Science

Previously unknown saliva glands discovered deep inside the human head

A team of researchers has made a surprising new discovery, finding a pair of previously unknown salivary glands. Nestled deep in the back of the nasopharynx, the discovery may help prevent damaging side effects from head and neck cancer radiotherapy.

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Airbus to build spacecraft that will return first Mars samples to Earth

ESA has awarded Airbus a €491 million contract to design and build the Earth Return Orbiter, which will return the first samples collected from the Red Planet by NASA's Perseverance rover to Earth.

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Ant farm-like testing platform reveals brain cancer’s deadliest cells

Researchers have developed a new tool that could help form more effective brain cancer treatments, with an ability to classify the deadliest cells to help gauge how aggressive a patient’s disease might be.

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New tardigrade species fends off killer light with a fluorescent shield

The tardigrade is one of nature’s toughest creatures. Now scientists have discovered a new species that adds to an already impressive array of survival tools by employing a type of fluorescent shield to protect itself against lethal UV radiation.

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Climate change driving huge surge in natural disasters, UN finds

The frequency of natural disasters over the past two decades is almost double that of the 1980-1999 period, a new report from the UN has revealed, with extreme weather events driven by climate change accounting for a large portion of the uptick.

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Blue Origin launch sets record, tests NASA lunar landing gear on return

Private space company Blue Origin had a doubly successful outing with its New Shepard rocket today, reusing the same booster for a record seventh time and doing so with a particularly important payload onboard.

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Yale study uses brain imaging to predict childhood weight gain

A new imaging study has found a high density of cells in a certain brain region can effectively predict future weight gain in children. The research suggests an inflammatory response in the brain, triggered by poor diet, can influence future overeating.

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CRISPR gene-editing inventors awarded 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to the two scientists who discovered and refined the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool. This allows for relatively simple editing of genes and could revolutionize medicine, agriculture and other fields.

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Boeing’s CST Starliner mission swaps commanders

Boeing and NASA have announced that astronaut and mission commander Chris Ferguson is stepping down from the first crewed CST-100 Starliner space mission for family reasons. He will be replaced by veteran NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore.

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“New” mosasaur had a fish-grabbing snout like a crocodile

The mosasaur was likely one of the most ferocious prehistoric marine predators. A previously unknown species of the reptile has now been classified, and it sported a crocodile-like snout that may have allowed it to catch prey that others missed.

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