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As Curiosity sets a course up Mount Sharp, studying the sand dunes of Mars along the way, NASA has begun planning for a 

This week, meet the sky-watchers scanning space for near-Earth objects; meet marine biologist Sylvia Earle; and learn about the Wendelstein 7-X, a newly finished fusion reactor. 

The odds of a civilization-ending asteroid strike are quite low, but scientists and astronomers are scanning the skies, just in case. 

While the most significant recent asteroid strike that we know of was the 

, in which a large area of remote Siberian forest was flattened, the asteroid that broke up over Russia in 2013 was a stark reminder that near-Earth objects exist. 

Scientists scanning the skies have been able to discover man-made near-Earth objects as well. No one knows exactly what the object cataloged as WT1190F is, but it was first noticed in 2009, and 

A prolific oceanographer and an instrumental force behind Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument, Earle has spent her career working to educate the public about the oceans and the impact we have on them.

The Burning Man of birding: Inside Iceland's puffin festival

Each year the Icelandic island of Vestmannaeyjar holds the Thjodhatid festival, a celebration that features smoked puffin as the main dish.

The puffins have been disappearing as their food supply diminished, forcing a somber change to the traditions of the island — and the festival. 

A long-lasting and non-polluting energy source sounds too good to be true — and so far it has been unattainable. 

The Wendelstein 7-X, a stellarator-style fusion reactor at the Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics, is the most recent attempt to harness the power that drives our sun.   

Fusion reactor designed in hell makes its debut

Watch SpaceX fire up its Crew Dragon capsule's escape engines

The mention of Europa always invokes the indelible impression that Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" made on me. 

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Trailer - In cinemas 28 Nov | BFI release

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This week, meet the sky-watchers scanning space for near-Earth objects; meet marine biologist Sylvia Earle; and learn about the Wendelstein 7-X, a newly finished fusion reactor.

Asteroid monitors, fusion reactors and dunes: Your weekly reading list

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