Category: Science

NEW DELHI (AP): A potentially worrisome variant of the coronavirus detected in India may spread more easily. But the country is behind in doing the kind of testing needed to track it and understand it better. On Monday, the World Health Organization designated the new version of the virus a “variant of concern” based on… Continue reading Scientists race to study variants in India as cases explode

(BBC): Debris from a Chinese rocket that had been hurtling back towards Earth has disintegrated over the Indian Ocean, China says. The bulk of the rocket was destroyed during the re-entry, but parts landed at a location 72.47° East and 2.65° North, Chinese state-run media reported. The point lies west of the Maldives. US and… Continue reading China rocket debris ‘disintegrates over Indian Ocean’ – Chinese media

BBC: Debris from a Chinese rocket is expected to fall back to Earth in an uncontrolled re-entry this weekend. The main segment from the Long March-5b vehicle was used to launch the first module of China’s new space station last month. At 18 tonnes it is one of the largest items in decades to have… Continue reading Big Chinese rocket segment set to fall to Earth

(BBC): China has launched a key module of a new permanent space station, the latest in Beijing’s increasingly ambitious space programme. The Tianhe module – which contains living quarters for crew members – was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on a Long March-5B rocket. China hopes to have the new station operational by… Continue reading China launches first module of new space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP): SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk’s rapidly expanding company. The astronauts from the U.S., Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early Saturday morning, following a 23-hour ride in the… Continue reading SpaceX launches 3rd crew with recycled rocket and capsule

(CNN): Mars was a warm, wet planet that was likely capable of supporting life billions of years ago. Something caused the planet to lose its atmosphere and turn into the harsh, frozen desert it is today. The Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012, has been exploring different aspects of Gale Crater on Mars… Continue reading Mars didn’t lose all of its water at once, based on Curiosity rover find

(CNN): The Ingenuity helicopter survived its first night on the freezing-cold surface of Mars, a major milestone in the rotorcraft’s journey ahead of its historic first flight. Jezero Crater, an ancient lake bed on Mars and the current site of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, can drop to temperatures of minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit.… Continue reading NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter survives first freezing night on Mars

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP): Steam and lava spurted Monday from a new fissure at an Icelandic volcano that began erupting last month, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of hikers who had come to see the spectacle. The new fissure, first spotted by a sightseeing helicopter, was about 500 meters (550 yards) long and about a kilometer… Continue reading Hikers scramble as new fissure opens up at Icelandic volcano

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP): North Atlantic right whales gave birth over the winter in greater numbers than scientists have seen since 2015, an encouraging sign for researchers who became alarmed three years ago when the critically endangered species produced no known offspring at all. Survey teams spotted 17 newborn right whale calves swimming with their mothers… Continue reading Births among endangered right whales highest since 2015

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP): NASA’s newest Mars rover has sent back the first-ever sounds of driving on the red planet — a grinding, clanking, banging affair that by Earth standards would be pretty worrisome. The noises made by Perseverance’s six metal wheels and suspension on the first test drive two weeks ago are part of… Continue reading Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving