This week India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander seems to be detecting movement from beneath the Moon’s surface, a few simple hacks could improve the Wi-Fi connection in your home, and an “Earth-sized planet” may be hiding in the solar system. Finally, we investigate why Neil Armstrong’s Moon poop is so important.
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Bamboo Is About To Flower For The First Time In 120 Years. It Could Be A Disaster
There is a type of bamboo known as henon, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, which only flowers once every 120 years. With a gap of over a century between flowering, botanists don't get much chance to study how they regenerate. Researchers now believe that the next flowering event could be a disaster for both bamboo production and the environment. Read the full story here
India's Moon Lander Detects Movement Underneath The Surface
A few weeks ago, the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover successfully touched down on the lunar surface, making India the fourth nation on Earth to land successfully on the Moon, and the first to land near the south pole. Equipped with an Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity, the lander has been monitoring movements below the Moon’s surface, and it seems to have detected something. Read the full story here
Linguists Speak Of A New Language Dialect Evolving In The US
A distinct new dialect has been emerging in certain pockets of Miami in recent times as a result of cultural intermingling between Spanish and English speakers. The new parlance is a Spanish-influenced dialect of English being spoken in Southern Florida, a lingo-infusion born out of decades of immigration from Spanish-speaking countries. Read the full story here
Keeping Your Router Away From These Seven Objects Can Improve Your Wi-Fi
Tricks to improve Wi-Fi signal can range from the sensible to the deranged (yes, aluminum hats do work – no, a Faraday cage won’t help). However, did you know that sometimes the problem can be not the router itself, but the objects you’ve placed it close to? Read the full story here
There Might Be An "Earth-Sized Planet" Hiding In The Solar System
There may be an undiscovered Earth-like planet lurking within the solar system, according to a team of astronomers looking at the movement of objects in the Kuiper Belt. The planet would be around 1.5-3 times the mass of the Earth and on an inclined orbit of around 30 degrees. The team suggests where to look next for evidence of the planet's existence. Read the full story here
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Feature of the week:
Who Exactly Owns Neil Armstrong's Moon Poop? And Why Is It So Important We Get It Back?
On the way up to the Moon, Apollo astronauts collected their urine in tanks, while anyone who needed to poop had to strap a bag over their anus to do so. These 96 bags of poop were deposited on the Moon’s surface, and now, astrobiologists are desperate to get them back and have a peek inside. Read the full story here
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