First Flight of NASA’s New Space Launch System Will Carry 13 CubeSats
NASA says the planned 2018 inaugural flight of its new and powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), will test the performance of the SLS and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system before it can be used to send humans into space. This initial flight, called Exploration Mission-1 or EM-1, will also carry 13 CubeSats […]
Oxygen Found in Comet’s Atmosphere; Making Robots Walk Like Humans
Scientists Find Oxygen in Comet’s Atmosphere A couple of days ago we told you about the discovery of a boozy comet that dispensed large amounts of alcohol, sugar and other organic compounds as it made its pass by the sun last January. Now, researchers from the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University […]
Pancreatic Cancer Test; Bonobos Talk Like Babies; Yeast Cleans Toxic Waste
Simple Urine Test for Pancreatic Cancer Possible Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that high levels of three specific proteins in urine can indicate early-stage pancreatic cancer. They say that their discovery could lead to an inexpensive and noninvasive test to screen people who are at high risk of developing the disease, which is […]
Science Images of the Week
GROVER Robot Provides New tool for Exploring Greenland
NASA‘s newest rover could help scientists better understand changes in the massive Greenland ice sheet. Last summer, higher-than-normal temperatures caused surface melting across about 97 percent of the ice sheet. Scientists expect the robot to detect the layer of the sheet, which is buried beneath two miles of ice, that formed after last year’s extreme […]
NIH Urged to Retire Lab Chimps
An advisory group has called on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to retire most of the nearly 700 chimps it owns or supports. NIH’s Council of Councils also recommended the medical research agency drastically cut back on the various medical studies involving the use of chimpanzees, while making certain those chimps that are still being studied are kept in […]