Science

On August 8, 2024, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) may have captured an unprecedented number of sunspots on the Sun’s surface. These sunspots, though they appear small from Earth, are vast, with many of them being roughly the size of our planet. The sunspots are the regions of intense magnetic activity on the Sun that

On August 15, 2024, NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, driven by citizen scientists, uncovered an astonishing discovery: an object travelling at a staggering speed of 1 million miles per hour, enough to escape the Milky Way’s gravitational grasp. This hypervelocity object, known as CWISE J124909.08+362116.0, marks the first of its kind identified with the

A four-person crew for SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission arrived in Florida on Monday ahead of their August 26 launch to space for a mission that includes the first privately managed spacewalk, a risky endeavor only government astronauts have done in the past. The crew — a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot and two

New research suggests that climate change could lead to prokaryotes, the oldest and smallest microorganisms on Earth, becoming more dominant in the oceans. These tiny organisms, including bacteria and archaea, have existed for billions of years and are essential for maintaining marine ecosystems. They play a key role in nutrient cycles and support the food

A groundbreaking project by Harvard University and Google has produced the most detailed map of human brain connections to date. This achievement focuses on a cubic millimetre of the cerebral cortex, extracted from a patient during epilepsy surgery in 2014. Over a decade, a team of biologists and machine-learning experts meticulously analysed this small tissue

Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have cast doubt on the long-held belief that asteroid 16 Psyche is the core remnant of a protoplanet. The JWST detected hydrated minerals on Psyche’s surface, which include hydroxyl and possibly water. This finding complicates our understanding of the asteroid’s composition and its role in the

Scientists have unearthed a previously unknown marine mammal species, Ontocetus posti, which lived 2.2 million years ago. Led by Dr. Mathieu Boisville from the University of Tsukuba, this discovery provides fresh insights into the evolutionary history of walruses and the impact of environmental changes on marine life. The fossil remains, found in Norwich, UK, and

Recent research has provided new insights into the asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago, causing a mass extinction event that led to the end of the dinosaurs. Scientists have now identified this impactor as a carbon-rich “C-type” asteroid, a type of space rock that likely originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and

Archaeologists have made a significant discovery in Lake Bolsena, central Italy — a 3,000-year-old clay figurine — believed to represent an ancient goddess. This artifact was found submerged in the volcanic lake, which holds the remains of an early Iron Age village from around the 10th or 9th century B.C. The figurine, measuring approximately 6 inches

Sweden has reported its first case of clade 1 mpox (previously known as monkeypox), a more severe variant of the virus, previously confined to Africa. This announcement follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the mpox outbreak in Africa as a global health emergency. Clade 1, in contrast to clade 2, which caused the

A recent study conducted by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) has found that the devastating landslides in Wayanad, which claimed over 200 lives, were significantly influenced by climate change. On July 30, the district experienced 140 mm of rainfall in just one day—making it the third heaviest single-day rainfall event on record. This rainfall, according

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved another milestone with the successful launch of the EOS-08 Earth-observing satellite on Friday. The satellite was launched aboard the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 9:17am IST on August 16. This launch marks the third mission for the SSLV, a relatively new addition

A recent study has found that forests destroyed by wildfires continue to emit carbon dioxide (CO₂) for years after the flames have been extinguished. The boreal forest, a critical CO₂ sink stretching across Earth’s northern latitudes, plays a crucial role in removing carbon from the atmosphere. However, when these forests burn, they release large amounts

New research reveals that Greenland was almost completely ice-free at some point in the last million years, challenging previous beliefs about its ancient ice coverage. Fossilized flowers and other plant materials were discovered in a core sample taken from the centre of the island, providing the first direct evidence that Greenland’s ice sheet had melted

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders, is facing an unprecedented threat due to the hottest sea surface temperatures recorded in 400 years. A recent study published in Nature reveals that the temperatures in the first three months of 2024 reached 0.19°C above the previous record high. This alarming rise

New research based on data from NASA’s InSight mission has uncovered a vast underground reservoir on Mars, capable of filling oceans on the planet’s surface. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that water, trapped in small cracks and pores within Mars’ crust, could cover the planet to a depth

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a warning about a severe geomagnetic storm, classified as level G4. This storm is anticipated to affect power grids, GPS systems, and radio communications. Despite these potential disruptions, it provides an extraordinary opportunity to witness vibrant auroras in high-latitude regions, especially across parts of Canada and

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking observation with its recent image of the Serpens Nebula. Captured on June 20, 2024, this image reveals a fascinating phenomenon: aligned protostellar outflows. These outflows, represented by bright red streaks in the upper left corner of the image, are jets of gas ejected by newborn stars,