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What role can the relationship between oxygen (O2) and ozone (O3) in exoplanet atmospheres have on detecting biosignatures? This is what a recent study submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated novel methods for identifying and analyzing Earth-like atmospheres. This study has the potential to help scientists develop new methods for identifying exoplanet biosignatures, and potentially life as we know it.

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists Solve the Mystery of Why Similar Asteroids Look Different Colours

Universe Today - Mon, 09/08/2025 - 7:24am

When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned from its mission to asteroid Bennu in 2023, it brought back more than just ancient space rocks, it delivered answers to puzzles that have baffled astronomers for years. Among the most intriguing questions was why asteroids that should look identical through telescopes appear strikingly different colours from Earth.

Categories: Astronomy

What Technosignatures Would Interstellar Objects Have?

Universe Today - Mon, 09/08/2025 - 7:24am

The recent discovery of the third known interstellar object (ISO), 3I/ATLAS, has brought about another round of debate on whether these objects could potentially be technological in origin. Everything from random YouTube channels to tenured Harvard professors have thoughts about whether ISOs might actually be spaceships, but the general consensus of the scientific community is that they aren’t. Overturning that consensus would require a lot of “extraordinary evidence”, and a new paper led by James Davenport at the DiRAC Institute at the University of Washington lays out some of the ways that astronomers could collect that evidence for either the current ISO or any new ones we might find.

Categories: Astronomy

Viruses in the Gut Protect Us and Change with Age and Diet

Scientific American.com - Mon, 09/08/2025 - 6:45am

A new review study examines the “gut virome”: the microbiome’s mysterious viral population

Categories: Astronomy

NASA’s InSight Lander Reveals Mars’s Lumpy Mantle in New Seismic Study

Scientific American.com - Mon, 09/08/2025 - 6:00am

A common nasal spray shows promise in reducing COVID risk, but vaccine access remains tangled in policy in the U.S.

Categories: Astronomy

Quantum router could speed up quantum computers

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Mon, 09/08/2025 - 5:45am

A device made from superconducting qubits could prove a powerful technology for enabling practical quantum computing or more experimental propositions like quantum machine learning

Categories: Astronomy

Quantum router could speed up quantum computers

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Mon, 09/08/2025 - 5:45am

A device made from superconducting qubits could prove a powerful technology for enabling practical quantum computing or more experimental propositions like quantum machine learning

Categories: Astronomy

Jeni Morrison Continues a Family Legacy of Service at NASA

NASA - Breaking News - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 6:32pm

A child of the Space Shuttle Program, Jeni Morrison grew up walking the grounds of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with her parents and listening to family stories about human spaceflight.

Now, with more than 15 years at NASA, Morrison serves as one of Johnson’s Environmental Programs managers. She ensures the center complies with laws that protect its resources by overseeing regulatory compliance for cultural and natural resources, stormwater and drinking water programs, and the National Environmental Policy Act. She also safeguards Johnson’s historic legacy as Johnson’s Cultural Resources manager.

Jeni Morrison in the mall area at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where employees often see local wildlife, including turtles, birds, deer, and the occasional alligator.

“I make sure our actions comply with the National Historic Preservation act, since the center is considered a historic district with two National Historic Landmarks onsite,” Morrison said. “I make sure we respect and document Johnson’s heritage while paving the way for new efforts and mission objectives.”

Morrison takes pride in finding solutions that increase efficiency while protecting resources. One example was a project with Johnson’s Geographic Information System team to create an interactive material and chemical spill plan map. The new system helps responders quickly trace spill paths above and underground to deploy resources faster, reducing cleanup costs and minimizing environmental impacts.

“Every improvement we make not only saves time and resources, but strengthens our ability to support NASA’s mission,” she said.

By the very nature of our work, NASA makes history all the time. That history is important for all people, both to remember the sacrifices and accomplishments of so many, but also to ensure we don’t repeat mistakes as we strive for even bolder achievements.

Jeni Morrison

Environmental Program Manager

Jeni Morrison presents an overview of environmental compliance and center initiatives to employees at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2014. NASA/Lauren Harnett

For Morrison, success often comes down to teamwork. She has learned to adapt her style to colleagues’ needs to strengthen collaboration.

“By making the effort to accommodate others’ communication styles and learn from different perspectives, we create better, more efficient work,” she said. “Thankfully, so many people here at NASA are willing to teach and to share their experiences.”

Her message to the Artemis Generation is simple: Always keep learning!

“You never know when a side conversation could give you an answer to a problem you are facing down the line,” she said. “You must be willing to ask questions and learn something new to find those connections.”

Jeni Morrison (second from right) with the Biobased Coolant Project Team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2018. The team tested biobased metalworking coolants and identified a product that outperformed petroleum-based options, meeting flight hardware specifications while reducing waste disposal costs and labor hours. Even as a young child visiting NASA Johnson, I could feel the sense of adventure, accomplishment, and the drive to reach new heights of human capability. I realize that those experiences gave me a fascination with learning and an inherent need to find ways to do things better.

jENI mORRISON

Environmental Program Manager

Her passion for learning and discovery connects to a family tradition at NASA. Her grandfather contributed to multiple Apollo missions, including helping solve the oxygen tank malfunction on Apollo 13. Her mother worked at the center transcribing astronaut recordings and writing proposals, and her father flew experiments aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station. Morrison’s sister and extended family also worked at Johnson.

Now her son is growing up on the center grounds while attending the JSC Child Care Center. “As the fourth generation to be at Johnson, he is already talking about how he loves science and can’t wait to do his own experiments,” she said.

For Morrison, carrying that family legacy forward through environmental stewardship is a privilege. “Being able to contribute to NASA’s mission through environmental compliance feels like the best of both worlds for me,” Morrison said. “It combines my love of science and NASA with my drive to find more efficient ways to operate while protecting this incredible site and everything it represents.”

Explore More 4 min read Mark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft Article 1 month ago 6 min read She Speaks for the Samples: Meet Dr. Juliane Gross, Artemis Campaign Sample Curation Lead Article 5 months ago 5 min read Johnson’s Jason Foster Recognized for New Technology Reporting Record Article 3 months ago

Categories: NASA

Jeni Morrison Continues a Family Legacy of Service at NASA

NASA News - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 6:32pm

A child of the Space Shuttle Program, Jeni Morrison grew up walking the grounds of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with her parents and listening to family stories about human spaceflight.

Now, with more than 15 years at NASA, Morrison serves as one of Johnson’s Environmental Programs managers. She ensures the center complies with laws that protect its resources by overseeing regulatory compliance for cultural and natural resources, stormwater and drinking water programs, and the National Environmental Policy Act. She also safeguards Johnson’s historic legacy as Johnson’s Cultural Resources manager.

Jeni Morrison in the mall area at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where employees often see local wildlife, including turtles, birds, deer, and the occasional alligator.

“I make sure our actions comply with the National Historic Preservation act, since the center is considered a historic district with two National Historic Landmarks onsite,” Morrison said. “I make sure we respect and document Johnson’s heritage while paving the way for new efforts and mission objectives.”

Morrison takes pride in finding solutions that increase efficiency while protecting resources. One example was a project with Johnson’s Geographic Information System team to create an interactive material and chemical spill plan map. The new system helps responders quickly trace spill paths above and underground to deploy resources faster, reducing cleanup costs and minimizing environmental impacts.

“Every improvement we make not only saves time and resources, but strengthens our ability to support NASA’s mission,” she said.

By the very nature of our work, NASA makes history all the time. That history is important for all people, both to remember the sacrifices and accomplishments of so many, but also to ensure we don’t repeat mistakes as we strive for even bolder achievements.

Jeni Morrison

Environmental Program Manager

Jeni Morrison presents an overview of environmental compliance and center initiatives to employees at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2014. NASA/Lauren Harnett

For Morrison, success often comes down to teamwork. She has learned to adapt her style to colleagues’ needs to strengthen collaboration.

“By making the effort to accommodate others’ communication styles and learn from different perspectives, we create better, more efficient work,” she said. “Thankfully, so many people here at NASA are willing to teach and to share their experiences.”

Her message to the Artemis Generation is simple: Always keep learning!

“You never know when a side conversation could give you an answer to a problem you are facing down the line,” she said. “You must be willing to ask questions and learn something new to find those connections.”

Jeni Morrison (second from right) with the Biobased Coolant Project Team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2018. The team tested biobased metalworking coolants and identified a product that outperformed petroleum-based options, meeting flight hardware specifications while reducing waste disposal costs and labor hours. Even as a young child visiting NASA Johnson, I could feel the sense of adventure, accomplishment, and the drive to reach new heights of human capability. I realize that those experiences gave me a fascination with learning and an inherent need to find ways to do things better.

jENI mORRISON

Environmental Program Manager

Her passion for learning and discovery connects to a family tradition at NASA. Her grandfather contributed to multiple Apollo missions, including helping solve the oxygen tank malfunction on Apollo 13. Her mother worked at the center transcribing astronaut recordings and writing proposals, and her father flew experiments aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station. Morrison’s sister and extended family also worked at Johnson.

Now her son is growing up on the center grounds while attending the JSC Child Care Center. “As the fourth generation to be at Johnson, he is already talking about how he loves science and can’t wait to do his own experiments,” she said.

For Morrison, carrying that family legacy forward through environmental stewardship is a privilege. “Being able to contribute to NASA’s mission through environmental compliance feels like the best of both worlds for me,” Morrison said. “It combines my love of science and NASA with my drive to find more efficient ways to operate while protecting this incredible site and everything it represents.”

Explore More 4 min read Mark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft Article 1 month ago 6 min read She Speaks for the Samples: Meet Dr. Juliane Gross, Artemis Campaign Sample Curation Lead Article 5 months ago 5 min read Johnson’s Jason Foster Recognized for New Technology Reporting Record Article 3 months ago

Categories: NASA

3I/ATLAS's Coma Is Largely Carbon Dioxide

Universe Today - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 2:26pm

All (or at least most) astronomical eyes are on 3I/ATLAS, our most recent interstellar visitor that was discovered in early July. Given its relatively short observational window in our solar system, and especially its impending perihelion in October, a lot of observational power has been directed towards it. That includes the most powerful space telescope of them all - and a recent paper pre-printed on arXiv describes what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered in the comet’s coma. It wasn’t like any other it had seen before.

Categories: Astronomy

BLOOD MOON TONIGHT! Total Lunar Eclipse September 7, 2025 + 5 Amazing Moon Features You Can See!

Amazing Space | Space Videos - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 12:01pm

Categories: Astronomy

<p><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod

APOD - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 12:00pm

Its surface is the most densely cratered in the Solar System -- but what's inside?

Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Survey Results Show People Prefer More Human Involvement in AI-driven Art

Scientific American.com - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 7:00am

We surveyed people in the U.S. about artificial-intelligence-generated art. Their answers told us a lot about how we value human creativity

Categories: Astronomy

Ant Queens Birth Hybrid Offspring Using Another Species' Sperm

Scientific American.com - Sun, 09/07/2025 - 6:30am

Ant queens of one species are sexual parasites that clone ants of another species to create hybrid workers that do their bidding

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists Crack the Code of the Galaxy's Most Mysterious Steam Worlds

Universe Today - Sat, 09/06/2025 - 3:27pm

Imagine worlds where water exists in forms so exotic that they defy our everyday understanding of matter, where the familiar liquid we drink every day transforms into something that behaves like neither gas nor liquid. These aren't science fiction fantasies, but real planets that represent some of the most common worlds in our Galaxy, and scientists at UC Santa Cruz have just developed new models to understand them.

Categories: Astronomy

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from California (video)

Space.com - Sat, 09/06/2025 - 2:32pm

Liftoff occurred at 2:06 p.m. EDT on Saturday (Sept. 6).

Categories: Astronomy

<p><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod

APOD - Sat, 09/06/2025 - 8:00am

What created this unusual planetary nebula?

Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Scientists Sequence Bacterial DNA from Germs in Mammoth Teeth

Scientific American.com - Sat, 09/06/2025 - 7:00am

Genetic-sequencing techniques have identified microorganisms that lived in the mouths of ancient mammoths

Categories: Astronomy

Frozen in Time

Widely Attended Gatherings (WAGs) Determinations

Scientists Release the Latest Gravitational-wave Detections

Photochemistry and Climate Modeling of Earth-like Exoplanets

Scientists Solve the Mystery of Why Similar Asteroids Look Different Colours

What Technosignatures Would Interstellar Objects Have?

Viruses in the Gut Protect Us and Change with Age and Diet

NASA’s InSight Lander Reveals Mars’s Lumpy Mantle in New Seismic Study

Quantum router could speed up quantum computers

Quantum router could speed up quantum computers

Jeni Morrison Continues a Family Legacy of Service at NASA

Jeni Morrison Continues a Family Legacy of Service at NASA

3I/ATLAS's Coma Is Largely Carbon Dioxide

BLOOD MOON TONIGHT! Total Lunar Eclipse September 7, 2025 + 5 Amazing Moon Features You Can See!

<p><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod

Survey Results Show People Prefer More Human Involvement in AI-driven Art

Ant Queens Birth Hybrid Offspring Using Another Species' Sperm

Scientists Crack the Code of the Galaxy's Most Mysterious Steam Worlds

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from California (video)

<p><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod

Scientists Sequence Bacterial DNA from Germs in Mammoth Teeth

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