Science

Wonky black hole suggest we don’t understand how cosmic behemoths work

by

We thought black holes rotated in the same plane as their orbit. One that is tilted by at least 40 degrees suggests our understanding of their behaviour needs an update Space 24 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins Artist impression of the X-ray binary system containing a black hole (small black dot at the centre of … Read more

Human evolution: Largest ever family tree reveals our species’ history

by

By Michael Marshall A visualisation of relationships between ancestors and descendants in the genealogy of modern and ancient genomes Wohns et al. (2022) Meet your relatives. A family tree of humanity has been constructed using genetic data from thousands of modern and prehistoric people. The tree gives a view of 2 million years of prehistory … Read more

DIY treatments and clinical trials – one person’s tale of long covid

by

By MB Caschetta Illustration of a receptor on the surface of a B cell binding to SARS-CoV-2, as part of the body’s immune response. Anatomic Groove/Science Photo Library On Body Politic’s covid-19 support group, which uses the app Slack, my username says it all. I am MBCaschetta_May2020. I caught covid-19 on 15 May 2020 and … Read more

Chernobyl Power Plant Captured by Russia, Leading to Fears of Radioactive Waste Spread

by

Russian troops have captured Chernobyl‘s former nuclear power after heavy fighting near the Chernobyl exclusion zone, according to an advisor to the Ukrainian presidential office.   Ukrainian troops fought with Russian forces, which invaded the region from Belarus and have seized control of the now-defunct power plant, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the … Read more

When a rogue rocket hits the moon March 4, NASA orbiter will hunt for its crater grave

by

A doomed rocket stage that’s expected to crash into the moon on March 4 will do so out of view of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The collision is set to take place on the far side of the moon, out of range of Earthbound telescopes. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) does have the ability to … Read more

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission, 1st flight of new megarocket, won’t launch until May

by

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission may end up being a summertime affair. An April launch is no longer possible for Artemis 1, which will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the moon using a huge Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket, agency officials said today (Feb. 24). And May could be difficult to hit as well. … Read more

NASA control center named for Apollo launch director Rocco Petrone

by

The NASA control center from where engineers oversaw the launch of the first astronauts to walk on the moon now bears the name of one of its pioneering directors. Agency officials gathered at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday (Feb. 22) to honor the late Rocco Petrone, who as director of launch operations … Read more

Strangely tilted black hole challenges formation theories

by

A tilted black hole spinning around a misaligned axis has been discovered in our galaxy, challenging theories of black hole formation. The black hole and its companion star form a system called MAXI J1820+070, which lies some 10,000 light-years away from Earth. The system was first spotted by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2018. But … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope instrument checkouts on track amid mirror alignment

by

Several instruments are preparing to help the James Webb Space Telescope with its mirror alignment and future observations, with several key steps achieved in recent days, according to NASA. The filter wheel for the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) has been successfully calibrated, allowing this key part of the Fine Guidance System (FGS) … Read more