News Archive for 2023

Astronomers thought HIP 81208 was a system consisting of a massive central star (A, the central bright spot), a brown dwarf (B) circling around it, and a low-mass star (C) orbiting further away. However, Chomez et al. revealed an object (Cb), approximately 15 times more massive than Jupiter, orbiting around the smaller of the two stars (C). Image credit: ESO / Chomez et al.

Astronomers Directly Image Rare Hierarchical Quadruple System

Sep 19, 2023 by Natali Anderson

HIP 81208 is the first binary stellar system with substellar companions around each stellar component ever found by direct imaging. Astronomers thought...

Juglans cinerea. Image credit: H. Zell / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Butternut

Sep 19, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

Researchers at the University of Connecticut have published the first high-quality reference genome for the butternut (Juglans cinerea), a member of the...

Simple schematic representation of the mutilation of the Tree of life because of generic extinctions and extinction risks. The bottom half of the tree depicted as dead branches shows examples of the extinct genera, and the upper half shows examples of genera at risk of extinction. Extinct genera: (I) lower row left - Delcourt’s giant gecko (Hoplodactylus, left), of which the only specimens known were found in a museum without a label, but probably they were found in New Zealand; and saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise (Cylindraspis, right) from Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean. Lower row right - Yunnan Lake newt (Cynops, left) from China; and the gastric brooding frogs (Rheobatrachus, right) from rainforests in Queensland, Australia. (II) Second bottom-up row left - thylacine (Thylacinus, left), the largest carnivorous marsupial, last known from Tasmania; and Yangtze River dolphin or baijii (Lipotes, right) from China, one of very few freshwater dolphins. Second bottom-up row right - elephant birds (Aepyornis, left), the largest birds surviving to modern times, represent also both an extinct genus and family (Aepyornithidae) endemic to Madagascar; and Moho birds (genus Moho, right) represent also both an extinct genus and family (Mohidae) from Hawaii. Endangered genera: (III) Third bottom-up row left - King cobra (Ophiophagus, left) from Asia; and gavial (Gavialis, right) from India and Nepal. Third bottom-up row right - Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura, left) from Europe; and Mahogany frog (Abavorana, right) from the Malay Peninsula. (IV) Upper row left: volcano rabbit (Romerolagus, left) known from few mountains close to Mexico City, and elephant (Loxodonta, right) from Africa. Upper row right - ‘i’iwi or scarlet honeycreeper (Drepanis, left) from Hawaii; and kakapo (Strigops, right) a flightless parrot from New Zealand. Image credit: Marco Antonio Pineda.

Study: Human-Driven Sixth Mass Extinction is Eliminating Entire Animal Genera

Sep 18, 2023 by News Staff

Mass extinctions during the past 500 million years rapidly removed branches from the tree of life and required millions of years for evolution to generate...

The infected Formica polyctena ant climbs up and clamps its powerful jaws onto the top of a blade of grass, making it more likely to be eaten by grazers such as cattle and deer. Image credit: University of Copenhagen.

Brain-Encysting Liver Flukes Alter Behavior of Infected Zombie Ants to Avoid High Temperatures

Sep 18, 2023 by News Staff

The brain-encysting lancet liver fluke Dicrocoelium dendriticum induces Formica polyctena ants to climb and bite to vegetation by the mandibles in a state...

If the Moon has enough water, and if it’s reasonably convenient to access, future explorers might be able to use it as drinking water or to convert it into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel or oxygen to breathe. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

High-Energy Electrons from Earth’s Plasma Sheet May Be Forming Water on Lunar Surface

Sep 18, 2023 by News Staff

Planetary scientists from the University of Hawaii and elsewhere suggest that although they have confirmed the importance of the solar wind as a major...

This Hubble image shows Arp 107, a pair of merging galaxies in the constellation of Leo Minor. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Dalcanton.

Hubble Captures Stunning Collision of Two Galaxies

Sep 18, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The Hubble astronomers have released an absolutely beautiful photo taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of Arp 107, a pair of galaxies in the midst...

The NASA UAP independent study team recommends that NASA plays a prominent role in the whole-of-government effort to understand UAP by leveraging its extensive expertise to contribute to a comprehensive, evidence-based approach that is rooted in the scientific method. The team members specifically recommend that NASA utilize its existing and planned Earth-observing assets to probe the local environmental conditions associated with UAP that are initially detected by other means. In so doing, NASA can directly probe whether certain environmental factors are coincident with known UAP. They further recommend that NASA explore enhancing collaborations with the U.S. commercial remote-sensing industry, which offer powerful constellations of high-resolution Earth-observing satellites. Image credit: NASA.

NASA’s UAP Study Team Releases Its Final Report

Sep 18, 2023 by News Staff

On September 14, 2023, the NASA Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena independent study team published its final report containing a series of recommendations...

This Webb image shows HH 211, a Herbig-Haro object located 1,000 light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / T. Ray, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Outflows from Young Protostars are Mostly Molecular, Webb Astronomers Find

Sep 17, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Herbig-Haro (HH) objects are formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from protostars form shock waves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high...

A shod-hominin track in the Garden Route National Park, South Africa. Image credit: Charles Helm.

Middle Paleolithic Tracks Offer Oldest Evidence Yet of Human Footwear

Sep 15, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

New evidence from three tracksites on South Africa’s Cape coast suggests that early humans may have worn footwear while traversing dune surfaces during...

Harrison et al. investigated whether the human visual system represents environmental attributes that are critical for optimal inference. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.

Human Brain is Naturally Wired to Perform Advanced Calculations, New Study Confirms

Sep 15, 2023 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has developed a specific mathematical model that closely matches how a human brain works when it comes to reading vision....

Life reconstruction of Vectidromeus insularis. Image credit: Emily Willoughby.

New Plant-Eating Dinosaur Unveiled: Vectidromeus insularis

Sep 15, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Fossils of a small hypsilophodontid dinosaur unearthed on the Isle of Wight in southern England have been recognized as belonging to a new genus and species. Life...

DESI-253.2534+26.884. Image credit: ESO / Cikota et al.

ESO’s Very Large Telescope Spots Rare Einstein Cross

Sep 13, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Gravitational lensing provides unique insights into astrophysics and cosmology. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have discovered a new strong...

Patients with functional dyspepsia treated with curcumin, curcumin plus omeprazole and omeprazole had similar significant symptomatic improvement. Image credit: Andrea Ajale.

Study: Curcumin May Be as Effective as Omeprazole for Treating Functional Dyspepsia

Sep 13, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Curcumin is an active ingredient in the culinary spice turmeric (Curcuma longa). This compound exhibits a broad range of biological properties, such as...

This ‘golden orb’ was found at a depth of about 3,300 m in the Gulf of Alaska. Image credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration, Seascape Alaska.

Unidentified Golden, Dome-Shaped Object Found in Gulf of Alaska is ‘Biological in Origin’

Sep 12, 2023 by News Staff

Marine researchers aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer found the still-unidentified specimen at a small seamount in the Gulf of Alaska on August 30, 2023,...

This image of the main-belt asteroid Dinkinesh was captured by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft on September 5, 2023. The brightest star in this field of view is HD 34258, a 7.6 magnitude star in the constellation of Auriga that is too dim to be seen by the naked eye from Earth. At this distance, Dinkinesh is only 19 magnitude, about 150,000 times fainter than that star. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / SwRI / Johns Hopkins APL.

Lucy Sends Back Its First Images of Main-Belt Asteroid Dinkinesh

Sep 12, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The small main-belt asteroid (152830) Dinkinesh was recently added to NASA’s Lucy mission and will be the first fly-by target on November 1, 2023. This...

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). Image credit: Alex Wild / University of Texas Insects Unlocked program.

Entomologists Find Population of Invasive Red Fire Ants in Italy

Sep 12, 2023 by News Staff

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is one of the worst invasive alien species and the fifth costliest worldwide, impacting ecosystems, agriculture...

The Paleolithic cave art site of Cova Dones, Spain: (a) painted aurochs head; (b) horse head made with clay; (c) panel with several motifs painted with clay, including animals and signs (some partly covered by calcite layers). Image credit: Ruiz-Redondo et al., doi: 10.15184/aqy.2023.133.

New Paleolithic Cave Art Site Discovered in Spain

Sep 12, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Archaeologists have discovered and examined over a hundred Paleolithic paintings and engravings — thought to be at least 24,000 years old —...

Life reconstruction of Pampaphoneus biccai. Image credit: Márcio Castro.

Fierce Predator Lived in South America 265 Million Years Ago

Sep 12, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Pampaphoneus biccai — a large carnivorous dinocephalian therapsid that lived in what is now Brazil during the Permian period — was, until now,...

Austrospirachtha carrijoi. Image credit: Bruno Zilberman & Carlos Pires-Silva, doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5336.3.8

New Rove Beetle Species Mimics Termites to Steal Their Food

Sep 11, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Entomologists from the Universidade de São Paulo have identified a new species of the termitophilous rove beetle genus Austrospirachtha (tribe Corotocini)...

An artist’s impression of the K2-18 planetary system. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / J. Olmsted, STScI / N. Madhusudhan, University of Cambridge.

Astronomers Detect Carbon Dioxide and Methane in Super-Earth’s Atmosphere

Sep 11, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere of the habitable zone exoplanet...

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