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Nature's photo team selects the month's best science shots.
The eye is above the ground. NASA has released the first scientific images from the James Webb Space Telescope. A glowing shell of gas and dust ejected by a dying star is captured in the pictures. The images were shown on big screens in London and New York. The biggest telescope ever launched into space is expected to change the way we look at the universe.
The lumpfish is bright. Young fish glow green under ultraviolet light due to a phenomenon known as biofluorescence, in which an organisms absorbs UV light and re-emits it at lower-energy wavelength that we see as fluorescent colors. Many marine and mammals have been observed with biofluorescence. The researchers believe that the lumpfish communicate with each other in the depths of the ocean.
There are sensory cells in the body. These are sensory interneurons, a type of nerve cell in the spine that helps to transmit sensations. The protocol for producing various types of sensory interneuron has been developed using mouse stem cells. If this work can be translated to human stem cells, it could be a step towards the development of stem-cell based therapies.
There is a hiding place in plain view. Scientists have described three new salamanders. The salamanders come from different populations that have been studied for more than a century, but were all thought to be one species. Researchers say that the groups are evolutionarily distinct and that there are also subtle but important differences in their shapes and colour patterns.
Someone is learning fast. This robot is used to investigate how animals learn to walk. Unlike a newborn deer or a foal, the robot is equipped with sensors and a computer program that allows it to adapt its movements to avoid stumbling. The four-legged machine " features reflexes just like an animal and learns from mistakes" according to Felix Ruppert, who built the machine with Alexander Badri-Sprwitz. One hour was all it took for the robot to learn to walk.
There is a rainbow planet Researchers used data from previous Mars missions to map the distribution of impact craters on the planet in this multi coloured view. Blue areas depict the youngest and largest craters. The map was made while scientists investigated the origin of a meteorite called Black Beauty. At least five million years ago, the lump of rock was thrown out into space. The team narrowed down the possibilities and worked out the exact location of the hit. A future Mars mission could be focused on the 10-kilometre-wide crater named Karratha, according to the researchers.
It's cold inside. There is a research project that aims to find ways to extend the shelf-life of donated organs. The time that organs can be kept outside is limited by the fact that they are not frozen. Researchers found that the rat organs were able to function after being cooled and frozen for up to five days.
There are two faces X-ray analysis of a painting byVincent van Gogh has revealed a self-portrait on the back of the canvas. The National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh have an art collection. The paint used in the portrait is lead based and can be seen on an X-ray. Van Gogh saved money by using canvases that had been used before.
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