mysteries

The FY-3G satellite, launched by China’s Meteorological Administration, represents a significant advancement in measuring global precipitation from space. By capturing precise data on the occurrence, type, and intensity of precipitation worldwide, including over oceans and complex terrain, the satellite enhances our understanding of Earth’s water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles. Credit: Dr. Peng Zhang, National Satellite Meteorological CenterMeasuring the precise quantity of rainfall in a particular area is…

RIT leads a NASA-funded research project to explore electromagnetic signals from supermassive black hole mergers, aiming to advance our understanding of galaxies’ formation and evolution through high-precision simulations. Credit: SciTechDaily.comManuela Campanelli to lead research team studying electromagnetic signals from merging supermassive black holes.Rochester Institute of Technology scientists will be the lead researchers on a $1.8 million NASA grant to study electromagnetic signals from merging supermassive black…

Scientists have spent decades researching clean and efficient ways to break down plants for use as biofuels and other bioproducts. A species of ants works with a type of fungus to accomplish this naturally. Kristin Burnum-Johnson and her team set out to investigate how this is accomplished at the molecular level. Credit: Illustration by Mike Perkins and Nathan Johnson | Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryScientists at PNNL have devised a novel technique to visualize tiny inner workings of complex fungal communityFor…

Is it a flying elephant? A gingerbread man? When I was little, I used to search the clouds for amusing shapes as they drifted across the sky and imagine stories about their patterns. Now I'm a professional stargazer, and things haven't changed much. These days I search for patterns in molecular clouds, the birthplaces of stars. The shapes I find in these stellar nurseries do more than stimulate my imagination—they also tell a very real story about when, where and how stars are born. For astronomers, understanding this…

It had been 44 years since Alma Sipple had seen the woman, and then only briefly, yet she could not forget her--the no-nonsense brown hair, the rimless glasses, the air of authority. Everything about her said “authority”--and that’s why Sipple had handed over her infant daughter. This nice woman was going to take the child to a hospital for a checkup.Alma Sipple never saw her baby again.All these years, she has lived with the pain of her loss, with her guilt, with a gnawing need to know if her daughter was alive.Then,…

The epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes recorded by the Apollo Passive Seismic Experiment was located in the lunar south polar region. However, the exact location of the epicenter could not be accurately determined. A cloud of possible locations (magenta dots and light blue polygon) of the strong shallow moonquake using a relocation algorithm specifically adapted for very sparse seismic networks are distributed near the pole. Blue boxes show locations of proposed Artemis III landing regions. Lobate thrust fault…

NASA's Artemis mission has embarked on a journey to the Moon with the launch of Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander, named Odysseus, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:05 a.m. EST. This initiative, part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program and the broader Artemis campaign aims to deliver a suite of science instruments and technology demonstrations to our nearest celestial neighbor.Unveiling the Lunar EnvironmentAccording to the US Space Agency, the…

The Hubble Telescope provides a stunning view of the star-forming region IRAS 16562-3959, offering insights into the formation of massive stars within the Milky Way. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Fedriani, J. TanHubble’s latest image reveals the colorful and dynamic star-forming region IRAS 16562-3959, showcasing the combination of technology and artistry in astronomy.If the Hubble Picture of the Week from two weeks ago was somewhat dim and subtle in appearance, then this week’s image is a veritable riot of color and…

As It Happens6:05Spider webs catch more than prey. They're also jam-packed with animal DNAJosh Newton probably isn't very popular with spiders. After all, the Australian scientist has a tendency to go around undoing their hard work. "I liken it to when Princess Fiona in Shrek makes some cotton candy for Shrek from spider webs, where she collects a stick and just wraps around the spider web for him. But I do it with a clean, sterile stick," Newton, a PhD candidate in life sciences at Curtin University, told As It Happens…

A drill core sample from the Barberton greenstone belt used in the study. The dark layers contain particles of carbonaceous matter, the altered remains from Palaeoarchaean microorganisms. Credit: Manuel ReinhardtThe research team has discovered complex microbial communities in ecosystems dating back over 3 billion years.Microorganisms are believed to be Earth’s earliest life forms, with evidence embedded in rocks that are 3.5 billion years old. These rocks contain geochemical and morphological markers, like specific…