Space
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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LifeThree scientists, three wishes (with extras for the cosmologist)
Research luminaries reveal the questions they'd most like to see answered.
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SpaceLHC switching gears
The premier European collider will spend the next month smashing lead nuclei together.
By Ron Cowen -
SpaceEPOXI spacecraft encounters comet
Passing within 700 kilometers of the peanut-shaped Hartley 2 nets detailed pictures.
By Ron Cowen -
SpaceMagnetars may fuel briefer bursts
Rapidly spinning neutron stars could be the source of some short gamma-ray explosions, astronomers propose.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceNew rock type found on moon
Odd spots on the lunar farside could be ancient material that originated deep inside the moon.
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SpaceRevealing the galaxy’s dark side
Observations of the Milky Way’s center detect gamma rays characteristic of the universe’s missing mass.
By Ron Cowen -
SpaceNeutron star breaks mass record
The new heavyweight champion in its stellar class rules out a number of exotic theories.
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SpaceSpacecraft eavesdrops on distant stars
By listening to sound waves, researchers hope to learn about the age and composition of distant worlds.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceVenus, erupting?
Lava flow suggests recent volcanism on Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor.
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SpaceNew cosmic distance record-holder
A faraway galaxy hails from a time when the 13.7-billion-year-old universe was a mere 600 million years old.
By Ron Cowen -
SpaceExistence of habitable exoplanet questioned
A Swiss team has failed to confirm what has recently been claimed to be the first planet outside the solar system that might be right for life.
By Ron Cowen -
SpaceCSI: Asteroid Belt
Astronomers hunt clues in the rubble of a recent collision between two space rocks.
By Ron Cowen