Fossil find fills key gap in bird evolution
A team of paleontologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Bristol published findings on Wednesday describing a newly discovered Jurassic-era theropod dinosaur that represents an transitional stage in the evolution of birds. The fossil, dated to approximately 160 million years ago, shows a shortened bony tail with a pygostyle-like structure — the fused tailbone that supports modern birds' tail feathers — combined with dinosaur-like forelimbs and teeth.
James Webb detects unknown molecule in exoplanet atmosphere
The James Webb Space Telescope identified an organic molecule never before detected in an exoplanet atmosphere, located on a super-Earth 120 light-years away in the constellation Draco. The compound, a carbon-nitrogen ring structure, does not match any known molecule produced by natural geological processes on Earth, raising questions about possible biological origins. Follow-up spectroscopy is planned for August when the telescope's observation window reopens.
NASA scales back Mars life detection ambitions
Science News reported that NASA appears to be backing away from its long-standing goal of directly detecting life on Mars. The agency's 2026-2030 Mars Exploration Program budget allocates less than 15% of funding to astrobiology instruments, favoring geological sample return instead. Former Mars Science Laboratory scientists criticized the decision, arguing that the Viking missions in the 1970s produced ambiguous results that newer instruments could finally resolve.