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“Viral Dark Matter” Could Help Mitigate Climate Change – Here’s How

Lead Image: Recently scientists uncovered a treasure trove of new data about RNA viruses in the ocean including 5,500 new RNA virus species. Analysis suggests that a small portion of them had “stolen” genes from organisms they infected, which helps identify their functions in marine processes. Several may help drive carbon absorbed from the atmosphere to permanent storage on the ocean floor. Study identifies 1,200+ RNA viruses with connections to carbon flux. Many scientists believe that climate change is a significant threat and that we are running out of time left to act. On top of that, new research shows…

Mastodon Killed in Bloody Battle 13,200 Years Ago – Reveals Extinct Animal’s Annual Migration

Lead Image: University of Michigan paleontologist Daniel Fisher with a mounted skeleton of the Buesching mastodon, based on casts of individual bones produced in fiberglass, on public display at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History in Ann Arbor. Credit: Eric Bronson, Michigan Photography Mastodons are relatives of elephants belonging to the genus Mammut that inhabited North and Central America before they went extinct about 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. Typical adults stood between 8 and 10 feet (2.5-3 m) tall at the shoulder and weighed around 8,000 to 12,000 pounds (3,600-5,400 kg). The largest specimen found was 10.7…

Astronomers Discover a Nearby Multiplanet System With Two Earth-Sized Planets

Lead Image: MIT astronomers have discovered a new multiplanet system that lies just 10 parsecs, or about 33 light-years, from Earth, making it one of the closest known multiplanet systems to our own. The star at the heart of the system likely hosts at least two terrestrial, Earth-sized planets. Credit: MIT News, with TESS Satellite figure courtesy of NASA Located just 33 light years from Earth, the system appears to host two rocky, Earth-sized planets. A new multiplanet system within our galactic neighborhood has been discovered by astronomers at MIT and elsewhere. It lies just 10 parsecs, or about 33…

ESA’s Comet Interceptor Approved for Construction

Lead Image: Comet Interceptor has been selected as ESA’s new fast-class mission. It will be the first spacecraft to visit a truly pristine comet or other interstellar object that is only just starting its journey into the inner Solar System. Credit: ESA In 2019, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected Comet Interceptor as a new fast-class (F-class) mission. These missions, where “fast” refers to development speed are missions that take about 8 years to fully implement. The mission’s primary science goal is to characterize, for the first time, a truly pristine comet or other interstellar object. Comet Interceptor comprises three…

Hubble Finds Phantom Imprint in Space Revealing Black Hole Roaming Our Milky Way Galaxy

Lead Image: This is an illustration of a close-up look at a black hole drifting through our Milky Way galaxy. The black hole is the crushed remnant of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The surviving core is several times the mass of our Sun. The black hole traps light due to its intense gravitational field. The black hole distorts the space around it, which warps images of background stars lined up almost directly behind it. This gravitational “lensing” effect offers the only telltale evidence for the existence of lone black holes wandering our galaxy, which may be…