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Astronomers discover new link between dark matter and clumpiness of the universe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers reveal a theoretical breakthrough that may explain both the nature of invisible dark matter and the large-scale structure of the universe known as the cosmic web. The result establishes a new link between these two longstanding problems in astronomy, opening new possibilities for understanding the cosmos. The research suggests that the 'clumpiness problem,' which centres on the unexpectedly even distribution of matter on large scales throughout the cosmos, may be a sign that dark matter is composed of hypothetical, ultra-light particles called axions. The implications of proving the existence of hard-to-detect axions extend beyond understanding dark matter and could address fundamental questions about the nature of the universe itself.

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Earth was created much faster than we thought: This makes the chance of finding other habitable planets in the Universe more likely      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over the past decades, researchers thought Earth was created over a period of more than 100 million years. However, a new study from suggests that the creation of Earth was much more rapid, and that water and other essential ingredients for life were delivered to Earth very early on.

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A scorching-hot exoplanet scrutinized by astronomers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Through the Gemini-North Telescope in Hawai'i, the chemical composition of WASP-76 b is revealed in unprecedented detail, giving new insights also into the composition of giant planets.

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Plate tectonics not required for the emergence of life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New finding contradicts previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth. Moreover, the data suggests that 'when we're looking for exoplanets that harbor life, the planets do not necessarily need to have plate tectonics,' says the lead author of a new paper.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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Sun's coldest region stores secret to heating million-degree corona      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unveiled the discovery of intense wave energy from a relatively cool, dark and strongly magnetized plasma region on the Sun, capable of traversing the solar atmosphere and maintaining temperatures of a million degrees Kelvin inside the corona. Researchers say the finding is the latest key to unraveling a host of related mysteries pertaining to Earth's nearest star.

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Published

Study explains unusual deformation in Earth's largest continental rift      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computer models confirm that the African Superplume is responsible for the unusual deformations, as well as rift-parallel seismic anisotropy observed beneath the East African Rift System.

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Pass the salt: This space rock holds clues as to how Earth got its water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The discovery of tiny salt grains in a sample from an asteroid provides strong evidence that liquid water may be more common in the solar system than previously thought.

Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

DESI early data release holds nearly two million objects      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first batch of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument is now available for researchers to explore. Taken during the experiment's 'survey validation' phase, the data include distant galaxies and quasars as well as stars in our own Milky Way.

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Flaring star could be down to young planet's disc inferno      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New simulations offer new explanation for star's 85-year flare. In this scenario, a young giant planet is burning up very close to its star, suggesting solar systems may have hosted many of such planets that have since 'evaporated'.

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A new Tatooine-like multi-planetary system identified      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of astronomers has announced the second-ever discovery of a multiplanetary circumbinary system.

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Astronomers discover supernova explosion through rare 'cosmic magnifying glasses'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists recently discovered an exceptionally rare gravitationally lensed supernova, which the team named 'SN Zwicky.' Located more than 4 billion light years away, the supernova was magnified nearly 25 times by a foreground galaxy acting as a lens. The discovery presents a unique opportunity for astronomers to learn more about the inner cores of galaxies, dark matter and the mechanics behind universe expansion.

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Campi Flegrei volcano edges closer to possible eruption      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The new study used a model of volcano fracturing to interpret patterns of earthquakes and ground uplift, and concluded that parts of the volcano had been stretched nearly to breaking point.

Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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'Hot Jupiters' may not be orbiting alone      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers challenge longstanding beliefs about the isolation of 'hot Jupiters' and proposes a new mechanism for understanding the exoplanets' evolution.

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Elusive planets play 'hide and seek' with CHEOPS      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have clearly identified the existence of four new exoplanets. The four mini-Neptunes are smaller and cooler, and more difficult to find than the so-called Hot Jupiter exoplanets which have been found in abundance.

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What made the brightest cosmic explosion of all time so exceptional?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Last year, telescopes around the world registered the brightest cosmic explosion of all time. Astrophysicists can now explain what made it so dazzling.

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Published

New study identifies mechanism driving the sun's fast wind      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers used data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe to explain how the solar wind is capable of surpassing speeds of 1 million miles per hour. They discovered that the energy released from the magnetic field near the sun's surface is powerful enough to drive the fast solar wind, which is made up of ionized particles -- called plasma -- that flow outward from the sun.

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Bubble, bubble, more earthquake trouble? Geoscientists study Alaska's Denali fault      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Geochemists report findings from collected and analyzed helium and carbon isotopic data from springs along a nearly 250-mile segment of Alaska's Denali Fault. The fault's mantle fluid flow rates, they report, fall in the range observed for the world's other major and active strike-slip faults that form plate boundaries.

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First detection of secondary supermassive black hole in a well-known binary system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of astronomers observed the second one of the two supermassive black holes circling each other in an active galaxy OJ 287.

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Webb Space Telescope detects universe's most distant complex organic molecules      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have detected complex organic molecules in a galaxy more than 12 billion light-years away from Earth -- the most distant galaxy in which these molecules are now known to exist. Thanks to the capabilities of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope and careful analyses from the research team, a new study lends critical insight into the complex chemical interactions that occur in the first galaxies in the early universe.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

NASA's Webb Space Telescope peers behind bars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A delicate tracery of dust and bright star clusters threads across this image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The bright tendrils of gas and stars belong to the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5068, whose bright central bar is visible in the upper left of this image -- a composite from two of Webb's instruments.