Allison Gasparini

All Stories by Allison Gasparini

  1. Three images of a cyclone at the north pole of Uranus are seen in different wavelengths. The image on the left shows the cyclone in a white color, the middle cyclone a green color and the cyclone on the right is an orange color.
    Space

    A cyclone has been spotted swirling over Uranus’ north pole for the first time

    Voyager 2 hinted at a cyclone at Uranus’ south pole. Now Earth-based observations give the first direct evidence of a storm at the ice giant’s north pole.

  2. An image of dunes on Mars.
    Space

    Salty water may have flowed near Mars’ equator as recently as 400,000 years ago

    Crusts and cracks on Martian sand dunes are a sign salty water flowed near the equator thousands, not billions, of years ago — and may still exist.

  3. The young star cluster NGC 346, shown as wispy clouds of dust and gas amidst a brilliant starry landscape
    Space

    Rocky planets might have been able to form in the early universe

    The James Webb telescope spied planet-building material around young stars in a nearby galaxy whose chemical makeup matches that of the early cosmos.

  4. A photo take of the asteroid Ryugu. A light gray circular shape in the center on a deep black background.
    Space

    A crucial building block of life exists on the asteroid Ryugu

    A sample from Ryugu collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft contains uracil, a component of RNA, which is found in all living cells.

  5. An illustration of a rover exploring a lava tube with light streaming through the top
    Tech

    A trick inspired by Hansel and Gretel could help rovers explore other worlds

    Taking a cue from a classic fairy tale, scientists propose a way for rovers to send back data from treacherous terrain.

  6. A photo of clear liquid inside of a glass beaker sitting on a scale.
    Humans

    A new biomaterial heals heart attack damage in animals. Humans could be next

    If used right after a heart attack, this intravenously delivered biomaterial can preserve cardiac function. It could also treat traumatic brain injury.

  7. A photo of a woman drinking from a water bottle on the beach with the sun setting in the background
    Health & Medicine

    How much water should you drink a day? It depends on several factors.

    A study of more than 5,000 people in 23 countries finds that individual water need varies widely depending on physical and environmental factors.

  8. photo of a crowd of people in New York City
    Humans

    The world population has now reached 8 billion

    In a first, the global population surpassed this milestone on November 15, according to a projection from the United Nations.

  9. A photo of Cymatioa cooki resting on an underwater rock
    Animals

    A clam presumed extinct for 40,000 years has been found alive

    The reappearance of living Cymatioa cooki clams places it among a group of back-from-the-dead creatures dubbed the Lazarus taxa.

  10. An illustration of the ancient armored worm Wufengella, with knobby spikes on its top and clumps of bristles on its side
    Life

    This ancient worm might be an important evolutionary missing link

    A roughly 520-million-year-old fossil may be the common ancestor of a diverse collection of marine invertebrates.

  11. image of a campfire
    Humans

    Prehistoric people may have used light from fires to create dynamic art

    When brought near flickering flames, prehistoric stone engravings of animals seem to move, experiments with replicas and virtual reality show.

  12. illustration of AB Aurigae star
    Astronomy

    A newly discovered planet renews debate about how some giant worlds form

    An implosion of gas may have given birth to this young exoplanet, which orbits too far from its star to have been built up bit by bit, researchers say.