The week’s science news brings a mix of breakthroughs, strange developments, and long-awaited returns. From the depths of space to the undersea world, there’s plenty to digest.
Blue Origin Takes Flight: After delays caused by both Earthly weather and challenges in space, Blue Origin finally launched its New Glenn rocket on November 14th. The milestone saw the successful liftoff of NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft, twins designed to study Mars’ atmosphere and understand how it lost much of its protective gases over billions of years. This second launch for the powerful 321-foot-tall (98 meters) rocket is a major step for Blue Origin as they compete with SpaceX in the burgeoning space race.
More Than Just Trash: While we’re focused on space travel, there’s also growing interest in what already exists out there: space junk. One startup, TransAstra, has an ambitious plan to capture both asteroids and defunct satellites using large inflatable “CaptureBags.” The idea is to transform this debris into valuable resources – turning space trash into space treasure. This raises interesting questions about the future of space mining and the challenges of cleaning up our orbital neighborhoods.
Underwater Volcanoes: Patience Is a Virtue: Sometimes, even geological events need an extra push. Axial Seamount, a volcano off the coast of Oregon, might not erupt until mid-to-late 2026, pushing back the timeline scientists initially expected for December 2024. What’s causing this delay? The amount of ground inflation needed to trigger an eruption seems to increase with each subsequent event at Axial, suggesting that magma buildup and crustal compression play a complex role in its eruptions.
The Threat of Superstorms: Meanwhile, on our own planet, the Caribbean faces a growing threat from super hurricanes fueled by climate change. These storms are becoming stronger, forming faster, and causing more widespread destruction. The intensity of recent hurricane seasons has even prompted some scientists to propose adding a Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to accurately reflect their sheer power.
And From the Depths of History: Remember those beached whales that make for such melancholic news? Well, there’s always a darker historical side to these events. Fifty-five years ago this week, Oregon officials decided to dynamite a stranded sperm whale carcass on the Oregon Coast, resulting in an explosion of blood and blubber that left witnesses speechless.
The Future Is Now: AI Makes Its Mark: From space exploration to hurricanes, it seems like science is constantly shaping our future. But perhaps one of the most interesting developments this week lies in the realm of music. AI-generated songs are infiltrating mainstream charts, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity. With 97% of listeners reportedly unable to distinguish AI-created music from human compositions, it raises questions about the very nature of art and originality.
