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New data gleaned from the magnetic sensor aboard NASA’s InSight spacecraft is offering an unprecedented close-up of magnetic fields on Mars. In a study published today (February 24, 2020) in Nature Geoscience, scientists reveal that the magnetic field at the InSight landing site is ten times stronger than anticipated, and fluctuates over time scales of seconds to days. “One of the big unknowns from previous satellite missions was what the magnetization looked like over small areas,” said lead author Catherine Johnson, a professor at the University of British Columbia and senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute....

The researchers published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The fossil recorded a critical transformation in its evolutionary history. The 425-million-year-old fossil was discovered at a well-preserved site in Herefordshire, England. This new genus is called Dibasterium durgae. Archaic arthropods originated during the Cambrian Explosion and had double-branched limbs, which were multi-functional. One branch was used for feeding and walking, while the other was used for breathing....

These results give unprecedented information about the strong magnetic field at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists used SOFIA’s newest instrument, the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-Plus, HAWC+, to make these measurements. Magnetic fields are invisible forces that influence the paths of charged particles and have significant effects on the motions and evolution of matter throughout the universe. But magnetic fields cannot be imaged directly, so their role is not well understood....

Two NASA and one European spacecraft that obtained the first up-close observations of a comet flyby of Mars on October 19, have gathered new information about the basic properties of the comet’s nucleus and directly detected the effects on the Martian atmosphere. Data from observations carried out by NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), and a radar instrument on the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Mars Express spacecraft have revealed that debris from the comet added a temporary and very strong layer of ions to the ionosphere, the electrically charged layer high above Mars....

A team of astronomers from the UK, Germany and Spain have observed the remnant of a stellar collision and discovered that its brightness varies in a way not seen before on this rare type of star. By analyzing the patterns in these brightness variations, astronomers will learn what really happens when stars collide. This discovery is published in the 27 June 2013 issue of the journal Nature. Stars like our Sun expand and cool to become red giant stars when the hydrogen that fuels the nuclear fusion in their cores starts to run out....

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have shown how SARS-CoV-2 viral proteases attack the host cell, and how this can be targeted to stop virus replication in cell culture with drugs in current clinical use or in the pipeline. The new findings, published today (September 21, 2021) in Nature Communications, offer a powerful resource to understand proteolysis in the context of viral infection, and to inform the development of targeted strategies to inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19....

University of Cambridge scientists have published a new study showing that four-stranded ‘quadruple helix’ DNA structures, known as G-quadruplexes, exist within the human genome. In 1953, Cambridge researchers Watson and Crick published a paper describing the interweaving ‘double helix’ DNA structure – the chemical code for all life. Now, in the year of that scientific landmark’s 60th Anniversary, Cambridge researchers have published a paper proving that four-stranded ‘quadruple helix’ DNA structures – known as G-quadruplexes – also exist within the human genome....

New research led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) computer scientists has used a data-driven modeling approach to answer the time-critical question of when the stringent social distancing and quarantine measures against COVID-19 can be loosened so that normal life and economic activities can be restored in a safe manner. The research team developed a novel computational model that explicitly characterizes and quantifies the underlying transmission patterns among different populations throughout the various phases of the COVID-19 outbreak....

At 3:46 a.m. Eastern Time on April 21, 2018, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of the aurora borealis over North America. The nighttime image was made possible through VIIRS “day-night band,” which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe signals such as airglow, auroras, wildfires, city lights, and reflected moonlight....

Advanced simulations created with one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers show the jets’ streams gradually change direction in the sky, or precess, as a result of space-time being dragged into the rotation of the black hole. This behavior aligns with Albert Einstein’s predictions about extreme gravity near rotating black holes, published in his famous theory of general relativity. “Understanding how rotating black holes drag the space-time around them and how this process affects what we see through the telescopes remains a crucial, difficult-to-crack puzzle,” said Alexander Tchekhovskoy, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences....

Studying these magnetospheric waves, which transport energy, helps scientists understand the complicated ways that solar activity plays out in the space around Earth. Changing conditions in space driven by the Sun are known as space weather. That weather can impact our technology from communications satellites in orbit to power lines on the ground. “Understanding the boundaries of any system is a key problem,” said Martin Archer, a space physicist at Imperial College London who led the new study, published on October 6, 2021, in Nature Communications....

Cell culture model: several compounds stop SARS-CoV-2 virus. A team of biochemists and virologists at Goethe University and the Frankfurt University Hospital were able to observe how human cells change upon infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 in people. The scientists tested a series of compounds in laboratory models and found some which slowed down or stopped virus reproduction. These results now enable the search for an active substance to be narrowed down to a small number of already approved drugs....

When teeth suffer damage either by decay or trauma, there are three layers that may be affected: Previous research has found that the drug Tideglusib could help protect the inner layer by stimulating the production of the middle layer (dentine), allowing the tooth to repair itself. To continue testing the viability of this approach for use in patients, the research team have now looked at whether the volume of reparative dentine produced is sufficient to repair cavities found in human teeth....

Somewhere in the cosmos, a star is reaching the end of its life. Maybe it’s a massive star, collapsing under its own gravity. Or maybe it’s a dense cinder of a star, greedily stealing matter from a companion star until it can’t handle its own mass. Whatever the reason, this star doesn’t fade quietly into the dark fabric of space and time. It goes kicking and screaming, exploding its stellar guts across the universe, leaving us with unparalleled brightness and a tsunami of particles and elements....

Collisions between galaxies are common. Indeed, most galaxies have probably been involved in one or more encounters during their lifetimes. One example is our own Milky Way, which is bound by gravity to the Andromeda galaxy, our neighbor, and towards which we are approaching at a speed of about 50 kilometers per second, perhaps to meet in another billion years or so. Galaxy-galaxy interactions are thought to stimulate vigorous star formation because the encounters somehow induce the interstellar gas to condense into stars....

Dubbed “Peekaboo,” the tiny HIPASS J1131–31 galaxy has only been visible to astronomers for the past 50-100 years due to its emergence from behind the glare of a fast-moving star. The galaxy is only 1,200 light-years in size. The discovery is a combined effort of telescopes on the ground and in space, including confirmation by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Together the research shows tantalizing evidence that the Peekaboo Galaxy is the nearest example of the galaxy formation processes that commonly took place not long after the big bang, 13....

This new image from ESO shows a section of a cloud of dust and glowing gas called the Seagull Nebula. These wispy red clouds form part of the “wings” of the celestial bird and this picture reveals an intriguing mix of dark and glowing red clouds, weaving between bright stars. This new view was captured by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile....

With the recent rise in pump prices, biofuel lobbies are pressing to boost that target to 15% or more. At the same time, some policymakers are calling for reforms. For example, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a bill that would eliminate the corn ethanol portion of the mandate. Enacted in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the RFS promised to enhance energy security, cut carbon dioxide emissions and boost income for rural America....

But building a moon base and actually living on the moon will require careful planning. First, we need to identify and map available lunar resources, including hydrogen and water ice. Such compounds are crucial if we are to create breathable air and rocket fuel, whether for an observatory or a launchpad to go to the outer planets in our solar system. But sending missions to map the moon for resources in enough detail to enable future establishments is an expensive undertaking that will take a long time....

Building a more fuel-efficient aircraft … And a way to possibly predict solar flares … A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA! Preparing the Space Station for a More Powerful Future On January 20, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station to prepare for future upgrades to the station’s power system....