After many delays, the observatory finally got to work this year This year marked the end of a decades-long wait for astronomers. The James Webb Space Telescope is finally in action. The telescope, which launched in December 2021, released its first science data in July (SN: 8/13/22, p. 30) andContinue Reading
The next generation will be different than the men of the Apollo missions When astronaut Eugene Cernan stepped from the moon’s surface into his spacecraft in December 1972, he was aware it was the end of an era. His mission, Apollo 17, was the last of the Apollos. “Take yourContinue Reading
Upticks in radiocarbon in ancient tree rings do not align with the solar cycle A cryptic chemical signature of unknown origins, hidden for centuries inside the trunks of Earth’s trees, just became even more mysterious. In the last decade, scientists have discovered traces on Earth of six intense bursts ofContinue Reading
Matter’s dominance over antimatter may revolve around lightweight subatomic particles The answer to one of the greatest mysteries of the universe may come down to one of the smallest, and spookiest, particles. Matter is common in the cosmos. Everything around us — from planets to stars to puppies — isContinue Reading
Pahrump poolfish react oddly to danger, a new study finds Getting out into society after a long isolation gets awkward. Ask the Pahrump poolfish, loners in a desert for some 10,000 years. This hold-in-your-hand-size fish (Empetrichthys latos) has a chubby, torpedo shape and a mouth that looks as if it’sContinue Reading
A population of stars at the galactic center is the oldest known in the galaxy, a study finds The Milky Way left its “poor old heart” in and around the constellation Sagittarius, astronomers report. New data from the Gaia spacecraft reveal the full extent of what seems to be theContinue Reading
This lightning bolt over Oklahoma was one of the rarest and most powerful on Earth. The sky turns dark, a heavy rain falls and a bolt of lightning crackles through the air. But instead of striking down toward the ground, or zipping sideways between clouds, this lightning bolt does somethingContinue Reading
The diamond will likely become the most expensive gemstone ever sold. Miners in Angola have uncovered a massive pink diamond that may be the biggest gem of its kind found in the past 300 years. The pink diamond is estimated to weigh 170 carats, making it just a smidge smallerContinue Reading
Could we ever create a brain-in-a-vat? Could a brain ever exist on its own, divorced from or independent of a body? For a long time, philosophers have pondered such “brain-in-a-vat” scenarios, asking whether isolated brains could maintain consciousness when separated from their bodies and senses. Typically, a person’s experiences areContinue Reading
Vortex rings are no longer just for fluids Smoke rings are being seen in a new light. Doughnut-shaped structures called vortex rings are sometimes seen swirling through fluids. Smokers can form them with their mouths, volcanoes can spit them out during eruptions and dolphins can blow them as bubble rings.Continue Reading