosing family over these ridiculous D.C. and New York status games.”Last year, Ashley St. Clair, a Fox News commentator, described childless Americans this way: “They just want to pursue pleasure and drinking all night and going to Beyoncé concerts. It’s this pursuit of self-pleasure in replace of fulfillment and having a family.”Researchers who study trends in reproductive health see a more nuanced picture. The decision to forgo having children is most likely not a sign that Americans are becoming more hedonistic, they say. For one thing, fertility rates are declining throughout the developed world.

Persons: JD Vance, “, Ashley St, ” Organizations: Republican, ”, Fox Locations: United States, York, Clair

☆ Solar storm watch fuels hope of aurora sightings
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The northern lights could grace skies farther south than usual this week because of a solar storm that may affect Earth, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The center issued a strong geomagnetic storm watch, known as a G3 — the third highest level out of five — for July 29 to July 31. Strong geomagnetic storms are infrequent, the Space Weather Prediction Center said, but they’re more common than the G5, or extreme, geomagnetic storm that occurred on May 10 and May 11. If the predicted G3 conditions occur, auroras could be visible as far south as Illinois and Oregon, the Space Weather Prediction Center said. Alerts issued by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center and other agencies help the operators of power grids and commercial satellites to mitigate potential negative impacts from a solar storm.

Persons: Aurorasaurus Organizations: CNN, Oceanic, Prediction, NOAA, Met, Meteorology, NASA Locations: Illinois, Oregon, United Kingdom, Scotland, Australia, Southern, India, Sweden, South Africa

☆ 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

☆ 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, “

☆ 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

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