Science

  All the current launch platforms certified to make supply runs to the International Space Station (ISS) use a parachute to return to Earth after each mission. Although, SpaceX has designs on propulsive landings with its Dragon capsule. Sierra Nevada Corporation has something else in mind with its uncrewed Dream …

An analysis of the first three-dimensionally preserved skulls and skeletons of the extinct legged snake Najash rionegrina shows that nearly 100 million years ago (Cretaceous period), legged snakes still had a cheekbone — also known as a jugal bone — that has all but disappeared in their modern descendants, and …

An international team of scientists from Japan and the United States has found ribose and other bioessential sugars in two primitive meteorites, NWA 801 and Murchison. A model of the molecular structure of ribose and an image of the Murchison meteorite. Image credit: Yoshihiro Furukawa. Sugars are indispensable molecules for …

A research team led by American University scientists has sequenced the genome of the thermophilic subterrestrial nematode Halicephalobus mephisto, one of the deepest living animals, and determined the mechanisms by which the nematode adapted to an extreme environment. Halicephalobus mephisto (magnified 200x). Image credit: John Bracht, American University. Halicephalobus mephisto …

Ohio University Emeritus Professor William Romoser has analyzed photos from NASA’s various Mars rovers, mostly from the rover Curiosity, and found insect/arthropod- and reptile-like organisms (both as fossils and living creatures) in the images. Various anatomical structures seen in different photos: (A – E) and probably (F) are ‘beelike,’ but …

According to a review of previous prospective cohort studies, eating beans, lentils, peas, and other legumes reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure. Dietary pulses with or without other legumes are associated with reduced cardiovascular disease incidence with low certainty and reduced coronary heart …

  Boeing is in the final stages of preparing its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for launch next month. The vehicle will one day carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS), but first, it has to complete its maiden voyage. Boeing just rolled the CST-100 out to the launch …

Paleontologists in New Zealand have uncovered a nearly complete skeleton of a giant-sized penguin that swam the oceans about 27 million years ago (Oligocene period). A reconstruction of the Kawhia giant penguin. Image credit: Simone Giovanardi. New Zealand is a key area for understanding the ancient history of penguins. Fossils …

Genetic variants determine whether or not you can tolerate eating certain vegetables, according to new research. TAS2R38 predicted lower consumption of vegetables in people who possessed the PAV haplotype. Image credit: Jerzy Górecki. “Taste matters when it comes to altering your diet. If you aren’t appealing to your tastes when …

A new genus and species of non-ornithothoracine bird has been identified from bones collected in Japan. Life restoration of Fukuipteryx prima, a primitive bird that lived in what is now Japan about 120 million years ago. Image credit: Masanori Yoshida. The ancient bird lived approximately 120 million years ago during …