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…

Dolphins that help humans catch fish are being disturbed by ship noise

Some dolphins help humans catch fish, but an uptick in the levels of noise pollution from nearby ships is changing the way the dolphins communicate with one another Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269425-dolphins-that-help-humans-catch-fish-are-being-disturbed-by-ship-noise/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Greek ship carrying parts of the Parthenon is giving up more secrets

The latest expedition by divers to the wreck of the Mentor, which sank just off the island of Kythera (also spelled Kithira and Kythira) in 1802, has recovered several pieces of the ship's rigging, coins, the leather sole of a shoe, a metal buckle, a token for playing cards, two chess pieces, fragments of cooking… Continue reading Greek ship carrying parts of the Parthenon is giving up more secrets

James Webb Space Telescope – Hubble’s successor – to launch in October

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s most complex infrared telescope, built for a wide range of research projects. NASA is now targeting October 31 for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/james-webb-telescope-hubble-successor-to-launch…

Space station launch honors ‘Hidden Figures’ mathematician

A space station supply ship named after the Black NASA mathematician featured in the movie “Hidden Figures” rocketed into orbit Saturday, the 59th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic launch. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-space-station-honors-hidden-figures.html…

New Version of Microsoft Office Won’t Require You To Pay For a Subscription

In a company blog post Thursday, Microsoft released more details about the new, flat-price version of its Office productivity software coming later this year. The company emphasized that while its main focus remains in its subscription offering, Microsoft 365, it will release the one-time purchase Office 2021 for those who aren’t ready to move to the cloud. From a report: Office…

This is what happens to spacecraft when they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere

When one of the Russian Progress resupply ships undocks from the International Space Station, timing is everything. The Progress needs to fire its engines at just the right time to instigate the deorbit burn in order for the ship to enter the atmosphere at just the right place so that its destructive re-entry occurs over the Pacific Ocean. That way, any…

Apple Will Proxy Safe Browsing Traffic on iOS 14.5 To Hide User IPs from Google

Apple’s upcoming iOS 14.5 release will ship with a feature that will re-route all Safari’s Safe Browsing traffic through Apple-controlled proxy servers as a workaround to preserve user privacy and prevent Google from learning the IP addresses of iOS users. From a report: The new feature will work only when users activate the “Fraudulent Website Warning” option in the iOS Safari…

Can you see Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star?

Here’s how to spot Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star in the sky as seen from Earth, on February evenings. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/few-know-the-second-brightest-star-canopus…

Chinese spacecraft enters Mars’ orbit, joining Arab ship

A Chinese spacecraft went into orbit around Mars on Wednesday on an expedition to land a rover on the surface and scout for signs of ancient life, authorities announced in a landmark step in the country’s most ambitious deep-space mission yet. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-chinese-spacecraft-mars-orbit-arab.html…