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Rachel Feltman

Rachel Feltman

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Images of Jyvaskylavirus. The virus particle is about twice the size of influenza or coronavirus. Credit: University of Jyväskylä
Biology

Finland finds its first giant virus

Jyvaskylavirus is double the size of influenza and coronavirus, but poses no known threat.

A photomosaic taken by the Curiosity Rover on April 30, 2023 at the Ubajara drill site in Gale Crater, Mars. Rock powder samples drilled here contained substantial amounts of siderite (an iron carbonate mineral). The siderite played a role in ancient carbon cycling processes that impacted conditions at the planet’s surface. Rover tracks in the foreground are 40 cm wide. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Mars

Curiosity rover finds key ingredient for past life on Mars

‘Habitability is a very fragile thing.’

Neurons and their branch extensions known as dendrites are featured within a mouse’s cerebral cortex.
Biology

Scientists watch how mice learn, one synapse at a time

We’re finally beginning to understand how the brain changes as it picks up a new task.

Red tinged spiral galaxy made with infrared wavelengths
Deep Space

The universe isn’t just expanding—it may be spinning

But at 500 billion years per rotation, don’t expect to feel dizzy.

Two young gorillas, habituated to human presence, scratch the soil in search of truffles
Wildlife

A group of gorillas have a surprising knack for hunting truffles, researchers find

Traditional knowledge and daily observations in Congo reveal the goal of their ‘soil scratching.’

Overhead view of water flushing through a white color toilet bowl
Environment

The fix for parched western states: Recycled toilet water

If it’s perfectly safe to drink purified wastewater, why aren’t drought-plagued states drinking more of it?

This is an artist’s impression of the exoplanet 2M1510 (AB) b’s unusual orbit around its host stars, a pair of brown dwarfs. The newly discovered planet has a polar orbit, which is perpendicular to the plane in which the two stars are travelling. Polar planets around single stars had been found before, as well as polar discs of gas and dust capable of forming planets around binary stars. But thanks to ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) this is the first time we have strong evidence that such a planet actually exists in a polar orbit around two stars. The two brown dwarfs appear as a single source in the sky, but astronomers know there are two of them because they periodically eclipse each other. Using the UVES spectrograph on the VLT they measured their orbital speed, and noticed that their orbits change over time. After carefully ruling out other explanations, they concluded that the gravitational tug of a planet in a polar orbit was the only way to explain the motion of the brown dwarfs.
Space Telescope

Exoplanet with two ‘suns’ is even more unique than Tatooine

Like something from ‘Star Wars,’ 2M1510 is in a rare perpendicular orbit around a pair of brown dwarfs.

An illustration of what the aurora might have looked like during a polar reversal about 41,000 years ago. The green glow of an aurora is much further south than we see it today.
Sun

Sunscreen may have kept ancient humans alive during a polar reversal

When solar radiation increased, these techniques may have helped our species spread across Europe and Asia.

Skelleftea, Sweden A moose warning sign on a country road in summer.
Wildlife

It’s time to tune in to the Great Moose Migration livestream

The annual Swedish public television livestream kicked off a week earlier than expected.

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Popular Science has been demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872. We explain the inner workings of the phone in your pocket, explore world-changing innovations, and examine everything from the marvels of deep space to the secret lives of staples like bread. We deliver an engaging, approachable, and inclusive look at emerging technologies and scientific advances.
Daily, PopSci unpacks the science behind the top current new stories, dissects the latest technology and digital trends, and helps readers live smarter, safer, and happier through clever DIY projects.

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