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Artist impression of a large asteroid hitting Earth.

The impact from the Chicxulub asteroid (illustration) caused a mass extinction 66 million years ago.Credit: Illustration by Mark Garlick

Where the dinosaur killer came from

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter. When the object struck what is now Chicxulub, Mexico 66 million years ago, the enormous explosion left a layer of asteroid material all over Earth. Researchers looked at an element preserved in that layer, ruthenium, and found that it matched the make-up of the type of asteroid that formed in the outer Solar System, rather than the type that was produced in the inner region.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: Science paper

4.4 billion lack safe drinking water

A new estimate finds that more than half of the world’s population drink unsafe water — double what we had thought. The finding puts a spotlight on gaps in basic health data and raises questions about which estimate better reflects reality. “We really lack data on drinking-water quality,” says water researcher Esther Greenwood, who worked on the new estimate.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: Science paper

We age in spurts at 44 and 60 years old

Ageing isn’t one long, slow decline — it happens in bursts at approximately 44 years and 60 years old. A deep dive into the health markers of more than 100 people in California found sudden shifts at those ages. In our 40s, there’s a change to the processes related to cardiovascular disease, and to metabolizing fatty compounds and alcohol. Then, in our 60s, comes a shift in immune regulation and carbohydrate metabolism.

The Guardian | 4 min read

Reference: Nature Aging paper

JUICE attempts double gravity boost

Next week, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe will whip past both the Moon and Earth on its way to deep space, as part of a daring and previously untried double fly-by manoeuvre. The European Space Agency mission is one year into its elaborate eight-year journey and will eventually visit three of Jupiter’s moons.

Nature | 4 min read

Lunar-Earth fly-by. Diagram. Route of the JUICE probe past the Moon and Earth to attempt the first double gravity assist.

Source: ESA

Features & opinion

How to get funding for outreach

Researchers are often expected to do public engagement work as an unpaid labour of love. But some funding is available. Professional groups, government funders and philanthropic organizations can be sources of grants, albeit small ones. One way to make it work is to make science communication part of the ‘broader impacts’ section of a grant application, so that it can be funded as part of a larger research project.

Nature | 9 min read

Futures: Observations of Ambula tardus

A scientist reconsiders the frenetic pace of life while studying tree-like aliens in the latest short story for Nature’s Futures series.

Nature | 6 min read

Five best science books this week

Andrew Robinson’s pick of the top five science books to read this week includes an introduction to the cutting-edge field of immunopsychiatry and an exploration of the tug-of-war between gravity and electromagnetism.

Nature | 4 min read

Podcast: Stonehenge altar travelled far

Chemical analysis of tiny crystals in Stonehenge’s central Altar Stone suggest that it came from Scotland — and not from Wales as previously thought. Researchers had the opportunity to analyse a sample taken from the stone in 1844 — before it became a protected monument that is off-limits to hammer-wielding geologists. They found the rock probably came from a part of northeast Scotland that includes the Orkney Islands — though it’s not known how the huge boulder might have made the 800-kilometre journey south.

Nature Podcast | 22 min listen

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Violence and war anywhere harm us all — not just in terms of people killed and places destroyed, but in the loss of capacity for exploring solutions to problems that plague humanity.”

In traumatized regions of the Middle East, exploring a rich history of scientific and medical problem-solving provides the context to imagine a better future, writes social-medicine researcher Navid Madani. (Nature | 5 min read)