Alpha, beta, theta: what are brain states and brain waves? And can we control them? 
Orbital resonance − the striking gravitational dance done by planets with aligning orbits 
The brightest object in the universe is a black hole that eats a star a day 
The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook 
Customizing mRNA is easy, and that's what makes it the next frontier for personalized medicine − a molecular biologist explains 
Dark energy is one of the biggest puzzles in science and we're now a step closer to understanding it 
Why some people don't trust science – and how to change their minds 
Why is the universe ripping itself apart? A new study of exploding stars shows dark energy may be more complicated than we thought 
Eggs from men, sperm from women: how stem cell science may change how we reproduce 
Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born 
The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve 
Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains 
Six space missions to look forward to in 2024 
Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history 
Tatahouine: 'Star Wars meteorite' sheds light on the early Solar System 
Many of the world’s space agencies have turned their attention to Mars, being one of the destinations to reach in terms of space exploration. For what seems to be the very first time, scientists were able to see a green glow on the red planet, resembling that of an aurora.
Although auroras are known for being a phenomenon found on Earth, such occurrence has never been seen on the atmospheres of other planets. This would serve as a breakthrough as astronomers have been hoping to detect this aurora-like phenomenon over Mars for 40 years. The team of Dr. Manish Patel of The Open University was able to detect the green glow over Mars with the use of a NOMAD ultraviolet and visible spectrometer found in the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Spacecraft.
The spacecraft was able to detect the signal of oxygen excitation with a 557.7-nanometer wavelength. This was an indicator of the green glow, partnered with a weak ultraviolet oxygen emission at 297.2 nanometers.
According to Dr. Patel, “We didn’t design the instrument to make these measurements and it’s a fantastic example of unforeseen additional science you can get from this kind of mission. As a physicist, it is great to see UVIS resolving a long-standing debate between quantum mechanical calculations and remote observations.”
Previously, NASA’s Curiosity Rover made a breakthrough as it has detected organic compounds on the red planet’s terrain known as thiophenes. This organic compound can be found in coal, crude oil, and in the rare white truffles, and according to Professor Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University to suggest that the presence of thiophenes on Mars would coincide with early alien life.
Along with his colleague Dr. Jacob Heinz, Professor Schulze-Makuch looked into the possible reasons why thiophenes would be detected on the red planet. According to their research, thiophenes may have been a result of a biological process that took place on Martian soil. An asteroid collision from long ago is also another possible reason. However, they did not completely rule out chemical processes when trying to identify why thiophenes would be found on Mars.
