NASA and the European Space Agency have been planning this kind of daring mission to get these little cigar-shaped tubes back. It seems like sending spacecraft no earlier than 2027 is the plan, but technological and financial hurdles could really derail it. Last month, NASA said that he wants to allocate around a billion US dollars to Mars sample return in the upcoming fiscal year.
00:44 The unusual receptors that let octopuses hunt by touch
Researchers have shown that the suckers of octopuses are covered with specialised receptors that allow them to taste by touching things. Similar receptors are also found in squid, but there are differences that mirror differences in the animals’ hunting behaviours; while octopuses feel for their prey, squid pull things towards themselves before deciding whether or not to eat it.
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what climate scientists can learn from medieval descriptions of lunar eclipses; how to retrieve rock samples from the surface of Mars; and the ongoing debate about whether T. rex had lips.