(CNN) � As humans, we’ve left our mark on every place we’ve been � including other worlds.
Rover tracks crisscross the red surface of Mars, andÌý still dot the moon.
Closer to home, footprints across the globe have revealed the presence of different species over time, includingÌýÌýand the tracks ofÌý.
The impressions present an intimate reminder of a specific moment, a time capsule of the paths taken by those who came before us.
And for scientists, preserved footprints can lead to unexpected journeys into the past that rewrite history.
Once upon a planet
When the discovery of 61 fossilized human footprints found in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park was first announced in 2021, the ancient find changed the timeline of early humans living in the Americas.
The footprints were estimated to have been pressed into the mud between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, based on dating of seeds from an aquatic plant preserved along with the tracks.
Some scientists questioned the age of the footprints, but new research has provided findings that point to the same time frame. Our ancestors arrived well before climate conditions would have made it impossible to reach North America, according to the new study.
Scientists still debateÌý, and archaeological evidence has been hard to find. That’s why the footprints represent such a crucial missing chapter in human history.
Trailblazers
Bright minds behind scientific advances in chemistry, physics, andÌýphysiology or medicineÌýwere awarded Nobel Prizes this week.
Quantum dots may not sound familiar, but theÌýÌýare used in LED lights and TV screensÌýas well as by surgeons when removing cancer tissue.
Meanwhile, short pulses of light, which rely on lasers, can measure changes in electrons. The technique, created by three physicists, gave “humanityÌýÌýinside atoms and molecules,â€� according to the Nobel committee.
Drs. Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman’s work onÌý, contributing “to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,â€� the committee said.
Across the universe
Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to peer inside the glowing Orion Nebula and found something completely unexpected: pairs of planetlike objects.
The pairs, dubbed Jupiter Mass Binary Objects, or JuMBOs, have masses between 0.6 and 13 times the mass of Jupiter andÌý. And scientists aren’t sure how the JuMBOs formed or why they’re inside the nebula.
“The main thing that we learn from this is that there is something fundamentally wrong with either our understanding of planet formation, star formation, or both,� said Samuel G. Pearson, a research fellow at the European Space Agency.
Future observations with Webb could shed more light on the composition of the objects, potentially providing clues about their origin story.
Other worlds
On October 12, NASA is aiming to launch its first mission to explore Psyche, an intriguing metal world that exists in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Astronomers believe , could be the iron-rich core of an early planetary building block or something else entirely � and the namesake Psyche spacecraft’s observations could finally uncover the answer.
Meanwhile, China has announced its future lunar exploration plans, including a mission to return theÌýÌýto Earth.
Mission critical
Redonda, a small island in the Caribbean Sea, is a haven for wildlife. But invasive species nearly destroyed this once pristine paradise.
First documented by Christopher Columbus in 1493, Redonda was explored and then exploited for its resources in the 1600s. Along with humans came invasive species such as rats that preyed on native species and feral goats that decimated the island’s plants.
Rats came to rule the island after it was abandoned at the outbreak of World War I.ÌýWithout vegetation to hold it together, the landmass began to crumble into the sea.
Environmental groups stepped in to help in 2016, removing invasive species â€� and that was all it took forÌý.
Take note
Here’s some good news you can use:
—ÌýÌýin Indonesia is a hopeful step for a species that has nearly been hunted to extinction.
â€� Scientists popped open the OSIRIS-REx canister and encountered “the very best ‘problemâ€� to haveâ€� â€� anÌýabundance of material .
â€� AÌýÌýand a swamp turtle that appears delighted by a dragonfly are just a couple of the images selected as finalists for the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
â€� On October 14, a stunning annular solar eclipse will create aÌýÌýacross the Americas â€� and it won’t make another appearance until 2046.
The-CNN-Wire
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