The strange, clustered orbits of trans-Neptunian objects (shown on the right) suggest that a giant planet could be out past Neptune. One new study shows how a giant disk of small rocks could better explain the strange orbits of these TNOs. (Credit: José Antonio Peñas (SINC)).
For years, some astronomers have suspected that a planet lies beyond Neptune’s orbit in the far reaches of our solar system — a mysterious, giant planet dubbed “Planet Nine.” Tha ...read more
Scientists are trying to learn more about the placenta, which plays a fundamental role in creating a healthy baby. (Credit: sciencepics/shutterstock)
More than 15 percent of women in developed countries suffer from pregnancy complications associated with the placenta, the disk-shaped organ that sustains a growing fetus. Now researchers find the placenta adapts when nutrients are scarce. The discovery identifies possible targets for intervention, the researchers say.
“Pregnancy complicati ...read more
Researchers are pushing for a new kind of energy storage based on compressed air. Using renewable energy, the tech would pump air into underground rocks in the North Sea, and it would power turbines when released. (Credit; NASA)
With reports about climate change becoming increasingly dire, it’s increasingly important to find an eco-friendly way to not only generate energy, but also store it. After all, wind turbines and solar power and the like don’t run steadily. So we c ...read more
The U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, California. Wikimedia Commons.
The world’s current political climate is one where we are very aware of borders. They divide what we humans decide is one country, one state, one region from another. They can be very clearly defined where everyone would notice the boundary and in other cases, they are merely defined by imaginary lines we’ve projected on our planet. Much of the time, these boundaries are geologic — that is, they use features ...read more
(Credit: all_about_people/shutterstock)
(Inside Science) — Scientists searching for environmentally friendly ways to fight the menace of mosquitoes may want to consider a new type of pesticide, according to a new study. Mosquitoes are more than an annoyance at summer picnics — the World Health Organization has estimated the insects kill several million people each year by transmitting diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.
A common way to fight mosquito-borne illnesses in ...read more
Hot Jupiters are massive gas giant planets circling their suns at a fraction of the Earth-Sun distance in our own solar system.(Credit: ESA/ATG medialab, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
Today, astronomers have numerous extrasolar systems to study, but most look very different from our own. Determining how these solar systems — and ours — formed is challenging. New research presented at the 233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, Washington, on January 8 lends credence to a ...read more
This image shows different views of Sagittarius A. The top two images are simulations of its scattered and unscattered light, while the bottom two show real images taken by a telescope array. (Credit: S. Issaoun, M. Mościbrodzka, Radboud University/ M. D. Johnson, CfA)
We’ve spent decades trying to decode our supermassive black hole, but crucial clues could’ve been in front of us all along.
Using an array of 13 radio telescopes, astronomers from the Max Planck Institute were a ...read more
Yes, I am a bit chilly, why? (Credit: tim elliott/Shutterstock.com)
Anyone who’s walked their dog when temperatures are frigid knows that canines will shiver and favor a cold paw – which partly explains the boom in the pet clothing industry. But chipmunks and cardinals don’t get fashionable coats or booties.
In fact, wildlife can succumb to frostbite and hypothermia, just like people and pets. In the northern United States, the unfurred tails of opossums are a common casualty ...read more
A near-infrared color image of Titan’s north pole, taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. A new study using Cassini observations reveals rainfall. (Credit: NASA)
NASA’s Cassini orbiter captured the north pole on Saturn’s largest moon looking like a wet sidewalk after a bit of rain. This rainfall, which scientists take to signify a change in season on the moon, brought summer to Titan’s northern hemisphere earlier than scientists had predicted. This is the first ...read more
