New Mars evidence, a distant dwarf-planet candidate and a stark climate-health warning
New candidate dwarf planet spotted beyond Neptune
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has identified 2026 ED138, a distant object beyond Neptune that may be a dwarf planet, according to reports this week. If follow-up observations confirm its size and orbit, it could join the small group of recognized dwarf planets in our solar system. For now, it remains a candidate: its classification depends on additional measurements, especially whether it is large enough for gravity to have shaped it into a roughly round body.
The discovery matters beyond adding another name to the solar-system map. Distant icy objects preserve clues to how the outer solar system formed and evolved, and their orbits can reveal how its farthest regions are organized. Rubin’s wide-field survey is expected to find many more such objects, offering astronomers a much larger sample with which to test ideas about the early solar system.
Mars meteorite offers clues to the planet’s ancient past
A NASA-funded study examined Teghaza 001, a meteorite identified as one of the oldest Martian rocks found on Earth. Researchers used its mineralogy and chemistry to investigate its origin, then mapped 13 locations on Mars with matching characteristics. The work points toward possible source regions for the meteorite, though identifying a match does not by itself settle exactly where or how the rock was ejected from the planet.
Ancient Martian rocks are valuable because they preserve evidence from periods long before today’s cold, dry surface conditions. Pinning down a meteorite’s provenance can help researchers connect laboratory measurements on Earth to landscapes and geological histories on Mars—context that future exploration and sample studies could build on.
Climate-related health harms are rising, researchers warn
The 2026 Lancet Countdown report, produced by a collaboration of more than 146 researchers across over 100 institutions, finds that many climate-related health risks grew faster in 2016–2025 than in the previous decade. It tracks 54 indicators, including heat exposure, air quality, infectious-disease risks and climate impacts on health systems. Its authors call for climate change to be recognized and addressed as a global health emergency.
Heat is among the clearest threats in the report. Researchers estimate that heat was linked to an average of 540,800 deaths a year during 2016–2023, with about 68% of those deaths attributable to climate change—up from an estimated 55% in 2006–2015. The figures are estimates, not a count of individually verified deaths, but the reported increase underscores the importance of heat protections, resilient health services and emissions cuts.
NASA releases new views of the Cat’s Head Nebula
Images released by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on October 29 show intricate structures in the Cat’s Head Nebula in mid-infrared light. The nebula’s distinctive form is thought to have been shaped over time by intense radiation from stars. The new view brings out details of the glowing gas and dust that are difficult to see in other wavelengths.
Webb’s infrared observations help astronomers study how radiation and stellar activity shape clouds of material in space. The image is a visual release rather than a new discovery of the nebula itself, but such observations can reveal structure and physical processes that are obscured in visible-light images.
Perseverance findings may help manage Mars dust risks
NASA reported this week that Perseverance has offered clues relevant to protecting future crews from Martian dust. Dust is a persistent challenge for exploration: it can coat equipment, affect mechanisms and complicate operations on the surface. Understanding its behavior and hazards is therefore part of preparing for longer crewed missions, even as much of the detailed work remains focused on robotic exploration.
The issue is practical as well as scientific. Mars missions must operate in an environment where fine dust can be moved by winds and accumulate on hardware, while crews would also need reliable ways to limit exposure. The rover’s observations contribute data for that planning, but they do not eliminate the need for dedicated engineering and health safeguards.
A new look at the distant solar system—and how it formed
The possible dwarf planet discovery is part of a broader wave of findings about objects beyond Neptune. Science News also highlighted research suggesting that comets may not have been an efficient way of delivering life’s building blocks to Earth: many would have struck at speeds and angles that could make delicate molecules less likely to survive. The finding challenges a familiar possibility, but does not rule out other sources or pathways for the ingredients of life.
Together, these lines of work show why scientists are paying close attention to small bodies. Their compositions and impact histories can help reconstruct the material that shaped planets and, in Earth’s case, the conditions that preceded life. New survey observations are expanding the catalog, while modeling and laboratory studies refine what those objects can—and cannot—tell us.
Hubble servicing options explored as Swift mission ends
NASA is seeking information from companies about potential commercial in-space servicing for the Hubble Space Telescope, an effort to understand what industry might be able to provide. The agency’s October 29 request is exploratory; it is not an announcement that a servicing mission has been approved or scheduled. Still, the inquiry reflects continuing interest in extending the life of a major observatory through work in orbit.
Meanwhile, NASA announced that its Swift mission has ended, leaving behind a substantial scientific record. Swift’s observations have supported studies of energetic events such as gamma-ray bursts. Taken together, the Hubble inquiry and Swift’s closeout highlight two sides of space science: maintaining valuable instruments where possible and preserving the data legacy of missions that have completed their operations.