Wolves Already Had The Genetic Mutation to Turn Into Tiny Dogs 54,000 Years Ago

by

One of the main genetic mutations responsible for small size in certain dog breeds, such as Pomeranians and Chihuahuas, evolved in dog relatives long before humans began breeding these miniature companions. Researchers discovered that the mutation can even be traced back to wolves that lived more than 50,000 years ago.   Researchers discovered the mutation, which is found in … Read more

Glacier Lakes Make Permanent Ice Disappear Over Twice as Fast, Study Reveals

by

Glaciers are retreating faster globally due to climate change but they melt more quickly when they flow into a lake than when they end on land, with consequences for water supplies, a new study found on Thursday.   The Swiss-funded study is the first large-scale, detailed analysis of the phenomenon in mountain glaciers and could … Read more

SpaceX snags $102 million contract to rocket military supplies and humanitarian aid around the world: report

by

A visualization of a “rocket cargo” vehicle launch from the Air Force Research Laboratory.  (Image credit: Air Force Research Laboratory) SpaceX has won a contract, worth over $102 million, to transport military supplies and humanitarian aid around the world using a rocket. The U.S. Air Force awarded SpaceX the contract on Jan. 14. It’s a … Read more

Animals in space | Space

by

The first animals to reach space were fruit flies that the United States launched aboard captured German rockets in 1947. The first mammal to reach space was a rhesus monkey named Albert II, who flew two years later. Both these missions were suborbital, as were all animal flights for about a decade. The first animal … Read more

Water on Mars may have flowed for a billion years longer than thought

by

Observations by a long-running Mars mission suggest that liquid water may have flowed on the Red Planet as little as 2 billion years ago, much later than scientists once thought. Scientists charted the presence of chloride salt deposits left behind by flowing water using years of data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which has … Read more

New NASA video honors fallen astronauts of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia

by

NASA released a new video today (Jan. 27) to remember the three crews and other fallen astronauts who lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration. The agency’s annual “Day of Remembrance” falls this year on the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire of Jan. 27, 1967. The week that follows includes two … Read more

Spacecraft anomaly stalls Astroscale space debris cleanup test

by

A pioneering space junk cleanup test is on hold for now. Astroscale has suspended its ELSA-d demonstration mission in Earth orbit after detecting “anomalous spacecraft conditions,” the Japanese startup announced on Twitter Wednesday (Jan. 26).  ELSA-d (“End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration”) launched to Earth orbit in March 2021 to test tech for capturing space debris, … Read more

Bat evolution: Subtle change to inner ear bone distinguishes two major groups

by

The two major groups of bats diverged tens of millions of years ago, and the main difference between them lies in a tiny inner ear bone Life 26 January 2022 By Michael Marshall The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) belongs to the Yangochiroptera group of bats David Cole/Alamy Stock Photo A single bone in the inner … Read more