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An analysis of a rock sample collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover shows ancient Mars could have supported living microbes.

Scientists identified sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon–some of the key chemical ingredients for life–in the powder Curiosity drilled out of a rock near an ancient stream bed there.

Mars researcher John Grotzinger says, "We have characterized a very ancient, but strangely new ‘gray Mars,’ where conditions once were favorable for life. Curiosity is on a mission of discovery and exploration, and as a team we feel there are many more exciting discoveries ahead of us in the months and years to come."
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Drones are in our future: The US military is planning to open a drone base in Africa in order to gather intelligence on extremist groups in the area.

The immediate impetus for a drone base in the region is to provide surveillance assistance to the French-led operation in Mali. There is a large flow of fighters and weapons from Libya to that country.

In the January 28th edition of the New York Times, Eric Schmitt quotes Niger president (where the base may be set up) Mahamadou Issoufou as saying, "What’s happening in northern Mali is a big concern for us because what’s happening in northern Mali can also happen to us."
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Mother Teresa was no saint, at least according to new research. At a time when we’re becoming disillusioned with our Catholic clergy, here’s another blow to our beliefs.

Psychologists Serge Larivée and Genevieve Chenard analyzed of the published writings about Mother Teresa and concluded that her hallowed image does not stand up to analysis of the facts, but was constructed, and that her beatification was orchestrated by an effective media relations campaign.
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It’s like a video game in the sky: A joint mission between Europe and the US plans to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid in order to prove that incoming space rocks can be knocked off their paths before they collide with Earth.

The Asteroid impact and Deflection Assessment mission (AIDA) will intercept the asteroid Didymos in 2022, when it is about 6.5 million miles from impacting us. Didymos is a binary system, with an 800 meter wide asteroid and a smaller 150 meter space rock orbiting each other. It does not pose a threat in the foreseeable future, so it’s OK if we miss.
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