This artist's illustration shows a black hole ripping a star into a thin stream of gas that then slams back into itself, causing a bright shock that astronomers detected earlier this year. (Credit: Illustration by Robin Dienel/Courtesy Carnegie Institution for Science)
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NASA spacecraft built to find alien planets just spotted a star getting
shredded by a black hole.
Scientists used NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to capture the unfortunate sun getting torn apart ...read more
Scientists studied whether online contraceptives were as safe as those from a doctor. (Credit: Africa Studio/Shutterstock)
Contraceptives are more accessible than ever. And online services are making it easier for women to purchase hormonal birth control without ever having to set foot in a doctor’s office.
But nixing the clinic visit and ordering pills online might seem like an option that’s too good to be true. And not all is pristine in the world of telecontraceptives: in A ...read more
(Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems)
In the science fiction novel and movie The Martian, a stranded astronaut survives more than 500 days on Mars by growing potatoes. A permanent human settlement on Mars would need to do much better. And according to a computer model created by planetary scientists, that’s actually an attainable goal. With the right food sources, we could grow a million-person population on Mars that doesn’t depend on food shipped from Earth in about a h ...read more
Whales, dolphins and other cetaceans underwent numerous physiological changes as they transitioned from the land to the sea. (Credit: Carl Buell, John Gatesy)
Life began in the oceans, and for hundreds of millions of years, that's where it stayed. It took our deep ancestors eons to crawl, flop and gasp their way onto land. It turned out to be a pretty good decision, all told, as those creatures found a brand new world to inhabit. The ancient pioneers eventually led to mammals, including us &m ...read more
Two Late Bronze Age feeding vessels dated to around 1200– 800 BC. (Credit: Katharina Rebay-Salisbury)
Ancient pottery is helping scientists learn how prehistoric parents fed their infants.
A study of tiny clay pots with small spouts discovered at archaeological digs reveals that the vessels were likely used as milk bottles to feed babies. The specialized pots have long been found at sites around the world, and scientists have speculated that they may have been used to feed children ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine