[QUICKREADS]
Around 100,000 newborn babies will have their entire genome sequenced, as part of a £105 million ($128.7 million) study into whether the practice could lower the burden of rare genetic diseases in the UK. It will be funded as part of a £175 million package of support for genetics research from the Department of Health and Social Care announced Tuesday. Adult-onset illnesses will not be assessed.
Earth's rotation is speeding up, possibly leading to a negative leap second by 2029. The Earth's core and melting ice at the poles are factors. This could disrupt global timekeeping systems, which have been using leap seconds to adjust the difference between astronomical and atomic time. Technology companies are developing their own solutions to this issue.
An American private lander named Odysseus failed to "wake up" on the Moon, ending its mission after landing at a wonky angle. Despite completing tests and sending back photos, the lander did not respond when sunlight was expected to power its radio. NASA and Intuitive Machines consider the mission a success, with plans for more lunar missions and eventual human exploration.
Astronomers have discovered two ancient streams of stars, named Shakti and Shiva, that are among the Milky Way's early building blocks. These structures may be remnants of galaxies that merged with the Milky Way 12 billion years ago. Identified using the Gaia space telescope, Shakti and Shiva offer insight into the galaxy's formation. The stars in these structures, located near the galactic center, are "metal poor" and formed 12-13 billion years ago.
Researchers have identified the earliest building blocks of the Milky Way galaxy from 12-13 billion years ago, close to when the first galaxies formed. Named 'Shakti' and 'Shiva', these star groups have low metal content and high angular momentum, suggesting they are among the galaxy's oldest ancestors. Data from the Gaia satellite and Sloan Digital Sky Survey aided the study.
Researchers from CUO and Mahatma Gandhi University discovered two new earthworm species in Odisha's Koraput district. The species, Megascolexjeyporeghatiensis and Megascolexquadripappilatus, were identified during a study and published in 'Zootaxa'. With the discovery, the total number of Megascolex species in the world is now 70, with 34 in India. These species are typically found in the southern part of the Western Ghats.