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Published

Life after death: Astronomers find a planet that shouldn't exist      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The star would have inflated up to 1.5 times the planet's orbital distance -- engulfing the planet in the process -- before shrinking to its current size at only one-tenth of that distance.

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

Starlight and the first black holes: researchers detect the host galaxies of quasars in the early universe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed starlight from two massive galaxies hosting actively growing black holes -- quasars -- seen less than a billion years after the Big Bang.

Space: Structures and Features
Published

A surprise chemical find by ALMA may help detect and confirm protoplanets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists studying the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets. The discovery will provide astronomers with an alternate method for detecting and characterizing protoplanets when direct observations or imaging are not possible.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

First detection of crucial carbon molecule      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists detect a new carbon compound in space for the first time. Known as methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) (CH3+), the molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506, which is located about 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Zoology
Published

Do warmer temperatures make turtles better mothers?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Warmer temperatures are known to make more turtle eggs become female hatchlings, but new research shows that those females also have a higher capacity for egg production, even before their sex is set. This finding may explain why many animals besides turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination and why the system persists, despite seeming like a risky strategy. It may also provide a troubling glimpse of what could lie ahead in a warming world.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Einstein and Euler put to the test at the edge of the Universe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The cosmos is a unique laboratory for testing the laws of physics, in particular those of Euler and Einstein. Euler described the movements of celestial objects, while Einstein described the way in which celestial objects distort the Universe. Since the discovery of dark matter and the acceleration of the Universe's expansion, the validity of their equations has been put to the test: are they capable of explaining these mysterious phenomena? A team has developed the first method to find out. It considers a never-before-used measure: time distortion.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Molecular filament shielded young solar system from supernova      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Isotope ratios found in meteorites suggest that a supernova exploded nearby while the Sun and Solar System were still forming. But the blast wave from a supernova that close could have potentially destroyed the nascent Solar System. New calculations shows that a filament of molecular gas, which is the birth cocoon of the Solar System, aided the capture of the isotopes found in the meteorites, while acting as a buffer protecting the young Solar System from the nearby supernova blast.

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

Never-before-seen way to annihilate a star      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst, may have detected a never-before-seen way to destroy a star. Unlike most GRBs, which are caused by exploding massive stars or the chance mergers of neutron stars, astronomers have concluded that this GRB came instead from the collision of stars or stellar remnants in the jam-packed environment surrounding a supermassive black hole at the core of an ancient galaxy.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Molecular
Published

Unraveling the connections between the brain and gut      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers designed a technology to probe connections between the brain and the digestive tract. Using fibers embedded with a variety of sensors, as well as optogenetic stimulation, the researchers could control neural circuits connecting the gut and the brain, in mice.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Detection of an echo emitted by our Galaxy's black hole 200 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists has discovered that Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, emerged from a long period of dormancy some 200 years ago. The team, led by Frédéric Marin, a CNRS researcher at the Astronomical Strasbourg Observatory (CNRS/University of Strasbourg), has revealed the past awakening of this gigantic object, which is four million times more massive than the Sun. Their work is published in Nature on 21 June.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Exoplanet may reveal secrets about the edge of habitability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

A new tool to study complex genome interactions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Genome Architecture Mapping captures complex, multi-way interactions in the genome. This is different than the workhorse technique of 3D genomics, which sees mostly two-way contacts, finds a new study.

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

Discovery of white dwarf pulsar sheds light on star evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The discovery of a rare type of white dwarf star system provides new understanding into stellar evolution.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Tethering of shattered chromosomal fragments paves way for new cancer therapies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists discover shattered chromosomal fragments are tethered together during cell division before being rearranged; destroying the tether may help prevent cancerous mutations.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Close up on aging reveals how different cell types in the body age at different pace      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team or researchers reports the first Aging Fly Cell Atlas (AFCA), a detailed characterization of the aging process in 163 distinct cell types in the laboratory fruit fly. Their in-depth analysis revealed that different cell types in the body age differently, each cell type following a process involving cell type-specific patterns. AFCA provides a valuable resource for researchers in the fruit fly and aging communities as a reference to study aging and age-related diseases and to evaluate the success of anti-aging strategies.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Scientists report 'benchmarks' for extreme space weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Extreme space weather threatens vital satellites orbiting the Earth, including the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which pass through the heart of the outer radiation belt. New research has now determined a series of benchmarks for the likely severity of extreme space weather events in GPS orbit.