In recent years, black holes have morphed from highly theoretical exotic possibilities to well-observed astrophysical objects. The observational evidence has come from sources such as the first observation of ripples in spacetime caused by black hole collisions and the first image of a black hole published in 2019.Black holes are predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which describes the universe on the largest scale. But these objects must also distort spacetime on the tiniest ...read more
Sometimes daydreams turn into reality. As an undergrad, Martin Smith remembers attending a lecture that stuck with him. The talk touched on the difficulty of showing how ancient wormlike creatures evolved into more complex organisms with arms and legs — like insects, spiders, crabs, and centipedes. Demonstrating that had so far proved daunting, since no Cambrian period larval fossil contained the details necessary to make any evolutionary inferences. Smith remembers thinking, "If they ever fin ...read more
Beyond Earth's blue skies stretches a universe full of possibilities, including countless stars with planets that might support life. While Earth is the only known host of life, astronomers have identified several exoplanets that could potentially support it. "An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun,” explains Michelle Hill, an Earth and planetary science researcher at the University of California, Riverside.One crucial factor in determining a planet's potential for life ...read more
The Hubble telescope, which has served as an incredibly advanced window into the universe for over thirty years, has recently struggled with several less-than-stellar service disruptions.But, NASA officials insist, the telescope’s legacy is far from finished — and it’s projected to remain active well into the next decade.Over the past six months, Hubble has repeatedly experienced technological malfunctions, causing the telescope to enter “safe mode” and temporarily pause viewing as sci ...read more
Dimetrodon was the largest predator of its time, preying on giant amphibians nearly 300 million years ago during the Early Permian period.“They were eating basically whatever they wanted,” says Kirstin Brink, a paleontologist at the University of Manitoba in Canada who studies these creatures.But these ancient sail-finned creatures have often been misunderstood throughout history and were incorrectly classified as dinosaurs for some of the past 150 years. The Dimetrodon were instead more clo ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine