Scientists Found Creatures So Inactive They Expanded Our Idea of Life Itself
“It looks like the majority of these organisms are living at energy regimes that are below what we thought was even capable of maintenance—just staying alive.”
Science
Surprisingly Dense Exoplanet Challenges Planet Formation Theories (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
New detailed observations reveal a young exoplanet, orbiting a young star in the Hyades cluster, that is unusually dense for its size and age. Weighing in at 25 Earth-masses, and slightly smaller than Neptune, this exoplanet’s existence is at odds with the predictions of leading planet formation theories.
Bee Disease Spreading Via Flowers
One in 11 flowers carries disease-causing parasites known to contribute to bee declines, according to a new study that identifies how flowers act as hubs for transmitting diseases to bees and other pollinators.
First Ever Image Of A Multi-Planet System Around A Sun-like Star Captured By ESO Telescope (VIDEO)
The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) has taken the first ever image of a young, Sun-like star accompanied by two giant exoplanets. Images of systems with multiple exoplanets are extremely rare, and — until now — astronomers had never directly observed more than one planet orbiting a star similar to the Sun. The observations can help astronomers understand how planets formed and evolved around our own Sun.
Bacteria With A Metal Diet Discovered In Dirty Glassware
Newfound bacteria that oxidize manganese help explain the geochemistry of groundwater. The finding ends a century-long search for microbes that live on manganese.
Scientists Discovered a Gigantic Structure in a Hidden Zone of Space (VIDEO)
An international team of scientists has discovered a filament of a fundamental structure known as the cosmic web hiding in the ‘Zone of Avoidance,’ and it’s one of the biggest structures ever seen by humans.
A Massive Star Has Seemingly Vanished from Space With No Explanation (VIDEO)
Astronomers are trying to figure out whether the star collapsed into a black hole without going supernova, or if it disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Quantum Physics Provides A Way To Hide Ignorance
Students can hide their ignorance and answer questions correctly in an exam without their lack of knowledge being detected by teachers — but only in the quantum world.
Super-Earths Discovered Orbiting Nearby Red Dwarf
The nearest exoplanets to us provide the best opportunities for study, including searching for evidence of life outside the Solar System. Astronomers have now detected a system of super-Earth planets orbiting the nearby star Gliese 887, the brightest red dwarf star in the sky. The newly discovered super-Earths lie close to the red dwarf’s habitable zone, where water can exist in liquid form.
Bizarre Saber-Tooth Predator From South America Was No Saber-Tooth Cat
A new study has shown that not all saber-tooths were fearsome predators.
Monster Black Hole Found in the Early Universe (VIDEO)
Astronomers have discovered the second-most distant quasar ever found. It is the first quasar to receive an indigenous Hawaiian name, Poniua’ena. Data show the supermassive black hole powering Poniua’ena is surprisingly massive, challenging current theories of how supermassive black holes formed and grew in the young universe.
ATLAS Telescope Discovers First-Of-Its-Kind Asteroid
An extraordinary asteroid with comet-like features has researchers puzzled.
Bees using secret trick to make plants flower, leaving scientists baffled
Bees biting plants, making them flower up to a month earlier than they usually would, could be a result of global warming.
What Is An Individual? Information Theory May Provide The Answer
Despite the near-universal assumption of individuality in biology, there is little agreement about what individuals are and few rigorous quantitative methods for their identification. A new approach may solve the problem by defining individuals in terms of informational processes.
Antimatter Physicists Designed a Ventilator for Coronavirus Patients
Particle physicists at the Large Hadron Collider are joining the fight against Covid-19 with a new, low-cost design for scarce life-saving medical equipment.