Category: Science

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP): A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. Ground controllers at the UAE’s space center in Dubai rose to their feet and broke into applause when word came that the craft, called Amal, Arabic… Continue reading Arab spacecraft enters orbit around Mars in historic flight

(BBC): Scientists believe they may have discovered the smallest reptile on earth – a chameleon subspecies that is the size of a seed. Two of the tiny lizards were discovered by a German-Madagascan expedition team in Madagascar. The male Brookesia nana, or nano-chameleon, has a body of just 13.5mm. This makes it the smallest of… Continue reading ‘Smallest reptile on earth’ discovered in Madagascar

(BBC): The four main engines of Nasa’s new “megarocket” are to be fired in unison for the first time, demonstrating the launcher’s raw, explosive power. The Space Launch System (SLS) is part of the agency’s Artemis programme, which aims to put Americans back on the lunar surface in a few years. The engine “hotfire” is… Continue reading SLS: Nasa’s ‘megarocket’ set to fire up engines in crucial test

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP): Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company launched a new capsule into space Thursday to test all the astronaut perks before people strap in. Thursday’s flight with a dummy named Mannequin Skywalker lasted 10 minutes and reached 66 miles (106 kilometers) above West Texas. Both the New Shepard rocket and the capsule landed… Continue reading Blue Origin launches capsule to space with astronaut perks

WASHINGTON (AP): If you’re an identical twin who’s always resisted being called a clone of your sibling, scientists say you have a point. Identical twins are not exactly genetically the same, new research shows. Scientists in Iceland sequenced DNA from 387 pairs of identical twins — those derived from a single fertilized egg — as… Continue reading Identical twins aren’t perfect clones, research shows

(BBC): Countries only have only a limited time in which to act if the world is to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Here are five reasons why 2021 could be a crucial year in the fight against global warming. Covid-19 was the big issue of 2020, there is no question about that.… Continue reading Why 2021 could be turning point for tackling climate change

(BBC): Almost five years of studying the deep Atlantic in unprecedented detail has revealed 12 species new to science. The sea mosses, molluscs and corals had eluded discovery because the sea floor is so unexplored, scientists say. Researchers warn that the newly discovered animals could already be under threat from climate change. Carbon dioxide absorbed… Continue reading Atlantic discovery: 12 new species ‘hiding in the deep’

(BBC): Scientists have been greeted by the sight of jet black chunks of rock and soil from an asteroid after opening a capsule that returned from deep space a week ago. It’s the first significant sample of material to be delivered to Earth from a space rock and was grabbed last year by Japan’s Hayabusa-2… Continue reading Hayabusa-2: Pieces of an asteroid found inside space capsule

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP): Night began to fall in Rio de Janeiro’s Pedra Branca state park as four Brazilian scientists switched on their flashlights to traipse along a narrow trail of mud through dense rainforest. The researchers were on a mission: capture bats and help prevent the next global pandemic. A few meters ahead, nearly… Continue reading Scientists focus on bats for clues to prevent next pandemic