A new analysis of samples from the asteroid Bennu, NASA’s first asteroid sample captured in space and delivered to Earth, reveals that evaporated water left a briny broth where salts and minerals allowed the elemental ingredients of life to intermingle and create more complex structures. The discovery suggests that extraterrestrial brines provided a crucial setting for the development of organic compounds.

Researchers develop a novel methodology called Roughness-CANUPO-Dip-Facet (R-C-D-F), which leverages machine learning to perform geological assessments of rock faces. R-C-D-F accurately measures dip angles and directions of rock facets by identifying important features called joint embedment points. This fully autonomous approach will help enhance precision and safety in large construction projects, such as tunnels and mines, reducing human error and improving efficiency in geological data processing.

A research team from the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the Department of Mechanical Science, Saitama University, has developed a unified model to scale the transitional pressure development in a one-dimensional flow.  This achievement provides a better understanding of how pressure fields build up in the confined fluid system for various acceleration situations, which might be applicable to the biomechanics-related impact problem, such as human brain injuries caused by physical contact.

The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory highlighted the rapid growth of space-based R&D in its annual report, released today by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®). Over the past fiscal year, the ISS National Lab sponsored more than 100 payloads delivered to the orbiting laboratory—the second-highest annual total to date. Also this year, ISS National Lab-related results were published in 51 peer-reviewed articles—the most ever in a year—underscoring the vital role of the ISS National Lab in advancing scientific discovery and innovation.

How fast the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide — and with it, the temperature — goes up matters for the ability of humans and ecosystems to adjust. A slower increase gives humans time to move away from low-lying coasts and animals time to move to new habitats. It turns out the rate of that increase matters for non-living systems, too. Camille Hankel, a postdoctoral researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies, discusses her recent paper on Atlantic Ocean circulation.

An international team of researchers, led by scientists from Tel Aviv University, has discovered that the pathogen responsible for the mass deaths of sea urchins along the Red Sea coast is the same one responsible for mass mortality events among sea urchins off the coast of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. This finding raises fears that the pathogen – a waterborne ciliate - could spread further, to the Pacific Ocean.

Weather, climate and hydrometeorology forecasts require accurate surface-atmosphere coupled modeling, but arbitrary reference heights have been used in computing surface turbulent fluxes. A team of atmospheric scientists have found optimal coupling heights for improved surface-atmosphere modeling.