News
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Space
Io may have an underworld magma ocean or a hot metal heart
New calculations support dueling ideas for what powers the ubiquitous volcanoes on the hellish surface of Jupiter’s innermost moon.
By Nikk Ogasa -
Life
Here are 5 record-breaking science discoveries from 2022
The earliest surgery, fastest supercomputer and biggest single-celled bacteria were some of this year’s top science superlatives.
By Erin Wayman -
Life
Squid edit their RNA to keep cellular supply lines moving in the cold
Squid change their RNA more often in the cold, producing motor proteins that keep cellular cargo on track.
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Astronomy
The James Webb telescope is getting glimpses of small, far-off planets
Hints of one exoplanet atmosphere’s chemical makeup and the discovery of a planet orbiting another star are two of the telescope’s early successes.
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Paleontology
Mysterious ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding ground
Some 230 million years ago, massive dolphinlike reptiles gathered to breed in safe waters — just like many modern whales do, a study finds.
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Life
Long genital spines on male wasps can save their lives
A male wasp’s genital spines can save his life in an encounter with a scary tree frog, a new study shows.
By Susan Milius -
Astronomy
The first planet found by the Kepler space telescope is doomed
The exoplanet dubbed Kepler 1658b is spiraling toward its host star and will meet a fiery death in less than 3 million years.
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Planetary Science
The last vital ingredient for life has been discovered on Enceladus
The underground ocean on Saturn’s icy moon may contain phosphorus in concentrations thousands of times greater than those found in Earth’s ocean.
By Nikk Ogasa -
Neuroscience
Adult mouse brains are teeming with ‘silent synapses’
Nerve cell connections thought to be involved mainly in development could explain how the brain keeps making new memories while holding onto old ones.
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Astronomy
How the James Webb telescope’s glances back in time are reshaping cosmology
The observatory has found dozens of galaxies from less than 550 million years after the Big Bang, suggesting galaxies formed faster than once thought.
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Space
NASA’s Juno spacecraft’s mission has lasted longer than expected
NASA’s Juno spacecraft continues to send back revealing new close-ups of Jupiter and its closest moons.
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Earth
No, Yellowstone isn’t about to erupt, even after more magma was found
A new study offers the best views yet of what lurks beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano.