Category: Science

Fossilised plant remains unearthed near the now-abandoned town of Rainbow, Utah, have defied classification. The plant, named Othniophyton elongatum, was initially discovered in 1969, but recent analysis has shown it is unrelated to any known plant families, living or extinct. The fossil, dating back around 47 million years, was preserved in the Green River Formation, […]

Pipes designed to enable one-way liquid flow without the use of valves have been developed, drawing inspiration from the intestinal structure of sharks. Tesearchers at the University of Washington have created tubes featuring an internal helix, which mimics the corkscrew-shaped intestines found in sharks. This design may pave the way for more durable fluid transport […]

Research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics has cast doubt on the supposed discovery of an intermediate-mass black hole in the star cluster Omega Centauri. Initial findings suggested a black hole with a mass equivalent to 8,200 times that of the Sun resided at the cluster’s core. However, a reanalysis indicates the high-velocity stars in this […]

Firefly Aerospace’s inaugural lunar mission is prepared for takeoff, as the Blue Ghost lander is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in mid-January. According to reports, the mission, called Ghost Riders in the Sky, will also carry Japan’s Resilience lander and marks a significant collaboration under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) […]

Two private lunar landers are scheduled to embark on separate missions aboard the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in January 2025, according to reports. Firefly Aerospace and the Japanese company ispace will jointly utilise the rocket to deploy their respective moon landers. The rocket is expected to launch from Florida’s Space Coast no earlier than […]

India’s space programme achieved a significant milestone on December 18, 2024, as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) began assembling the Human-Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). This marks the commencement of the Gaganyaan-G1 launch campaign, the first uncrewed mission under the ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The assembly […]

NASA researchers have identified a black hole within galaxy NGC 5084 that appears to be rotating at an unexpected angle relative to the surrounding galaxy, according to recent reports. This intriguing revelation was achieved by re-analysing legacy data from NASA‘s Chandra X-ray Observatory with innovative techniques. The analysis revealed an unusual structure of four plumes […]

New research on PDS 70b, a forming exoplanet located approximately 400 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus, suggests that prevailing models of planet formation may require revision. According to a study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, astronomers found a mismatch between the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere and the surrounding protoplanetary disk from which […]

The innermost planet of the TRAPPIST-1 system, TRAPPIST-1b, may possess a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, according to research published in Nature Astronomy on December 16. The TRAPPIST-1 system, which lies 40 light-years from Earth and includes seven Earth-sized exoplanets, has intrigued astronomers since its discovery in 2017. Earlier studies suggested that these planets lacked atmospheres due […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted SpaceX the launch licence required for the Starship Flight 7 test. This decision, announced on December 17, allows the company to move forward with preparations for the world’s largest rocket at its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The approval comes after a series of rigorous engine tests […]

A recent study published in Nature suggests that the Moon could be over 100 million years older than estimates based on rocks collected from its surface. The findings propose that the lunar surface underwent a “remelting” process 4.35 billion years ago, resetting the apparent age of lunar rocks. This research aligns with simulations of planetary […]

A landmark global study, published in Science Advances, has revealed the extraordinary diversity of microbial life thriving deep below Earth’s surface. Conducted by a team led by Emil Ruff, Associate Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), the research provides new insights into life forms inhabiting depths up to 491 metres below the seafloor and […]

Researchers have examined (2060) Chiron, a celestial body orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune, revealing its unusual surface and gaseous composition. According to a study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Chiron displays characteristics of both asteroids and comets, classifying it as a centaur. Observations conducted using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified carbon dioxide and […]

On December 17, an updated version of the World Magnetic Model (WMM) was issued by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the British Geological Survey (BGS). This revised model, designed to forecast the shifts in Earth’s magnetic field over the next five years, is expected to ensure the continued accuracy of navigational systems. […]

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who embarked on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, will now extend their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) until March 2025. The return, initially set for February, has been postponed due to a delay in SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission, NASA confirmed on December 17. The decision was […]

A pair of stars, designated D9, has been identified orbiting Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole at the core of the Milky Way, according to a study published in Nature Communications. This is the first time a binary star system has been detected in close proximity to such an immense gravitational force. The finding was […]

A striking new image has been captured near the edge of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy located approximately 200,000 light-years from Earth. The image, highlighting the star cluster NGC 602, was produced using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (NASA/ESA/CSA) and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Reports suggest the cluster resides in an environment […]

Researchers have been provided with a detailed analysis of lakes and reservoirs in the Ohio River Basin through data collected by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. According to reports, the U.S.-European mission, a collaboration between NASA and CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), has delivered critical insights into freshwater systems. Spanning an area […]

The discovery of 4,000-year-old human remains at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset has unveiled a harrowing chapter of British prehistory. The analysis of over 3,000 bone fragments belonging to at least 37 individuals, ranging from newborns to adults, has indicated an unprecedented level of violence. The findings, published in Antiquity, revealed evidence of scalping, decapitation, defleshing, […]

A study published in Physical Review Letters explores a new approach to detecting the gravitational wave memory effect, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein’s general relativity. This effect refers to the permanent alteration in the distance between cosmic objects caused by a passing gravitational wave. Scientists suggest that existing gravitational wave observatories could capture this elusive […]

A technology demonstration involving NASA’s Astrobee robot was carried out aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 72 Commander, posing alongside the innovative robotic system in a newly released image. Williams, stationed in the Japanese Kibo laboratory module, mimicked the robot’s flexible, tentacle-like arms designed for satellite servicing and space debris […]

A Falcon 9 rocket launched the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)’s NROL-149 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 8:19 a.m. EST on December 17, as per reports. The flight carried next-generation spy satellites designed for the United States’ intelligence needs. The reusable first-stage booster successfully landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still […]

SpaceX successfully launched the Rapid Response Trailblazer-1 (RRT-1) mission on Monday, December 16, 2024, at 7:52 PM from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The mission, commissioned for U.S. national security purposes, highlights a significant military achievement in reducing the traditional mission planning cycle from two years to under six months. […]

The world’s first nuclear-powered battery, capable of lasting thousands of years, has been developed by researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K., as per reports. Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5,730 years, is embedded within a diamond-based structure to generate electricity. The battery requires no motion or maintenance to produce […]

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule, part of the CRS-31 mission, undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on December 16, 2024 at 11:05 a.m. EST, according to reports. The spacecraft, carrying thousands of pounds of research materials and supplies, is expected to splash down off the coast of Florida on December 17. NASA officials confirmed that […]

Recent research has called into question the traditional understanding of axons, the message-sending fibres of neurons, suggesting that these structures may not always be smooth and cylindrical. A study published on December 2 in Nature Neuroscience observed that axons can resemble strings of beads rather than uniform lines. This discovery was made by researchers at […]

The question of whether atoms ever touch remains complex, with reports highlighting that the lack of defined boundaries around atoms makes the concept unclear. Everything, from the strongest metals to delicate clouds, is composed of atoms. However, the atomic level introduces a much different understanding of contact compared to human perception, where “touching” involves the […]

The Tamil thriller Nirangal Moondru, starring Atharvaa, R. Sarathkumar, and Rahman, is set for its digital release. Directed by Karthick Naren and produced under Ayngaran International, the film opened in theaters on November 22, 2024, and received a positive response from audiences. Featuring an intense narrative intertwining three lives over one night, the film’s music, […]

New research has drawn inspiration from Deinococcus radiodurans, a bacterium capable of withstanding extreme radiation levels, to create a potential antioxidant that may protect humans from ionising radiation. Known as “Conan the Bacterium,” this microbe has been studied for its extraordinary resistance to radiation doses far beyond what humans can endure. In a study published […]

NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander was recently spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in an image taken on October 23, 2024, using its High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. The image shows dust build-up on the lander’s solar panels, which now match the reddish-brown colour of the Martian surface. Reports suggest this observation continues […]