‘Percy’, NASA’s rover, finds its first hint of ancient life on Mars
A big part of Percy’s mission is to collect samples from interesting rocks for a future spacecraft to later bring home to Earth.
Readers discuss black holes’ trippy effects on time, banned swimsuits
“The seeming paradox arises because of the extreme time dilation near the event horizon,” says theoretical physicist Eduardo Martín-Martínez of the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Python fangs inspired a fix for shoulder injuries common in sports
3-D printing: A means of producing physical items — including toys, foods and even body parts — using a machine that takes instructions from a computer program.
Earthquakes may explain how huge gold nuggets form in quartz rock
To test this idea, the team conducted experiments with quartz crystals placed in a solution containing gold and subjected to moderate pressures from an actuator.
How understanding the brain’s microglia could end neurodegeneration
Yet, despite their vigilance, microglia can sometimes engage in friendly fire, with a growing body of evidence suggesting they may be the engineers behind some of the brain’s most intractable conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
Sweat monitor could reveal when you are exercising too hard
The device could be used to improve worker safety in physically demanding jobs, such as the construction industry, as well as to help sportspeople optimise their training, says John Rogers at Northwestern University in Illinois.
Over 40% of pet cats play fetch — but scientists aren’t quite sure why
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What are the weird noises coming from Boeing’s Starliner capsule?
“The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback.” The feedback has no technical impact on the crew or the craft’s operations, it added.
Boat-ramming orcas may be using yachts as target practice toys, scientists suggest
From reports of the killer whales' behavior towards sailboats, Díaz López believes the orcas are performing similar actions as they would during a hunt: repeatedly ramming the fast-moving rudder before trying to bite it.
2 spacecraft caught the waves that might heat and accelerate the solar wind
The findings provide “a very strong indication that Alfvén waves can heat and accelerate the solar wind,” says Jean Perez, a plasma physicist at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne who was not involved in the study.
Earthquakes may explain how huge gold nuggets form in quartz rock
To test this idea, the team conducted experiments with quartz crystals placed in a solution containing gold and subjected to moderate pressures from an actuator.
Here’s why some shooting stars have long-lasting afterglows
Classical physics is an explanation of the nature and properties of matter and energy that relies on descriptions such as Newton’s laws of motion.