Chirping Black Holes, Clear Wood, Aquatic Mice and More Mysterious News Briefly — October 9, 2020

Mysterious News Briefly -- October 9, 2020

A river may not run through it, but NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has founds veins of carbonate on the surface of Bennu, the small near-Earth asteroid it is orbiting, which are strong indications that Bennu or the larger asteroid it broke off of had surface rivers of water. Bottled water sellers are probably already calling Elon Musk with offers.

China announced 18 more taikonauts (astronauts) ready to travel to Tiangong-3, the country’s upcoming space station, bringing the total to 39. Where are they doing simulations for all of these taikonauts – in a subway car?

Astronomers have discovered that black holes make chirping sounds when they merge. Yet another reason why your dog cocks its head for no apparent reason.

A new study of astronauts found that their hearts age faster in space due to the lack of gravity. This sounds bad for NASA recruiting but a great theme for a country-western-outer-space song.

Biomedical engineers at Tufts University have developed a new gene-editing tool that can target specific cells in specific areas of the brain. Before you ask, they haven’t yet found how to identify the cells that contain memories of your ex-spouse.

A new research paper touts the creation of an advanced transparent wood material from balsa trees that it claims outperforms glass in thermal efficiency. The trees themselves aren’t clear, which is good news for shy bears with an urge.

Scientists from the New Mexico Consortium and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a new computer algorithm which improves the quality of the 3D molecular structure maps generated with cryo-electron microscopes used in gene editing. If Google ever gets hold of this, look for Google Maps to tell you if you need to have a doctor look at that mole.

Biologists have identified a new species of rare aquatic mice with long kangaroo-like feet that allow them to wade in shallow water and use their whiskers to find food. Look for them in Ethiopia, the Congo Basin, parts of western Africa and probably places where there are no catfish.

The CEO of space startup Rocket Lab says space is becoming so crowded that it’s difficult to find safe times and area for launching rockets. Rocket Lab has found enough space to launch 55 satellites of its own, which you can see photographs of by googling “irony.”

In studies on cadavers of people who died of COVID-19, researchers from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf found half showed signs of the coronavirus in their brains. Dr. Frankenstein, NOW will you wear a mask?