Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 22, 2025
A collaborative effort between researchers from Mainz, Valencia, Madrid, and Zurich has revealed new insights into one of biology's greatest leaps in complexity: the emergence of the eukaryotic cell. Published in PNAS, the study reframes eukaryogenesis as a phase transition in the evolutionary algorithm of life-a transition so profound it divides the biological record into two distinct computati

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 22, 2025
India's space agency, ISRO, has launched a suite of groundbreaking experiments aboard Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), in close partnership with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). These projects aim to deepen our understanding of life and technology in microgravity, laying vital groundwork for future long-duration missions and bolstering India's leadership in the global space sector. Among I

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 21, 2025
NASA launched its latest cargo run to the International Space Station early Monday morning. At 4:15 a.m. EDT, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft took off while aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The craft, known as Commercial Resupply Services 32, or CRS-32, carried approximately 6,700 pounds of cargo and scientific equipment in wh

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 22, 2025
A newly published study by SETI Institute researchers suggests that the irregularity of certain meteor showers arises not from chaotic planetary influences but from the subtle, yet consequential, motion of the Sun itself. The findings, presented in the journal Icarus, offer a fresh perspective on the long-term behavior of comets and their meteoroid trails. "Contrary to popular conception,

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 22, 2025
A research team led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has revealed new insights into Mars' geological and hydrological past by analyzing crystal structures in minerals identified by NASA's Perseverance rover. Their findings provide strong evidence for repeated episodes of mineral formation under varying environmental conditions just beneath the Martian surface. The study, led by

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 22, 2025
Earth planning date: Monday, April 14, 2025: We all know the feeling-it's Monday morning after a packed weekend, and you wish for just a bit more time to rest. Curiosity is likely feeling the same today. Over the weekend, the rover completed a full slate of activities, including contact science, a MAHLI stereo imaging test, simultaneous ChemCam passive spectral data collection and orbiter

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 22, 2025
China has successfully established the first three-satellite constellation operating in the distant retrograde orbit (DRO) of the Earth-Moon system, a major achievement in the nation's ongoing expansion of deep-space infrastructure, researchers announced during a recent symposium in Beijing. The trio now orbiting in DRO comprises two spacecraft, DRO-A and DRO-B, launched in March last year

London, UK (SPX) Apr 22, 2025
Astronomers have identified an unusual exoplanet, 2M1510 (AB) b, which travels on a polar orbit around a unique pair of brown dwarfs. This marks the first confirmed case of a planet circling two stars at a 90-degree angle relative to their orbit, offering fresh insights into planetary dynamics in binary systems. The host objects, both classified as brown dwarfs, lie in a rare category of s

Beijing (AFP) April 22, 2025
China is expected to launch a new crewed mission into space this week, as Beijing takes steady steps towards its goal of putting astronauts on the Moon. The Shenzhou-20 mission will blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, carrying three astronauts to the country's self-built Tiangong space station for a likely six-month stay. The team will undertake expe

The European Space Agency has joined the world space community in congratulating the African Space Agency on its official inauguration. The African Space Agency (AfSA) is the second regional space agency after ESA and has been in development since 2015, with the African Union Commission adopting an African space policy and strategy in 2016.