asteroid samples

NPR's weekly science roundup highlights three stories: research on unusually loud birds, findings on how eating with company affects us, and the latest on asteroid samples returned to Earth. The segment recaps notable studies and space news from the week, offering a quick digest of developments in biology, behavior and planetary science for a general audience.

NPR's weekly science roundup highlights three stories: unusually loud birds, research on how eating with company affects us, and new findings from asteroid samples. The roundup gathers recent developments in nature, behavior, and space research into a single digest for general readers.

Japan's Hayabusa2 asteroid probe has lost the last of its functioning engines, leaving the spacecraft without a propulsion system. The probe, which already returned samples from asteroid Ryugu to Earth, was on an extended mission. JAXA is expected to assess the failure and weigh options for the craft's future, with the exact impact on its remaining scientific goals still to be confirmed.

The sole remaining functioning ion engine aboard Japan's Hayabusa2 probe has failed, according to reports citing the space agency. The unmanned spacecraft is on an extended mission toward a new target asteroid after successfully returning samples from asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020. The engine failure raises questions about whether the probe can complete its planned journey.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission brought samples of asteroid Bennu back to Earth, and analyses show the space rock contains material from both the inner and outer reaches of the Solar System. Researchers describe Bennu as a kind of 'Frankenstein' asteroid, assembled from fragments with very different origins, offering new clues about how the Solar System formed.

New analysis of tiny grains from asteroid Bennu suggests the samples hold clues about how Jupiter influenced the formation and arrangement of the early Solar System. The findings point to material preserved from the Solar System's infancy, offering scientists a rare record of conditions during planet formation. Researchers say the grains could refine models of how giant planets shaped the distribution of rocky material.