Latest news with #biosignatures
Sustainability Times
08-06-2025
- Science
- Sustainability Times
'We Are Finding Clues to Alien Existence': Robot Sent to Crack Jupiter's Frozen Shell in Wild Mission to Detect Life Beyond Earth
IN A NUTSHELL 🚀 NASA shifts focus from Europa to Enceladus, prioritizing more favorable exploration conditions. shifts focus from Europa to Enceladus, prioritizing more favorable exploration conditions. 🛰️ The Europa Clipper mission faced challenges due to intense radiation and harsh environments. mission faced challenges due to intense radiation and harsh environments. 🔧 Technological innovations developed for Europa can be adapted for Enceladus exploration. 🌊 Enceladus offers promising opportunities to search for biosignatures in its water plumes. In the ever-evolving landscape of space exploration, NASA's quest to uncover the mysteries of our solar system takes a fascinating turn. While the Europa Clipper mission was initially poised to unlock the secrets of Jupiter's icy moon, Europa, the focus has now shifted to another celestial body. Enceladus, Saturn's enigmatic moon, with its potential subsurface oceans and intriguing plumes, beckons scientists with the promise of discovering extraterrestrial life. This article delves into the journey of innovation and exploration that has led us to this pivotal moment in space exploration. The Allure of Icy Moons The allure of Europa and Enceladus lies in their potential to harbor life, hidden beneath their icy surfaces. These celestial bodies offer a tantalizing possibility of subsurface oceans, where life could potentially thrive. Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, have captured the imagination of scientists for decades. Their icy crusts, concealing vast oceans, make them two of the most promising candidates for the search for extraterrestrial life within our solar system. Despite the initial excitement surrounding the Europa Clipper mission, NASA faced significant challenges. Europa's intense radiation, stemming from Jupiter, posed a severe threat to the mission's success. The lander's electronics would have been vulnerable, and communication would have been limited due to Europa's unique orbit. Moreover, the harsh cold and lack of communication satellites further complicated the mission. Nonetheless, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) persevered, developing a prototype robot capable of withstanding Europa's icy terrain. This innovation laid the groundwork for future missions, albeit on a different moon. 'Tesla's Dream, Hyundai's Reality': Ten Years Later, the Electric Car King Faces a Brutal Fall From the Top Technological Innovations for Space Exploration The Europa Clipper mission, although redirected, brought forth remarkable technological advancements. The prototype lander designed for Europa was a marvel of engineering, equipped with legs for safe landings and a stereoscopic camera for navigation. One of its standout features was the 'ICEPICK' tool, capable of collecting samples from 7.87 inches deep, a crucial capability for analyzing potential biosignatures. Moreover, the lander boasted autonomous software, allowing it to make critical decisions with limited power and communication time. Rigorous field tests on Alaska's Matanuska Glacier validated the lander's capabilities, simulating the harsh conditions it would face on Europa. These innovations not only demonstrated NASA's prowess but also paved the way for exploring other icy worlds, such as Enceladus. These Creeping Vineyard Robots Use Insect-Like Legs to Annihilate Weeds With Ruthless Precision and Rock-Bottom Costs Enceladus: A New Frontier As NASA's decadal strategy shifted focus, Enceladus emerged as the next frontier for exploration. This moon of Saturn presents a more hospitable environment compared to Europa. Enceladus experiences lower radiation levels, making it a more viable candidate for detecting biosignatures. Its intriguing water plumes, potentially rich in molecules essential for life, offer an exciting opportunity for scientific discovery. The lessons learned from the Europa prototype are invaluable for a potential Enceladus mission. The robot's design and capabilities can be adapted to explore Enceladus's surface, where biosignatures could be preserved longer. While the dream of exploring Europa's deep ocean with a submersible remains, the technological leap required is substantial. For now, Enceladus promises a more accessible yet equally thrilling target for space exploration. 'They Morph Like Liquid Metal': Scientists Reveal Mini-Robot Swarm That Shape-Shifts Just Like in Sci-Fi Movies A Path Forward in Space Exploration The journey from Europa to Enceladus exemplifies the dynamic nature of space exploration. It showcases the resilience and adaptability of NASA's scientists and engineers, who continuously strive to unravel the mysteries of our solar system. While Europa remains a tantalizing prospect, the shift to Enceladus demonstrates a pragmatic approach, leveraging existing technology and expertise. As we look to the future, the exploration of icy moons like Enceladus holds the potential to redefine our understanding of life in the universe. The innovations developed for these missions not only enhance our knowledge but also inspire future generations to reach for the stars. What new discoveries await us on Enceladus, and how will they shape our quest to find life beyond Earth? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (22)
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Never quit the lunar quest' was this moon mission's motto. Here's its tragic tale
Editor's note: A version of this story appeared in CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. As scientists search for worlds that may be habitable for life, they've discovered a type that is common in the universe — but doesn't exist in our own solar system. These enigmatic planets are called sub-Neptunes, which are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. An April study catapulted one such world, named K2-18b, into the spotlight. Astronomers at the University of Cambridge claimed they detected molecules in the planet's atmosphere that might be biosignatures — markers of biological activity that could hint at past or present life. Now, other groups of astronomers have looked at the same data and disagree with the findings, saying there is more to the story. The twists and turns in the ongoing conversation around planet K2-18b showcase why the search for evidence of life beyond Earth is so difficult. Indeed, persistence is everything when it comes to space investigation. 'Never quit the lunar quest' was the motto underpinning a high-stakes mission that aimed to touch down on the moon Thursday. But Tokyo-based Ispace lost contact with its vehicle at the time it should have landed. The Resilience spacecraft was Ispace's second bid at a soft lunar landing. The company's previous try with the Hakuto-R lunar lander crashed into the moon in April 2023. 'This is our second failure, and about these results, we have to really take it seriously,' said Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada of the nail-biting attempt. Ispace has its work cut out for it, but it isn't giving up. New research combining artificial intelligence with radiocarbon dating is changing the way scholars think about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Bedouin shepherds first spotted the scrolls in 1947 within a cave in the Judaean Desert. Archaeologists then recovered thousands of scroll fragments, including the oldest copies of the Hebrew Bible, from 11 caves near the site of Khirbat Qumran. 'They completely changed the way we think about ancient Judaism and early Christianity,' said lead study author Mladen Popović, a dean at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Scholars thought the roughly 1,000 manuscripts, written mostly on parchment and papyrus, ranged from the third century BC to the second century AD. But some of the scrolls, which serve as a crucial intellectual time capsule, could be much older, the new analysis suggests. A World War I-era submarine was lost at sea off California's coast nearly 108 years ago, killing 19 crew members. Now, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have captured never-before-seen deep-sea imagery of the wreckage. The plague pandemic known as the Black Death killed at least 25 million people across medieval Europe over five years. The culprit behind the disease is a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, which has led to three major plague outbreaks since the first century AD — and it still exists today. How has the plague persisted for centuries? Changes to one gene in the bacterium created new, less deadly strains that kept hosts alive longer so it could keep spreading. The weaker strains have since gone extinct, according to new research. But the findings could yield key clues to help scientists manage the current bacterium's dominant lineage, which is of the deadlier variety. If you've ever walked through a fruit orchard, you might have been steps away from a living tower of worms. That's what researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz in Germany found when they inspected rotten pears and apples. Hundreds of the microscopic worms, called nematodes, climbed on top of one another to form structures 10 times their size — even making a twisting 'arm' to sense the environment — leading scientists to question what's driving the behavior. 'What we got was more than just some worms standing on top of each other,' said senior study author Serena Ding, a Max Planck research group leader of genes and behavior. 'It's a coordinated superorganism, acting and moving as a whole.' These stories will pique your curiosity: — For over a century, astronomers thought the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies would collide in 4.5 billion years, but new telescope observations may change that. However, another galaxy could entangle with ours sooner. — Archaeologists who uncovered the remains of an ancient Mayan complex in Guatemala named the site after two humanlike rock figures that are believed to represent an 'ancestral couple,' according to the country's Ministry of Culture and Sport. — A fossil of the earliest known bird that was kept in a private collection for decades has provided scientists with 'one 'Wow!' after another,' including the first flight feathers seen in an Archaeopteryx specimen, said Dr. Jingmai O'Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles at the Field Museum. Like what you've read? Oh, but there's more. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt and Jackie Wattles. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.
CNN
07-06-2025
- Science
- CNN
Moon lander is lost on second bid at touchdown by Tokyo-based company
As scientists search for worlds that may be habitable for life, they've discovered a type that is common in the universe — but doesn't exist in our own solar system. These enigmatic planets are called sub-Neptunes, which are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. An April study catapulted one such world, named K2-18b, into the spotlight. Astronomers at the University of Cambridge claimed they detected molecules in the planet's atmosphere that might be biosignatures — markers of biological activity that could hint at past or present life. Now, other groups of astronomers have looked at the same data and disagree with the findings, saying there is more to the story. The twists and turns in the ongoing conversation around planet K2-18b showcase why the search for evidence of life beyond Earth is so difficult. Indeed, persistence is everything when it comes to space investigation. 'Never quit the lunar quest' was the motto underpinning a high-stakes mission that aimed to touch down on the moon Thursday. But Tokyo-based Ispace lost contact with its vehicle at the time it should have landed. The Resilience spacecraft was Ispace's second bid at a soft lunar landing. The company's previous try with the Hakuto-R lunar lander crashed into the moon in April 2023. 'This is our second failure, and about these results, we have to really take it seriously,' said Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada of the nail-biting attempt. Ispace has its work cut out for it, but it isn't giving up. New research combining artificial intelligence with radiocarbon dating is changing the way scholars think about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Bedouin shepherds first spotted the scrolls in 1947 within a cave in the Judaean Desert. Archaeologists then recovered thousands of scroll fragments, including the oldest copies of the Hebrew Bible, from 11 caves near the site of Khirbat Qumran. 'They completely changed the way we think about ancient Judaism and early Christianity,' said lead study author Mladen Popović, a dean at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Scholars thought the roughly 1,000 manuscripts, written mostly on parchment and papyrus, ranged from the third century BC to the second century AD. But some of the scrolls, which serve as a crucial intellectual time capsule, could be much older, the new analysis suggests. A World War I-era submarine was lost at sea off California's coast nearly 108 years ago, killing 19 crew members. Now, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have captured never-before-seen deep-sea imagery of the wreckage. The plague pandemic known as the Black Death killed at least 25 million people across medieval Europe over five years. The culprit behind the disease is a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, which has led to three major plague outbreaks since the first century AD — and it still exists today. How has the plague persisted for centuries? Changes to one gene in the bacterium created new, less deadly strains that kept hosts alive longer so it could keep spreading. The weaker strains have since gone extinct, according to new research. But the findings could yield key clues to help scientists manage the current bacterium's dominant lineage, which is of the deadlier variety. If you've ever walked through a fruit orchard, you might have been steps away from a living tower of worms. That's what researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz in Germany found when they inspected rotten pears and apples. Hundreds of the microscopic worms, called nematodes, climbed on top of one another to form structures 10 times their size — even making a twisting 'arm' to sense the environment — leading scientists to question what's driving the behavior. 'What we got was more than just some worms standing on top of each other,' said senior study author Serena Ding, a Max Planck research group leader of genes and behavior. 'It's a coordinated superorganism, acting and moving as a whole.' These stories will pique your curiosity: — For over a century, astronomers thought the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies would collide in 4.5 billion years, but new telescope observations may change that. However, another galaxy could entangle with ours sooner. — Archaeologists who uncovered the remains of an ancient Mayan complex in Guatemala named the site after two humanlike rock figures that are believed to represent an 'ancestral couple,' according to the country's Ministry of Culture and Sport. — A fossil of the earliest known bird that was kept in a private collection for decades has provided scientists with 'one 'Wow!' after another,' including the first flight feathers seen in an Archaeopteryx specimen, said Dr. Jingmai O'Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles at the Field Museum.
CNN
07-06-2025
- Science
- CNN
Moon lander is lost on second bid at touchdown by Tokyo-based company
As scientists search for worlds that may be habitable for life, they've discovered a type that is common in the universe — but doesn't exist in our own solar system. These enigmatic planets are called sub-Neptunes, which are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. An April study catapulted one such world, named K2-18b, into the spotlight. Astronomers at the University of Cambridge claimed they detected molecules in the planet's atmosphere that might be biosignatures — markers of biological activity that could hint at past or present life. Now, other groups of astronomers have looked at the same data and disagree with the findings, saying there is more to the story. The twists and turns in the ongoing conversation around planet K2-18b showcase why the search for evidence of life beyond Earth is so difficult. Indeed, persistence is everything when it comes to space investigation. 'Never quit the lunar quest' was the motto underpinning a high-stakes mission that aimed to touch down on the moon Thursday. But Tokyo-based Ispace lost contact with its vehicle at the time it should have landed. The Resilience spacecraft was Ispace's second bid at a soft lunar landing. The company's previous try with the Hakuto-R lunar lander crashed into the moon in April 2023. 'This is our second failure, and about these results, we have to really take it seriously,' said Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada of the nail-biting attempt. Ispace has its work cut out for it, but it isn't giving up. New research combining artificial intelligence with radiocarbon dating is changing the way scholars think about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Bedouin shepherds first spotted the scrolls in 1947 within a cave in the Judaean Desert. Archaeologists then recovered thousands of scroll fragments, including the oldest copies of the Hebrew Bible, from 11 caves near the site of Khirbat Qumran. 'They completely changed the way we think about ancient Judaism and early Christianity,' said lead study author Mladen Popović, a dean at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Scholars thought the roughly 1,000 manuscripts, written mostly on parchment and papyrus, ranged from the third century BC to the second century AD. But some of the scrolls, which serve as a crucial intellectual time capsule, could be much older, the new analysis suggests. A World War I-era submarine was lost at sea off California's coast nearly 108 years ago, killing 19 crew members. Now, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have captured never-before-seen deep-sea imagery of the wreckage. The plague pandemic known as the Black Death killed at least 25 million people across medieval Europe over five years. The culprit behind the disease is a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, which has led to three major plague outbreaks since the first century AD — and it still exists today. How has the plague persisted for centuries? Changes to one gene in the bacterium created new, less deadly strains that kept hosts alive longer so it could keep spreading. The weaker strains have since gone extinct, according to new research. But the findings could yield key clues to help scientists manage the current bacterium's dominant lineage, which is of the deadlier variety. If you've ever walked through a fruit orchard, you might have been steps away from a living tower of worms. That's what researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz in Germany found when they inspected rotten pears and apples. Hundreds of the microscopic worms, called nematodes, climbed on top of one another to form structures 10 times their size — even making a twisting 'arm' to sense the environment — leading scientists to question what's driving the behavior. 'What we got was more than just some worms standing on top of each other,' said senior study author Serena Ding, a Max Planck research group leader of genes and behavior. 'It's a coordinated superorganism, acting and moving as a whole.' These stories will pique your curiosity: — For over a century, astronomers thought the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies would collide in 4.5 billion years, but new telescope observations may change that. However, another galaxy could entangle with ours sooner. — Archaeologists who uncovered the remains of an ancient Mayan complex in Guatemala named the site after two humanlike rock figures that are believed to represent an 'ancestral couple,' according to the country's Ministry of Culture and Sport. — A fossil of the earliest known bird that was kept in a private collection for decades has provided scientists with 'one 'Wow!' after another,' including the first flight feathers seen in an Archaeopteryx specimen, said Dr. Jingmai O'Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles at the Field Museum.
CNN
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
No aliens here: Research disputes possible ‘signs of life' on another planet
No aliens here: Research disputes possible 'signs of life' on another planet In response to hints of "biosignatures" found on a world called K2-18b, new research suggests there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the exoplanet. CNN's Ashley Strickland reports on the ongoing scientific discourse around the search for extraterrestrial life. 00:43 - Source: CNN Student works shift after graduation. Customer raises $200k High school senior Mykale Baker went to his high school graduation, and after, decided to get some food for his family at Burger King, which is where he works. After seeing how short staffed they were, he decided to help out the team. Maria Mendoza saw him at work and started a GoFundMe page for him, which has raised almost $200 thousand dollars towards his college fund. 01:35 - Source: CNN Fans wait for hours to buy Nintendo Switch 2 Eager gaming fans lined up for hours to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 after it hit shelves around the world on June 5. It's Nintendo's first major console launch since the original Switch arrived roughly eight years ago. 00:25 - Source: CNN Greta Thunberg sails to Gaza Greta Thunberg has set sail with eleven other activists to Gaza. The activist group they're part of, The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, is attempting to bring aid and raise international awareness over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the territory. 00:59 - Source: CNN Judge threatens to remove 'Diddy' from his own trial US District Judge Arun Subramanian warned the defense team for Sean 'Diddy' Combs that he will be removed from the New York City court room where he is on trial facing charges that include racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. 01:18 - Source: CNN 'Good Night, and Good Luck's' scenic designer discusses how he created George Clooney's Broadway newsroom Scenic Designer Scott Pask recreated the CBS newsroom and Edward R. Murrow's set for "Good Night, and Good Luck," the play that brings the 1950s McCarthy-era drama to life. Pask tells CNN why architectural accuracy is important for a play that's about 'speaking truth to power.' Tune in to CNN on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm to watch the play broadcast live from Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre. 02:13 - Source: CNN Police shut down All-American Rejects backyard gig in college town The All-American Rejects played a backyard gig in Columbia, Missouri, as part of their House Party Tour protesting against expensive arena shows. Police eventually shut it down, but not before letting the band play one final song. 01:05 - Source: CNN Bringing 1950s style to Broadway Costume Designer Brenda Abbandandolo mixed vintage, thrifted clothing with precise recreations of 1950s style to bring the Broadway play Good Night, and Good Luck to life. She tells CNN how she approached dressing George Clooney and Ilana Glazer with historic authenticity. Tune in to CNN on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm to watch the play broadcast live from Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre. 01:53 - Source: CNN Cassie Ventura's friend testifies Diddy held her over a balcony Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura who goes by Bana, testified today about an incident with Sean 'Diddy' Combs in 2016 when she said that she was 'held over a 17-story balcony' by the music mogul. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports. 01:48 - Source: CNN Trans high school athlete wins events amid controversy A transgender athlete, whose participation sparked a national controversy and a temporary rule change, took first place in two of her three events in the California High School Track and Field Championship. 01:09 - Source: CNN How fish skin saved this child's life Eliana DeVos received a dressing made with fish skin to help her recover from a serious bacterial infection that left an open wound on her neck. CNN's Jacqueline Howard spoke with Eliana's mom and her health team at Driscoll Children's Hospital about the healing process. 02:30 - Source: CNN Millions of bees buzz around Washington state roads after truck overturns Millions of bees escape after a truck carrying honeybee hives overturned in Whatcom County, Washington, and rolled into a ditch. Local beekeepers were called to the scene. 00:42 - Source: CNN Taylor Swift buys back her entire music catalogue Roughly six years after Taylor Swift protested the sale of her master recordings by her former record label, she now owns her entire catalog of music. Swift announced the news in a letter posted to her website. 01:28 - Source: CNN 108-year-old submarine wreck seen in new footage Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution captured close-up images of a WWI-era submarine lost at sea 108 years ago. 00:40 - Source: CNN Car flies off the road, crashes into a roof Video shows a car fly off the road and into a veterans hall in Missouri, police say as a result of speeding. This is the second time in three months a car crashed into the same building. The veterans hall will be closed for months for a second time after the latest crash, according to CNN affiliate KCTV. 00:38 - Source: CNN 'The Handmaid's Tale' star reacts to parting scene with June O-T Fagbenle reflects on wrapping "The Handmaid's Tale," Luke's evolution, and the emotional final scene with June as the series ends after six seasons. 02:04 - Source: CNN Elephant seal in Cape Town wanders into suburbia, stops traffic and wins the hearts of locals A Southern elephant seal makes a surprise visit to the residential neighborhood of Gordon's Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, and triggers an almost nine-hour rescue effort to return him to the coast. 00:57 - Source: CNN Why e.l.f. just bought Hailey Bieber's beauty brand for $1 billion e.l.f. Beauty is buying Hailey Bieber's makeup brand, Rhode, for $1 billion. Founded in 2022, Bieber's brand racked up $212 million in net sales in its last fiscal year. 01:11 - Source: CNN
