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NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the asteroid Vesta in 2012, captured images of mysterious gullies on its surface, raising questions about their origins. The asteroid, known for its craters, also features channels that seem to contradict the harsh vacuum conditions of space. According to a study, researchers have proposed that brief liquid flows, possibly resulting from briny water, might explain these formations. Lab experiments have been conducted to simulate the conditions, shedding light on a process previously unconfirmed.

Simulating Vesta’s Environment

The study was published in the Planetary Science Journal. As per the official blog of NASA, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) used the Dirty Under-vacuum Simulation Testbed for Icy Environments (DUSTIE) to replicate conditions on Vesta following meteoroid impacts. These experiments revealed that while pure water freezes almost instantly in vacuum conditions, salty liquids remain fluid for longer periods. Lead author Michael J. Poston of the Southwest Research Institute noted in a statement that briny solutions could remain liquid for up to an hour, sufficient to create the observed gullies.

Brine Deposits as a Key Factor

The study explored the possibility that impacts on Vesta exposed subsurface brine, causing temporary flows before freezing. According to Jennifer Scully, planetary scientist at JPL, in a statement, impacts could trigger the release of liquid, which would remain active long enough to carve surface features. Speaking to reporters, Scully highlighted that frozen “lids” formed on brines stabilised the liquid beneath, enabling it to flow for extended periods.

Insights Beyond Vesta

The findings align with observations of other celestial bodies, such as Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa, where similar processes might occur. The research also builds on discoveries made during the Dawn mission, which indicated the presence of brines on Ceres, another body in the asteroid belt. While frozen brine on Vesta has yet to be confirmed, these experiments suggest new possibilities for understanding the geologic activity on airless worlds.

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New Dwarf Planet Discovery Challenges Planet Nine Hypothesis

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June 2, 2025

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New Dwarf Planet Discovery Challenges Planet Nine Hypothesis

Discovery of a new potential dwarf planet in the outer reaches of the solar system has posed the greatest challenge yet to the hypothesis that a ninth planet lurks far from the sun. This newly found trans-Neptunian object (TNO) named 2017 OF201 has incredibly elongated orbit (1,600 times that of the Earth’s orbit) that takes it more than 157 billion miles (244 billion kilometers) from the sun. According to researchers it is very rare to discover an object both large (estimated diameter of 435 miles) and with an exotic orbit.

The New Dwarf Planet

According to the pre-print of a paper describing the discovery, with an estimated diameter of 435 miles, 2017 OF201 is large enough to be considered a dwarf planet. It was detected with the help of the data from both DECaLS and the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. The closest point of its orbit to the sun (perihelion) is 44.5 astronomical units (AU)—comparable to Pluto—while its farthest point (aphelion) stretches over 1,600 AU. 2017 OF201 is too far away to be seen with current telescopes; it could only be discovered because its last perihelion came in 1930, and that it’s still relatively close.

Scattered Disk, a realm with icy bodies on highly elongated and inclined orbits is situated beyond the Kuiper belt of outer solar system. This discovery hints that many similar objects could exist in the Scattered Disk and beyond. It makes discovery of a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) on a greatly elongated orbit is vital for piecing together the mystery of the outer solar system.

Discarding Planet Nine

The discovery challenges the Planet Nine hypothesis, which suggests a massive, unseen planet is influencing the orbits of distant TNOs. While most extreme TNOs show a clustered pattern that supports this idea, 2017 OF201 does not—its orbit is unusually unclustered.

Although Planet Nine could allow for such deviations, its gravitational pull would render those orbits unstable over millions of years. This mismatch between theory and observation puts Planet Nine’s existence under scrutiny.

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Venus May Be Geologically Active: New Study Reveals Tectonic Processes Shaping Its Surface

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June 2, 2025

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Venus May Be Geologically Active: New Study Reveals Tectonic Processes Shaping Its Surface

A recent study, published in the Journal Science Advances on May 14, 2025, suggests that Venus, previously considered inactive, may be geologically active. This may be the result of tectonic plate activity. Further research shows that the mysterious circular landforms on Venus. These are called coronae and get their shape due to the rising plumes of hot rocks under the surface. This activity, similar to Earth’s tectonic plates, changes Venus’ behaviour as a dead planet. Further, it triggers the questions about its dynamic past and habitability in future.

Unravelling the Mystery of Coronae

The research published in the Journal Science Advances was led by Geal Cascioli, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The research team analysed NASA’s Magellan mission Data after it orbited Venus in the 1990s to know the coronae, which are circular and vast in geological structure.

In 1983, when Venus coronae was discovered, it puzzled the scientists because of its unique and circular shape. The recent research shows that the structures are formed by the hot material plumes originating from the mantle of Venus. Such plumes despised the crust, making circular ridges and valleys on its surface.

Gravity Data Unlocks Hidden Activity

With NASA’s Magellan data, researchers found plumes under 52 coronae. The observations, like a change in the gravity because of the underground difference in the density, confirm the predictions made by the simulations and give strong evidence that Venus is not inactive geologically.
Subduction Without Plates

Venus has no tectonic plates like Earth; however, the new findings indicate the possibility of subduction at the edges of coronae. Plumes from beneath push outward, causing the surrounding crust to bend and dive under the coronae. These zones could be at the place where Venus experiences strong seismic activity.

Looking Toward Future Missions

The research indicates that Venus is tectonically active at present. This signals that if Venus is active geologically now, it might have a habitable milieu, signalling the new possibilities in terms of future habitat potential and planetary evolution.

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Genetic Study Reveals Maya Civilization’s Collapse Was a Reorganization

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June 2, 2025

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Genetic Study Reveals Maya Civilization’s Collapse Was a Reorganization

A new study reshapes our perspective on the decline of of classic Maya civilization. Though archaeological records long suggested a dramatic population fall around 1,200 years ago, new genetic evidence confirms that the Maya people never truly disappeared. The study, published in Current Biology, analysed genomes from seven ancient individuals from the ancient city of Copán, a major center of the classic Maya world, which lies beneath western Honduras. The results highlight a strong thread of genetic continuity from the Late Archaic period to modern Maya populations, offering new insight into migration, elite integration, and the enduring legacy of the Maya civilization.

Copan’s Cultural Fusion

According to the study, Copán was first settled during the Early Preclassic period (before ~1000 BCE) by small farming communities. Monumental architecture and sophisticated inscriptions indicates that the city had become a major maya center by the early Classic period (300–400 CE). A royal dynasty began in 426/427 CE when K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo’, an outsider, assumed power—an event supported by both epigraphic and genomic evidence. Genetic data reveal that he, and others in the elite class, likely came from highland Mexican populations, such as those near Chichén Itzá.

Archaeological and historical records long suggested that elite Maya migrants intermarried with local non-Maya populations to establish the kingdom. The new genetic study supports this theory. Researchers found strong genetic continuity from the late archaic era to modern Maya groups, along with about 6% gene flow from highland Mexican populations, indicating regional integration and elite movement.

Collapse and Continuity

The DNA analysis of the study reveals that despite the big decline in the population of Copan around the beginning of 750 CE, the genetic continuity persisted. It indicates that local populations remained even as elite structures crumbled.

Traditional narratives described the Maya collapse as a mysterious vanishing. But this study indicates that Maya people did not vanish suddenly but they reorganised by adapting, migrating, and redefining their identities.

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