Researchers have always been wondering if there’s water on the moon. Although they developed some theories, they still could not answer the question. Now, a team of scientists from Japan might have found some evidence that there is frozen water beneath the lunar surface. They are currently trying to confirm their beliefs and prove the presence of water on the moon.

The mineral is a direct result of water

If this theory turns out to be true, the findings might mean a lot for the future lunar exploration missions. Researchers are quite optimistic about their results, and soon hope they can prove it. The evidence they think might support the presence of water on the moon is a mineral called moganite.

Researchers spotted this mineral about 13 years ago as part of a lunar meteorite that fell in Africa. The discovery is remarkable, since this mineral can form only if there’s water around. Also, after comparing this sample to those brought from the Apollo missions, they discovered the latter showed no traces of water or other minerals that might prove its presence.

This meteorite piece seems to have reached Earth whenever different cosmic bodies crashed with the moon. Researchers think it is about 17,000 years old. Therefore, the explanation might be that asteroids, comets, or other space objects brought water on the moon. Gradually, it got trapped beneath its surface, and further clashes broke the lunar pieces containing water and delivered it on Earth.

Researchers need more evidence to prove the presence of water on the moon

However, there is another explanation as well. The meteorite might not prove the presence of water on the moon. It’s possible that the mineral ended up in the meteorite after its collision with Earth. Yet, researchers are optimistic and say it couldn’t have been created in such a dire environment as the desert.

To prove this is a sign of water on the moon, they need to analyze a few other samples. Some other theories hinted there could be some water trapped at the lunar South Pole, but researchers need more evidence to support this. The study on the meteorite was published in the journal Science Advances.

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The most well-known spacecraft that collected data on Jupiter and its moons was Juno. Back in 2016, it brought some valuable findings on the gas giant and its moons. However, this wasn’t the only spacecraft that studied the planet and its surroundings. Twenty years after its mission, researchers managed to put together some interesting discoveries collected by NASA’s Galileo on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede.

Jupiter’s biggest moon has some truly interesting properties

Ganymede has always been an interesting object of study due to its properties. The cosmic body is about twice the size of our own moon, and also bigger than some planets in the Solar System. This makes it the largest natural satellite in the system, so all astronomers wanted to find more about it.

Initially, they thought Ganymede was hiding an ocean beneath its surface which might have hosted more saltwater than you can find on our planet. However, the most remarkable property of the moon is its magnetosphere, which make it unique among the other natural satellites.

The Galileo spacecraft was the one that discovered the presence of the magnetosphere. During the four years of the mission, it flew by Ganymede six times, and could study the plasma near the satellite. Twenty years later, researchers found some interesting data that never went public, so they decided to revisit it.

Galileo spotted plasma rain and magnetic phenomena around Ganymede

They noticed how the satellite had some plasma rain falling over it. This disturbed the particles present on its icy surface and affected the magnetic field between the satellite and its home planet. In fact, the interaction between the two magnetic fields caused plasma rains, and also a strange shape of Ganymede’s magnetosphere.

The presence of this magnetic field allowed the formation of auroras in the satellite’s atmosphere. Apart from these beautiful events, Galileo also highlighted the presence of another interesting phenomenon. It is called magnetic reconnection, where all individual lines in the field get entangled. It is these tangles that lead to plasma rains and the particle exchange between Jupiter and Ganymede. This contributes to the brightness of its auroras.

The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

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Although it sounds a bit extreme, some populations from Papua New Guinea used human bone daggers only a century ago. These weapons are well-known for the intricate designs that were present on their handles, and were common not only for hunting, but also during ceremonies. After a close analysis of these daggers, researchers discovered they also had a social purpose.

The tribes had daggers made from two types of bone

Bone daggers were a pretty common weapon for the tribes living in Papua New Guinea. The basic material they used was cassowary thigh bone, a flightless bird common in the area. However, for a few others, these people used human bone. These bones had belonged to honored fighters who had lost their lives while in battle. Whenever these people died, their descendants could carve their bones into a dagger.

Researchers were baffled by this distinction, as they couldn’t tell why these people carved daggers from two different types of bone. To unravel the mystery, a team of scientists from Dartmouth College performed an analysis of 11 daggers made from different types of bones. Five of them were human bone daggers, while the other six were made of cassowary bone.

The human bone daggers were an indicative of social status

Both types were more or less the same. However, the human bone daggers were a bit sturdier, and could better cope with bending. After running a few computer models and estimating the breaking point of each weapon, they came to the conclusion that human bone daggers were superior.

These properties weren’t necessarily a result of the superior properties of human bone. The design is responsible for this superiority, which could better cope with tension. Therefore, these people might have deliberately shaped the human bone daggers to be better. This could have been an attempt to preserve their symbolic meaning. Those people who owned such daggers wanted them to last longer, so they would show off and display their social prestige.

The study on these unique types of daggers has been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

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For many years, researchers assumed Uranus must have a foul smell. However, there was no way to prove it. Now, they finally managed to take a close look at its atmosphere, and discovered it contained hydrogen sulfide. This chemical is responsible for producing the unpleasant smell of rotten eggs, so the giant planet is likely to have the same smell.

The hydrogen sulfide would produce a foul smell

Finding the true composition of Uranus’ atmosphere is, indeed, a difficult task. Therefore, researchers decided it was time to look at it with proper equipment. For the task, they used the Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer, together with the 8-meter Gemini North telescope, to look at one of the cloud layers from the upper atmosphere of the planet.

This is how they observed some traces of hydrogen sulfide. This finally confirms the theories regarding the presence of the substance in the planet’s atmosphere. The discovery sets Uranus apart from other gas giants. In the atmosphere of Jupiter and Saturn, for instance, the dominant chemical is ammonia.

Observing the substance in Uranus’ atmosphere has been a difficult task

Researchers explained why the observation of hydrogen sulfide has been so difficult until now. The clouds above Uranus are produced through condensation. This means the gas gets shrouded in an additional layer of clouds, which makes it almost impossible for regular telescope to notice it. Fortunately, the professional tools were powerful enough to penetrate this thick layer.

Therefore, the hydrogen sulfide would produce a foul smell on Uranus. However, if humans ever were to visit the planet, they would also face extreme temperatures right within the planet’s atmosphere. Also, the combination of gases is definitely not friendly for life, so Uranus is not a good destination for space travelers.

The discovery of hydrogen sulfide can shed some light on the main differences between typical gas giants and ice giants, like Uranus and Neptune. Researchers talked more about the strange properties of the planet in a study published in the journal Nature.

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One year ago, the Curiosity rover found some odd formations on the surface of Mars that resembled some mud cracks. The photos that attracted the attention of researchers were of a rock called Old Soaker. After closely analyzing the patterns on this rock, they finally confirmed they were a sign of an ancient Martian lake that dried up billions of years ago.

Were these cracks signs of desiccation?

In January 2017, Curiosity studied the Gale Crater. The soil at its bottom looked like dried mud, and the patterns on the Old Soaker resembled common desiccation patterns. However, researchers thought this wasn’t enough to confirm water was present on Mars. Therefore, they decided to investigate.

After a year of studies, scientists from Caltech Institute of Technology confirmed the hypothesis we have been waiting for. Those cracks were really a desiccation pattern, and proved the existence of an ancient Martian lake that was present on the planet 3.5 billion years ago.

Curiosity helped the researchers find out as much as possible about the interesting formations. Apart from the look of the cracks, they also got some information on the chemical composition of the Old Soaker. They made use of mostly all of Curiosity’s cameras, and could deliver a detailed analysis of the small rock.

The pattern proved the existence of an ancient Martian lake

Therefore, the complex pattern of cracks was the result of the sediments on the bottom of the ancient Martian lake. Then, the desiccation signs appeared as these sediments came into contact with air. This was interesting, as it disproved other claims of exposure to water or heat.

Given the place of the Old Soaker and the position of the cracks, researchers found more interesting information about the ancient Martian lake. It turns out this water formation reached different levels over time. Therefore, the most exciting discovery places Mars much closer to Earth. This ancient lake must have been through the same cycles as lakes on our planet.

The study on the ancient Martian lake has been published in the journal Geology.

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No star is born alone, as these cosmic bodies are usually created in nurseries together with thousands of others. The same happened to our sun, which now remained an isolated star. However, researchers decided to go on a quest for the solar siblings, and selected about 340,000 stars to analyze their DNA.

What are the solar siblings?

When the sun came into being, it belonged to a stellar nursery together with its solar siblings. However, the Milky Way had a powerful tidal force which displaced them and set them in different places in the galaxy. However, since they were produced in the same manner, they still bear some chemical similarities that tie them together.

Therefore, finding the solar siblings meant finding these chemical ties. For this, researchers selected 340,000 stars spread all over the Milky Way and deciphered their composition and DNA. For this, they used a special spectrograph called HERMES, a tool that looked at the spectra of all these stars. Apart from finding the solar siblings, the aim of the survey was also to find out more about our galaxy.

This is the first compilation of the Milky Way stars

These findings are pretty remarkable, as it’s the first time when a tool looked at so many stars at once. R researchers got a complete set of the first clusters formed in the Milky Way. Also, they could identify the parent cluster of the sun and its solar siblings.

A spectrograph separates the light emitted by stars in two wavelengths. By looking at these, researchers could trace several chemical elements. By looking at which elements are the most abundant, they could group stars together and find their nurseries. Therefore, those stars similar to the sun are its solar siblings.

Of course, this process is no easy one. The survey has to use a colossal amount of data which needs time for processing. After many efforts, all the results were published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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You must have heard the world is going to end so many times, so you’re probably wondering what the next prediction is. The deadly planet Nibiru has been the star of the latest conspiracy theories of last year, with doomsday dates getting postponed from one month to another. This month’s apocalypse falls in about two weeks, but scientists have already disregarded the theory with serious arguments.

Meade thinks the Biblical Rapture will occur

David Meade is the author of all these predictions, who thinks the Biblical Apocalypse is near. On April 23^rd, he claims the Church will disappear in what is known as the Rapture. The start of the Rapture occurs when the sun and the moon align in the Virgo constellation. Then, Jupiter, who represents the Messiah, also enters this constellation.

However, scientists quickly dismissed this theory. On April 23^rd, Jupiter will be nowhere close to Virgo, as it will enter the Libra constellation. The moon will also be in a different position, so there’s no sign of an ominous biblical alignment.

Where does Nibiru come from?

People first heard of Nibiru in 1976, through the book called The Twelfth Planet. This work claims Nibiru was the home planet an ancient species of aliens called the Anunnaki who visit our planet once every several thousands of years. The book also offers a different perspective on the solar system, from the point of view of these aliens.

Meade called Nibiru the planet of death, as its passing near Earth should trigger the apocalypse. As soon as it got close to Earth, its gravitational force should trigger volcanic eruptions and other cataclysmic events. These events should mark the start of the Rapture.

However, NASA quickly discarded all claims. At first, Nibiru should have got close in October and, then, every month, Meade came up with new doomsday dates. Scientists assured us there was no giant unknown planet to come and disrupt Earth’s magnetic field. So, there is absolutely no need to worry, as the apocalypse won’t come too soon.

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Another space probe has approached Mars and is ready to start collecting data. The Trace Gas Orbiter was launched by the European Space Agency, and will orbit the Red Planet and analyze its atmosphere. Its main purpose is to look at the origin and composition of the different gases found there, and identify possible processes that might produce them.

The Trace Gas Orbiter is ready to start its mission

The Trace Gas Orbiter reached Mars a year ago, but it took it precisely twelve months to settle on a stable orbit around the planet. At first, it had an elliptical orbit, but it used a series of mechanisms to recalibrate it, and now its shape is more circular.

The Trace Gas Orbiter is part of ESA’s ExoMars program. Its main goal is to study all the gases present in the atmosphere of the Red Planet. Then, based on these gases, scientists might find out what kind of biological and geological processes took place on the surface.

This data might tell if life is possible on Mars

The space mission is unique from other points of view as well. This is the first time when scientists managed to send a space probe to a planet by using aerobraking. Also, the Trace Gas Orbiter is the heaviest shuttle of its kind that has ever reached Mars.

In about two weeks, the orbiter should be done gathering data from Mars’ atmosphere. These findings can have a huge relevance in the search for life on the planet. Seeing what kind of gases are present in the atmosphere, they will tell if there are any biological or geological processes that still go on.

Since the name of the probe is the Trace Gas Orbiter, it means it will detect trace gases. For instance, methane is one such gas, which is really important on Earth. Both living organisms and volcanoes or other similar geological activities release this gas in the atmosphere. Therefore, these are great markers for life, and can teach us more about Mars.

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A team of researchers from the University of Manchester discovered an ancient jaw bone that belonged to one of the biggest animals that had ever existed. After some additional research, they managed to identify this animal as well. The bone had belonged to an ichthyosaur, a marine creature that resembled a whale.

The ancient jaw bone belonged to an ichthyosaur

In 2016, researchers stumbled upon the jaw bone on the Somerset coast. The studies revealed it was 205 million years old but, at first, they couldn’t tell which animal it came from. Therefore, they started looking for more clues in their attempt to solve the mystery. After a more thorough research of the area, they found other bone fragments as well.

This way, they could tell the ancient jaw bone belonged to an ichthyosaur. This creature is a marine animal that is now extinct, but which bore many similarities to today’s whales. It was one of the biggest creatures that had ever populated Earth, so the discovery was pretty remarkable.

At a first glance, the ancient jaw bone looks just like a rock. However, researchers knew it must be a fossil coming from a long extinct animal. They suspected the creature was probably an ichthyosaur, but it was hard to tell. A bone cannot help researchers find out how big the ancient animal was, so they found another solution.

They compared the fossil to the largest ichthyosaur known to date

They took the ancient jaw bone for analysis at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology found in Alberta, Canada. Here lies the biggest species of ichthyosaur ever found, namely Shonisaurus sikanniensis. This creature was about 69 feet long. To identify what specimen the ancient jaw bone belonged to, they compared the fossil with the museum exhibit.

This way, they found their ichthyosaur was pretty similar to Shonisaurus sikanniensis, but not identical. Our creature was bigger than the exhibit by at least 25 percent, making it about the size of a blue whale. This creature is the biggest animal ever known, so the newly found ichthyosaur might have owned this title long before.

The study on the fossil was published in the journal PLOS One.

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Given its proximity to the sun and its harsh conditions, life on Venus sounds like an impossible prospect. However, researchers have discovered this might not be as an unusual thing as you might expect. Life on Venus might be possible in the clouds. Unfortunately for us, humans will still not be able to survive on such a planet.

Human life is impossible on Venus

Venus sports quite some extreme conditions, starting with its days and nights that last for 100 Earth days, and finishing with the huge temperatures on its surface. Therefore, even thinking about bringing humans to the planet sounds like an impossible dream. However, this doesn’t mean the prospect of life on Venus is completely unrealistic.

Researchers have just discovered that some bacterial colonies might be able to survive on the scorching planet up in the clouds, at an altitude of 30 miles in the atmosphere. After studying Earth bacteria, they found out it could live at such an altitude, so they decided to look at other planets as well.

It seems the atmosphere of Venus has the ideal conditions at that altitude for bacteria to survive. The pressure is just right, while the temperature switches from 880 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface to merely 140 degrees in the air. However, researchers decided to look for possible impediments.

Microscopical life on Venus might exist in its atmosphere

For instance, one great issue might be the highly acidic properties of the atmosphere. However, evidence collected from Earth bacteria shows they can cope with that. Some other evidence came to support this life on Venus hypothesis as well.

Mars isn’t the only planet that once had liquid water and could support life. It turns out Venus hosted the same conditions for about 2 billion years. Throughout this timespan, it must have evolved at least some sort of bacterial life. This life is likely to have taken refuge in the planet’s atmosphere, judging from its dark patches. These might resemble those Earth bacteria that absorb light.

Although it’s impossible for humans to ever live on this scorching planet, life on Venus might really be possible. These pieces of evidence might put up a bigger theory that some bacteria actually live in Venus’ atmosphere. More details on the study have been published in the journal Astrobiology.

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