SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY
Astronomy: Lunar Water, the Origin of Life, Sailing on Light
There is more water on the moon than many scientists suspected, according to a report last week from NASA on results from a mission in October that sent a probe crashing into a crater near the moon's south pole.
In other space news, astronomers said last week that a low abundance of lithium in the atmosphere of stars could be a chemical marker indicating which ones are most likely to host planets.
And the Vatican held a five-day conference that brought together astronomers, physicists, biologists and other scientists to discuss the origin of life and its possible existence elsewhere in the universe.
The New York Times reported on a project to deploy a spacecraft that will "sail" on light, much as the ships of early explorers were powered by the wind.
And, finally, astronomers reported that a remote star explosion witnessed in 2002 might be the first proof of a new class of supernova. The explosion occurred 160 million light-years from Earth.
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