This afternoon, NASA expects its Perseverance spacecraft to land on Mars. Landing safely will be an incredible challenge. But if it goes well, the mission could tell us about possible life on Mars, and test out several new inventions.
Published in “Science”
Much of the United States is locked in the grip of an unusually large and extremely cold winter storm. The storm has brought bad weather, super-cold temperatures, power cuts, and transportation problems. About half of all Americans are affected.
Two spacecraft from Earth reached Mars this week - one from the United Arab Emirates, and the other from China. The missions, which launched last July, take on big, new challenges for their countries. A US spacecraft should arrive on February 18.
Scientists have discovered a tiny chameleon from Madagascar that may be the world's smallest reptile. The chameleon is small enough to easily sit on a fingertip. Only two have ever been spotted - one male and one female.
All around the world, there are strong signs that the days of fossil fuels like oil and coal may be coming to an end, as the world shifts to power sources that are easier on the environment.
In today's news roundup, Captain Tom, who inspired Britain, has passed away at the age of 100, a company called bluShift has launched a rocket powered by biofuel, and a woman is caught trying to sneak cactuses into New Zealand - by wearing them.
Scientists at MIT have managed to change ordinary spinach plants into natural sensors which can detect chemicals used in bombs. Using a cheap and small computer system, the spinach can even trigger a warning email.
It's been over a year since Covid-19 began spreading around the world. Since then, amazing progress has been made on getting the virus under control. But tackling the coronavirus quickly is still important, since the virus is also changing.
Scientists in Hungary have learned that though most dogs have trouble learning new words, some talented dogs can learn new words without really being taught. They just have to hear the word four times.
Australia's parliament is considering a bill that would force the search website Google to pay for showing links to Australian news websites. Google says if the bill isn't changed, the search company will stop working in Australia.
In today's news roundup, scientists discover the world's oldest cave painting in Indonesia, Italian police find a 500-year-old painting hidden in an apartment closet, and an original cover drawing for a Tintin comic book sells for $3.2 million.