The waters surrounding Spain aren’t particularly recognized for being home to great white sharks. With that in mind, you’d be hard-pressed to s

In a 2021 study published in PNAS, an international team of researchers suggest that cave paintings found in Cueva de Ardales, Spain were made by Neanderth

It is the job of a shepherd to keep herds of sheep in check and prevent them from meandering where they don’t belong. Unfortunately for a shepherd in

What can lava tubes on Earth teach us about finding life on Mars? This is a recent study published in Communications Earth & Environment hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated how molecular biomarkers found in volcanic lava caves on Earth could teach us about ancient subsurface Earth environments which could serve as analogs for how life could have formed and evolved on Mars. This study holds the potential to help researchers expand the locations of finding life in unlikely environments, both on Earth and other worlds, as well. For the study, the researchers examined mineral deposits in six lava tubes spread across Lanzarote, which is part of the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco but managed by Spain. Using sophisticated methods to analyze the deposits for signs of molecular biomarkers, the researchers identified signs that bacteria was active in the lava caves long ago due to calcium and sodium sulfates their instruments found. The researchers postulate that the reason these bacteria are preserved was due to the cooling lava acting as a shield against weathering that would otherwise erode the preservations away. Image of organic-rich sulfate deposits inside a lava cave on the island of Lanzarote, Spain. (Credit: Bogdan Onac) “This study adds to our understanding of geological and environmental changes on Earth and highlights lava tubes as potential refuges for microbial life, holding significant implications for astrobiology, particularly in identifying biosignatures on Mars and other celestial bodies,” said Dr. Bogdan Onac, who is a professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of South Florida and a co-author on the study. Lava tubes have become an increasingly crucial topic of discussion within the scientific community regarding how future astronauts could live on Mars due to the increased shielding from cosmic and solar radiation that constantly bombards the Red Planet’s surface. Now, this study postulates how these lava tubes could be catacombs for past life on the Red Planet and could help determine if life ever existed on Mars, and if it exists there today. What new discoveries will researchers make in Earth lava caves that could teach us about finding life beyond Earth in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science! As always, keep doing science & keep looking up! Sources: Communications Earth & Environment, EurekAlert!, Wikipedia

A European Bison was reportedly found poisoned and decapitated in the Valdeserrillas Reserve in Valencia, Spain on Friday. Other animals across the reserve

Mosquito and tick bites can spread several different diseases, and the ranges of these insects are shifting as the climate changes. One tick-borne disease

What can lava tubes on Earth teach us about finding life on Mars? This is a recent study published in Communications Earth & Environment hopes to addre

According to a new study, combining the drugs hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) was shown to reduce cardiovascular complications and over

A collaboration between researchers throughout Europe has found a correlation between antibiotic-resistant genes in wastewater and antibiotic consumption b

In a recent study published in Applied Optics, an international team of researchers led by the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom have dev

In a recent study published in the Journal of Human Evolution, an international team of researchers led by Binghamton University examine an almost 150-

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have some good news for winemakers and wine lovers. Delicate wine grapes are highly susceptible t

Researchers from the University of Malaga in Spain recently come across a shark embryo with two heads, something that is relatively rare in nature for the

People from all over the world have different accents. A lot of the time, people have a different accent because they are used to speaking a fore

A strategic sharing of resources is a common feature of many different kinds of communities, even throughout the animal kingdom. Scientists have now found

New research has indicated that humans used whale bones to create tools as many as 20,000 years ago. These findings have provided new insights into the cul

How prepared is the global workplace for artificial intelligence (AI) to advance in both the near and distant future? This is what a recent study published

The spread of COVID-19 has panned out very differently in different countries. While in some such as the US, the UK and Italy, it has hit hard, in othe

When you think about exoplanet research, NASA’s now-retired Kepler Space Telescope comes to mind. Kepler did a lot of the heavy lifting concerning ex

Researchers from the University of Grenada in Spain have found that smoking cannabis impairs several aspects of vision including contrast sensitivi

Have you ever heard of biocrusts? No, it’s not a new kind of pizza crust. Biocrusts refer to a group of tiny desert organisms (like mosses, lichens,

At six light-years away from Earth, Barnard’s Star holds the title of the second-closest stellar neighbor to our solar system. Astronomers have long

Because Mars is a big area of interest right now, especially with NASA and SpaceX wanting to send people to the red planet within the next couple of decade

Scientists have long understood the correlation between volcanic eruptions that trigger landslides. But recent research from a study of one of the largest

Knowing more than one language has been associated with lifelong advantages including the enhancement of communication skills to boosting professional

THC-rich cannabis is well known to bring relief for some chronic pain sufferers. But the downside, off putting for many users and a barrier to more wid

A USC-led research team discovered the unique role that a light-capturing marine microbe plays in regulating Earth’s climate. The team consisted of s

NASA and private space infrastructure developer, Axiom Space, recently announced the approval for Axiom-4, which will be the fourth private astronaut missi