Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF
NASA pushed back its Artemis I launch by nearly a month the week of September 1–7, as scientists completed a ground-breaking planetary model and found the world’s oldest mammal.
Scientists completed the first complete 3D model of a binary star and orbiting planet, after discovering such a system 20 light-years from Earth. An estimated 50 percent of all star systems are binary, and this finding could help scientists understand how their planets form.
NASA announced that it’s closing the remaining Artemis I launch windows in early September after scrubbing its September 3 launch attempt. Further plans have yet to be announced, but the earliest window available now opens September 19.
Scientists identified a 225-million-year-old mammal called Brasilodon quadrangularis from fossil dental records. That makes the shrew-like critter the oldest known mammal, predating the previous earliest genus, Morganucodon, by 20 million years.
Researchers found birds can find some refuge from climate change in old-growth forests and managed forests with old-growth microclimates. The cooler microclimates and plant diversity of these forests allow prey insects to thrive for more of the year. The finding could inform future forest conservation decisions.
Researchers determined lactate, a byproduct created in the body by strenuous activity, may help T cells fight cancer. Increasing lactate improved anti-cancer vaccines and the effect of injected T cells in mice, which could be a viable supplement to cancer treatment in humans.
By studying how ants walk, researchers found the same mathematics that explain slithering and swimming also applies to walking. This could help researchers develop better walking robots and inform our understanding of how animals transition from water to land.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured an incredible image of the Tarantula Nebula. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the striking nebula hosts thousands of young stars and lets astronomers study a chemical makeup from when the universe was 3 billion years old.
Researchers discovered “a completely different form of photosynthesis” that helps underground and deep-sea bacteria thrive. These bacteria create photosensitive nanowires to cast off electrons as if they were breathing, and light exposure makes them grow faster. The finding could help advance bacteria-based renewable energy.