Surprising Science — April 29, 2010

Asteroid Ice

Two teams of researchers have confirmed that an asteroid circling the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter has water ice and organic compounds.

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Two teams of researchers have confirmed that an asteroid circling the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter has water ice and organic compounds—traits that had previously been associated with comets, but not asteroids. The findings suggest that early Earth may have gotten water for its oceans and prebiotic compounds that resulted in the development of life from asteroids.

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Comparison of a star's image, Vega, as taken by the Hubble Telescope (left, with starburst pattern) and the JWST (right, with clear circular halo).

Starts With A Bang

JWST compels us to ask: what’s wrong with Vega?

The 5th brightest star in our night sky is young, blue, and apparently devoid of massive planets. New JWST observations deepen the mystery.

Spacecraft with solar panels orbits Europa, Jupiter's icy moon, with Jupiter visible in the background.

Hard Science

How the Europa Clipper will set cameras on a distant icy moon

MIT Scientist Jason Soderblom describes how the NASA mission will study the geology and composition of the surface of Jupiter’s water-rich moon and assess its astrobiological potential.

Silhouette of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft with antennas poised against a colorful planetary surface, sparking dreams of alien life.

Starts With A Bang

How NASA’s Europa Clipper helps the hunt for alien life

Could life be widespread throughout the cosmos, in the subsurface oceans of ice-covered worlds? NASA’s Europa Clipper mission investigates.

Rocky, reddish Martian landscape with scattered boulders and a hazy sky.

Hard Science

Mars’ missing atmosphere could be hiding in plain sight

Caption:“At this time in Mars’ history, we think CO2 is everywhere, in every nook and cranny, and water percolating through the rocks is full of CO2 too,” Joshua Murray says.

Illustration of Mars with overlaid data graphs and lines, offering analytical representations that unravel the mysteries of dark matter.

Hard Science

A wobble from Mars could be sign of dark matter

Watching for changes in the Red Planet’s orbit over time could be new way to detect passing dark matter.

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Culture & Religion

Obama’s Census Check

Elizabeth Chang writes that Barack Obama shouldn’t have checked “African American” on his census form because he is biracial.