To get a global view of Earth’s magnetosphere, NASA’s Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) is set for a trip to the moon. Scheduled to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in or after mid-January, the instrument will take the first full images of the magnetic field around Earth, which will help researchers reveal how the field fends off solar winds and weather. “We’re trying to get this big picture of Earth’s space environment,” said Boston University physicist and LE ...read more
It’s perhaps historically appropriate that the word “ironic” contains “iron.” Mining and smelting minerals like iron represented technological highs at the Roman Empire’s peak. But those activities also produced enough lead pollution to impair its citizens’ IQs, according to a new study in PNAS.“Detailed ice core records of Arctic lead pollution, together with sophisticated atmospheric modeling and modern epidemiology, indicate that human industrial activities were measurably dam ...read more
New research from the University of Arizona (U of A) claims that Pluto may not have been created with a bang, but with a kiss. The study, published in Nature Geoscience, looks at how Pluto and its moon, Charon, originated after colliding. Instead of destroying each other, the two celestial bodies began to spiral together like a cosmic snowman before separating into two bodies again. What’s unique about the separation is that Pluto and Charon still share the same orbit. This new discovery is ...read more
The clock is ticking for the binary star T Coronae Borealis, as it’s only a matter of time before it explodes in a blaze of light that will be visible here on Earth. Although astronomers aren’t sure exactly when this spectacle will unfold, they say the binary star — given the fiery nickname, the Blaze Star — is likely to ignite later in 2025. The Explosive Cycle of T CrBT Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is a nova located about 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis ( ...read more
After so many years of learning how microbes work, researchers are now digitally recreating their inner workings to tackle challenges ranging from climate change to space colonization.In my work as a computational biologist, I research ways to get microbes to produce more useful chemicals, such as fuels and bioplastics, that can be used in the energy, agricultural, or pharmaceutical industries. Traditionally, researchers have to conduct several trial-and-error experiments on Petri dishes in orde ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine