Hello everyone:In this week's episode of Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we look at volcanoes of mud on Mars. We also see how life on Earth may have been shaped, at the genetic level, by cosmic rays from space. We explore collisions between black holes and ultra-dense neutron stars, and we take a look at the Wolfe Disc, an ancient galaxy that grew much faster than expected. Finally, we look at a pair of findings about galaxies, each from the same network of radio telescopes. Plus, in a fun, informative interview, we talk to Dr. Alejandro Soto of the Southwest Research Institute, who recently released a study showing how microscopic lifeforms may be affected by salty deposits of water on Mars.Watch the video version of this episode:This podcast is also available from all major podcast providers.Coming June 2: Professor Seiji Sugita from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of Tokyo, researcher on the Hayabusa2 mission currently exploring the asteroid Ryugu.  If you enjoyed this episode of The Cosmic Companion, please download and share the episode on YouTube or any major podcast provider.For more details on space and astronomy news, please visit: thecosmiccompanion.net or thecosmiccompanion.com.Thanks for watching, listening, and sharing!- James Get full access to The Cosmic Companion at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support Get full access to The Cosmic Companion at thecosmiccompanion.substack.com/subscribe