There Are Plants and Animals on the Moon Now (Because of China)
Posted on March 21, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 427 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
China's Chang'e-4 lander touched down on the far side of the moon (Jan. 3 Beijing time, Jan. 2 US), and it's got some living things on board.
A small "tin" in the lander contains seeds of potatoes and rockcress (Arabidopsis thaliana, a flowering plant related to cabbage and mustard, as well as a model organism for plant biology), as well as silkworm eggs. The idea, according to a report in The Telegraph earlier this year, is that the plants will support the silkworms with oxygen, and the silkworms will in turn provide the plants with necessary carbon dioxide and nutrients through their waste.
[Read More]Tropical Cyclone Jasmine's Eye Seen From Space
Posted on March 21, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 276 words
| Patria Henriques
A dangerous tropical cyclone has been roaring through the South Pacific recently, but so far no casualties or damage has been reported.
Tropical Cyclone Jasmine formed as a tropical storm over the South Pacific Ocean on Feb. 4, and strengthened to a tropical cyclone two days later. On Feb. 7, Jasmine's clouds stretched over the northern tip of New Caledonia, as can be seen in a new NASA satellite image.
[Read More]Vintage NASA satellite falls to Earth, meets fiery doom after 56 years in space
Posted on March 21, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 325 words
| Fernande Dalal
A long-retired NASA satellite burned up in Earth's atmosphere over the weekend, the agency has confirmed.
NASA launched the satellite, called Orbiting Geophysics Observatory 1, or OGO-1, in September 1964, the first in a series of five missions to help scientists understand the magnetic environment around Earth. OGO-1 was the first to launch but the last to fall out of orbit; the satellite had circled Earth aimlessly since its retirement in 1971.
[Read More]Your eyes may reveal your true biological age
Posted on March 21, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 552 words
| Trudie Dory
By examining tiny vessels inside a person’s eyes, doctors might one day be able to predict that person's risk of early death, according to a new study.
Though the risk of illness and early death generally increases with chronological age, that risk can vary quite a bit among individuals of the same age, according to a statement. That difference can be explained by a person’s "biological age," which unlike chronological age ticks at an individual rate for each person, depending on several health factors.
[Read More]'Alien burp' may have been detected by NASA's Curiosity rover
Posted on March 20, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 567 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
A group of scientists may have just pinpointed the location on Mars of a mysterious source of methane, a gas most often produced by microbes — and NASA's Curiosity rover could be right on top of it.
Methane blips have pinged on Curiosity's detection systems six times since the rover landed in Mars' Gale crater in 2012, but scientists weren't able to find a source for them. Now, with a new analysis, researchers may have traced the methane burps to their origin.
[Read More]50 Graves of Slaves Who Toiled at a Roman Villa Unearthed in England
Posted on March 20, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 561 words
| Fernande Dalal
Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the graves of 50 enslaved workers who labored at an elite Roman villa just under 2,000 years ago in what is now southern England.
These burials date to the Roman period in the United Kingdom, from about A.D. 43 to A.D. 410. Many of the deceased were buried with grave goods, such as pottery and brooches, in what is now Somerset, a county in southwest England.
[Read More]Barbie to Boba Fett: The Top 11 Toys of All Time
Posted on March 20, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 809 words
| Trudie Dory
'Tis the season for buying toys, so Life’s Little Mysteries counts down the best-selling (and best-loved) toys from the ages. We have assembled them according to sales data, which is a bit skewed as people tend to have bought more things in recent years than in decades past.
So in no particular order, we present the greatest-selling toys of all time, from Pet Rock to Mr. Potato Head.
Hula Hoop
[Read More]Blob-Like Sea Monster Washes Up on Maine Beach
Posted on March 20, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 406 words
| Fernande Dalal
A mysterious decomposing "sea monster" washed ashore in Maine yesterday (July 19), News Center Maine reported. Can you guess what the monster was?
The large creature is about 15 feet long and 4 feet wide (4.5 by 1.2 meters). It was in such an advanced stage of decomposition that beachgoer Chris Blair told News Center Maine that it just looked like a blob of something. "It was pretty gross," he said.
[Read More]Dogs can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human languages
Posted on March 20, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 652 words
| Fernande Dalal
(opens in new tab)If you were to move to a new country with a different language and bring along the family dog, your pet would likely have a hard time understanding commands from the locals, according to a new study looking at how dogs' brains react to different languages.
MRI scans revealed that dogs' brains can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar languages, making them the first-known, and so far only, non-human animals to be able to tell the difference between human languages.
[Read More]Fully Restored WWII Fighter Plane Up for Auction
Posted on March 20, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 485 words
| Fernande Dalal
A British warplane that was shot down in 1940 during World War II and was later meticulously restored to flying condition is slated to hit the auction block this summer.
The fighter plane — one of only two original Mk. 1 Spitfire models still able to fly — will be sold to commemorate the 75th anniversary of two pivotal WWII skirmishes: the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain. The historic aircraft could fetch up to $3.
[Read More]