Category Archives: Science

First green leaf on moon dies as temperatures plummet

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Cotton plant perishes on lunar far side after sprouting on board China’s Chang’e 4 lander

The appearance of a single green leaf hinted at a future in which astronauts would grow their own food in space, potentially setting up residence at outposts on the moon or other planets. Now, barely after it had sprouted, the cotton plant onboard China’s lunar rover has died.

The plant relied on sunlight at the moon’s surface, but as night arrived at the lunar far side and temperatures plunged as low as -170C, its short life came to an end.

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Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change – study

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Scientists say it may still technically be possible to limit warming to 1.5C if drastic action is taken now

Climate change could be kept in check if a phaseout of all fossil fuel infrastructure were to begin immediately, according to research.

It shows that meeting the internationally agreed aspiration of keeping global warming to less than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels is still possible. The scientists say it is therefore the choices being made by global society, not physics, which is the obstacle to meeting the goal.

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DNA discoverer James Watson loses honors over views on race

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New York laboratory cuts ties with 90-year-old scientist who helped discover DNA, revoking all titles and honors

A New York laboratory has cut ties with James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped discover DNA, over “reprehensible” comments in which he said race and intelligence are connected.

Related: Interview: James Watson

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Scientists close to first sighting of black hole in the Milky Way

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International team say ‘spectacular’ data hints at historic breakthrough

Astronomers attempting to capture the first images of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way have given early hints that the ambitious project has been successful.

The observations, by the Event Horizon Telescope, are expected to be unveiled in March in one of the most eagerly awaited scientific announcements of 2019. Now, a senior scientist on the project has said “spectacular” data was gathered during observations of two black holes, including Sagittarius A* at the centre of our own galaxy.

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Easter Island statues: mystery behind their location revealed

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Location of statues was based on nearby fresh water and other resources, says US study

The huge stone figures of Easter Island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one of the biggest mysteries: why the statues are where they are.

Researchers say they have analysed the locations of the megalithic platforms, or ahu, on which many of the statues known as moai sit, as well as scrutinising sites of the island’s resources, and have discovered the structures are typically found close to sources of fresh water.

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Hubble loses best camera but discovers brightest ever quasar

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Nasa working on fix after space telescope’s wide-field camera broke down

The Hubble space telescope is operating without its best camera after a hardware problem forced it to shut down.

Nasa said the camera stopped working on Tuesday but three other science instruments were still operating and able to continue celestial observations.

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Laser technology shines light on South African ‘lost city’ of Kweneng

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Settlement with limited traces was sophisticated and thriving metropolis, lasers reveal

From close up, all that is visible are some broken walls among the scrubby brush, a mound covered by parched grass, a dry river gully.

But to Professor Karim Sadr and his team of archaeologists from Johannesburg’s University of Witwatersrand, the ruins at Kweneng tell an extraordinary story of a long-lost city.

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Global warming of oceans equivalent to an atomic bomb per second

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Seas absorb 90% of climate change’s energy as new research reveals vast heating over past 150 years

Global warming has heated the oceans by the equivalent of one atomic bomb explosion per second for the past 150 years, according to analysis of new research.

More than 90% of the heat trapped by humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the seas, with just a few per cent heating the air, land and ice caps respectively. The vast amount of energy being added to the oceans drives sea-level rise and enables hurricanes and typhoons to become more intense.

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India outcry after scientists claim ancient Hindus invented stem cell research

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The organisers of a major Indian science conference said they were concerned by speakers citing religious texts and ideas at the event

The organisers of a major Indian science conference distanced themselves on Sunday from speakers who used the prestigious event to dismiss Einstein’s discoveries and claim ancient Hindus invented stem cell research.

The Indian Scientific Congress Association expressed “serious concern” as the unorthodox remarks aired by prominent academics at its annual conference attracted condemnation and ridicule.

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‘Sonic attack’ on US embassy in Havana could have been crickets, say scientists

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Noise which saw diplomats complaining of headaches and nausea could be song of Indies short-tailed cricket

The US embassy in Havana more than halved its staff in 2017 when diplomats complained of headaches, nausea and other ailments after hearing penetrating noises in their homes and nearby hotels.

The mysterious wave of illness fuelled speculation that the staff had been targeted by an acoustic weapon. It was an explanation that appeared to gain weight when an audio recording of a persistent, high-pitched drone made by US personnel in Cuba was released to the Associated Press.

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Half of people who think they have a food allergy do not – study

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US study finds some people needlessly avoid foods while others do not have life-saving medication

The number of adults who think they have a food allergy is almost double the figure who actually have one, research has revealed.

While the study was conducted in the US, experts say a similar situation is also seen in other countries, including the UK. The researchers found that many people with an allergy do not have a prescription for potentially life-saving medication, while others might be avoiding foods unnecessarily.

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Nearby galaxy set to collide with Milky Way, say scientists

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Collision will ‘cause fireworks’ but probably won’t happen for about 2.5 billion years

As if battered post-Christmas finances, a looming disorderly Brexit and the prospect of a fresh nuclear arms race were not enough to dampen spirits, astronomers have declared that a nearby galaxy will slam into the Milky Way and could knock our solar system far into the cosmic void.

The unfortunate discovery was made after scientists ran computer simulations on the movement of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the many satellite galaxies that orbits the Milky Way. Rather than circling at a safe distance, or breaking free of the Milky Way’s gravitational pull, the researchers found the LMC is destined to clatter into the galaxy we call home.

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Far side of the moon: China’s Chang’e 4 probe makes historic touchdown

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Lander sends back first close-up shot of previously unexplored side of the moon

A Chinese spacecraft has become the first ever to land on the far side of the moon, according to state-run media, in a giant leap for human space exploration.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) landed the robotic probe Chang’e 4 in the unexplored South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest, oldest, deepest, crater on the moon’s surface.

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Mexican experts discover first temple of god depicted as skinned human corpse

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Two skull-like stone carvings and a stone trunk depicting the Flayed Lord were found during excavation in Puebla state

Mexican experts say they have found the first temple of the Flayed Lord, a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse.

Related: Conquistadors sacrificed and eaten by Aztec-era people, archaeologists say

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First close-ups of Ultima Thule reveal it resembles dark red snowman

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Images of rock on the edge of the solar system were taken on the most distant flyby in history

Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft has beamed home its first close-up images of Ultima Thule, a lump of rock the shape of an unfinished snowman that lies 4 billion miles away on the edge of the solar system.

Taken as the probe sped past the body in the early hours of New Year’s Day, the pictures reveal a dark reddish object about 21 miles long and 10 miles wide that spins on its axis once every 15 hours or so. The colour image of Ultima Thule, revealing its reddish tint, was taken at 05.01 GMT on New Year’s Day from a distance of about 18,000 miles, 30 minutes before the probe made its closest pass of the space rock.

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Chinese spacecraft to become first to land on far side of moon

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Chang’e 4 will explore giant crater, possibly offering more clues as to moon’s formation

A Chinese spacecraft could become the first ever to land on the “far side” of the moon tomorrow, in a milestone for human space exploration. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is aiming to land the craft in the unexplored South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest, oldest, deepest, crater on the moon’s surface.

The robotic probe, Chang’e 4, entered an elliptical path around the moon last weekend, drawing as close as 15km (9 miles) from the surface. China’s mission control has not confirmed a time for the touchdown attempt but reports in state-run media suggested it would be early Thursday morning UK time.

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Terrawatch: landslide tsunami lessons from Anak Krakatau

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Tsunami warning systems are in place around Indonesia, but they are tailored to earthquake tsunamis

Just over a week ago, the Indonesian volcano Anak Krakatau blew its top, losing about two-thirds of its height.

Most of this 150m cubic metres of rock is thought to have slid into the sea in one go, generating a tsunami that killed more than 400 people. Tsunami warning systems are in place around Indonesia, but they are tailored to earthquake tsunamis, triggering only if an earthquake and large wave are detected.

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Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft ‘phones home’ after flyby of Ultima Thule

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Scientists celebrate probe’s successful completion of most distant space flyby in history

Nasa scientists are celebrating after a spacecraft “phoned home” to confirm it had successfully performed the most distant space flyby in history in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Thousands of photographs of the dark, icy space rock called Ultima Thule were snapped by the New Horizons probe as it barrelled past it on the outer edge of the solar system at 0533 GMT.

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USDA moves to tighten restrictions on food stamps

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The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year's farm bill didn't: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.