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Exploring Beyond Earth: From Lunar Rovers to Ancient Parasites
Humanity has always had a desire to explore and venture beyond the limits of our planet. This week has shown significant progress in that direction, with the AX-2 mission that sent four travelers including Peggy Whitson, a former astronaut, and stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi Arabian woman to travel to space, to the International Space Station. Virgin Galactic also sent its supersonic plane to the edge of space for the first time since 2021, with two pilots and four crew members aboard the test flight. Engineers are constructing a robotic rover called VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), about the size of a golf cart, which will be deployed to collect samples and analyze the surface of the moon in 2024. VIPER’s findings are expected to be helpful in sustaining human life on the moon by enabling astronauts to extract drinking water from the lunar surface. Archaeologists have also recently discovered new information from ancient latrines in Jerusalem, which has helped reveal the health challenges faced by Iron Age people 2,500 years ago. While thousands of miles away in Southeast Asia, nearly 400 new species have been discovered, including an orchid that resembles a “Muppet Show” character and a color-changing agama lizard that is already under threat of extinction due to human activity. Finally, a recent fossil discovery has unveiled a prehistoric predator, the saber-toothed Inostrancevia, which survived the massive volcanic eruptions and subsequent climate changes that led to the worst mass extinction on Earth over 250 million years ago.
Sections:
1. Space updates: AX-2 mission and Virgin Galactic’s supersonic plane test flight
2. Lunar Exploration: VIPER, the robotic rover
3. Ancient Diseases: Jerusalemic latrines reveal Giardia duodenalis
4. Biodiversity under threat: new species in Southeast Asia
5. Fossil Discoveries: saber-toothed Inostrancevia, a prehistoric predator
Conclusion:
The week has brought significant updates in space exploration and discoveries ranging from ancient diseases to prehistoric predators. These findings are helping us understand the past and shape the future, enabling us to take the next steps to explore the great unknown.
FAQs:
1. What is VIPER, and what is its mission?
VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is a golf cart-sized robotic rover designed by engineers to collect and analyze lunar surface samples, search for ice, and map how much ice exists beneath the moon’s surface. Its mission is to help sustain human life on the moon by enabling astronauts to extract drinking water and other resources from the lunar surface.
2. What is Giardia duodenalis, and how has it revealed health challenges faced by Iron Age people?
Giardia duodenalis is a disease-causing parasite that causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and weight loss. International archaeologists recently found traces of it in Jerusalemic latrines beneath two ancient stone toilets installed in elite households. Hence, revealing the health challenges faced by Iron Age people 2,500 years ago, whose growing population led to the spread of harmful germs.
3. What is unique about the saber-toothed Inostrancevia fossil discovery?
The saber-toothed Inostrancevia was a prehistoric predator, approximately the size of a tiger, that looked reptilian and had the skin of a rhino or elephant. It made an unbelievable trek to survive rapidly changing environments over 250 million years ago, living through massive volcanic eruptions that caused climate change leading to one of the worst mass extinctions in Earth’s history.
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