New Year’s Eve solar storm could impact GPS

New Year’s Eve solar storm could impact GPS

A powerful solar storm set to slam Earth today will make for stunning views of the Northern Lights just before New Year’s Eve. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said the “strong” storm could allow the Northern Lights to dip as far south as Oregon and Illinois. NOAA classifies solar storms […]

Nuclear doomsday fears a daily nightmare for former defense secretary

Nuclear doomsday fears a daily nightmare for former defense secretary

William J. Perry is on a mission to warn of a “real and growing danger” of nuclear doom. The 88-year-old former defense secretary [in the Clinton administration] is troubled by the risks of catastrophe from the very weapons he helped develop. Atop his list: a nuclear terror attack in a major U.S. city or a […]

Phenomenal view through a gravitational lens of a galaxy cluster

Phenomenal view through a gravitational lens of a galaxy cluster

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, NASA, ESA, H. Lee & H. Ford (Johns Hopkins U.)] Many of the brightest blue images are of a single, unusual, beaded, blue, ring-like galaxy which just happens to line-up behind a giant cluster of galaxies. Cluster galaxies here typically appear yellow and — together with the cluster’s dark […]

Neighboring galaxy is same size as our own

Neighboring galaxy is same size as our own

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Petri Kehusmaa, Harlingten Atacama Observatory] Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen edge-on near the center of this cosmic galaxy portrait. In fact, NGC 4945 is almost the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Its own dusty disk, young blue star clusters, and pink star forming regions standout […]

Just looking at nature improves the human brain’s functionality

Just looking at nature improves the human brain’s functionality

While still relatively novel in the United States, so-called “green roofs” — urban rooftops covered with grasses, plants and other types of greenery — are becoming increasingly popular around the world. In France, newly built commercial rooftops must sport either greenery or solar panels, according to a recent law. Facebook, meanwhile, recently installed a massive […]

M1: The Crab Nebula — All that remains of an exploding star seen by astronomers in 1054

M1: The Crab Nebula — All that remains of an exploding star seen by astronomers in 1054

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Credit:Martin Pugh] The Crab Nebula is cataloged as M1, the first object on Charles Messier’s famous 18th century list of things which are not comets. In fact, the Crab is now known to be a supernova remnant, debris from the death explosion of a massive star, witnessed by astronomers […]

Where are all those high energy positrons coming from?

Where are all those high energy positrons coming from?

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Ron Garan, STS-134 Crew, Expedition 28 Crew, NASA] Where did all these high energy positrons come from? The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) onboard the International Space Station (ISS) has been meticulously recording how often it is struck by both high energy electrons and positrons since 2011. After accumulating years […]

Dying, nearby dwarf star is 12 time hotter than our sun

Dying, nearby dwarf star is 12 time hotter than our sun

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Adam Block, Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, Univ. Arizona] The gorgeous, gaseous shroud of a dying sun-like star, planetary nebula Abell 36 lies a mere 800 light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. Shrugging off its outer layers, the nebula’s central star is contracting and becoming hotter, evolving towards a final […]

Nanotechnology provides ‘life-style intelligence’ for forensic experts

Nanotechnology provides ‘life-style intelligence’ for forensic experts

Nanoparticles can reveal information held by fingerprints that is currently inaccessible. In particular, they can be engineered to bring antibodies that bind with metabolites contained in the sweat of the fingerprint. These metabolites are breakdown products of the consumption of cocaine or nicotine. When the antibodies recognize the metabolite, they cause a colour change. This […]

Scientist: Quantum theory proves death is only a figment of our consciousness conditioning

Scientist: Quantum theory proves death is only a figment of our consciousness conditioning

Most scientists would probably say that the concept of an afterlife is either nonsense, or at the very least unprovable. Yet one expert claims he has evidence to confirm an existence beyond the grave – and it lies in quantum physics. Professor Robert Lanza claims the theory of biocentrism teaches that death as we know […]