Technology

The origin of life on Earth has long intrigued scientists, with many proposing that amino acids, the building blocks of proteins essential for life, arrived here through means such as atmospheric lightning and thunderstorms. A novel study, however, posits that volcanic lightning could have also played a critical role in the formation of these vital protein components. A collaborative effort …

Scientists have unveiled the discovery of a pterosaur skeleton on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, dating back between 166 and 168 million years to the Middle Jurassic era. This groundbreaking find, detailed in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology on February 5, introduces Ceoptera evansae, a previously unknown species of winged dinosaur. The discovery was made by a collaboration between the University …

A recent study suggests that an asteroid exploded over Antarctica over 2.5 million years ago, based on analysis of rock fragments found in the ice of the continent. Published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, this finding marks the oldest documented midair detonation in the geological archives, with only two other ancient airbursts recorded, dating back 480,000 and 430,000 years. …

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, standing for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer, achieved a significant milestone by successfully retrieving samples from the asteroid Bennu. Over the course of a seven-year journey, this mission collected extraterrestrial specimens that hold immense potential in unraveling the mysteries surrounding the origins of our solar system. On September 24, 2023, the OSIRIS-REx …

Last night, a colossal solar flare erupted from a large, unstable sunspot, triggering radio blackouts on Earth and sending a scorching plasma plume racing through the sun’s atmosphere at speeds of 400 km/s, as reported by Space.com. Solar flares are brief bursts of intense high-energy radiation emitted from the sun’s surface, often associated with sunspots, and can cause disruptions to …

In a remarkable achievement, three researchers successfully read a 2,000-year-old scroll buried during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption that devastated Pompeii, using artificial intelligence (AI). For this groundbreaking work, they were awarded a substantial cash prize of $700,000 on Monday, February 5. The scroll is part of the Herculaneum papyri collection, which contains about 800 Greek scrolls carbonized in the 79 CE …

Scientists, in their quest to ensure the survival of humanity beyond Earth’s finite lifespan and resources, have been searching for habitable locations in space. In a significant breakthrough, NASA has announced the discovery of a “super-Earth” that potentially possesses the right conditions and temperature to support life. This newly identified exoplanet, situated 137 light years from Earth, orbits within its …

Researchers have unearthed a 350 million-year-old tree species in New Brunswick, Canada, that seems to have leapt from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, distinctively different from any tree species present on Earth today. This tree, belonging to the fossilized species Sanfordiacaulis, is noted for its unique 3D crown-like structure and was likely a lower-level dweller in ancient forests. …