This week, as NASA announces massive changes to its Artemis program, including delaying the first crewed Moon landing since the Apollo program in 1972, we get perspectives from NASA officials and space experts on what this could mean for the future of space travel. Elsewhere, scientists report a new quantum teleportation breakthrough that may have significant implications for advancing quantum communication technology. And finally, researchers recently exposed notoriously resilient microscopic animals called tardigrades to simulated Martian soil, they did something that now has scientists talking.
Meanwhile, here’s a look at all the stories we’re currently covering at The Debrief:
- Source of Scandinavian Bronze Age Metals Traced to Mysterious Source Thousands of Miles Away
Six previously unknown Bronze Age mines discovered in Spain may be the missing piece in explaining ancient Scandinavian metalwork. - ‘Adaptive’ Robotic Wing Senses and Reacts to Wind Changes More Rapidly Than a Barn Owl
Scientists have revealed an adaptive robotic wing equipped with artificial nerves so sensitive to air currents that it outperformed a barn owl. - Jurassic ‘Sword Dragon’ Fossil Narrows Timing of Ichthyosaur Evolution
The specimen, named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, also known as the “Sword Dragon of Dorset,” was found near Golden Cap in Dorset in 2001 by fossil collector Chris Moore. - A Mandatory Safety Feature in Millions of Cars Can Be Used to Track Where You Drive
Researchers in Europe have revealed a potential surveillance system that is mandatory in all cars in the US built in the last 20 years. - Genetic Study Rewrites the Story of Human and Neanderthal Interbreeding, Pointing to Social Interaction, Not Just Survival
Genetic research indicates that Neanderthal and Homor Sapiens interbreeding was socially driven to an unexpected degree. - 4,200-Year-Old Climate Crisis Forced the Abandonment of China’s Largest Neolithic City
An ancient climate event 4,200 years ago produced disruptions leading to the decline of major societies, offering warnings for the future. - Lightning on Mars: NASA’s MAVEN Orbiter Reveals a Strange Phenomenon on the Red Planet
Researchers have identified powerful Martian electrical discharges, similar to lightning, and strong enough to be observed from orbit. - Mysterious Greek Inscription Found in a Syrian Mosque Reopens Debate Over Roman “Temple of the Sun”
A mysterious inscription within the Great Mosque of Homs in Syria is raising new questions over the location of the Roman Temple of the Sun. - 60,000-Year-Old “Highly Unusual” Etchings Could Point to Humanity’s Earliest Use of Geometric Design
Evidence of early human use of geometric concepts in prehistoric art has surfaced in Africa, pointing to complex patterns in ancient etchings on ostrich eggshells. - This Tiny Dinosaur Fossil Could Offer a Missing Link That Explains the Spread of an Unusual Class of Dinosaurs
A tiny dinosaur species may be the missing link in the bird-like dinosaurs Alvarezsaurs, after the discovery of the first complete fossil. - Our Brain’s “Fear Center” May Guide Complex Learning Decisions, New Research Reveals
The brain’s primitive “fear center” may be much more than that, according to new research on the amygdala. - Concert Goers Getting the Blues: A Theater’s Color Affects the Listener Experience
Virtual concert attendees reported significant affects to their music listening experience based on the venue’s color and lighting. - Scientists Want to Measure “Pure-Awareness”—But They May Be Studying the Wrong Thing, New Paper Warns
New research warns scientists may be mistaking attention and calm for pure-awareness in the race to map consciousness itself.