A space rock that crashed into Mars revealed a surprise

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You will never forget your first mission to Mars.

When NASA’s Insight spacecraft arrived at the Red Planet on November 26, 2018, it was the first time I covered the landing of a spacecraft on Mars. The The robotic probe made a graceful, ballet-like landing on the surface of Mars.

Moments later, she resents an “alert” and a picture of her landing site to the mission control center, as if to say, “I did it!” When the InSight team went off to cheers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, I was dancing with them thousands of miles away at my desk.

The mission made incredible discoveries about Earthquakes on the red planet And the What might the heart of Mars be like?.

but the The InSight mission is coming to an end as its solar panels are obscured by dust. Within weeks, the probe will not be able to send a beep To show it is fine anymore.

Before you say goodbye to the starship, there are still a few surprises in store.

When Mars plunged under InSight’s feet on December 24, NASA scientists thought it was just another earthquake.

The quake of magnitude 4 was actually caused by Space rock smashes into the surface of Mars Two thousand miles away.

The meteor left a large crater on the red planet, revealing sparkling ice masses in a completely unexpected place – near the warm Martian equator.

Meanwhile, the researchers tested a microbe called “Conan the Bacterium” in Martian-like conditions. The The ability of an organism to withstand harsh conditions It led scientists to believe that ancient microbial life may be sleeping deep beneath the surface of Mars.

Humans aren’t the only creatures who pick their noses.

For the first time, an aye-aye, an unusual species of lemur, has been documented taking root in its nose – then licking its finger clean.

Other than human Primates take a sample of their mucus, too – but the creature’s incredibly long middle finger means it can reach all the way down to its throat, As shown in a CT scan performed by researchers.

Local legends associate the long number of the nocturnal aye-aye with prophecies of death in its native Madagascar. But the researchers hope that people will see the value of saving this misunderstood and critically endangered creature.

Emperor penguins may reign supreme in Antarctica, but the iconic species is at risk of extinction due to the climate crisis.

With greenhouse gases and carbon emissions heating the earth, The floating world melts in the Southern Ocean that these seabirds call home. sea ​​ice he is Where they breed and raise their chicks, they are kept safe from predators and forage.

When the sea ice disappears, every emperor Penguin colonies can disappear.

Flightless seabirds are now listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This means that they will receive new protection under the Endangered Species Act.

marine archaeologists The elusive 17th century shipwreck has finally been found In Sweden.

The researchers found the pplet, one of four warships built by order of King Gustavus Adolphus in 1625. The ship was a sister ship to the Vasa ship, which capsized on its maiden voyage and is on display in the Stockholm Museum.

pplet served in Europe The Thirty Years’ War was deliberately sunk in 1659 after it was deemed unseaworthy. The researchers are now planning to make a 3D image of the shipwreck as it lies at the bottom of the sea.

The James Webb Space Telescope was shown last week Brilliant view of a star-forming region called the Pillars of Creation.

a A new photo of the same feature, taken in mid-infrared light, reveals a darkened lower abdomen From the usual ethereal spectacle where dust sinks into starlight. Only a few red stars cut through the darkness.

The towering pillars resemble a tangle of ghostly shapes that make their way through the cosmos. With Halloween fast approaching, it would be a fitting depiction of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ghouls-Haunted Weir Forest” from Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ulalume.”

In addition, Webb spied on a distant surprise that may be The ancient merger of two galaxies During the early days of the universe. Planetary scientists introduced Amazing discovery about exoplanets The search for habitable worlds may narrow.

Check out these interesting stories:

– A mysterious field in Hengduan China mountains he is Filled with dozens of rhododendron species. Instead of competing with each other, they evolved to live in harmony. (add friday link)

Retired astronaut Scott Kelly is part of a new team of experts Dive deeper into the secrets of unidentified flying objects. The highly anticipated NASA study began on Monday.

– Learn about some great additions to the Tree of Life. After years of effort, researchers discovered Six new species of rain frogs on the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorean Andes.

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