March 15, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
This week, Earth witnessed a stunning spectacle not seen since 2022 — a total lunar eclipse. This celestial game of hide-and-seek treated skywatchers to the spectacular sight of our neighbor turning a beautiful shade of red, in what is commonly called a "blood moon." This unusual coloring happens during a total lunar eclipse due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, which causes some wavelengths of light to scatter more than others. During a total lunar eclipse, Earth perfectly blocks the sun's rays, but light bends around the edge of our planet, through the atmosphere. There, particles in the atmosphere scatter the shorter-wavelength blue light, leaving the longer orange and red wavelengths to cover the moon in their distinctive hue. If you missed the breathtaking sight, you may have another chance to see a total lunar eclipse this year, on Sept. 7-8. However, the best views will be in Asia, with North America largely untouched. Until then, enjoy these lovely blood moon photos from this week , or try our moon quiz to see how well you know our lunar neighbor. A 'pregnant' mummy with 'cancer' The "Mysterious Lady" mummy viewed in a mixed-reality system reveals different aspects of the inside of her body. (Image credit: Ł. Kownacki) In 2021, researchers revisited a first-century-B.C. mummy that had been discovered in the Egyptian city of Luxor (ancient Thebes) and moved to the University of Warsaw in 1826. The team of experts concluded that, contrary to previous belief, the mummy wasn't a male priest but a woman in her 20s. Not only that, but she was 6.5 to 7.5 months pregnant and was experiencing a potentially fatal nasopharyngeal cancer in her skull — or so they thought. At the time, other experts disagreed about what X-ray and CT scans revealed within the abdomen of the mummy, dubbed the "Mysterious Lady." Instead, they suggested it contained embalming packs. Now, an analysis of more than 1,300 raw CT scans of the mummy has added further support for…