Science

Indian scientists have discovered a new species of frog that is starry dwarf in appearance representing an entirely new genus and species and potentially even a new family, while surveying frogs and reptiles at a height of 1,300 meters in India's Western Ghats.The tiny new frog species was found in tropical forests has been one of a kind for millions of years, said Palaniswamy Vijayakumar who was among the first to spot the new species one night in 2010. It was discovered at a high-elevation massif in the Wayanad Plateau of the southern Western Ghats in Kerala.The frog, which looked like any other frog, did not stand out as a different species, initially with its brown back, orange belly and starlike spots, which acted as camouflage against the dark hues and water droplets on the forest floor. It measured just 2 to 2.9 centimeters long that it "can sit on your thumb," said Vijayakumar, a biogeographer at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.Named generally as the starry … [Read more...] about Ancient Gondwana era frog found in India; Scientists stunned to find it 76 mln-yr-old species

Janelle Wellons, Instrument Operations Engineer at the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has revealed that humans should consider colonizing Saturn's moon Titan if earth becomes inhabitable. In a recent post made on Reddit, Wellons cited many reasons that make Titan a possible alternative for the earth. As per Wellons, Titan's thick atmosphere is capable enough to protect the humans from space radiations. "It has a thick atmosphere that could help protect us from space radiation. It is so dense that we could actually attach wings to our arms and fly on this moon. I don't know, it just seems like an awesome place to live," wrote Wellons on Reddit, Futurism reports. Wellons made these comments on Reddit while answering questions asked by people. During the session, one Redditor asked NASA representatives where they would consider settling down if the earth becomes inhabitable. When audiences expected Mars or Moon as the answer, Wellons surprisingly answered 'Titan'. "How about we consider … [Read more...] about Humans should consider colonizing Saturn’s moon Titan, says NASA researcher

A recent study report published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology has revealed that astronauts are at a higher risk of developing herpes during space travel. As per the research report, dormant herpes viruses reactivate in more than half the astronauts who have travelled in space shuttle till International Space station (ISS). NASA believes that this phenomenon could cause serious problems during prolonged deep space missions. The research was carried out by Satish Mehta, a NASA researcher at the Johnson Space Center. In news release, researchers revealed that astronauts shed more herpes viruses in their urine and saliva during space travel, while experts believe that due to extreme stress during the space travel this phenomenon occurs. "During spaceflight, there is a rise in the secretion of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which are known to suppress the immune system. In keeping with this, we find that astronaut's immune cells - particularly those that normally … [Read more...] about Astronauts at risk of developing herpes during space travel

Despite news on the "strong" NASA funding, Donald Trump's administration may have a different agenda for its proposed budget because cuts are also underway and they could "destroy" the space agency's Earth Science missions. Trump is aiming for the Moon as per the fiscal year 2020 budget that has around $21 billion in funding for NASA. However, the "strong" budget that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine referred to in a previous statement may spell a different story. "This year's proposed FY2020 budget has now been announced, and it's as equally disastrous for science as last year's proposal, but this time it's more insidious," Ethan Siegel, a contributor for Forbes, wrote. He said that while there is an emphasis on space exploration and increased funding for the lunar gateway project, this also hides the fact that the funding is possible because several — and maybe many of the most crucial — science programs will be destroyed. Under the Trump administration's federal budget … [Read more...] about Donald Trump puts NASA’s missions at risk

NASA wants to send a helicopter to Mars for its 2020 mission.NASA's 2020 Mission will feature a helicopter that could not only land on the planet but could also take off and fly in its atmosphere. Given the atmospheric conditions on Mars, the aircraft will have features similar to a high-tech drone despite its "helicopter" label. NASA also needs to make sure that its Mars helicopter can navigate on its own.The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) project seeks to come up with a brain for the Mars helicopter. The program is developing an autopilot system that will help the aircraft navigate through obstacles.Unlike the traditional helicopter that comes with rotors rotating horizontally and vertically, the Mars helicopter will feature a co-axial design. It will have two similarly sized counter-rotating rotors put on top of each other. Each rotor will measure around four feet long. They can spin at 2,400 rotations per minute, making them ten times faster than any helicopter on … [Read more...] about NASA is building a helicopter that could fly in Mars’ atmosphere