The first "narluga" skull ever to be discovered. The hybrid mixes traits of its beluga and narwhal parents. (Credit: Mikkel Høegh Post, Natural History Museum of Denmark.)
While visiting West Greenland in the 1980s, an Inuit hunter killed an odd-looking whale. He realized there was something unique about the animal, so he kept its skull. Years later in 1990, a researcher from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources spotted the specimen mounted on the hunter’s toolshed.
In ...read more
The location of the pancreas in the human body. (Credit: Magic mine/Shutterstock)
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer — a virtually incurable condition. But now, a serendipitous discovery is providing new hope: A sugar molecule associated with the disease, but long thought harmless, known as CA19-9, actually plays an active role in the genesis of pancreatic cancer, researchers say, and could become a new target for therapy. The discovery uncovers new possible ways ...read more
A blazar is an active black hole hurling jets of material directly at Earth. (Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab)
The Event Horizon Telescope made history on April 10 when it captured the first image of a supermassive black hole’s event horizon at the heart of galaxy M87. While there’s only one other target close enough to image that way – the black hole at the center of our own Milky Way – there are plenty of other targets where EHT’s sharp gaze can ...read more
Falcon Heavy made its second launch on April 11 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. (Credit: SpaceX)
The third launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center late at night on June 24. Along for the ride will be 24 satellites and a slate of experiments, including new technology developed by NASA that will help guide our way to Mars.
The Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) is a step forward for NASA’s spacecraft guidance systems. Right n ...read more
An artist depicts the powerful quasar blowing away material immediately around it, but with the outer reaches of the galaxy still containing red dust and gas. (Credit: Michelle Vigeant)
Quasars are supermassive black holes actively gobbling material from the galaxy around them. While black holes are known for pulling material in, the turbulent swirl of that whirlpool often also flings material and radiation out at high energies, enabling quasars to be seen from across the universe. They are ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine