Science

Tiny ornithopod fossil may reshape dinosaur family tree

Fossils uncovered in Spain could lead to new clues about how dinosaurs evolved, according to a study published on Sunday in the science journal Papers in Paleontology. Fidel Torcida Fernandez-Baldor from the Dinosaur Museum of Salas de los Infantes in northern Spain discovered the fossils, which together represent at least five individual dinosaurs.

Artemis II Launch Pushed Back at Least a Month

NASA has delayed the launch of its Artemis II lunar fly-by mission by at least a month. Testing of the rocket and capsule, shown here on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sunday, revealed a number of issues.

Catch the Geminids Meteor Shower Peak Tonight

This photo taken late Dec. 14, 2018, with a long time exposure shows a meteor streaking through the night sky over Myanmar during the Geminids meteor shower seen from Wundwin township near Mandalay city.

Ancient plants used heat to attract nocturnal pollinators

Beetles (Rhopalotria furfuracea) visit a male cone of the cycad plant Zamia furfuracea, whose cones produce heat during pollination. Michael Calonje hide caption toggle caption Michael Calonje Some of the earliest plants attracted pollinators by producing heat that made these plants glow with infrared light, according to a new set of experiments.

Perseverance Records Tiny Lightning Sparks on Mars

On Earth, lightning can occur in turbulent clouds of volcanic ash. Now researchers have found evidence of sparks in Martian dust devils. NASA/JPL/Caltech/University of Arizona hide caption toggle caption NASA/JPL/Caltech/University of Arizona Mini-lightning strikes created by whirling dust devils on Mars have been detected accidentally by the microphone on board the Perseverance rover.

James Watson, Co-Discoverer of DNA Double Helix, Dies at 97

James Watson, one of three scientists credited with discovering DNA's double-helix structure, has died at the age of 97. He died in hospice care on Long Island in New York. The Chicago-born researcher received the 1962 Nobel Prize alongside Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins.