Mapping where HIV hides its genes suggests cure strategy | Science

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An HIV infection remains maddeningly difficult to cure because the virus is so good at hiding out. Yes, antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can control an infection, but HIV integrates its genes into human chromosomes, evading both drugs and the immune system. Now, a research group studying a handful of HIV-infected people who have been on treatment … Read more

China’s Chang’e 5 lunar lander is first to find water on the moon up close

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China’s Chang’e 5 lunar lander just marked a historic first: The spacecraft became the first to detect water on the moon at its landing site in real time. Chang’e 5 found water at its landing site near Oceanus Procellarum on the moon’s near side, using an instrument that detects water by determining spectral reflectance measurements … Read more

Local Bubble: Huge gas structure that contains the solar system mapped for first time

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The solar system lies inside a structure called the Local Bubble some 1000 light years across – and a map of its surface shows it is the site of star formation Space 12 January 2022 Artist’s illustration of the Local Bubble with star formation occurring on the bubble’s surface Leah Hustak (STScI) The star-forming regions … Read more

Oceans Break Heat Record for Third Year in a Row

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The world’s oceans reached their hottest levels on record in 2021. It’s the third year in a row it’s happened, and it’s driven almost entirely by human-caused climate change, scientists announced yesterday. The findings are presented in a paper published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. As excess heat accumulates in the atmosphere, caused by continued greenhouse … Read more

The Solar System Exists Inside a Giant, Mysterious Void, And We Finally Know Why

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The Solar System floats in the middle of a peculiarly empty region of space. This region of low-density, high-temperature plasma, about 1,000 light-years across, is surrounded by a shell of cooler, denser neutral gas and dust. It’s called the Local Bubble, and precisely how and why it came to exist, with the Solar System floating … Read more

The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole is leaking gas

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A composite image of the effects of our Milky Way galaxy’s monster black hole. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, and Gerald Cecil (UNC-Chapel Hill); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)) The supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is leaking. The Milky Way’s central black hole, known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), has … Read more

Hungry Hyenas Can Help Human Health

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Giggling, sneaky, carrion-scavenging—and good for public health? Hyenas around the Ethiopian city of Mekelle often dine on livestock carcasses. In the process, a new study suggests, they may prevent infections of anthrax and bovine tuberculosis in nearby humans and animals. More than 300,000 people live in Mekelle, along with more than 100,000 head of livestock, … Read more