Daily News update on – Science


September 14, 2024
NEWS
CNN

Puzzling fossil discovery could reveal why Neanderthals disappeared
Grotte Mandrin, a rock shelter in southern France’s Rhône Valley, is the only known site to have been home to alternating groups of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Courtesy Ludovic Slimak.
CNN

Why SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn spacewalk was so historic
During the high-risk event, the Crew Dragon capsule become entirely depressurized before the entire crew — including Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, former US Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis — was …
Space.com

SpaceX’s private Polaris Dawn astronauts will return to Earth early Sunday. Here’s how to watch live online
Isaacman also commanded SpaceX’s Inspiration4 in 2021, the first all-civilian flight to space, which also flew on SpaceX’s Resilience Dragon capsule. This time, Isaacman was joined by mission pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and two SpaceX engineers, Sarah …
Space.com

Japan’s ispace will launch its 2nd lunar lander to the moon in December
Japanese space exploration firm ispace is gearing up for its second shot at landing on the moon. The mission, featuring a lander named Resilience and a tiny rover dubbed Tenacious, is now targeted to launch from Florida’s Space Coast on a SpaceX Falcon …
Livescience.com

‘I have never written of a stranger organ’: The rise of the placenta and how it helped make us human
“Human evolution has occurred both due to, and in spite of, the placenta. Every pregnancy, unthinkingly, must navigate a careful path through it. Every menstruation is testament to it. It is partly why menopause exists, to give individuals an escape …
Space.com

Astronauts 3D-print first metal part while on ISS
a blue latex gloved hand holdsa circular metal tray with tiny prongs standing near its center. ESA scientists have successfully demonstrated 3D printing of a metal part in space for the first time.
SpaceNews

Second ispace lunar lander planned for launch in December
WASHINGTON — Japanese company ispace expects to launch its second lunar lander mission as soon as December, making it one of three companies planning missions to the moon by the end of the year. During a Sept. 11 press conference, executives with …
NPR

A landslide linked to climate change ‘rang’ the Earth for 9 days, researchers say
The global seismic signal was extremely unusual, and it resonated for more than a week. So it’s no surprise that it grabbed the attention of researchers around the world. In the end, it took 68 experts across 15 countries to figure out what caused the …
Newsweek

Prehistoric Native American Tools Reveal What They Ate at Great Lakes Camp
Researchers have uncovered fascinating insights into the lives of prehistoric Native Americans who made camp in the Great Lakes region around 13,000 years ago. The camp, now called the Belson site, was set up in what is now southwest Michigan by a …
Space.com

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 128 — Starliner is Back! What Now?
On Episode 128 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk about what’s going on with Boeing’s Starliner CST-100 spacecraft. Starliner is back and, by all accounts, could have returned with its crew had it been necessary.