Distant quasar J0439+1634 explored in X-rays
Using ESA's XMM-Newton spacecraft, an international team of astronomers has conducted X-ray observations of the most distant known gravitationally lensed quasar—J0439+1634. Results of the study, published December 20 on the arXiv pre-print server,.....»»
Calciferous organisms are a good tool in climate research, says scientist
The fossil calciferous skeletons of single-celled foraminifers are a beautiful history book with information on CO2-levels in the oceans of the distant past......»»
Alien haze, cooked in a lab, clears view to distant water worlds
Scientists have simulated conditions that allow hazy skies to form in water-rich exoplanets, a crucial step in determining how haziness muddles observations by ground and space telescopes......»»
Next-generation space telescopes could use deformable mirrors to image Earth-sized worlds
Observing distant objects is no easy task, thanks to our planet's thick and fluffy atmosphere. As light passes through the upper reaches of our atmosphere, it is refracted and distorted, making it much harder to discern objects at cosmological distan.....»»
Meet “Amaterasu”: Astronomers detect highest energy cosmic ray since 1991
The Telescope Array in Utah's West Desert picked up a rare particle with 244 EeV energy. Artist’s illustration of extensive air showers induced by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Credit: Toshihiro Fujii/L-INSIGHT/Kyoto.....»»
Astronomers discover two "hot Jupiters" orbiting red-giant stars
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered two new "hot Jupiter" exoplanets. The newfound alien worlds, designated TOI-4377 b and TOI-4551 b, both orbit distant red-giant stars. The.....»»
Curators and cavers: How a tip from a citizen scientist led to deep discoveries in Utah"s caves
Scientists from the Natural History Museum of Utah have taken a deep dive into the not-so-distant past thanks to a friendly tip from Utah's caving community. In a paper published this week by the Journal of Mammalogy, five scientists from the Natural.....»»
From 2D to 3D: MXene"s path to revolutionizing energy storage and more
With a slew of impressive properties, transition metal carbides, generally referred to as MXenes, are exciting nanomaterials being explored in the energy storage sector. MXenes are two-dimensional materials that consist of flakes as thin as a few nan.....»»
Investigating the contribution of gamma-ray blazar flares to neutrino flux
Blazars belong to the family of active galactic nuclei called quasars. What differentiates them from quasars is that the flares ejected out of these active galactic nuclei are pointed toward the Earth. These flares contain high-energy cosmic rays whi.....»»
Saturday Citations: Bronze-Age gender representation, gamma rays, nice bonobos in your neighborhood want to meet you
This week's news roundup includes a Bronze Age discovery that calls into question existing ideas of gender representation from the period. More research confirms that bonobos are actually nice. Plus: Actual good climate news?.....»»
Life might be easiest to find on planets that match an earlier Earth
We're inching closer and closer to reliably detecting biosignatures on distant planets. Much of the focus is on determining which chemicals indicate life's presence......»»
Study of adolescents" perspectives on commercial profiling, privacy
Researchers at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä have explored adolescents' awareness of being commercially profiled online and their perspectives on online targeted advertisements. The data for the stu.....»»
Unique weather phenomenon may have helped Ukraine identify and sink Russian ship Moskva
A pair of radar experts at Swedish Defense Research working with a meteorologist from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has found evidence suggesting that the reason the Ukrainian military was able to spot and sink a distant Russi.....»»
Gamma-rays with energies of up to 13 teraelectronvolts measured for brightest burst of all time
Astronomers with The LHAASO Collaboration have found that last year's GRB 221009A gamma-ray burst, subsequently nicknamed the Brightest of All Time (BOAT), carried with it 13 teraelectronvolts of energy. In their study, reported in the journal Scienc.....»»
Evolution of taste: Study discovers bitter taste receptor in sharks
A research team from the University of Cologne, in collaboration with colleagues from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology in Freising, has discovered a receptor for bitter taste in twelve different cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays). The.....»»
Second-most distant galaxy discovered using James Webb Space Telescope
The second- and fourth-most distant galaxies ever observed have been discovered in a region of space known as Pandora's Cluster, or Abell 2744, using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)......»»
A free algorithm can turn your garden into art for pollinators
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg's 'Pollinator Pathmaker' aims to address the pollinator crisis while offering a solution. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg's art has long explored the meeting point between nature and technology. Take Resurrecting the Sublime f.....»»
Study explores limits of DNA structure and function, may expand use of modified DNA in medicine
A team led by Professor Michal Hocek at IOCB Prague has explored the limits of the structure and function of DNA and successfully pushed forward known boundaries. Their latest research has just been published in Nucleic Acids Research......»»
Milky Way-like galaxy found in the early universe
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, an international team, including astronomer Alexander de la Vega of the University of California, Riverside, has discovered the most distant barred spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way that has been observed to.....»»
Record-breaking supermassive black hole is oldest even seen in X-rays
The supermassive black hole is 13.2 billion light-years away and could help uncover the mysteries of how the largest black holes form......»»
Magnetic shielding for particle detectors
Particle physicists who hunt for neutrinos, cosmic-rays and other charged particles rely on sophisticated instruments that detect very faint bursts of light given off when incident particles interact with a medium. The most common such instruments, c.....»»