Mission Overview - NISAR Quick Facts - NASA Science (.gov)

Data from the Earth-orbiting U. S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite’s L-band radar was used to produce an image of Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja — a mountaintop in East Antarctica — poking out amid a stream of ice flowing northeast to the ocean. The obstruction causes stresses in the ice, heavily fracturing the surrounding surfaces with deep cracks, called crevasses, which show as sharp green lines in the image. Produced in August 2025, the image has been nicknamed “the hummingbird” by NISAR scientists. The colors show differences in the way polarized microwave signals, which vibrate in different directions, interact with and reflect from the ice. Over Antarctica, NISAR transmits radar waves toward Earth with a horizontal polarization. The orientation of the signals that return, either horizontal, vertical, or both, provide clues about the object or surface that reflected them.

Young chimpanzees enjoy some fruit. (Martin Harvey/The Image Bank RF/Getty Images) Humans and chimpanzees are remarkably similar, despite the major differences in how our societies have panned out. After about 5-6 million years of evolution from a common ancestor, only 1.2 percent of our DNA is different. A virus that infected chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) – but not humans – about 4 million years ago is partly responsible. This ancient retrovirus made a tiny tweak to chimp DNA that has led to some major differences in how our brains develop, according to a new study published in Science Advances today. "We wanted to understand how human and chimpanzee brains could have evolved differently when so many of their protein-making genes are similar," lead author Patricia Gerdes told ScienceAlert. Gerdes is a molecular neurogeneticist at Lund University in Sweden. "We knew that ancient viruses can leave DNA behind in the genome, and those remnants can affect nearby genes," she said. "PTERV1 (Pan troglodytes endogenous retrovirus-1) was a particularly interesting candidate because it is found in chimpanzees and other African apes but not in humans.

This incredible composite image of Orionid meteors was captured as Earth passed through the debris trail shed by Halley's Comet.

As It HappensScientists at Stanford University in California stumbled on a promising discovery when two coral fragments in the lab — one bleached and one healthy — tipped over in a tank and touched.'This could open a door to possible reef restoration,' says Stanford researcherSheena Goodyear · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2026 1:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 28 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Scientists at Stanford University in California found that when a bleached coral fragment makes contact with a healthy one, the dying fragment can make a full recovery. (Danny Collins)The best medicine for a dying coral may be the power of touch. Scientists at Stanford University in California stumbled on a promising discovery when two coral fragments in the lab — one bleached and one healthy — tipped over in a tank and touched.