🚀 Starship, Kelp, Norwegian Burial: Last Week in Science #2

From the giant rocket explosion and the actual value of kelp forests to a surprising find in the long-studied barrow, let's look at last week's exciting science news.

An explosion of the week

On April 20, Starship, the largest rocket ever built, soared to 39 kilometres high but exploded after 4 minutes of flight. However, there was no great tragedy: no one was injured in the explosion, and the fact that a rocket with 33 engines working synchronously could start at all is already an achievement. 

Future Starship launches would open a new era of space exploration, including crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.

Valuable kelp

​​Kelp forests are widespread in temperate and polar regions. They provide habitat for more than 1,000 species, draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from the ocean. Researchers estimated the vast swathes of kelp forest growing along coastlines generated $500 billion annually. The findings could encourage better management and conservation.

Second look on a barrow

Norwegian archaeologists re-examined the burial mound, where more than a hundred years ago, scientists did not find a burial. Ground-penetrating radar assisted researchers: with its help, they found out that there was the Viking burial boat under the ground, which their predecessors did not reach. The discovered object resembles a wide ship about 20 meters long. According to preliminary data, the find dates back to the late 700s.

So, when the solution to the problem can no longer be found, you can always dig a little deeper.

Elia Kabanov is a science writer covering the past, present and future of technology (@metkere)

You can also read this post in Russian.

Illustration: Elia Kabanov feat. MidJourney.