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Using the high-angular resolution observations from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have determined the 3D shape, diameter and density of the asteroid (31) Euphrosyne and the diameter of its moon. This image, taken with the ZIMPOL instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the asteroid Euphrosyne and its moon S/2019 (31) 1 (right). Image credit: Yang et al, arXiv: 2007.08059. Euphrosyne,…

The southern highlands of Mars are dissected by hundreds of ancient valley networks (3.9-3.5 billion years old), which are evidence that water once sculpted the Martian surface. According to new research, these valley networks were carved by water melting beneath glacial ice, not by free-flowing rivers as previously thought. A view of Mars showing the planet’s northern polar ice cap. Image credit:…

A team of researchers from the UK and South Africa has discovered that most of the hulking sandstone boulders — called sarsens — that make up the famous Stonehenge monument appear to share a common origin 25 km (15.5 miles) away in West Woods on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, Wiltshire. Stonehenge. Image credit: Regina Wolfs. The origins of the stones used to build Stonehenge around…

A new genus and species of owl that lived 55 million years ago (Eocene epoch) has been identified from a partial skeleton found in Wyoming, the United States. The discovery is reported in a paper in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The 55-million-year-old skeleton of Primoptynx poliotauros. Image credit: Senckenberg Research Institute / Tränkner. Named Primoptynx poliotauros, the ancient…

An unusual bioactive disaccharide called trehalulose is a major component of stingless bee honeys from Malaysia, Australia and Brazil, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Queensland and the Universiti Putra Malaysia. Tetragonula carbonaria. Image credit: Tim Heard. Stingless bees (tribe Meliponini) are a large group of bees (about 500 species) found in most tropical…

Physicists from CERN’s LHCb Collaboration have discovered a new tetraquark particle, named X(6900), composed of two charm quarks and two charm antiquarks. X(6900), a tetraquark particle composed of two charm quarks and two charm antiquarks. Image credit: CERN. Quarks are point-like elementary particles that typically come in packages of two (mesons) or three (baryons), the most familiar of which…

A new systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies suggests that the consumption of chocolates at least once a week is associated with a reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease. Krittanawong et al found that chocolate consumption (>1 time per week or >3.5 times per month) is associated with a reduced risk of coronary artery disease. Image credit: Sci-News.com. Clinical trials…

A team of researchers from the Marine Biological Laboratory, Harvard University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland has demonstrated efficient gene knockout in the longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system. Crawford et al demonstrated that squid genes can be efficiently disrupted using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Image credit: Crawford et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.099. “This…

An international team of geologists has found the first direct evidence that volcanic eruptions in the southern part of the Siberian Traps region 252 million years ago burned large volumes of coal and vegetation. Elkins-Tanton et al demonstrate that the volume and composition of organic matter interacting with magmas in the Siberian Traps region may explain the global carbon isotope signal and may…

An unusual bioactive disaccharide called trehalulose is a major component of stingless bee honeys from Malaysia, Australia and Brazil, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Queensland and the Universiti Putra Malaysia. Tetragonula carbonaria. Image credit: Tim Heard. Stingless bees (tribe Meliponini) are a large group of bees (about 500 species) found in most tropical…