Science

The team, from the University of Leicester, Imperial College London and the universities of Oxford and Yale, have named the ancient crustacean Cascolus ravitis, in honour of Sir David Attenborough who is celebrating turning 90 this year. The name ‘Cascolus’ is derived from the Old English source for the surname Attenborough. The researchers discovered Cascolus ravitis in Herefordshire in the ... Read More »

NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover is experiencing wearing and breaking in its wheel treads. The space agency just announced last Tuesday the first two breaks in its wheel treads, as it spotted the breaks during the routine check of the wheels. A routine check of the aluminum wheels on NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has found two small breaks on the rover’s ... Read More »

A playful parrot has an infectious laugh that influences the behaviour of its feathered friends, researchers have discovered. Study by a team led by Raoul Schwing of the Messerli Research Institute in Austria and published in the journal Current Biology reveals that in its vocal repertoire the kea has a “play call” – a sound that both announces its own ... Read More »

History was made on the weather front in 2016 when it became the warmest year on record. Multiple climate-related records were broken last year, according to the annual climate statement of the UN’s weather agency, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). According to the WMO’s new report, 2016 – the same year world leaders signed the historic Paris Agreement on climate ... Read More »

SpaceX’s current favorite place to land on Mars is reportedly Arcadia Planitia, which combines flat terrain, potential deposits of water ice and an equatorial region well-suited for solar power. Paul Wooster, from SpaceX, revealed one area on Mars with a flat surface and close proximity to ice that looks particularly promising to support human life. Experts are also looking for ... Read More »

Renowned physicist Professor Stephen Hawking is among the eager lineup of space tourists who will be making a voyage into space — aboard a Virgin Galactic suborbital flight. When asked about the meaning of life, the physicist and cosmologist revealed to ‘Good Morning Britain’ what would make him happy. He said, “I can tell you what would make me happiest, ... Read More »

In an effort to advance basic and applied research for lunar and planetary science, and advance human exploration of the solar system through scientific discovery, NASA created the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute or SSERVI. The institute fosters collaborations with science and exploration communities, which enables cross-disciplinary partnerships with research institutions, both domestic and abroad. NASA has selected four ... Read More »

Shoppers might notice something unusual about the boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios on grocery store shelves this spring. BuzzBee, the brand’s iconic spokesbee, is missing, and there’s a very important reason why. Buzz disappeared from boxes because there’s something serious going on with the world’s pollinators. Pollinators are critical to our environment. More than two thirds of the crops used ... Read More »

Analysis of rock samples harvested from the Canadian Shield suggests the samples contain components of Earth’s crust that existed more than 4.2 billion year ago. The chunks of ancient crust were found embedded in granite that dates back 2.7 billion years near Hudson Bay. Per Live Science, the researchers analyzed the granite for chemical signals of a “parent rock,” precursor ... Read More »

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Saturday to deliver a communications satellite into orbit. The rocket, which is carrying a military communications satellite, was scheduled to lift off at 7:45 p.m. from Space Launch Complex 37. The launch was delayed until 8:18 p.m. due to a technical issue. WGS satellites help ... Read More »

SpaceX is planning to bring the Internet to space. With this Elon Musk has an eye on the future. If a colony is set up on Mars, for example, the Internet twill be the primary means of communicating with Earth. FCC forms show that SpaceX reps met with Chairman Ajit Pai on March 9, and that during the meeting SpaceX ... Read More »