December 2005 in Science - December 14, 2005

December 14, 2005

• Astronomers have spotted a sun-like star with possible planet formation 137 light years away. (Spitzer.CalTech.edu)
• The discovery of an unusual Kuiper belt object, designated 2004 XR₁₉₀, is announced. Although classified as a scattered disc object, its orbit can not easily be explained. (SpaceflightNow.com)
• Due to problems controlling the attitude and thrusters of Hayabusa, JAXA mission managers decide to delay the return of the spacecraft to Earth until 2010. (AP/YahooNews)
• Flint tools unearthed in Pakefield, Suffolk, indicate that humans lived in the United Kingdom about 700,000 years ago - 200,000 years earlier than previously thought. (BBC)
• The International Society for Molecular and Cell Biology Protocols and Researches (ISMCBPR) awards the Molecule of the Year 2005 to Scientists of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI, La Jolla, California, U.S.A.). The choice of 4E10 as the Molecule of the Year 2005 is based on a 2005 publication written by Dr. Ian Wilson, Dr. Dennis Burton and co authors. This announcement was made by Isidro T. Savillo, President, ISMCBPR. (Press release:TSRI) (Hum-MolGen)