Two supermassive black holes on a dizzying death spiral could soon become visible to astronomers after researchers worked out how, while rotating around each other, these dark, massive behemoths could gravitationally lens the stars behind them. Pretty much every large galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole, ranging in mass from millions of times that of
As you read this, the screen is probably flashing over 240 times per second, yet, as a human, you won’t notice this flickering light. However, to a fruit fly hovering above your head, the screen would represent a strobe light fit for an Ibiza rave. This is because the way different species sample time, and
There is a corner of Antarctica that looks like something out of a David Cronenberg movie. It’s located in the dry valleys of McMurdo, an immense frozen desert where, periodically, a jet of crimson liquid suddenly gushes from the dazzling white of the Taylor Glacier. They’re called the Blood Falls, and since their discovery in
Paleontologists in Brazil have uncovered a previously unknown species of sauropod dinosaur, Dasosaurus tocantinensis, which lived around 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period. Published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, this groundbreaking study reveals not just a new species but also highlights the fascinating biogeographical connections between South America and other parts
NASA’s Artemis II Live Views from Kennedy Space Center – YouTube Watch On NASA will roll its Artemis 2 moon rocket off the launch pad on Wednesday (Feb. 25) to deal with a glitch, and you can watch the long trek live. Artemis 2’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped by the Orion spacecraft, will
Below, co-authors Michael Wong and Robert Hazen share five key insights from their new book, Time’s Second Arrow: Evolution, Order, and a New Law of Nature. Michael and Robert are researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Earth and Planets Laboratory. Robert is a veteran geoscientist who has done highly influential work in mineralogy and
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope just mapped the mysterious upper atmosphere of Uranus for the first time, revealing strange new features of the planet’s mysterious magnetic field and glowing auroras. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observed Uranus rotating for 15 hours (nearly a full Uranian day) to learn more about how ice
Astronomers have captured the first views of a young sun-like star blowing bubbles, offering a rare glimpse at how our solar neighborhood might have behaved in its youth. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, researchers observed HD 61005 — a young star located about 120 light-years from Earth with roughly the same mass and temperature as
A broken face sculpture with a beautiful chin. Image credits: ALEJANDRO POHLENZ/Unsplash The human chin is uniquely human, and the assumption has always been that it must have evolved for a specific purpose, perhaps to strengthen the jaw during chewing or speech. After all, chimpanzees and gorillas don’t have chins. Neither did Neanderthals nor Denisovans.
Anyone who lives around, works with, or simply loves horses will know they can be noisy characters. Three of the main sounds they make include whinnies (the loud neighing sounds they’re known for), squeals, and nickers. Nickers are deep sounds because of their low frequency, while squeals are much higher. But whinnies are a unique