Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Witness the sunset from the Moon - our final gift from #BlueGhost Mission 1! We’re honored to share these breathtaking views of the lunar horizon glow with the world as our mission concludes. The @NASA team is excited to analyze these images further and share more of the… pic.twitter.com/sltowc2ePO
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) March 18, 2025
Credit: X/@Firefly_Space)
NASA has released the first ever high-definition photographs of a sunset on the moon to mark the completion of the Blue Ghost lunar lander's maiden mission to our rocky satellite. "These are the first high-definition images taken of the sun going down and then going into darkness at the horizon," said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration at NASA. The two images, taken to the west and with Earth and Venus also visible, show the spread of the glow along moon’s horizon as the sun appears about halfway set. As well as capturing stunning photos, the lander collected extensive data on how space weather and other cosmic forces may impact our planet.
Satellite images taken more than three decades apart show the disappearance of Iceland's Okjökull, the first glacier to be officially declared dead as a result of human-caused climate change. Okjökull was a dome-shaped glacier situated around the summit crater on Ok (pronounced Auk), a 3,940-foot-tall (1,200 meters) shield volcano located 44 miles (71 kilometers) northwest of Reykjavík. The glacier was declared dead in 2014, when Icelandic glaciologists revealed that the ice had become so thin that it was no longer being slowly pulled down the mountain by gravity, meaning it had stopped moving for the first time in tens of thousands of years, according to a 2024 paper summarizing Okjökull's demise
For the first time, scientists have witnessed the very moment DNA begins to unravel, revealing a necessary molecular event for DNA to be the molecule that codes all life. A new study from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), published in Nature, captures the moment DNA begins to unwind, allowing for all the events that follow in DNA replication. This direct observation sheds light on the fundamental mechanisms that allow cells to faithfully duplicate their genetic material, a cornerstone for growth and reproduction. The achievement is not only a milestone in helicase research, but also a milestone in observing the dynamics of any enzyme at atomic resolution.
A team at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) led by Dr. Andrés Hidalgo has discovered a specialized population of neutrophils in the skin that produce extracellular matrix, helping to maintain the skin's resistance and integrity. Neutrophils are an important type of circulating immune cell. The specialized neutrophils described in the new study populate the skin, where they produce collagen and other matrix proteins that strengthen the skin barrier. The discovery broadens understanding of the immune system and may lead to new strategies for treating skin diseases, inflammation, diabetes, and age-related conditions.
