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People have long imagined that our neighbouring planet, Mars, could have hosted life. Billions of years ago, Mars was more hospitable to biology, with liquid water pooling on the surface. Now, Nasa has published details of an intriguing rock analysed by its robot rover Perseverance. The rock is peppered with pale spots closely resembling features in Earth rocks that are produced by microbes.
Scientists behind the discovery say it is difficult to explain all the features seen in the Martian rock without some form of life being involved. But, as Sean McMahon, from the University of Edinburgh, writes, samples will need to be sent to labs on Earth in order to be certain. In other science news, analysis of two colliding black holes has shown that theories devised by Stephen Hawking were correct.
To more Earthly concerns now – namely, how truthful we should be on our CVs. New research suggests it’s not always a good idea to be completely honest if you want the best chance of bagging your dream job.
Meanwhile, dozens of people have been killed in Nepal as social unrest has been met by violence by police. Originally sparked by a ban on social media, the protests reflect deeper grievances, such as inequality and limited career prospects.
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Paul Rincon
Commissioning Editor, Science, Technology and Business
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The rock known as Cheyava Falls has features that could have formed in the presence of microbial life.
Nasa JPL-Caltech
Sean McMahon, University of Edinburgh
The rock is peppered with spots that could have been formed by microbes four billion years ago.
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Aurore Simonnet (SSU/EdEon).
Patricia Schmidt, University of Birmingham; Geraint Pratten, University of Birmingham
Stephen Hawking’s prediction about what happens when two black holes merge has finally been verified.
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PeopleImages/Shutterstock
Tom Lane, Newcastle University
Research suggests that some things are better left unsaid.
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Protesters climb on the statue of Nepal’s first king, Prithvi Narayan Shah, during demonstrations in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 9.
Narendra Shrestha / EPA
Leanne McCarthy-Cotter, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Protests in Nepal have seen government buildings torched and the country’s prime minister resign.
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World
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Anne Irfan, UCL
Ever since Bill Clinton helped create the Palestinian Authority successive US administrations have prevented it working properly.
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James Sweeney, Lancaster University
International law isn’t dead. Far from it. But impunity urgently needs to be addressed.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Spear, University of Bristol
The uneasy afterlife of human remains.
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Tom Allport, University of Bristol; Debbie Watson, University of Bristol
Peer support can help parents build secure relationships and grow in confidence bringing up their children.
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Arts + Culture
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Diane Purkiss, University of Oxford
Middle ages recipes were meant to act as a reminder, a series of quick notes to recall to mind something taught orally.
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Duncan Sayer, University of Lancashire
We should not be surprised that there are west Africans in early medieval Britain, the clues were there.
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Education
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James Williams, University of Sussex
Homework that’s creative or linked to your passions is more enjoyable.
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Environment
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Daniel Durrant, UCL; Tim Marshall, Oxford Brookes University
Why the new planning and infrastructure bill won’t make the process any fairer for people or planet.
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Jay Silverstein, Nottingham Trent University
As resources become increasingly vulnerable to environmental fluctuations, climate change is often framed as a trigger for violence.
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Health
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Adam Taylor, Lancaster University
To avoid potential health problems, it’s important to ‘take care of business’ as quickly as possible.
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