SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY
Enceladus Contains 'Feedstock' for Life, Cassini Finds
Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus may be one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. Scientists reported last week that the Cassini spacecraft had found strong evidence for liquid water on the moon.
Scientists also reported last week the first direct evidence of lightning on Mars. It came in the form of electrical discharges during a Martian dust storm.
Farther from home, giant glowing blobs of hydrogen gas at the far reaches of the universe may yield clues to galaxy formation, researchers said. Evidence suggests that they are illuminated by radiation and heat from super-massive black holes at their center.
The highest-energy cosmic rays are thought to be primarily protons, but it was reported last week that the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina has identified an abundance of iron nuclei at some of the highest energies its cosmic ray detectors can record.
And, finally, the New York Times featured a report on the Vatican's observatory on Mount Graham in Arizona, where astronomers demonstrate through their work that science and Catholicism do not necessarily conflict.
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