WASP-189b has atmospheric layers, just like Earth. (Which all planets probably do).
But it's a hot Jupiter and the layers of its atmosphere are metals. It even seems to have an ozone layer made of titanium oxide.
(Sadly, the full paper is paywalled so I can't really give more). Again, though, it's likely all atmospheres do this, this one just transits so nicely we were able to see it.
First of all, my story "Face of Our Fear," about the consequences of recreating/cloning a Neanderthal, was published by Land Beyond The World Magazine on January 24. This is my first publication of the year! (Note that this is an older story so isn't 100% accurate on, shall we say Neanderthal science, but...the point remains).
Second, I have signed a contract with Dark Void Magazine to publish "Only the Rain" in their very first issue. It's always fun to be in on the ground floor of a magazine. Issue 1 will be published in April. This is an entire magazine that takes issue with that one guy's tweet about how horror can't be set in space (although "Only the Rain" is set on a planet that is not Earth). So, it's science fiction horror wonderfulness. My favorite horror movie of all time is still Alien, just saying.
...they might be known as "coyotes."
A gene that controls body size has been found in every single species of canid. This gene is one of the factors we've bred for to create your terrier. Or toy poodle. Or chihuahua.
But in a lesser form, it distinguishes between large canines (wolves) and smaller ones such as coyotes, jackals and African hunting dogs.
So a coyote is a toy wolf. Or at least a miniature one.
Arf!
So, we write a lot in science fiction about space colonization. Some authors address the issues, some don't.
Human reproduction.
In space.
In The Expanse it's not good to try and give birth in microgravity. Basically, your core doesn't develop enough strength and you can't push the baby out. Unfortunately, the authors, both male, forgot the obvious solution to this problem. I mean, they had a character "shred her abdomen" giving birth on a perfectly developed station.
C-sections exist, gentlemen.
To find out how mammalian reproduction is affected by space we're probably going to have to breed a lot more mice. Do embryos need gravity to develop?
And how does the stress of space travel affect menstruation and sperm counts. I'd imagine that female astronauts take the pill consistently to suppress menstruation because it would be such a pain. Who's going to volunteer to stay up there for a few months or a year without that? I'm sure they'll find somebody...
And will sex in space be fun? That matters too...
Seems like some of the people involved in Stargate have a new project...and they sneaked it up on us. It's already been ordered to series (twelve episodes) by SYFY.
It's called "The Ark" and correct me if I'm wrong, but it may be the first TV show set on a colony ship. And it sounds like it's a hopeful response-to-disaster series.
Casting has yet to be announced, but it will be starting production in Serbia in March. (This implies that we may see planetfall at some point, people like to use that part of Eastern Europe for exotic environments right now).
I want this bad. Watching this space for sure.
The James Webb Space Telescope is now on station in its halo orbit around L2. It feels like we launched it five minutes ago!
It's location is the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, L2. It isn't sitting in L2, but will be orbiting around it with a six month period.
Now there's a bunch of tweaking, but this summer, WE GET SCIENCE! I am so stoked!
Somehow I missed this back in 2015 when it actually happened, but yes, an astronaut did indeed wear a gorilla suit. The suit was vacuum packed and hidden in a care package from his brother. He didn't tell anyone, put it on, and nearly gave his fellow astronauts a heart attack.
The Russian cosmonauts apparently found it hilarious.
I still prefer the Starfleet uniform stunt, though.
No, we haven't found ruins of an ancient civilization. Instead, archaeologists are doing a study of the lives of astronauts on the ISS.
Studying modern people gives important insights into the heart of archaeology, which is the relationship between culture and technology. Sounds a bit like science fiction, right.
I wish this had come out before the panel at WorldCon.
The point of this specific study is to look at how people adapt behavior to environment...and to understand the social and cultural dimensions of how astronauts interact and work.
I want to read this paper...
Well, stickier. Yutu-2, the Chinese rover, has clods of soil sticking to its wheels. The significant geological (lunological?) differences between the moon's faces is down to the temperature difference...but they weren't expecting sticky soil.
Something to think about if you are writing your moon novel...
...longer than we thought. Better dating has demonstrated that Homo sapiens fossils found in Ethiopia could be 230,000 years old...30,000 years older than previously thought. We know this because we've dated some of the eruptions and the ash layer above them...
And that, of course, is just Homo sapiens. And for so much of that history we were wild animals.
Makes one wonder if the reason we haven't encountered aliens is because none of our neighbors have got past the hunter gatherer stage.
And maybe they're somewhat better off.
Perseverance keeps finding purple splotches on rocks in Jezero Crater.
The interesting thing about this is:
1. It hasn't been found anywhere else.
2. It resembles coatings called "varnishes" which are, on Earth, generated by microbes. The chemical constituency, though, is different. So far we've found that it contains certain iron oxides, magnesium, and hydrogen.
Could this be life on Mars? It's actually feasible, although we've had many false alarms. It's not just feasible for ancient, fossil life either (although scientists think that more likely). Perseverance is still studying it...but there's just that twinge of hope.
Icefish live in the Antarctic and we don't know a lot about them...but we just found out that 60 million...yes, million of them congregate to breed in the Weddell Sea.
They're the only vertebrate with no red blood cells. Instead, they dissolve oxygen directly in their plasma...which only works because cold water has lots of oxygen and they are ambush predators who don't move around much. And it may have something to do with the low iron content of their environment.
Let's not send tardigrades to Proxima Centauri to study how life handles interstellar distances. They're indestructible! They'll contaminate everything!
Juuuust saying.
Starseed theory is a theory, not an instruction manual.
Stop thinking "Shire" or "Warmblood." Archaeological and historical records show that the typical Medieval charger was about fourteen hands...a large pony. Probably more like a small Quarter Horse or Morgan.
Much easier to get on!
Betelgeuse may be holding off for now, but scientists in Hawai'i have finally observed a red supergiant in its death throes. The star went supernova last fall (minus however many light years it was away). Kaboom. We now know what a red supergiant looks like right before the final bang.
It nay seem frivolous, but it's also cool. Tianwen-1 released a camera which took this cute selfie of the spacecraft.
NASA, you need to up your selfie game.Although, does Tianwen1 have its own Twitter?
Some people just have an outsized impact on everything they touch. With Betty White, really you can just make a list.
123 acting credits between 1945 and 2019. Yes, she was working at 97, albeit on small projects. This doesn't include being on TV in...1939.
Game show host and celebrity panelist. One of her Emmys was for hosting Just Men! This was the first game show Emmy won by a woman.
Animal advocate, including sponsoring a therapy horse who "happened" to be a palomino mare. There's apparently a plaque outside the gorilla house at the LA Zoo.
She did theatre and radio.
She was the first producer to hire a Black performer in American variety television, tap dancer Arthur Duncan.
Only woman to win an Emmy in all comedic categories.
She wrote several books...two of which were turned into audiobooks. Naturally, she narrated them herself...so well she picked up a Grammy.
But most important of all? Everyone loved her.
