If large impacts ceased early in Mars’ history, that would leave plenty of time for life to have formed in its ancient oceans. (Credit: NASA/GSFC)
When the solar system was young, some scientists suspect it was too wild and raucous a place for life to develop. Earth, Mars, and the other planets were all being pelted by massive asteroids and rocky debris. Some of those rocks might have delivered the very water that later made life possible. But the unrelenting impacts may have made the s ...read more
(Credit: Yulliii/Shutterstock)
When the Neanderthal genome was first sequenced in 2010 and compared with ours, scientists noticed that genes from Homo neanderthalensis also showed up in our own DNA. The conclusion was inescapable: Our ancestors mated and reproduced with another lineage of now-extinct humans who live on today in our genes.
When the Denisovan genome was sequenced soon after, in 2012, it revealed similar instances of interbreeding. We now know that small populations from al ...read more
A capuchin using a stone to break open its next meal. (Credit: Lisa Crawford/Shutterstock)
Among the rocky monoliths of Brazil’s Serra da Capivara National Park, wild monkeys crack cashews and seeds with an array of stone tools. Now, caches of ancient monkey tools reveal the primates started the culinary tradition 3,000 years ago.
This archaeological record also shows they adapted their food processing tactics over time. It's the first time tool use stretching back thousands of year ...read more
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What are were your first words? Odds are, if you grew up in the United States speaking English, these words were nouns. Nouns like mama, dada, a favorite animal or food (or "lawnmower," if my father is to be believed). But in languages like Korean and Mandarin Chinese, babies’ first words are more often verbs like "go" and "want."
New research suggests these differences in early word learning might lead toddlers down different paths toward understan ...read more
Whitson during her time on the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)
Peggy Whitson’s career as an astronaut has been trailblazing: With a total of 665 days in space, Whitson not only currently holds the space endurance record in the U.S., she is eighth on that list overall. She was the first woman astronaut to hold NASA’s chief astronaut position, has completed a total of 10 spacewalks over the course of her career, and commanded the International Space Station twice.
On ...read more
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Music is the language of feelings, the food of the soul. But could it also be a grade booster for high school students? Researchers think so — if students engage in actually playing the music (not just listening to it).
A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology reports high school students who play musical instruments score significantly higher in science, math, and English exams than their non-musical peers. The auth ...read more
From left: Expedition 58/59 astronaut Anne McClain, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques. (Credit: NASA)
After 204 days orbiting Earth on the International Space Station, three astronauts will return to Earth tonight. June 24 marks the end of their mission as Anne McClain, Oleg Kononenko, and David Saint-Jacques, undock from ISS and eventually land in Kazakhstan.
The three crew members are scheduled to depart the ISS at around 7:30 p. ...read more
Spacecraft have been both finding and not finding methane around Mars for years. (Credit: ESA/ATG medialab)
Last week, NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover detected a sudden spike in methane levels, which kickstarted excitement about the prospects of life on the Red Planet.
On Earth, the most common source of methane is biological organisms, from cows and humans down to single-celled creatures, making its detection on the Red Planet a reason for excitement and intrigue. But it’s quite ...read more
Kristin Butler dedicates her Scuba Series in remembrance of her beloved mother, Marilyn Butler, who passed along to Kristin a deep love for science and nature along with a pair of pink scuba diving fins.
Each year, the Long Beach Scuba Show brings together divers from around the world for seminars and exhibits on all things scuba, with topics ranging from dive gear to scuba vacations. Though the show mostly showcases the business side of diving, visitors can also learn about nonprofits that ...read more
