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The Moon is hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from Earth, but humanity has played a significant role in shaping it for more than sixty years.
In fact, human discoveries have had such a significant impact on changing the lunar surface that some scientists argue that it is now time to declare a new geological epoch called the “Lunar Anthropocene.”
Experts say this era began when the former Soviet Union’s uncrewed spacecraft Luna 2 made a hard landing on the moon in September 1959, leaving a crater behind.
Hundreds of missions have followed since then, and each spacecraft has left its mark, whether it crash-landed or successfully landed for a soft landing.
Rovers, science experiments, golf balls and other signs of human exploration still lie on the lunar surface, and it’s just getting started as more space agencies and countries plan trips to the moon.
The Peregrine spacecraft burned up on Thursday when it reentered Earth’s atmosphere after a fuel leak prevented it from reaching the moon, but another spacecraft is on track for a lunar rendezvous.
month update
Japan’s “Lunar Sniper” robot explorer successfully touched down on the lunar surface on Friday, but almost immediately encountered a critical problem.
After performing a precision landing, the uncrewed Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, mission had to rely on limited battery power because the solar cell did not produce electricity.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency team said it believes the solar power issue was caused by the spacecraft facing the wrong direction.
But all hope may not be lost for the lander and its two rovers designed to study the origins of the moon. If Lunar Sniper can get some sunlight, the mission can continue.
Long time ago
Woolly mammoths roamed North America before going extinct about 4,000 years ago, and humans followed them.
Researchers have been able to trace long journeys by examining mammoth tusks, which, like time capsules, preserve information about the animals’ environment and diet.
A team led by scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks was able to track the movements of a female mammoth named Élmayųujey’eh, or Elma, by using a new, sensitive tool to examine the chemical signatures in the tooth. He lived 14,000 years ago.
When researchers compared Elma’s movements with maps of archaeological sites, it turned out that people established seasonal hunting camps in areas where mammoths congregated.
wild kingdom
Malaysian tigers are disappearing at an alarming rate, and it is estimated that only 150 tigers remain in the country’s ancient rainforests. Photographer Emmanuel Rondeau partnered with WWF-Malaysia to photograph the iconic but elusive big cat to help conservation efforts.
The effort was a massive undertaking, requiring a team of rangers, eight cameras, 300 pounds of equipment, months of patience and countless miles. In the process, an ant colony invaded one camera and an elephant destroyed another.
But Rondeau’s careful preparations paid off and he landed a “million-dollar opportunity.” “This image is the last image of the Malayan tiger or the first image of the return of the Malayan tiger,” he said.
Are you eager to see more fascinating photos? Check out some of the winning images from the 2023 Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition, including an oak peacock moth captured at a wedding and ants spewing acid into the air.
dig this
About 29 million years ago in Oregon, a grasshopper dug an underground nursery in a sandy embankment near a stream and laid about 50 eggs in a striking radial pattern.
Instead of hatching, the eggshell fossilized and is no longer A rare window into what life was like for ancient insects.
Typically, neither insects nor their delicate eggs are well preserved in the fossil record. It’s even more surprising that the grasshopper farm has survived ever since. According to researchers, it was found in an area where water once flowed.
Mitchell is the paleontology program manager and museum curator at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon. “There is nothing like this in the fossil record anywhere that we know of,” Nick Famoso said.
power of nature
Winter storms ravaged the United States this week, bringing snow and subzero temperatures to many areas; In some areas of Chicago, “frost earthquakes” occurred.
Frostquakes are loud, booming or booming sounds accompanied by small earthquake-like tremors that can occur when the ground freezes suddenly. cold weather.
Although the sounds made by freeze quakes can be alarming, they are not dangerous and do not knock framed photos off walls, according to Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford.
By observing areas where this phenomenon occurs this winter, scientists hope to unravel more mysteries about frost quakes and whether they are increasing.
discoveries
You don’t want to miss these intriguing new stories:
— A laser mapping technique has helped archaeologists uncover the oldest and largest network of ancient cities found in the Amazon rainforest.
— The process of bringing Retro, a cloned rhesus monkey, to life revealed some of the limitations of cloning, according to scientists.
— NASA and Lockheed Martin have unveiled the sleek X-59, a quiet, supersonic aircraft that could change the future of air travel.
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