science

A new ichthyosaur species, Xiphodracon goldencapensis, was discovered on England’s Jurassic Coast. This nearly complete fossil, dating to the Early Jurassic, reveals a medium-sized marine reptile with a distinctive sword-like snout and evidence of past trauma. The find highlights the UK’s paleontological significance and the ongoing discoveries from this rich fossil site. Source link

Elon Musk has publicly criticized NASA’s chief, Sean Duffy, questioning his competence to lead the space agency. Musk’s remarks stem from NASA’s decision to open lunar lander contracts to multiple companies, not just SpaceX. Despite recent setbacks with its Starship program, Musk remains confident in SpaceX’s ability to lead moon missions. Source link

Feedback delights in a 2018 paper that takes care to warn us it reveals “nothing like super interesting”, and embarks on a quest to find more examples of disarming honesty Source link

In the run-up to this year’s COP in Brazil, Madeleine Cuff explores The Climate Diplomat, a poignant account by the late Peter Betts, a negotiator who showed what diplomacy can achieve Source link

Future Chronicles is our regular speculative look at inventions yet to come. In this latest installment, we journey to 2050, when technology had been developed so that criminals could be monitored at home. It led to a drop in crime, writes Rowan Hooper Source link

The White House Effect is a distressing look back at how President George H. W. Bush came to abandon his climate ambitions. It is essential viewing and a glimpse at a world that could have been, says Bethan Ackerley Source link

Classical swine fever reduces productivity and harms animal welfare, but pigs have now been genetically edited to make them completely resistant to the disease Source link

Astronomers have discovered a mysterious object, Companion Candidate 1 (CC1), in the WISPIT 2 system. This intriguing find, detected by the Very Large Telescope, could be a dense dust clump or a low-mass star shrouded in dust. Its presence challenges current understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve, potentially offering crucial insights into transitional […]

Tiny krill are vital to ocean life. New research shows how these shrimp-like creatures adapt their feeding. By changing how they move their limbs, krill can cope with less food. This adaptability is key for marine ecosystems facing climate change. Understanding krill helps scientists predict the future of ocean biodiversity. Source link

A Harvard scientist urges vacations before October 29. He believes NASA may hide data on interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. This object is large, fast, and emits unusual chemicals. Its behavior challenges science. Some think it might be artificial. NASA states it poses no threat and will pass safely. The scientific community is divided on its origin. […]