This Week in Science: Is NASA About to Announce They Found Aliens?
Here's a quick rundown of this week in science . . .
1. Rumors swirled this week that the James Webb telescope had found ALIEN LIFE, and that NASA was getting ready to announce it. But it sounds like it was all way overblown.
There's a planet 120 light years from us called "K2-18 b" that COULD have life.
Last fall, we found evidence of dimethyl sulfide in its atmosphere. On Earth, it's a molecule only made by living things, especially microscopic plants in the ocean. So that's what the rumors were based on.
Experts have been pushing back on it. They say finding "potential biosignatures" is very different than finding full-on ALIENS. And no one who actually knows about this stuff has said an announcement is imminent.
2. In other space news: The doomed Paragrine moon lander that had issues after it launched this month finally fell back to Earth yesterday and burned up over the South Pacific. It's the one that had a bunch of random stuff on board, including several people's cremated ASHES.
3. In pet news: A study found small dogs might live longer than big dogs because they're less susceptible to certain diseases, like cancer. And an article made the rounds on how cats like to be pet a little harder than a lot of non-cat people think. Especially around their head and face.
4. Could the area you live in experience a "damaging earthquake" in the next 100 years? The U.S. Geological Survey released a map that shows what your chances are. They say 75% of the country is at risk.
5. In junk food news: A study at Washington State found the exact neurons in the brain that give potheads the munchies. They say it could lead to "refined therapeutics" to help give cancer patients more of an appetite.
6. And finally: A poll asked people which scientists have had the most positive impact on the world. Albert Einstein ranked first. Then it's Thomas Edison, who invented the first practical light bulb good enough for widespread use.
Originally posted on January 19th, 2024