Scientists have recovered a rare kind of meteorite that could help them learn about the early years of our solar system

The “carbonaceous chondrite” is the result of a large fireball seen over Northern Europe and the U.K. in late February. The sample being analyzed only weighs 10.6 ounces but is in remarkably good condition after being recovered from a driveway in Gloucestershire. According to London’s Natural History Museum, it’s the first space rock to be recovered in the U.K. since 1991. Scientists believe the rock once contained frozen water ice and comes from an asteroid that formed billions of years ago, when the planets in our solar system were first developing. (CBS News)

Study shows the gut microbiome, healthy bacteria in the human intestines, produces molecules that help fight off harmful bacteria in response to an infection; work sheds light on the role of the microbiome in fighting disease

Resident gut microbes can help to block infection, but the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. It has now been found that changes in the microbial community after infection boost the level of a molecule that combats harmful bacteria. Complex interactions between a mammalian host and its intestinal microbiota, the community of microorganisms that reside in the small and large intestines, influence host health and disease susceptibility. Researchers are starting to investigate the role of the microbiota in infection. Such work is going beyond just documenting correlations between infection and the presence or absence of species, or differences in species composition. It is beginning to unravel the mechanisms by which particular compositions of microbiota offer resistance to infection or aid invading pathogens. Results suggest that dietary supplementation of certain metabolites, such as taurine, might offer a way to reprogram the microbiota’s ‘metametabolism’ to enhance resistance to pathogens. This and other studies defining the mechanisms by which the microbiota affects the metabolism, respiration and virulence of intestinal pathogens represent a key step forwards in the field of host–microbiota–pathogen interactions. (Nature)

Plant fossils found a mile beneath Greenland’s ice sheet in surprise discovery; suggests the ice sheet has melted completely sometime within the past 1 million years 

Over the last year, an international team of scientists have studied these one-of-a-kind fossil plants and sediment from the bottom of Greenland. Their results show that most, or all, of Greenland must have been ice-free within the last million years, perhaps even the last few hundred-thousand years. The discovery helps confirm a new and troubling understanding that the Greenland ice has melted off entirely during recent warm periods in Earth’s history, periods like the one we are now creating with human-caused climate change. Understanding the Greenland Ice Sheet in the past is critical for predicting how it will respond to climate warming in the future and how quickly it will melt. Since some twenty feet of sea-level rise is tied up in Greenland’s ice, every coastal city in the world is at risk. The new study provides the strongest evidence yet that Greenland is more fragile and sensitive to climate change than previously understood and at grave risk of irreversibly melting off. The new study makes clear that the deep ice at Camp Century, some 75 miles inland from the coast and only 800 miles from the North Pole, entirely melted at least once within the last million years and was covered with vegetation, including moss and perhaps trees. The new research lines up with data from two other ice cores from the center of Greenland, collected in 1990s. Sediment from the bottom of these cores also indicate that the ice sheet was gone for some time in the recent geologic past. The combination of these cores from the center of Greenland with the new insight from Camp Century in the far northwest give researchers an unprecedented view of the shifting fate of the entire Greenland ice sheet. (University of Vermont)

Summer trips: Ready for takeoff?

While the majority of travel is still advised against, airline executives are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. As people start making plans for the summer, Delta Air Lines says they’ve seen a surge in bookings over the past few weeks, as have United and American. With coronavirus cases dropping and vaccination rates rising, airports are experiencing some of their busiest days since March 2020. US airlines experienced the lowest level of passenger traffic last year since the mid-1980s, said the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (The Wall Street Journals)

AstraZeneca vaccine gets new review

Vaccine safety experts are meeting to review the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab, as more than a dozen European countries suspended use following reports of blood clots in some people who received it. The European Medicines Agency reiterated support for the vaccine Tuesday and is expected, along with the World Health Organization, to announce new findings in coming days. Both have previously cited no link with clotting. Some 17 million people have received the shot, mostly in the U.K. and Europe. AstraZeneca has said the incidence of clotting has been much lower than would be expected to occur naturally and similar to that of other COVID-19 vaccines. (The Guardian)

Millennials returning to rural roots

Ambitious, aspirational young Americans from rural regions have long understood they would have to eventually abandon their hometown to grow their career, but one of the most perceptible pandemic-era trends is a reversal of this thinking. Surging numbers of young workers are returning to the small towns and rural communities to restore neglected communities. They are returning to assist with family businesses, help aging loved ones or simply share the joys of small-town life with their kids. Still, often the transition home is not easy: Jobs are often not plentiful in rural areas, and city residents can struggle to find steady work upon their return. (The Wall Street Journal)

Israeli researchers announce discovery of new Dead Sea scroll fragments

Researchers in Israel say they have discovered the first new fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls for six decades, with the new artefacts dating back to the 2nd century. The Israel Antiques Authority (IAA) announced on Tuesday that fragments of a scroll had been found in a cave in the Judean Desert. The discovery came during a several-year-long survey of all the caves in the area, carried out by the IAA. The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the earliest texts written in the Hebrew language and are 2,000 years old. Some two dozen have been newly discovered during a daring rescue operation. The newly found fragments of the scrolls are Greek translations of the books of Nahum and Zechariah from the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. The only Hebrew in the text is the name of God while the rest is written in Greek. The fragments were found in the Cave of Horror in Nahal Hever. According to an Israel Antiquities Authority press release, the cave is flanked by gorges and can only be reached by rappelling precariously down the sheer cliff, hence it was given its name. Other artefacts discovered in the latest excavations include an ancient basket and a mummified child. (The Independent)

Florida mother, daughter hacked student accounts for homecoming votes

A 50-year-old mother and her 17-year-old daughter in Pensacola, Florida were arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for unauthorized access into hundreds of student accounts, allegedly using the access to cast fraudulent homecoming court votes. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested the mom and her daughter on:

• one count each of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices (a 3rd-degree felony)
• unlawful use of a two-way communications device (a 3rd-degree felony)
• criminal use of personally identifiable information (a 3rd-degree felony)
• conspiracy to commit these offenses (a 1st-degree misdemeanor)

The investigation began in November 2020 when the Escambia County School District contacted FDLE to report unauthorized access into hundreds of student accounts. The mother was an assistant principal at Bellview Elementary School, while her daughter was a student at Tate High School. “The investigation found that the woman and her daughter had accessed student FOCUS accounts,” the FDLE says in a release. “The woman had district-level access to the school board’s FOCUS program, which is the school district’s student information system. FOCUS users are required to change their password every 45 days and Carroll’s annual training for the ‘Staff Responsible Use of Guidelines for Technology’ was up to date.” The FDLE says that in October 2020, hundreds of votes for Tate High School’s Homecoming Court voting were flagged as fraudulent, as 117 votes originated from the same IP address within a short period of time. The daughter was named Tate High School’s 2020 homecoming queen. The Superintendent said that the woman is currently suspended. She also was booked into Escambia County Jail and released on a $6,000 bond, according to jail records. Her daughter was taken into custody and transferred to the Escambia Regional Juvenile Detention Center. The Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit will prosecute this case. (WEAR)

Barefoot Bay brawl after dog urinates on neighbor’s mailbox

A 76-year-old man in Barefoot Bay, Florida was arrested after attacking a neighbor for allowing his dog to urinate on his mailbox, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, after deputies were dispatched about a brawl between two men, the affidavit said. The victim told deputies that his dog urinated on the mailbox during a walk. The man then approached the victim with a piece of wood in a threatening manner and asked him to stop allowing his dog to urinate on the mailbox. During the argument, the man dropped the wood and pushed the victim in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. He then landed on top of the victim and punched him in the face, causing bruising and discoloration. The two men then continued to roll on the ground fighting until another resident separated the two, a deputy said. The man was charged with Aggravated Assault and Battery and transported to the Brevard County Jail. (Sebastian Daily)

FAA proposes $14,500 penalty against JetBlue passenger who caused plane to turn around

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $14,500 civil penalty charge against a passenger on a JetBlue flight who interfered with flight attendants after being instructed to put his face mask on and to stop drinking alcohol he brought on the plane. The flight, which took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and was intended to fly to the Dominican Republic, departed on December 23rd. Ultimately, due to his actions, the plane was forced to turn around and return to its airport of origin, landing nearly 4,000 pounds overweight due to unused fuel, according to a statement from the FAA. “The passenger crowded the traveler sitting next to him, spoke loudly, and refused to wear his face mask, the FAA alleges,” the FAA said in the statement. “Flight attendants moved the other passenger to a different seat after they complained about the man’s behavior.” During the flight, a flight attendant warned the man, whom the FAA did not name in their statement, that he was required in accordance with the airline’s policies to wear a face mask. They also warned him two times that the FAA forbids passengers from drinking alcohol that they have carried on board. The passenger continued removing his mask and drinking in spite of warnings. The passenger will have 30 days after receiving the agency’s “enforcement letter” to respond. (USA Today)

JPMorgan Chase & Wells Fargo Face Customer Anger Over Stimulus Checks

The IRS is now starting to distribute the third round of stimulus checks, worth up to $1,400 per eligible adult and child, but the timing of getting a check may depend partly on a bank’s policies, with some customers of JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo expressing frustration after the banks said the coronavirus relief payments won’t be available until March 17. The reason, the banks say, is due to an issue outside their control. Although the IRS started issuing payments over the weekend, the official payment date isn’t until March 17, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase. Wells Fargo added that it “is not holding the funds” and that it will deposit the money into accounts as soon as possible. Yet other banks are crediting the funds to customer accounts immediately. Some customers have threatened to quit their banks on social media, citing the delay in accessing the funds as their reason, but Chase and Wells Fargo said the funds won’t clear until Wednesday. Wells Fargo added that it would waive any overdraft fees that occur as a result of the issue. Most taxpayers don’t need to take any actions to receive the checks, Treasury and IRS officials said on Friday. People can also check the “Get My Payment” site at IRS.gov, which the tax agency reopened for the third round of stimulus checks. (CBS News)

Senators introducing bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across U.S.

Oklahoma Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe are among a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introducing a bill making daylight saving time permanent across the country. The bill would get rid of the need to change our clocks twice a year but could have some other benefits as well. Some experts say more sunlight can actually curb the winter blues, created by these time changes. It’s called seasonal effective disorder and it’s a form of depression brought on by the lack of sunlight during the winter months. Fifteen states in the US have passed bills making daylight saving time permanent. To make a permanent daylight saving time for the whole country would require amending the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Making all states change the clocks at a certain day or time, or stick with standard time all year. (KXII)

NASA Is Naming New Features Discovered On Mars In Navajo Language

As NASA’s Perseverance rover starts to discover and identify interesting new features on the surface of Mars, the team back on Earth will need to start naming them — and they’ve chosen to honor the Navajo Nation first. Since landing on the surface of the red planet on February 18th, the Perseverance rover has sent back some 7,000 images, moved its seven-foot-long robot arm, undergone a post-landing software upgrade and taken a short test drive. It is just the beginning of its long journey to hunt for signs of ancient life. The rover team has now named a rock, the first scientific focus of the rover, “Máaz,” the Navajo word for “Mars.” Working with the Navajo Nation, the team will continue naming new features in the Navajo language, NASA said in a statement. It’s common for mission teams to use nicknames for landmarks in order to keep track of various rocks, soils and other interesting geologic features. Previous teams have used names of geologic features on Earth, as well as people and places significant to the mission. The International Astronomical Union designates official names for these features, but the nicknames are used by mission teams at NASA. (NASA)

Wednesday Brings Us:

• Campfire Day
• Corned Beef and Cabbage Day
• Small Business Development Day (Third Wednesday)
• St. Patrick’s Day