Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
U.S. radiation dose has doubled
New analysis finds radiation-based medical procedures have skyrocketed.
- Space
Origin of high-energy cosmic rays more mysterious, again
The origin of the rare, energetic particles that previous evidence indicated came from galaxies that house supermassive black holes, is now much less certain.
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- Space
Another clue in the case for dark matter
New data from the Fermi spacecraft fail to debunk a sister craft's possible finding of dark matter's mark.
- Astronomy
They’re calling Obama the ‘science guy’
Speakers at a science forum offered support for the thesis that researchers have found a big ally in the new president.
- Space
MESSENGER’s second pass
New studies detail the latest findings about Mercury from the MESSENGER spacecraft, including the discovery of the second largest crater known on the planet and a surprisingly strong interaction between the sun’s magnetic field and that of the planet.
- Space
Most distant known object in the universe
Astronomers have discovered a gamma-ray burst emanating 13.035 billion light-years from Earth, making it the universe's most distant known object.
- Earth
A little air pollution boosts vegetation’s carbon uptake
Aerosols bumped up world’s plant productivity by 25 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, new research suggests.
- Space
Smallest exoplanet yet is found
Finding a planet just under twice Earth's size puts astronomers closer to discovering an Earth counterpart.
- Space
Blob may signal monster galaxy feeding
Researchers have found a giant blob of gas and stars, the fourth most distant object known in the universe. The blob may offer the earliest snapshot of a very young galaxy caught in the act of gobbling up material for growth.
- Planetary Science
Antarctic ecosystem holds unusual microbes
Long isolated deep under a glacier, life thrives in dark, salty water by breathing iron and eating sulfates.
- Space
Massive solar flares captured in 3-D
Distance between orbiting STEREO craft allows better imaging of coronal mass ejections.
