Science

Selfies From Space, Slush Waves, And Other Amazing Images Of The Week

Plus, a spider species nicknamed “Sparklemuffin”

By Lydia Ramsey

February 28, 2015

Researchers at the University of Iowa took this colorized infrared image of two mice--one treated with an injection to make its muscles more efficient--to show how much energy the mice burned. The injection site, circled, burned more calories, providing promising results for the weight loss treatment.Image courtesy of Leonid Zingman

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover snapped this selfie with the camera at the end of its robotic arm. The image, which combines several images to give a better view of the area, shows the “Mojave” drilling site.NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

In other Mars rover news, Curiosity drilled into the planet this week to collect a sample of the rock target “Telegraph Peak.” The site, which is slightly smaller than a dime, shows that the red planet isn’t all red--this soil sample is heavier in silicon than others collected by Curiosity.NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

This photo of a missile launched from a Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker gives a great view of the Russian fighter jet. The R-73 is a short-range missile that can "see" targets up to 40 degrees off its centerline, according to The Aviationist.yaplakal.com

Dazzling giant icicles hang from a cave in the Apostles Islands. If you live up in northern Wisconsin, you can visit the caves starting Saturday, because the ice on Lake Superior is now thick enough to walk to the caves.U.S. Department of the Interior via Twitter

NASA was all over selfies this week, as astronauts Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts went for a spacewalk.This one, of Wilmore, does what every great selfie should: It captures a stunning view with a little behind-the-scenes angle in the helmet’s reflection.NASA via Twitter

Two new species of peacock spiders were discovered in Australia. Nicknamed "Sparklemuffin" (pictured) and "Skeletorus," these spiders are the most recent in a batch of new species identified in recent years.Peacock Spider via Facebook

Greenpeace released this image to show just how bad the smog in Beijing is. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection reported only 8 of 74 surveyed cities hit their air quality targets even after China launched a campaign against air pollution.Greenpeace

Scientists at Peking University discovered this supermassive black hole, which is 12 billion times more massive than the Sun. This rendering of a bright quasar around a supermassive black hole shows how much energy the black hole creates.Zhaoyu Li (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory)

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