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Daily News update on – Science

⋅ July 3, 2024
NEWS
CNN

Bone analysis sheds new light on mysterious species of ancient human
CNN
Excavations at Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan plateau are revealing details about the lives of Denisovans, a group of ancient humans about which little is known. Dongju Zhang’s group/Lanzhou University.
Space.com

NASA announces Artemis 2 moon mission backup astronaut — Andre Douglas will support 2025 lunar liftoff
Space.com
“I’ve always been fascinated with new things. I like to develop things,” Douglas told Space.com in March about the Artemis program, which later this decade aims to put astronauts on the moon’s surface for the first time since 1972.
Space.com

We could terraform Mars with desert moss — but does that mean we should?
Space.com
“The goal of terraforming is to intentionally create an entire ecosystem on a global scale, which would more than likely destroy any existing ecosystem.” Comments (0). Artist’s illustration depicting the terraforming of Mars — turning into a more …
Space.com

Under the moon’s surface, magnetized lava may create ‘lunar swirls’
Space.com
The magma seems to create a magnetic spiral that deflects solar wind particles headed for the lunar surface. Comments (0). A dark grey high altitude view of the lunar surface, with tiny craters speckled throughout. Lunar swirls are bright, …
The New York Times

How the Denisovans Survived the Ice Age
The New York Times
The Baishiya Karst Cave is not an easy place to call home. It is nestled on a steep rocky slope on the Tibetan Plateau, 10,700 feet up, where the oxygen is thin and the climate cold and dry. But a series of expeditions to the cave in recent years have …
CNN

60 million-year-old seeds reveal that dinosaur extinction paved the way for grapes
CNN
Fossil images (top) and artist reconstructions (bottom) show Lithouva, the earliest fossil grape from the Western Hemisphere found in Colombia, dated to 60 million years ago. Fabiany Herrera/Pollyanna …
NPR

‘We’re not stuck.’ Why Boeing’s Starliner isn’t returning to Earth (yet)
NPR
When astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5, they thought they’d be back in plenty of time for the Juneteenth holiday. The two were test-driving Boeing’s newest spaceship, …
Space.com

SpaceX to launch NASA gamma-ray space telescope in 2027
Space.com
A NASA space telescope that will study the universe in high-energy gamma-ray light will get a ride to orbit with SpaceX a few years from now. The agency announced on Tuesday (July 2) that it has selected SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to be the rocket ride for its …
SpaceNews

SpaceX wins NASA contract to launch gamma-ray astronomy mission
SpaceNews
NASA announced July 2 that it awarded a contract to SpaceX to launch the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) spacecraft, a small Explorer-class, or SMEX, mission into low Earth orbit. The contract, valued at about $69 million, covers the August 2027 …
The Washington Post

Ants can perform life-saving amputations on their wounded, study says
The Washington Post
Scientists say the study on Florida Carpenter ants is the first recorded example of a nonhuman animal amputating a fellow member of its species to save its life.