July 2006 in science

July 25, 2006

• Pictures taken by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft of Titan's surface show features resembling lakes. If the images are in fact showing liquids, these lakes are most likely filled with hydrocarbon fluids. (BBCNews)

July 19, 2006

• Japanese officials announce plans to simulate weather for time ranges of decades using the powerful Earth Simulator supercomputer. (Washington Post)

July 17, 2006

• Space Shuttle Discovery lands successfully on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility of the Kennedy Space Center, ending a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. (FoxNews.com), (BBC)

July 12, 2006

• An inflatable spacecraft, named Genesis I, is launched into a Low Earth orbit to begin a test mission. (BBCNews)

July 10, 2006

• A group of researchers announce their successful work on transforming stem cells to sperm and then creating new animals with that sperm. The experiment was performed on mice and published in journal Developmental Cell. (BBCNews)

July 6, 2006

• Scientists publish the analysis of the gene Mc1r as found in the DNA of a woolly mammoth. Its structure suggests that the color of the hair in the animal's coat had similar varieties as in currently living mammals. (BBCNews)

July 4, 2006

• The US Navy is ordered by a court ruling to suspend using sonar devices during a training exercise. The judge cites possible harm to sea mammals, such as whales, as reason for the decision. (BBCNews)
• Space Shuttle Discovery launches successfully in a mission to support the International Space Station. (SpaceRef.com)

July 3, 2006

• NASA announces that it discovered a crack in the insulating foam of the space shuttle's external tank after the last launch attempt. It is uncertain if this will change the date of the next attempt currently scheduled for July 4. (SpaceflightNow)

July 2, 2006

• The launch of STS-121 is again scrubbed due to weather. The next attempt is planned for July 4. (BBCNews)

July 1, 2006

• The launch of the space shuttle Discovery is delayed by 24 hours due to weather. (BBCNews)