Astronomers discover first step toward planet formation
Solving the mystery of how planets like Earth were formed is an important question for understanding the origin of life. Planets are thought to form when interstellar dust and gas collect in a protoplanetary disk surrounding a protostar, but it has b.....»»
Concern as climate talks stalls on fossil fuels pledge
The failure of UN climate negotiations to double down on a global pledge to move away from planet-heating fossil fuels on Sunday was decried by experts as a "worrying" setback to global progress on curbing warming......»»
Earth bids farewell to its temporary "mini moon" that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon
Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that's been tagging along as a "mini moon" for the past two months......»»
WEAVE spectrograph uncovers dual nature of galaxy shock
Using the set of first-light observations from the new William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) wide-field spectrograph, a team of more than 50 astronomers, led by Dr. Marina Arnaudova at the University of Hertfordshire, has.....»»
Chimps are upping their tool game, says study
"Planet of the Apes" may have been onto something......»»
Saturday Citations: Sweaty, remarkable humans; ocean level rise projections; closeup of a star in another galaxy
Since we last spoke, researchers at the University of Birmingham have defined the precise shape of a single photon (spoiler: roundish). Economists worry that Trump's grandiose deportation plans could lead to a recession. And astronomers report that t.....»»
Oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars found
New Curtin University-led research has uncovered what may be the oldest direct evidence of ancient hot water activity on Mars, revealing the planet may have been habitable at some point in its past......»»
Proba-3 will use laser for millimeter precision in space
ESA's double-spacecraft precision formation flying mission, Proba-3, is due to be launched from India on 4 December. The spacecraft pair will employ a set of positioning technologies to keep formation in space and this image shows the most precise: a.....»»
India court tells smog-hit capital to step up vehicle restrictions
India's top court on Friday ordered authorities in the smog-choked capital New Delhi to establish checkpoints on all 113 roads into the city to stop the entry of polluting vehicles......»»
Hubble finds sizzling details about young star FU Orionis
In 1936, astronomers saw a puzzling event in the constellation Orion: the young star FU Orionis (FU Ori) became a hundred times brighter in a matter of months. At its peak, FU Ori was intrinsically 100 times brighter than our sun. Unlike an exploding.....»»
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 review: a step backward
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 is very affordable, but sometimes that's just not good enough. Performance and the keyboard are subpar, which is a shame......»»
Astronomers snap first up-close image of a star outside our galaxy
Astronomers have taken a detailed image of a star outside of the Milky Way for the first time......»»
A nearby supernova could end the search for dark matter
The search for the universe's dark matter could end tomorrow—given a nearby supernova and a little luck. The nature of dark matter has eluded astronomers for 90 years, since the realization that 85% of the matter in the universe is not visible thro.....»»
Are fast radio bursts caused by interstellar objects crashing into neutron stars?
Every now and then, astronomers will detect an odd kind of radio signal. So powerful it can outshine a galaxy, but lasting only milliseconds. They are known as fast radio bursts (FRBs). When they were first discovered a couple of decades ago, we had.....»»
Neanderthal adhesive manufacturing site found in Gibraltar cave
Cut into a Gibraltar cliff face overlooking the Alboran Sea, a cave opening leads back in time to one of the earliest manufacturing sites on the planet—a Neanderthal-built tar distillation oven hidden for 65,000 years......»»
Astronomers take first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy
Located a staggering 160,000 light-years from us, the star WOH G64 was imaged thanks to the impressive sharpness offered by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO's VLTI). The new observations reveal a star puffi.....»»
Fast fashion may seem cheap, but it"s taking a costly toll on the planet and on millions of young customers
Fast fashion is everywhere—in just about every mall, in the feeds of influencers on social media promoting overconsumption, and in ads constantly popping up online......»»
Southeast Asia coastline research highlights the pressures human activities place on tropical marine ecosystems
The tropical coastlines of Southeast Asia are home to some of the most important and biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet. However, they are also among its most vulnerable, with areas of coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds under inc.....»»
Chandra and Hubble tune into "flame-throwing" Guitar Nebula
Normally found only in heavy metal bands or certain post-apocalyptic films, a "flame-throwing guitar" has now been spotted moving through space. Astronomers have captured movies of this extreme cosmic object using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and.....»»
Plant biologists show how two genes work together to trigger embryo formation in rice
Rice is a staple food crop for more than half the world's population, but most farmers don't grow high-yielding varieties because the seeds are too expensive. Researchers from the University of California's Davis and Berkeley campuses have identified.....»»
Scientists discover a new giant virus that infects freshwater algae
Scientists from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences found forty new freshwater viruses infecting aquatic microorganisms this year. The first one, which they isolated and described in detail, was named Budvirus after the South Bohemian.....»»