Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

They may resemble kidney beans, but formations on the northern hemisphere of Mars are actually sand dunes covered in carbon dioxide frost; How cold winters are on Mars depends on

NASA recently released an overhead view of what appears to be massive kidney beans found on Mars' northern hemisphere. In reality, the legume imposters are frozen sand dunes, which are common on Mars and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Unlike the dunes on Earth which are constantly in motion, the kidney bean-shaped dunes on Mars appear surprisingly motionless.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, taken a photo in September 2022 and made public in December 2024, shows a top-down view of the frosty, legume-like dunes, looking similar to "kidney beans," surprisingly motionless,