China’s moon-mining mission
China landed a spacecraft on the moon last week on a mission to collect lunar rocks and soil. The unmanned Chang’e 5 is the third Chinese probe to touch down on the lunar surface since 2013, reports The Washington Post. If the mission is successful, China will become only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples. The U.S. brought 842 pounds of moon rocks and dust back to Earth between 1969 and 1972, while the Soviet Union collected 6 ounces in 1976. China’s space agency hopes the drill and scoop on Chang’e 5’s lander vehicle will collect about 4.5 pounds. The samples, which scientists will analyze when they land on Earth in mid-December, could help answer questions about the moon’s history, such as how long it remained volcanically active and when its magnetic field dissipated. Thomas Zurbuchen, head of science at NASA, congratulated his Chinese counterparts, describing the mission as “no easy task” and expressing hope that “everyone will benefit from being able to study this precious cargo.”
that the virus actually arrived in America at least a month earlier. The researchers examined 7,389 blood samples collected by the Red Cross in nine states from Dec. 13, 2019, to Jan. 17, 2020. They found antibodies for the coronavirus—which are produced by the body to fight off infection and are seen as a relatively sure sign of exposure—in 106 of those samples. Thirty-nine were collected Dec. 13–16, in California, Oregon, and Washington state, and 67 were collected Dec. 30–Jan. 17, in states in the Midwest and Northeast. Despite these findings, researchers say widespread community transmission probably did not occur in the U.S. until late February, reports NPR.org. But they note that the findings “highlight the value of blood donations as a source for conducting [Covid-19] surveillance studies.”
can regenerate its tail as well—but only when it’s young. While smaller lizards can self-amputate their still-twitching tails to distract predators, alligators typically lose their tails while fighting with fellow gators over territory. When that happens, researchers at Arizona State University have discovered, juvenile gators can regrow their tails—which are crucial for swimming—up to 9 inches, or up to 18 percent of their total body length. These regrown tails have a central cartilage skeleton, surrounded by connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. But unlike in lizards, the new appendages have no skeletal muscles. The study team says its findings could have implications for nonreptilian folk. “We know that humans—who are incapable of regenerating—have the same cells and pathways being used to regenerate in these other animals,” co-author Jeanne Wilson-Rawls tells CNN.com. “If this very large, long-limbed animal has this ability, can we take advantage of this to help people who have lost limbs, or burn victims who need skin regeneration?”