Most exoplanets orbiting close to their stars don’t have atmospheres. But Gliese 486b – orbiting a red dwarf star only 24 light-years away – does. It’s close enough to see well. Astronomers will be watching it! Source: https://earthsky.org/space/gliese-486b-hot-super-earth-with-atmosphere…
Tag: Scientists
Scientists grow human-Neanderthal hybrid ‘minibrains’ in petri dishes
Sesame seed-sized hybrids of human and Neanderthal brains sparked briefly to life in a laboratory, offering tantalizing clues as to how the organs have evolved over millennia. Source: https://www.livescience.com/human-neanderthal-minibrains-created.html
Primate ancestor of all humans likely roamed with the dinosaurs
Scientists have identified the earliest primates from tiny fossilized teeth, revealing that our ancient ancestors likely lived alongside the dinosaurs in North America. Source: https://www.livescience.com/earliest-primate-fossil-discovered.html
Giant iceberg breaks off Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica
A giant iceberg, about twice the size of Chicago, broke off from Antartica’s Brunt Ice Shelf in late February 2021. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/giant-iceberg-breaks-off-antarctica-brunt-ice-shelf…
Earlier spring snowmelt in Alps threatens microbes in soil
A new study suggests that spring snowmelt in the Alps is occurring earlier in the year, and the earlier warming – due to climate change – threatens vitally important microbial communities in Alpine soils. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/alps-climate-change-driven-snowmelt-abrupt-seasonal-change…
Asteroid dust in Chicxulub crater seals deal on dino extinction
Scientists examined rock cores taken from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, site of the asteroid impact that triggered dinosaur extinction, and found iridium, a telltale sign of asteroids. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/asteroid-dust-iridium-chicxulub-crater-dinosaur-extinction…
Gulf Stream at its weakest in over 1,000 years
A new study suggests that the Gulf Stream – an Atlantic Ocean current that plays a large role in shaping Earth’s weather patterns – is weaker now than at any point in the last 1,000 years. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/gulf-stream-atlantic-weakest-in-over-1000-years…
‘Space hurricane’ observed over the North Pole
Scientists have, for the first time, detected a hurricane taking place in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Hurricanes that form in our planet’s lower atm… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/344326/space-hurricane-observed-over-the-north-pole…
New Technique Reveals Centuries of Secrets in Locked Letters
M.I.T. researchers have devised a virtual-reality technique that lets them read old letters that were mailed not in envelopes but in the writing paper itself after being folded into elaborate enclosures. From a report: In 1587, hours before her beheading, Mary, Queen of Scots, sent a letter to her brother-in-law Henry III, King of France. But she didn’t just sign it…
Photon-photon polaritons: the intriguing particles that emerge when two photons couple
Scientists at the University of Bath in the UK have found a way to bind together two photons of different colors, paving the way for important advancements in quantum-electrodynamics—the field of science that describes how light and matter interact. In time, the team’s findings are likely to impact developments in optical and quantum communication, and precision measurements of frequency, time and…