"Dragon man" fossil may replace Neanderthals as our closest relative
A near-perfectly preserved ancient human fossil known as the Harbin cranium sits in the Geoscience Museum in Hebei GEO University. The largest of known Homo skulls, scientists now say this skull represents a newly discovered human species named Homo.....»»
Polaris Dawn crew member describes the dramatic ride home
A member of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has described what it was like aboard the Crew Dragon as it entered Earth’s atmosphere at high speed last weekend......»»
Lost in translation: What spirituality and Einstein have to do with misunderstandings about climate change
As a child growing up in the early 1990s, I remember learning in school about the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels traps heat near the Earth's surface, like the glass of a greenhouse. I imagined myself on the playgro.....»»
Newly developed OLED could enable compact, lightweight night vision
A new type of OLED (organic light emitting diode) could replace bulky night vision goggles with lightweight glasses, making them cheaper and more practical for prolonged use, according to University of Michigan researchers......»»
Crew Dragon is about to fly with empty seats for the first time. Here’s why
NASA and SpaceX are making final preparations for the Crew-9 astronaut flight to the ISS next week, but two of the four seats will be empty......»»
Ads featuring interracial couples produce mixed results for brands
A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scholar who studies how authenticity and aesthetics intersect with branding found that interracial couples featured in advertisements enhanced brand outcomes relative to white couple.....»»
Paleontologists find omnivorous ancestor of the giant panda, revealing it was not always just a bamboo eater
The Hammerschmiede fossil site in southern Germany has yielded finds from about 11.5 million years ago that have rewritten evolutionary history. The sole species of bear discovered to date at the site was a relative of the giant panda. Its diet, howe.....»»
Polaris Dawn’s high-speed journey home captured in photo from ISS
A remarkable photo taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS shows SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon capsule entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed on Sunday......»»
Exceptional new fish fossil sparks a rethink of how Earth"s geology drives evolution
Coelacanths are deep-sea fish that live off the coasts of southern Africa and Indonesia and can reach up to two meters in length. For a long time, scientists believed they were extinct......»»
So what are we to make of the highly ambitious, private Polaris spaceflight?
They flew high, they walked in space, and finally early on Sunday, they landed. Enlarge / Crew Dragon enters Earth's atmosphere on Sunday morning as recovery boats await. (credit: SpaceX) A white spacecraft, lightly toas.....»»
Was a lack of get-up-and-go the death of the Neanderthals?
A new study posits a very surprising answer to one of history's great mysteries—what killed off the Neanderthals?.....»»
Two private astronauts took a spacewalk Thursday morning—yes, it was historic
"Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry." Enlarge / Jared Isaacman emerges from the Dragon spacecraft on Thursday morning. (credit: SpaceX webcast) The Polaris Dawn mission to.....»»
New fossil fish species scales up evidence of Earth"s evolutionary march
Climate change and asteroids are linked with animal origin and extinction—and plate tectonics also seems to play a key evolutionary role, "groundbreaking" new fossil research reveals......»»
Watch this orbital sunset from a Crew Dragon spacecraft way above Earth
SpaceX has shared a some stunning images and a short video showing an orbital sunset as seen from the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon way above Earth......»»
How to watch SpaceX’s first-ever spacewalk from a Crew Dragon tonight
Two non-professional astronauts are about to conduct the first-ever spacewalk from a Crew Dragon spacecraft and also the first-ever commercial spacewalk......»»
Team develops new tool to map fossil fuel emissions from space
University of Minnesota researchers have developed a new tool to measure ethane from space, leading to a better understanding of fossil fuel emissions worldwide. Ethane is commonly found in natural gas and is primarily used in plastics manufacturing......»»
Ancient DNA from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) refutes best-selling population collapse theory
Rapa Nui or Te Pito o Te Henua (the navel of the world), also known as Easter Island, is one of the most isolated inhabited places in the world. Located in the Pacific, it lies over 1,900 km east of the closest inhabited Polynesian island and 3,700 k.....»»
Archaeologists discover an ancient Neanderthal lineage that remained isolated for over 50,000 years
A fossilized Neanderthal discovered in a cave system in the Rhône Valley, France, represents an ancient and previously undescribed lineage that diverged from other currently known Neanderthals around 100,000 years ago and remained genetically isolat.....»»
AI-based technique speeds up the analysis of fossils
Queensland Museum and James Cook University scientists are using AI to unlock the mysteries of our fossil past. The scientists have developed an AI-based technique that has sped up the analysis of fossils, taking a months-long process to just days. T.....»»
The Polaris Dawn crew is in space. Now what?
Four non-professional astronauts are now orbiting Earth inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship. Here's what'll happen next ........»»
Polaris Dawn takes to the skies, setting the stage for a daring private spacewalk
Weather had confounded the launch attempt for nearly two weeks. Enlarge / A Crew Dragon spacecraft separates from the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday morning. (credit: SpaceX) A Falcon 9 rocket streaked into.....»»