These snapshots of two merging stars in action show the overall strength of the magnetic field in color (yellow is more magnetic), as well as the magnetic field lines (hatching). The stars on the left, which don't have very strong magnetic fields, are just about to merge into a more massive and magnetic star (right). According to new research, such mergers can dramatically bolster the strength of the final star's magnetic field. (Credit: F. Schneider et al./Nature volume 574, pages 211–214 ...read more
The Gemini Observatory in Hawaii caught this first-ever color image of the interstellar comet Borisov and its faint tail. (Credit:Composite image by Travis Rector. Credit: Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA)
Asteroids, comets and other rocky objects litter the solar system, left over from when the planets formed. Scientists study these space rocks to learn about what the early solar system was like. Now, we’re entering an era in which we can learn about alien planetary systems in the same way, ...read more
(Credit: Rachata Teyparsit/Shutterstock)
A brief bout of insomnia can be maddening. You know what it feels like. We all do. Lying awake chasing feverish thoughts from our minds while the slow tick of passing minutes compounds sleep-stealing anxiety.
For most of us these episodes are a brief interruption to our sleep schedules. Others experience more persistent insomnia, but at a level that's often manageable. But for a very rare group of people with a frightening disease called fatal fami ...read more
Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov trains for the Apollo-Soyuz mission in April 1975 . (Credit: NASA)
Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first
person to walk in space, has died at the age of 85 at the Burdenko Military
Hospital in Moscow. His death was announced Friday, Oct. 11, by Roscosmos,
Russia’s space agency.
Born in 1934, Leonov became the eleventh Soviet
cosmonaut and achieved major milestones of space exploration. During the
Voskhod 2 mission, on March 18, 1965, he exited his capsule ...read more
The new study still finds that reducing unprocessed red meat consumption by three servings in a week is associated with an an approximately eight per cent lower lifetime risk of heart disease, cancer and early death. (Credit: Shutterstock)
Another diet study, another controversy and the public is left wondering what to make of it. This time it’s a series of studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine by an international group of researchers concluding people need not reduce t ...read more
A more realistic simulation of the black hole featured in the movie Interstellar. (Credit: James et al./IOP Science)
In the 2014 movie Interstellar, astronauts investigate planets orbiting a supermassive black hole as potential homes for human life. A supermassive black hole warps surrounding space-time, according to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, and at least one of the planets in the movie, called Miller’s planet, experienced time passing at a slowed-down rate. For eac ...read more
Do eyelashes exist, in part, to keep our eyes from drying out? (Credit: KDdesignphoto/Shutterstock)
Why do we have eyelashes? The answer might seem simple: those thick hairs on the end of our eyelids simply exist to block intruding particles from landing on our eyeballs.
And in fact, that’s what many scientists have hypothesized. It explains why camels evolved to have long lashes for wandering the dusty desert and why our house pets, in comparison, have stumpy ones.
But it tu ...read more
Volcanic plume from Soufriere Hills on Montserrat, see from the ISS on October 11, 2009. Image: NASA.
Carbon dioxide! Little did we realize 100 years ago how this simple gas would become such a cultural lightning rod. Yet, here we are, battling what might be an existential fight that is focused on how much carbon dioxide humans pump into Earth's atmosphere. It isn't a little bit, either. No, humans might be now be the gold standard in carbon dioxide emissions in the history of the planet. ...read more
(Credit: Rimma Bondarenko/Shutterstock)
In recent years, researchers have pinpointed a group of compounds called FODMAPs that are common trigger foods for people with irritable bowel syndrome.
But it wasn’t immediately clear whether eliminating these foods could also help people with more serious conditions like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis — or if it might actually hurt their already-sensitive guts. Now a new report in the journal Gastroenterology suggests a di ...read more
Do you want to know more about the world around you?
iNaturalist allows anyone, anywhere to contribute to a global record of biodiversity by uploading pictures of plants and animals with their smartphone or computer. In a new podcast episode, co-host Justin Schell talks with Dr. Carrie Seltzer, the Stakeholder Engagement Strategist for iNaturalist, and with representatives and a volunteer from the Appalachian Mountain club.
Tip: add your iNaturalist username to your SciStart ...read more
