New Colobus monkey found in Congo
Researchers announced the discovery of a new species of African monkey belonging to the genus Colobus, found in an isolated pocket of rainforest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The find marks only the fifth new monkey species identified in Africa in three-quarters of a century, highlighting how much of the continent's biodiversity remains unknown to science. The species was confirmed through both genetic sequencing and physical examination.
First atmosphere detected on rocky habitable-zone planet
In a separate breakthrough, astronomers detected helium escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140b, a rocky exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of a nearby star. This marks the first time an atmosphere has been confirmed around a rocky, potentially habitable world outside our solar system. The detection was made using spectral data from the Magellan Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
Quake strikes off Mexico
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state, shaking buildings as far away as Guatemala and El Salvador. Authorities reported no immediate casualties or major damage, but the quake added to a week of geological and astronomical news.