Scientists are now inspecting snagged, bagged and tagged bits and pieces from asteroid Bennu, the cosmic mother lode delivered by NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security — Regolith Explorer mission. Known in acronymic astro-speak as OSIRIS-REx, that seven-year-long voyage brought home the goods via a sample return canister that came to full stop … Read more
A detailed investigation of asteroid Ryugu samples has provided further evidence that the organic molecules which gave rise to life to our planet were brought here by ancient comets. These space rock samples were returned to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, which visited the spinning-top-like space rock Ryugu in 2018. Hayabusa2 spent around 18 months … Read more
Life has found a home on Earth for around 4 billion years. That’s a significant fraction of the universe’s 13.77 billion-year history. Presumably, if life arose here, it could have appeared anywhere. And for sufficiently broad definitions of life, it might even be possible for life to have appeared mere seconds after the Big Bang. … Read more
Ocean pout live in frigid waters from Labrador in Canada to North Carolina and have evolved a blood protein that serves as antifreeze. Name: Ocean pout (Zoarces americanus) Where it lives: Western Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Labrador in Canada to North Carolina, in waters from near the shore to depths of almost 1,300 feet (400 … Read more
The phrase five states of matter is a term to describe everything that makes up the “stuff” in the universe — anything that takes up space and has mass is matter. But that phrase is actually outdated, as there are many more states of matter than that. Four of these occur naturally, while others are … Read more
Hydrogen and natural gas are among the alternative fuels starting to get more attention as car companies work to reduce emissions. But Audi is exploring another option that you may not have heard much about yet: e-fuels. The German automaker, which aims to develop synthetically engineered e-fuels as a viable alternative to gasoline and diesel, … Read more
Bright-green fireballs that streaked across the skies over New Zealand last month may finally have an explanation. On July 7, 2022, a bright-green meteor was spotted crashing into Cook Strait between New Zealand’s North Island and South Island. The meteor, likely about 3.3 feet (1 meter) in diameter, struck with explosive power equivalent to 2,000 … Read more
