Southwest Research Institute collaborated with Yale University to summarize the scientific community’s notable progress advancing the understanding of the formation and evolution of the inner rocky planets, the so-called terrestrial planets. Their Nature Review journal paper focuses on late accretion’s role in the long-term evolution of terrestrial planets, including their distinct geophysical and chemical properties…
After a year’s worth of scientific scrutiny, the ‘Sapphire Canyon’ rock sample remains the mission’s best candidate for containing signs of ancient microbial life processes. A sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from an ancient dry riverbed in Jezero Crater could preserve evidence of ancient microbial life. Taken from a rock named “Cheyava Falls”…
What lurks behind the dense, dusty clouds of this galactic neighbor? There lies the star-powered heart of the galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear), the Cigar Galaxy is considered a nearby galaxy. As this Hubble Space Telescope…
People living in the UK and following a diet close to the Mediterranean diet are more likely to have better gum health, with potentially lower amounts of gum disease and inflammation. Findings from a King’s College London study indicate that people not following a Mediterranean – style diet tended to have more severe gum disease,…
Dry eyes can cause significant discomfort, and the symptoms become more common as we age. However, until now, it was unclear what proportion of the population suffered from the condition, with estimates ranging from 5-50%. In fact, research presented today (September 15) at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons…
You are what you eat, it turns out — even if your last meal was 150 million years ago. While the grub itself may be long gone, a record of dinosaurs’ favorite foods has been stowed away in their ancient tooth enamel over the last eon. When researchers at The University of Texas at Austin…
The sweetpotato feeds millions worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where its natural resilience to climate extremes makes it crucial for food security. But this humble root vegetable has guarded its genetic secrets for decades. Now, scientists have finally decoded its complex genome, revealing an intricate origin story and providing powerful tools to help improve this…
Spintronics, or spin-electronics, is a revolutionary approach to information processing that utilizes the intrinsic angular momentum (spin) of electrons, rather than solely relying on electric charge flow. This technology promises faster, more energy-efficient data storage and logic devices. A central challenge in fully realizing spintronics has been the development of materials that can precisely control…
