127 articles from FRIDAY 7.10.2022

The U.S. and Russia Signal Continued Cooperation—In Space, At Least

A lot of people overlooked the 92-year-old man who attended the Wednesday, Oct. 5 launch of the latest crew to the International Space Station (ISS). He was there among the dignitaries, and, truth be told, he was easy to miss. His name is Tom Stafford, and he looks nothing like he did back in the days of the Gemini and Apollo programs, when he flew to space four times—on one occasion...

A Longstanding Mystery Involving Uranus’ Tilted Orbit Gets a New Explanation

Uranus is one of the least explored planets in the solar system, with just a single barnstorming visit by Voyager 2 in 1986. If ever there was a world that deserves more attention than that, however, Uranus is it, if only because it is such a cosmic odd-ball. Easily Uranus’ strangest feature is the fact that it orbits on its side, lying at a 98-degree angle, with its North and South poles...

Indonesia bans five foreign scientists, shelves conservation data

Even before Dutch conservation scientist Erik Meijaard submitted an opinion piece to The Jakarta Post last month, he was worried about how the Indonesian government would react. In the article, he and four other Western scientists challenged the government’s claims that orangutan populations in the country are thriving. Meijaard was aware that Indonesia is increasingly...

Challenge to government’s lateral flow test contracts rejected by high court

Health and social secretary’s decision to grant contracts to UK firm Abingdon Health was the subject of litigationA legal challenge to the government’s award of multimillion-pound contracts for lateral flow tests that later failed to gain regulatory approval has been rejected by the high court.The health and social secretary’s decision to grant three contracts to UK firm Abingdon Health was...

InSight Mars lander waits out dust storm

NASA's InSight mission, which is expected to end in the near future, saw a recent drop in power generated by its solar panels as a continent-size dust storm swirls over Mars' southern hemisphere. First observed on Sept. 21, 2022, by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), the storm is roughly 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers) from InSight and initially had little impact on the lander.

When making a detour is faster: Optimizing navigation for microswimmers

Whereas the shortest way between two points is a straight connection, it might not be the most efficient path to follow. Complex currents often affect the motion of microswimmers and make it difficult for them to reach their destination. At the same time, making use of these currents to navigate as fast as possible is a certain evolutionary advantage.

Age vs. genetics: Which is more important for determining how we age?

Our genetics, the environment and our age all play important roles in our health, but which of these is the most important? A new study suggests that in many cases, age plays a more important role than genetics in determining which genes in our bodies are turned on or off, influencing our susceptibility to disease.