We're Thankful for These New Discoveries

There has been a lot of important scientific research done this year.  Here are a few new and exciting things that we can be thankful for.

In February, the James Webb telescope discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus.  This is the 29th object observed to be orbiting Uranus.  The new moon is estimated to be only six miles in diameter.  It is provisionally named S/2025 U 1, but will eventually receive a new permanent name bestowed by the International Astronomical Union.  All of Uranus's moons have names that come from Shakespeare plays, and the new moon will follow the pattern.

In August, we learned that scientists at the University of California, Davis have developed wheat plants that produce their own fertilizer.  The team used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to get the wheat plants to produce more of one of their naturally occurring chemicals.  This chemical helps bacteria in the soil to convert nitrogen from the air into a form that plants use to grow.  This technology could be used to reduce pollution and lower costs for farmers around the world.

In September, the Perseverance rover discovered a rock on Mars that originated somewhere else.  The rock is nicknamed “Phippsaksla," and has a high iron and nickel content.  This metal combination is typical of iron-nickel meteorites that form in the core of large asteroids.  This all suggests that the rock was formed somewhere other than Mars.  This is not the first time a rover has found a non-Mars rock on Mars, but it is the first time for Perseverance!

These are just a few of the amazing things that happened in science this year.  Did we miss something important?  Tell us about it in the comments!