The sudden evaporation of nitrogen could explain unusual lakes on Saturn's moon Titan lakes with steep banks and ridges are puzzles - have they been caused by gas explosions? © NASA / JPL-Caltech Read out Explosive Origin: The enigmatic lakes on Titan's Saturn Moon could have been created entirely differently than thought - through explosive gas eruptions.

New analyzes of Apollo samples suggest that they were formed 4.51 billion years ago The moon may have originated earlier than previously thought - 4.51 billion years ago. © NASA Read out Early Origin: Researchers have re-dated the formation of the moon. Thus, the catastrophic collision that emerged from the Earth's Grave occurred 4.

Micrometeorite erosion could spread and renew lunar ice Permanent in the shade: there are water ice in the polar craters of the moon - but this could be younger and more volatile than previously thought. © NASA / GSFC Read out From Ancient: The water ice in the polar lunar craters is probably much younger than expected.

Curiosity rover registers surprisingly high methane levels but only briefly The methane readings of the Marsrovers Curiosity puzzle planetary scientists. © NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS Read out Mysterious Phenomenon: Just last week, the Mars rover Curiosity measured the highest ever recorded methane level on the red planet - but now methane has disappeared.

Dust from meteors could provide condensation nuclei for the formation of ice clouds How do the ice clouds of the upper Martian atmosphere originate? Perhaps tiny meteor particles serve as condensation nuclei for these clouds, as models now suggest. © NASA Read out Cloud germs from space: Until now, it was unknown where the ice clouds came from in the Martian atmosphere.

Subglacial ocean of Jupiter's moon could be more similar to our seas than thought The yellowish hue of some areas of Jupiter's moon Europa is due to saline, as evidenced by spectral data from the Hubble telescope. © NASA / JPL / University of Arizona Read out Surprising discovery: On Jupiter's moon Europa, there are obviously not only sulfur salts, but also plenty of table salt.

Some Martian rivers were water rich and surprisingly large just a billion years ago False-color image of riverbeds on Mars - some of these valleys seem surprisingly young, as a survey suggests. © NASA / JPL, Univ. Arizona / uchicago Read out Water on the desert planet: The rivers of Mars apparently remained much longer than previously thought.

Solar storm around 660 BC was ten times stronger than all measured today Solar plasma outbreaks can throw millions of high-energy particles into space. A particularly severe solar storm of this kind apparently hit the earth in 660 BC. © NASA / GSFC, SDO Read out Cosmic Direct Hit: In 660 BC, the Earth was hit by an extremely strong solar storm, as drill core analysis revealed.

Local magnetic fields inhibit the weathering of the moon regolith Vortex-shaped bright spots adorn the lunar surface. How they originated, researchers have now found out. © NASA Read out Lunar sunburn: Researchers might have found the cause of the strangely bright streaks on the lunar surface. Because new measurement data prove that local magnetic fields act like a kind of parasol: they shield the lunar surface against the solar wind and thereby reduce the weathering of the regolith.

Hot magma could explain the liquid water under the polar icecaps Stratified ice at the north pole of Mars. Could there be warm magma chambers in the Martian underground? © ESA / DLR / FU Berlin, NASA MGS MOLA Science Team Read out Hidden volcanic heat: If there really is liquid water under the polar ice caps of Mars, then there could also be a hot magma chamber underground.

NASA satellites detect the first standing waves at the outer hull of the earth's magnetic field When a particularly fast, short solar storm strikes the earth's magnetic field, it causes standing waves in the magnetopause (blue) and inside the magnetosphere (green). © E. Masongsong / UCLA, M.

Marsrover makes first gravity measurement on a foreign planet Marsrover Curiosity has performed the first gravity measurement on the surface of an alien planet. © NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS Read out A rover as a gravimeter: The Mars rover Curiosity has carried out the first gravity measurements on an alien planet - and so "shining through" the underground.

Bio-experiment of the moon probe Chang'e 4 produces first seedlings The moon landing probe Chang'e 4 has a bio-experiment on board, in which now the first plants are germinated. © China National Space Administration Read out A small leaf for the moon, a big step for China's space travel: For the first time, plants have germinated and grown on the moon - aboard the moon landing probe Chang'e 4.

Extinction of large marine animals 2.6 million years ago could have had cosmic causes Was a stellar explosion at 150 light-years away responsible for mass extinctions 2.6 million years ago? © NASA Read out Cosmic ray shower: A star explosion could have caused mass extinction 2.6 million years ago. For only 150 light-years away, a supernova took place, bombarding the earth with cosmic radiation.

NASA's twin study reveals far-reaching and sometimes unexpected changes The identical twins Mark and Scott Kelly are both NASA astronauts, but only Scott spent a year on the ISS space station. © NASA Read out One year in space: An unusual twin study reveals the consequences astronauts have to expect in long-term missions.

Detection of infectious herpesviruses in half of all NASA astronauts The stay in space promotes the reactivation of latent herpesviruses in astronauts. © NASA Read out Infectious Aftermath: Staying in space can reactivate sleeping herpes viruses - and make the carriers highly infectious. More than half of all astronauts on space shuttle missions or the International Space Station have detected researchers on their return to reactivated herpesviruses, including Epstein-Barr and chickenpox viruses.

White matter and cerebral fluid change months after their return A longer space mission leaves long-term consequences in the brain of the astronauts - they are still detectable months later. © NASA Read out Persistent aftereffects: Long space missions alter the brain structure of astronauts - and these consequences can persist for months after landing, as revealed by a long-term study.

Lunar dust could be as harmful to health as asbestos Covered by moon dust: Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan after a moonwalk. © NASA Read out Dusty threat: The fine dust of the moon could be dangerous to future lunar astronauts. Because it can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause severe cell and DNA damage, as a study shows.

Body temperature of astronauts increases to zero in weightlessness Weightlessness affects the thermoregulation of astronauts: they develop a creeping fever. © NASA Read out Surprising result of weightlessness: When astronauts are longer in space, they develop a creeping fever. Measurements from the International Space Station crew reveal that their body temperature settles at rest even at rest - one degree more than normal.

Cosmic radiation causes memory swelling and behavioral changes in mice By the time the astronauts arrive on Mars, cosmic rays may have already damaged their brains. © NASA Read out Dement by radiation: Astronauts on the way to Mars could cause significant brain damage. Experiments with mice confirm once again that hard cosmic radiation leads to measurable changes in the brain both in the short and long term - and impairs memory and behavior.