News Archive for 2023

An artist’s illustration of a solar storm. Image credit: NASA.

Extreme Solar Storm Hit Our Planet 14,300 Years Ago, Subfossil Tree-Rings Show

Oct 9, 2023 by News Staff

In new research, scientists from the University of Leeds and elsewhere measured radiocarbon levels in ancient trees preserved within the eroded banks of...

This Hubble image shows the elliptical galaxy NGC 3558 (lower left) and the barred spiral galaxy LEDA 83465 (upper right). Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. West.

Hubble Focuses on Pair of Galaxies in Abell 1185

Oct 9, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A dazzling new photo from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows two member galaxies of the galaxy cluster Abell 1185: the elliptical galaxy NGC 3558...

Feather-tailed possums (Distoechurus pennatus).

Paleontologists Describe Four New Fossil Species of Feathertail Possums

Oct 9, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Paleontologists have identified four new fossil feathertail possum species (family Acrobatidae) from the fossilized specimens found in the Late Oligocene...

This Hubble image shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1087. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Chandar, University of Toledo / J. Lee, Space Telescope Science Institute / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Snaps Close-Up of NGC 1087

Oct 9, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shot this image of a barred spiral galaxy called NGC 1087. This Hubble image shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1087....

The ancient human footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the United States. Image credit: Bennett et al., doi: 10.1126/science.abg7586.

New Radiocarbon Dating Confirms Age of 23,000-Year-Old Human Footprints in New Mexico

Oct 6, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Traditionally, paleoanthropologists believed that humans arrived in North America around 16,000 to 13,000 years ago. Recently, however, evidence has accumulated...

An artist’s impression of the LFBOT event AT2023fhn. Image credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / M. Garlick / M. Zamani.

Fast Blue Optical Transients Can Occur in Range of Galactic Environments, Astronomers Say

Oct 6, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients (LFBOTs) are a rare class of events whose origins are poorly understood. The prototypical example of LFBOTs is AT2018cow,...

An Asian hornet hovering outside a nest as a buff-tailed bumblebee emerges. Image credit: Thomas O’Shea-Wheller.

Study: Buff-Tailed Bumblebees Have Successful Method for Fighting Off Invasive Asian Hornets

Oct 5, 2023 by News Staff

Scientists from the University of Exeter have investigated the effects of invasive Asian hornets (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) — which are considered...

Cats love cat-appropriate songs. Image credit: © Natali Anderson.

Domestic Cats Produce Purring-Like Sounds Differently than Previously Thought

Oct 5, 2023 by News Staff

The larynx, or ‘voice box,’ of domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) can produce purring-like sounds without neural input, according to new research...

Rionegrina pozosaladensis. Image credit: Melchor et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43771-x.

First-Ever Terror Bird Footprints Discovered

Oct 5, 2023 by Natali Anderson

For the first time, footprints made by an extinct terror bird (family Phorusrhacidae) have been identified by paleontologists. Holotype trackway of Rionegrina...

This Hubble image shows NGC 4654, a intermediate spiral galaxy some 55 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Lee, Space Telescope Science Institute / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Space Telescope Focuses on Intermediate Spiral Galaxy

Oct 5, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced an outstanding image of the intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 4654. This Hubble image...

Travouillon et al. examined the phenomenon of mammalian fluorescence to determine the extent of apparent fluorescence among mammals and to identify the anatomical regions most likely to fluoresce. The images show mammal taxidermy under UV light: (a) polar bear, (b) southern marsupial mole, (c) greater bilby, (d) mountain zebra, (e) bare-nosed wombat, (f) six-banded armadillo, (g) orange leaf-nosed bat, (h) quenda, (i) leopard, (j) Asian palm civet, (k) red fox, (l) dwarf spinner dolphin. Image credit: Travouillon et al., doi: 10.1098/rsos.230325.

At Least 125 Species of Mammals Glow under Ultraviolet Light, New Study Reveals

Oct 4, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Fluorescence — the absorption of short wavelengths of light and re-emission of longer wavelengths of light — is widely distributed among mammals...

An artist’s illustration of hominins arriving in a multi-biome mosaic landscape. Image credit: Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science.

Homo sapiens Dispersed from Africa into Eurasia via Well-Watered Jordan Rift Valley: Study

Oct 4, 2023 by News Staff

Our species, Homo sapiens, dispersed from Africa into Eurasia multiple times in the Middle and Late Pleistocene. According to new research led by Shantou...

This image from Webb’s NIRCam short-wavelength channel shows the Orion Nebula, its stars, and many other objects in unprecedented high definition in the near infrared. Many of the young stars are surrounded by dense disks of gas and dust which may be forming planets. In other cases, those disks are being destroyed by the intense ultraviolet radiation and strong winds from the most massive stars in the region. Many of these photoevaporating disks are visible if you zoom into the image. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / M. McCaughrean / S. Pearson.

Webb Snaps New Pics of Orion Nebula

Oct 4, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have captured stunning new images of the Orion Nebula, a diffuse nebula located approximately...

3D seismic imaging and ocean drilling at the Hikurangi margin reveal a widespread and previously unknown fluid reservoir within the extensively hydrated (up to 47 vol % water) volcanic upper crust of the subducting Hikurangi Plateau large igneous province. Image credit: Gase et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adh0150.

Geoscientists Discover Massive Undersea Water Reservoir Off New Zealand’s Coast

Oct 4, 2023 by News Staff

Revealed by 3D seismic imaging, the newly-discovered water reservoir lies 3.2 km (2 miles) under the ocean floor off the coast of New Zealand, where it...

This Hubble image shows NGC 612, a lenticular galaxy some 388 million light-years in the constellation of Sculptor. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Barth, University of California, Irvine / B. Boizelle, Brigham Young University / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Takes Close Look at NGC 612

Oct 4, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

NASA has released a beautiful photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the lenticular galaxy NGC 612. This Hubble image shows NGC 612, a lenticular...

New Horizons mosaics of Arrokoth (left) and the same observations overlain with geologic mapping (right). Image credit: Stern et al., doi: 10.3847/PSJ/acf317.

Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth’s Large Mounds Have Common Origin, New Study Suggests

Oct 3, 2023 by News Staff

The 5-km-long mounds that dominate the appearance of the larger lobe of Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin,...

Artistic representation of the opportunistic burrowing behavior of the hypothetical ancestor of crown snakes, as predicted from reconstructed high-definition 3D whole-brain models (highlighted middle right) shown in dorsal (top) and lateral (bottom) views. In comparison, the reconstruction of the first natural endocast of a fossil snake (Dinilysia patagonica, top right) displays a divergent morphological configuration of the telencephalon (Tel) and provides no or limited information about the diencephalon (Dien), mesencephalon (Mes), cerebellum (Cb), and medulla oblongata (MO) regions. In contrast, the estimated endocast of Najash rionegrina (bottom right) shows similarities with the hypothetical ancestor of crown snakes in several distinguishable telencephalic regions, including cerebral hemisphere (CH), olfactory bulb (OB), and olfactory tract (OT). Reconstructions of the fossil skulls (purple color) are shown around the cranial endocasts. Image credit: Macrì et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adi6888 / Neptalí Ramírez Marcial.

Researchers Shed New Light on Enigmatic Early Evolution of Snakes

Oct 3, 2023 by News Staff

The ecological origin and early evolution of snakes has long been a focus of multiple research fields and remains one of the most enduring and controversial...

Hubble observed Saturn on June 20, 2019 as the planet made its closest approach to Earth this year, at approximately 808 million miles away. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Simon, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / M.H. Wong, University of California, Berkeley / OPAL Team.

Saturn’s Rings May Have Formed Following Massive Collision between Two Moons, Scientists Say

Oct 3, 2023 by News Staff

Saturn’s rings could have evolved from the debris of two progenitor icy moons that collided and shattered a few hundred million years ago; debris that...

Regular tea consumption, particularly dark tea, is associated with increased urinary glucose excretion, improved insulin resistance, and a reduced risk of dysglycaemia. Image credit: Sci.News.

Regular Tea Consumption, Particularly Dark Tea, May Help Reduce Diabetes Risk

Oct 3, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

Tea, a beverage consumed extensively worldwide, has been reported to be associated with substantial health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular...

This OmegaCAM/VST image shows three nebulae: the red emission nebula IC 1284 and two blue reflection nebulae NGC 6589 and NGC 6590. Image credit: ESO / VPHAS+ Team.

OmegaCAM Sees Three Nebulae in Sagittarius

Oct 3, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

There are two different types of nebulae in this new image from the OmegaCAM instrument on ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at Paranal Observatory in...

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