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☆ Fossil analysis reveals how Denisovans thrived on the ‘roof of the world’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The grasslands, glaciers and snow-tipped peaks of the Tibetan Plateau are breathtaking, but the vast expanse in Central Asia is also one of Earth’s harshest environments. Archaeologists long believed the Tibetan Plateau — more than 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters) above sea level — was one of the last places on the planet to be settled. We are familyBaishiya Karst Cave is seen at the edge of Ganjia Basin on the Tibetan Plateau. Now, Baishiya Karst Cave, on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, is helping answer many questions about who the Denisovans were. The analysis is shedding light on how the extinct humans thrived in the ice age environment for more than 100,000 years.

Persons: Bill Nelson, BRIN, Gerard Talavera, nestmates, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Lanzhou University Researchers, China National Space Administration, NASA, Apollo, FBI, BRIN Google, Scientists, Botanical Institute of Barcelona, CNN Space, Science Locations: Central Asia, Ganjia, Siberia, Tibetan, China, what’s, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Delta, Guiana, Talavera, Spain, —, Massachusetts

☆ New images reveal tiny moon around asteroid as it flies by Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Spotting a tiny moonThe first space rock, asteroid 2011 UL21, passed by Earth on June 27 at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometers), or 17 times the distance between Earth and the moon. The radar images showed the asteroid is roughly spherical and is one of a pair, called a binary system. NASA/JPL-CaltechThe Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, at Sutherland Observing Station in South Africa first spotted the space rock on June 16. Astronomers sent radio waves to the space rock and captured a detailed image of asteroid 2024 MK. As the space rock passed by our planet and encountered Earth’s gravity, its orbit changed.

Persons: ”, Lance Benner, don’t, ” Benner Organizations: CNN, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Space Network, Earth, Catalina Sky Survey, JPL, Caltech, Lucy, Asteroid, Astronomers Locations: Pasadena , California, Tucson , Arizona, Barstow , California, Sutherland, South Africa

☆ Unusual swamp creature was an ice age predator before the dinosaurs
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Creatures living in the far south have been harder to pin down, and less is known about the animals that lived closer to the poles. It thrived as a top predator 40 million years before dinosaurs evolved to roam the Earth, according to the study. “It’s really, really surprising that Gaiasia is so archaic. In addition to seeking more fossil examples of the species, the researchers are also curious to find other animals that lived in this far south ecosystem. “It tells us that what was happening in the far south was very different from what was happening at the equator.

Persons: Gaiasia jennyae, ”, Jason Pardo, “ It’s, Claudia Marsicano, “, Gaiasia, Pardo, ” Pardo, Gabriel Lio, ” Marsicano, can’t Organizations: CNN, National Science Foundation, Field, University of Buenos Locations: Namibia, Brazil, Chicago, University of Buenos Aires, South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

☆ Carpenter ants are the only other animals known to amputate besides humans, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But over time, some species — including Camponotus floridanus, also known as carpenter ants — have evolutionarily lost them. “I wanted to see how an ant species that cannot use antimicrobial compounds to treat wounds would care for their injured,” Frank said. “In tibia injuries, the flow of the hemolymph was less impeded, meaning bacteria could enter the body faster. The researchers observed that ant-assisted amputations took about 40 minutes to complete, which is why the insects appeared to opt for femur amputations, but not tibia amputations. “We will keep studying wound care behavior in other ant species and try to understand its evolutionary origins,” Frank said.

Persons: Camponotus floridanus, Erik Frank, ” Frank, Frank, “, weren’t, Dany Buffat, Bart Zijlstra, Dr, Laurent Keller, Frank said, amputations, ” Keller, Keller Organizations: CNN, University of Würzburg, Switzerland’s University of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, “ Workers Locations: Florida, Germany’s, Bavaria, Ivory Coast, United States

☆ How the death of the dinosaurs allowed grapes to flourish
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“This discovery is important because it shows that after the extinction of the dinosaurs, grapes really started to spread across the world.”Much like the soft tissues of animals, actual fruits don’t preserve well in the fossil record. How ancient forests changedWhen the dinosaurs went extinct, their absence changed the entire structure of forests, the team hypothesized. “In the fossil record, we start to see more plants that use vines to climb up trees, like grapes, around this time,” Herrera said. Meanwhile, as a diverse set of birds and mammals began to populate Earth after the disappearance of the dinosaurs, they likely also helped spread grape seeds. Several fossils are related to modern grapes and others are distant relatives or grapes native to the Western Hemisphere.

Persons: hadn’t, ”, Fabiany Herrera, “, ” Herrera, Steven Manchester, Herrera, “ I’ve, Mónica Carvalho, Carvalho, ‘, Arthur T, Susman, Gregory Stull, ” Carvalho Organizations: CNN, Field, Research, University of Michigan’s, of Paleontology, South, Field Museum, National Museum of, Central, Western Locations: Colombia, Panama, Peru, India, South America, Western, Colombian, American, South, Central America, Central, Asia, Africa

☆ Rare purple pigment found in Bronze Age pottery
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoAncient Greeks and the Romans considered Tyrian purple, first developed in the Bronze Age, an elite, royal color. But the recipe for the long-lasting pigment, made using Mediterranean sea snails, disappeared with the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Now, researchers have found the precious pigment within pottery fragments containing 3,600-year-old purple dye from a Bronze Age workshop in Kolonna on the Greek island of Aegina. Life for a vulnerable child in the Stone Age would have been difficult because Neanderthals moved from place to place. Meanwhile, the agency has selected SpaceX to design a vehicle that will drag the space station out of orbit at the end of the decade when it ceases operations and plummets into the ocean.

Persons: Jesus Christ, Down, paleoanthropologist Mercedes Conde, Valverde, ” Conde, Trent Sugg, Tracy Dyson, NASA’s OSIRIS, REx, China’s, NASA’s, Mars, Emin Yogurtcuoglu, —, — Wood, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, CPA Media, University of Alcalá, NASA, Collins Aerospace, Boeing, SpaceX, Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNN Space, Science Locations: Byzantine Empire, Kolonna, Aegina, Spain, “, Iceland, Rainier, Washington, Kyrenia

☆ 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

☆ Skeletal marks show wear and tear on ancient Egypt’s elite scribes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The findings open a new window into what life was like for scribes in ancient Egypt during the third millennium BC. Skeletal cluesLead study author Petra Brukner Havelková, an anthropologist at the National Museum in Prague, has specialized in identifying activity-induced skeletal markers for nearly 20 years. A drawing shows the parts of the skeleton most affected by the sitting positions and work carried out by scribes. But skeletal changes in their knees, hips and ankles also point to a squatting or crouching position that many scribes preferred. The chewing explains why their jaws were overloaded, while long hours of writing likely caused the skeletal changes observed in their right thumbs, the researchers said.

Persons: Veronika Dulíková, ” Dulíková, “, Martin Frouz, Charles University, Petra Brukner Havelková, Havelková, Jolana, ” Havelková, Dr, Sonia Zakrzewski, ” Zakrzewski Organizations: CNN, Czech Institute of, Charles University, Records, ”, today’s Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Czech Institute of Egyptology, of Arts, Charles, National Museum, University of Southampton Locations: Egypt, Abusir, Prague, United Kingdom, bioarchaeology, Saqqara, ’

☆ 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

☆ Microsoft's new AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman works closely with these execs, internal tracking tool reveals
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAn internal Microsoft tracking tool has revealed which executives AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman is working with most during his first few months on the job. Microsoft in March hired Suleyman , the head of startup Inflection AI and a cofounder of AI pioneer DeepMind, to be CEO of a newly formed Microsoft AI group. The organization is responsible for consumer AI products such as Microsoft's Copilot AI chatbot and the Bing search engine. Kevin Scott, Microsoft chief technology officerKevin Scott MicrosoftKevin Scott is Microsoft's chief technology officer and executive vice president of AI. Caitlin McCabe, CEO chief of staffMcCabe is Satya Nadella's chief of staff.

Persons: —, Mustafa Suleyman, Suleyman, Karén Simonyan, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Nick Adams, Reuters Mehdi, Kevin Scott, Kevin Scott Microsoft Kevin Scott, He's, Scott, Kevin, Satya Nadella, Amy Hood, Phillip Faraone, Hood, Rajesh Jha, Jha wasn't, Jha, Caitlin McCabe, McCabe, Satya Nadella's, She's, Nadella, Jon Tinter, Chris Young, Tinter Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business, Reuters, OpenAI

☆ New satellite will do double duty monitoring Earth and space weather
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Forecasters will soon be able to see real-time mapping of lightning activity on Earth and keep a closer eye on solar storms unleashed by the sun thanks to a new weather satellite. The weather satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:26 p.m. What sets GOES-U apart from other satellites is that it’s carrying a new capability to keep an eye on space weather. The coronagraph will provide continuous observations of the solar corona, or the hot outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere, which is where space weather events originate, said Elsayed Talaat, director of NOAA’s Office of Space Weather Observations. The instrument’s capabilities will allow NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center to issue warnings and watches one to four days in advance and “mark a new chapter in space weather observatoions,” Talaat said.

Persons: ”, Ken Graham, Elsayed Talaat, ” Talaat, Steve Volz, ” Graham, Sullivan, Pam Sullivan Organizations: CNN, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Environmental, SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center, NOAA, National Weather Service, YouTube, GOES, Atmospheric Imaging, NOAA’s, Service Locations: Florida, Africa, New Zealand, Central, South America, Caribbean

☆ Unlikely Wild Animals Are Being Smuggled Into U.S. Ports: Corals
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Jason Bittel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But other creatures are frequently being seized at American ports of entry, creatures you perhaps would not realize are animals: corals. Corals are not plants: They are tiny invertebrates that live in vast colonies, forming the foundation of the world’s tropical reefs. All over the world, corals, which populate reefs, filter water and provide habitats for numerous fish and other ocean life, are in danger. The United States is a huge part of that trade. “The U.S. is the primary market for marine corals,” said Ashley Skeen, a senior wildlife inspector for the U.S.

Persons: they’d, ”, Ashley Skeen Organizations: United Nations Office, Drugs, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service Locations: Indonesia, Fiji, Tonga, Australia, Caribbean, United States, U.S

☆ Krispy Kreme is rolling out ‘Friends’-themed doughnuts. But you probably can’t get any
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Erika Tulfo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“We’re constantly innovating, constantly bringing excitement to the brand, and we’re fresh, fresh daily,” said CEO Josh Charlesworth on a first-quarter earnings call in May, according to a transcript made available by FactSet. But fans had a few words for Krispy Kreme on that score. “This is where I am just confused by the decision making process,” noted one commenter under an Instagram post by “Snackolator“ about the release. Krispy Kreme has launched its own share of US-exclusive doughnuts, including its most recent collaboration with singer Dolly Parton, the Southern Sweets Doughnut Collection, announced in May. A representative for Krispy Kreme declined to comment on whether the “Friends” collaboration would be made available in the US and told CNN there was “nothing additional to share at this time.”

Persons: ”, Krispy Kreme, “ We’re, Josh Charlesworth, “ Snackolator, Ashley Smith, “, Monica Geller’s, Courtney Cox, Ross Geller’s, David Schwimmer, Rachel Green, Jennifer Aniston, Dolly Parton Organizations: CNN, Ireland, Warner Bros, FactSet Locations: New York

☆ Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is the oldest vortex in the solar system
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a massive storm that has swirled within the atmosphere of the largest planet in the solar system for years. The Great Red Spot is a massive vortex within Jupiter’s atmosphere that is about 10,159 miles (16,350 kilometers) wide, which is similar to Earth’s diameter, according to NASA. Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty ImagesWhile the first two scenarios resulted in cyclones, they differed in shape and other characteristics witnessed in the Great Red Spot. But the researchers believe that the persistent atmospheric storm cell, which resulted from intense wind instability, produced the Great Red Spot. Previous research, published in March 2018, has shown that the Great Red Spot is growing taller as it shrinks in size overall.

Persons: Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Ann Ronan, Cassini, ”, Agustín Sánchez, Lavega, “, updrafts, Donato Creti, Vincenzo Pinto, Michael Wong, ” Wong Organizations: CNN, Research, NASA, University of, Visitors, Vatican Museum, University of California Locations: Italian, Basque, Bilbao, Spain, AFP, Berkeley

☆ Meet Lokiceratops, the rock star cousin of Triceratops
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | 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. The Triceratops fossil emerged first as it eroded from the rock of the Hell Creek Formation in 2006. Across the universeAn artist's illustration shows a supermassive black hole as it wakes up at the center of a faraway galaxy. M. Kornmesser/ESOAstronomers are watching a supermassive black hole awakening in the middle of a distant galaxy for the first time. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt.

Persons: dino, rex, Mark Eatman, ”, Eatman, Sergey Krasovskiy, Lokiceratops rangiformis, Lokiceratops, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, won’t, Stephen Hawking, Robert Erwan Fordyce, Benjamin Kear, Martin Bernetti, Fernando Trujillo, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, NASA, International Space Station, Boeing, ESO, University of Otago, Southern Hemisphere, Uppsala University’s Museum, Evolution, Getty, CNN Space, Science Locations: what’s, Montana, Raleigh, what's, Maribo, Denmark, British, New Zealand, Pangea, Uppsala, Sweden, Nui, Chile, AFP, Easter, Rapa, Colombian

☆ Looks like Elon Musk just added Melinda French Gates to his list of billionaires' ex-wives who 'might be the downfall of Western civilization'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Melinda French Gates endorsed President Joe Biden on Thursday and Elon Musk isn't happy about it. "Might be the downfall of Western civilization," the mercurial billionaire said in response. AdvertisementMelinda French Gates has given her first-ever presidential endorsement, and Elon Musk isn't too happy about it. "Might be the downfall of western civilization," Musk said in response to an X post by The Babylon Bee staffer Ashley St. Clair on Gates' endorsement of Biden. Gates formally endorsed Biden in an X post published Thursday.

Persons: Melinda French Gates, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Musk, MacKenzie Scott, —, Elon Musk isn't, Ashley St, Gates, Biden, I've Organizations: Service, Babylon Locations: Clair

☆ Astronomers watch a supermassive black hole awaken in real time
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Astronomers are witnessing a never-before-seen spectacle in the cosmos: the awakening of a supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy. In late 2019, a team of astronomers took notice of an otherwise unremarkable galaxy named SDSS1335+0728, 300 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. “If so, this would be the first time that we see the activation of a massive black hole in real time.”Sleeping celestial giantsSupermassive black holes are classified as having masses more than 100,000 times that of our sun. “In the case of SDSS1335+0728, we were able to observe the awakening of the massive black hole, (which) suddenly started to feast on gas available in its surroundings, becoming very bright.”Previous research has pointed to inactive galaxies that appeared to become active after several years, which is usually triggered by black hole activity, but the process of a black hole awakening has never been directly observed before, until now, Hernández García said. The same scenario may play out with Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, but astronomers aren’t sure how likely it is to occur, Ricci said.

Persons: ”, Paula Sánchez Sáez, Neil Gehrels Swift, Chandra, Sánchez Sáez, Lorena Hernández García, Claudio Ricci, “, Hernández García, Ricci Organizations: CNN —, Palomar, Astrophysics, European Southern Observatory, Survey, Micron, Sky Survey, Sloan, European Southern, Southern Astrophysical Research, Keck, Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, University of Valparaíso, Diego Portales University Locations: California, Germany, European, Chile, Hawaii, —

☆ Voyager 1 resumes study of uncharted cosmic territory after computer glitch
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth, Voyager 1 stopped communicating coherently with mission control in November 2023. However, data from Voyager 1’s four science instruments, which study plasma waves, magnetic fields and particles, remained elusive. On May 19, the Voyager team sent a command to the spacecraft to start returning science data. Now, all four instruments are beaming back usable science data, according to an update shared by NASA on June 13. )”Long-lived space missionsMeanwhile, Voyager 1 is back to doing what it does best: Sharing insights from uncharted cosmic territory.

Persons: “, ” Long, Suzanne Dodd, ” Dodd Organizations: CNN, NASA, Voyager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Neptune Locations: Pasadena , California

☆ Amazon employees slam the company for apparently hosting a private Foo Fighters concert for senior leaders in leaked Slack messages
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon employees criticized the company for holding a private Foo Fighters concert for leaders. Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 people since late 2022 and enforced a strict office mandate. Employees said the exclusive event for senior leaders came amid cuts to their own morale budgets. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAmazon employees are roasting the company for apparently holding a private Foo Fighters concert for senior leaders after a tough couple of years of layoffs and cost-cutting, according to internal Slack messages viewed by Business Insider.

Persons: — Organizations: Foo Fighters, Employees, Service, Business

☆ Amazon employees slam the company in leaked Slack messages for apparently hosting a private Foo Fighters concert for senior leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewAmazon employees are roasting the company for apparently holding a private Foo Fighters concert for senior leaders after a tough couple of years of layoffs and cost-cutting, according to internal Slack messages viewed by Business Insider. However, a blog post from May 30 suggests the company brought the Foo Fighters — CEO Andy Jassy's favorite band — to a private event for director- and vice-president-level employees. Related storiesThe post and the Slack messages indicate the concert was part of an event called Ops Live for senior leaders in Amazon's global fulfillment network. Level 8, or L8, employees are among the most senior at the company.

Persons: —, Andy Jassy's, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Service, Foo Fighters, Business, Amazon

☆ Fewer Microsoft employees think they're getting a 'good deal,' internal survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Fewer Microsoft employees believe they get a "good deal: from working there. The annual "Employee Signals" survey showed a drop from 69% to 62% in positive responses. AdvertisementFewer Microsoft employees believe they are getting a "good deal" by working at the company, according to results of annual surveys viewed by Business Insider. In Microsoft's annual poll called "Employee Signals," 62% of employees this year answered favorably to a question about whether they get a "good deal at Microsoft (i.e. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: — Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Business

☆ 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

☆ Ernest Shackleton’s Quest shipwreck has finally been found
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men set off aboard the HMS Endurance in 1914. A search expedition found the HMS Endurance wreck in 2022, and now, another part of Shackleton’s legacy has been recovered. Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesAn international team of experts using sonar has located the exploration ship Quest, once captained by Shackleton, off the coast of Canada. — A botanist spotted a tiny plant species new to science growing in an unlikely place on the slopes of the Andes.

Persons: Sir Ernest Shackleton, Shackleton, Freeman Dyson, Dyson, George Wittemyer, ”, Mickey Pardo, ritualistically, Chichén Itzá, “, Adomas Valantinas, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, HMS, Quest, Central Press, Hulton, Cornell University, Olympus, ESA, Brown University, NASA, CNN Space, Science Locations: Antarctica, South Georgia, Canada, Kenya, Chichén, Yucatán, Everest, England, Australia

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Organizations: New York Times

☆ Solar storm hits Mars, creating planet-engulfing auroras, NASA says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the sun unleashed an extreme solar storm and hit Mars in May, it engulfed the red planet with auroras and an influx of charged particles and radiation, according to NASA. Solar radiation hits MarsThe most extreme storm occurred on May 20 after an X12 flare released from the sun, according to data collected by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft currently studying the sun. The Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale Crater just south of the Martian equator, took black-and-white images using its navigation cameras during the solar storm. But Mars lost its magnetic field billions of years ago, which means the planet has no shield from incoming energized solar particles. By tracing the data from multiple Martian missions, scientists were able to watch how the solar storm unfolded.

Persons: Gale, “, ”, Don Hassler, ” Auroras, Mars, Deborah Padgett, MAVEN, Christina Lee Organizations: CNN, NASA, Solar Orbiter, Goddard Space Flight, Mars, Caltech, JPL, Southwest Research, Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Space Sciences Laboratory Locations: Northern California, Alabama, Greenbelt , Maryland, Boulder , Colorado, Pasadena , California

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