In our top science stories this week, SpaceX must deorbit 100 Starlink satellites due to a flaw; a person in Oregon caught the bubonic plague from their pet cat; and the Perseverance rover’s SHERLOC instrument is on the fritz. Oh, and a grotesque AI interpretation of rat genitalia somehow made it past peer review.
The Perseverance rover is at risk of losing its ability to zap Martian rocks with lasers after one of its instruments began malfunctioning. This could potentially interfere with the rover’s main objective on the Red Planet: searching for signs of ancient microbial life. - Passant Rabie Read More
This week, the scientific journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology published research featuring bogus imagery made with Midjourney, one of the most popular AI image generators. - Isaac Schultz Read More
An unspecified defect in early model Starlink satellites has prompted SpaceX to preemptively deorbit the units before they potentially fail and become hazards in low Earth orbit. While the company remains confident that the deorbiting of these problematic units will prevent any issues, this incident underscores the challenges and uncertainties in navigating the realm of gigantic satellite networks. - George Dvorsky Read More
A rare case of plague has been found in Oregon. Local health officials reported a U.S. case of the bacterial menace earlier this month—the first seen within the state in nearly a decade. The victim has been hospitalized as a result, but appears to be responding well to treatment, officials say. - Ed Cara Read More
A bracelet and possible sword pommel found in a 3,000-year-old treasure hoard were forged from meteoritic iron, according to a team of researchers that recently studied the pieces. In other words, yes: some Bronze Age Iberian was rocking space jewelry and wielding a space weapon. - Isaac Schultz Read More
After opening up that stubborn sample canister, NASA was finally able to weigh the full amount of asteroid bits snagged by its spacecraft more than three years ago. As it turns out, there is plenty of space rock that made its way to Earth. - Passant Rabie Read More
The ability to remember the past—to learn from our mistakes—is perhaps one of humanity’s greatest survival advantages. But as crucial as memory is to our daily lives, it’s far from perfect. - Ed Cara Read More
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is so done with Delaware, packing up his business incorporations from the mid-Atlantic state after a judge came for his paycheck. - Passant Rabie Read More
The dinner plate of the future might include some beefy rice. No, not beef and rice. Beef rice. In a new study, researchers in Korea say they’ve created rice infused with muscle and fat cells from cows. The hybrid grain purportedly contains more protein and fat than typical rice, and the team argues that it should be cheaper and more environmentally friendly to produce than beef and rice combined. - Ed Cara Read More