Meanwhile, Mars and Earth are now orbiting on the opposite sides of the sun, temporarily disrupting communications between NASA and its robotic explorers investigating the red planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until the solar conjunction ends on November 25, the fleet of orbiters and rovers have sizable to-do lists they can work through<\/a> before it\u2019s time to check in with ground control once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zero gravity, harsh radiation and vast distances are just some of the obstacles to space exploration that require years of technological development and research to overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And after months of rebuilding following an explosive initial launchin April, SpaceX made a second attempt at launching its deep-space rocket system Starship, but not all went according to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SpaceX’s megarocket Starship launched for a second test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on Saturday.Eric Gay\/AP<\/p>\n\n\n\n The uncrewed Starship spacecraft launchedaboard the most powerful rocket ever built<\/a> on Saturday morning, but both were lost shortly after liftoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Super Heavy rocket booster ignited its 33 massive engines and Starship experienced a safe liftoff. SpaceX tried \u201chot staging\u201d for the first time, essentially a step in which the spacecraft separated from the rocket booster by blunt force trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After hot staging, the rocket booster exploded in a fireball over the Gulf of Mexico. Starship initially continued on just fine before SpaceX lost the spacecraft\u2019s signal and triggered the system\u2019s software to terminate the flight so it didn\u2019t veer off course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starship was intended to fly nearly a lap around the planet before returning to Earth, but data from this second test flight will be used to determine SpaceX\u2019s next steps in making humanity \u201cmultiplanetary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pests such as head lice have existed as long as humans have \u2014 and analysis of their DNA is providing an unexpected window into the first people to live in the Americas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When modern humans ventured from Africa and began to settle around the globe, head lice hitched a ride with them. Two distinct populations of head lice emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But scientists recently discovered evidence of hybrid lice<\/a> that may represent a \u201csignal of contact between Europeans and Native Americans,\u201d said Marina Ascunce, a research molecular biologist at the US Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The puffadder shyshark, found only off the coast of South Africa, uses its tail to hide from predators.A. Mertens\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n\n\n\n The puffadder shyshark is just one of the many unique marine creatures that dwell only within the Great African Sea Forest off the coast of South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the diminutive shark\u2019s markings resemble a venomous South African snake, it is anything but confrontational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n True to its name, the shyshark wraps its tail over its eyes <\/a>and curves its bodies to protect itself from predators. But the tiny shark species is disappearing and listed as endangered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, conservationists are hoping that using artificial intelligence called Fin Spotter will protect the population before it reaches a critical tipping point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seismic activity in Iceland \u2014 home to 32 active volcanoes \u2014 suggests that an eruption may be imminent<\/a>, according to the nation\u2019s civil protection agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts are tracking a corridor of subterranean molten material now spanning 9 miles (15 kilometers) in the island\u2019s southwestern peninsula that could affect the coastal town of Grindav\u00edk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the country is no stranger to volcanic eruptions, there are concerns over the nature of the potential explosion, which could occur underwater or on land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Separately, the world\u2019s newest island<\/a>, formed by an undersea volcanic eruption, has appeared off the coast of Japan\u2019s Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An artist’s illustration depicts energetic flares releasing from a distant stellar corpse.ZTF\/Caltech<\/p>\n\n\n\n Astronomers have spotted a highly unusual stellar corpse that came back to life in violent throes that continued for months after it initially exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rare cosmic phenomenon, called a luminous fast blue optical transient, is brighter and fades more quickly than a typical supernova. But the subsequent flares released by the stellar remnant were just as powerful as the explosion that resulted in the star\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicknamed the \u201cTasmanian devil,\u201d the event reveals the afterlife of stars<\/a>, according to Anna Y.Q. Ho, assistant professor of astronomy in Cornell University\u2019s College of Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a closer look at these riveting reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Ancient hunter-gatherer communities<\/a> may have provided mothers with more childcare support than modern mothers have, according to a new study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to spy a surprising Milky Way-like galaxy<\/a> that formed shortly after the big bang, and it\u2019s changing the way they think about galactic evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 The colorful ornate boxfish is covered in striking hexagonal spots, and its intricate pattern inspired researchers to update the theory on how animals get their spots and stripes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDefying gravity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"SpaceX's](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/231118084728-05-spacex-starship-launch-11-18-2023.jpg?w=696&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA long time ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ocean secrets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/shutterstock-1491601553.jpg?w=696&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nForce of nature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Across the universe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/231115181753-01-rare-stellar-explosionv2.jpg?w=696&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExplorations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n