This weird exoplanet is shaped like a rugby ball
Exoplanets come in many sizes, and sometimes they also come in unusual shapes - like this planet the shape of a rugby ball......»»
Is "U-shaped happiness" universal? Not for rural subsistence populations, say researchers
A theory that's been around for more than a decade describes a person's subjective well-being—"happiness"—as having a U-shape throughout the course of one's life. If plotted on a graph, the shape would be concave, revealing high happiness levels.....»»
Astronomers take a close look at a dandelion-shaped supernova and zombie star
In 1181, a new star shone near the Cassiopeia constellation for six months before disappearing. This event, recorded as a "guest star" by Chinese and Japanese observers almost a millennium ago, has puzzled astronomers for centuries. It is one of a fe.....»»
5 years ago, HBO took a wrecking ball to the superhero genre
In 2019, HBO aired one of TV's most ambitious comic book shows — and took an uncompromising look back at the histories of both the superhero genre and America......»»
EyeSight may be weird, but it’s a step toward solving a key Vision Pro problem
EyeSight is undoubtedly one of the weirdest features of the Vision Pro. But it’s also, arguably, one of its most important for solving a key problem with the headset. Here’s why. more….....»»
Scientists find evidence of hellish, volcanic moon orbiting a distant exoplanet
Scientists have not yet found direct evidence of a moon outside our solar system -- but they just found a hint of a hellish one......»»
iPhone 16 Pro users are vexed by UI freezing and camera woes
Reddit and Apple’s community forum are brimming with reports of the iPhone 16 Pro series running into weird stutters, frozen UI, overheating, and camera snags......»»
Second exoplanet detected orbiting an early G-type star
Astronomers report the detection of a second exoplanet orbiting a G-type star known as TIC 393818343, located some 300 light years away. The newfound alien world is about three times less massive than Jupiter. The finding was detailed in a research p.....»»
Bondi beach "closed" as Sydney shores hit by "tar balls"
Lifeguards declared Sydney's famed Bondi beach and several other strands closed Thursday, as more mysterious black "tar ball" globules washed up along the city's shores......»»
Book Review: How Our Love for Citrus Shaped the Modern World
A history of citrus fruits, from the Han Dynasty to the modern orange juice industry.....»»
Two Sydney beaches closed after hundreds of black golf ball sized spheres wash ashore
Two Sydney beaches closed after hundreds of black golf ball sized spheres wash ashore.....»»
Tubeworms, snails and other weird creatures found under the seafloor
Scientists for the first time have uncovered an underworld of animal life thriving beneath the seafloor......»»
Why autumn 2024 is your best chance to see lots of weird and wonderful fungi
The UK and north-western Europe have had a particularly wet 2024. Extreme weather patterns caused by climate change are nothing to celebrate, but there is one group of organisms that will have appreciated all the rain......»»
Exoplanet discovered in a binary system could explain why red dwarfs form massive planets
In recent years, the number of known extrasolar planets (aka. exoplanets) has grown exponentially. To date, 5,799 exoplanets have been confirmed in 4,310 star systems, with thousands more candidates awaiting confirmation. What has been particularly i.....»»
Is China pulling ahead in AI video synthesis? We put Minimax to the test.
With China's AI video generators pushing memes into weird territory, it was time to test one out. If 2022 was the year AI image generators went mainstream, 2024 has arguably been.....»»
Hurricane Milton spawns destructive, deadly tornadoes before making landfall
Multiple powerful tornadoes ripped across Florida hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday, tearing off roofs, overturning vehicles and sucking debris into the air as the black V-shaped columns moved through......»»
US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
A massive ball of plasma and accompanying magnetic field ejected from the sun is expected to strike Earth on Thursday morning, potentially triggering auroras as far south as Alabama, according to US forecasters......»»
Is China pulling ahead in AI video synthesis? We put Minimax to the test
With China's AI video generators pushing memes into weird territory, it was time to test one out. If 2022 was the year AI image generators went mainstream, 2024 has arguably been.....»»
Astronomers race to capture image of exoplanet near star
Planet AF Lep b is a world of firsts. In 2023, it was the lowest-mass planet outside our solar system to be directly observed and have its mass measured using astrometry. This is a technique that charts the subtle movements of a host star over many y.....»»
Hubble and New Horizons offer dual perspectives on Uranus to inform exoplanet research
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study l.....»»
Polar jet stream could reveal Saturn"s rotational period
A hexagon-shaped atmospheric phenomenon first spotted on Saturn by Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 has intrigued scientists since the 1980s. More recently, NASA's Cassini mission has periodically observed the hexagon and its embedded strong eastward jet that.....»»