‘Holy cow!’ How the James Webb Space Telescope took a selfie in space

We’ve just seen the first up-close view of the James Webb Space Telescope hard at work in deep space. A special lens within the telescope’s near-infrared camera (NIRCam) instrument allowed engineers to take a look at Webb’s mirror alignment and to generate a cool view of the telescope, all at the same time. Engineers now … Read more

‘Cow’ supernova is brightest ever seen in X-ray observations

Astronomers have spotted the brightest “Cow” supernova ever seen in X-rays, providing shining new evidence that the recently discovered phenomenon might be driven by an emerging black hole or a neutron star.  Cow supernovae are a newly-labeled subclass of the explosive events, which occur when giant stars reach the end of their lives; they run … Read more

Cancer: Meat-eating mammals are more susceptible than herbivores

Understanding why plant-eating mammals like antelopes and sheep are far less likely to die of cancer than carnivores may help protect us from cancer too Life 22 December 2021 By Alice Klein The kowari, a carnivorous marsupial, is particularly prone to cancer D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook/ Minden Pictures/Alamy Mammals that live on meat are … Read more

Did scientists solve the mystery of the super-bright exploding ‘cow’ in space?

An artistic visualization of AT2018cow. (Image credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan) Science studying a mysterious star explosion known as “the Cow” think the blast could have created a black hole or neutron star. In 2018, scientists spotted the super-bright stellar explosion known as AT2018co, and nicknamed “the Cow”, in a galaxy called CGCG 137-068 … Read more

We May Finally Know The Cause of ‘The Cow’, a Freakishly Exciting Space Explosion

The cause of a mysterious cosmic kaboom – so bright it led to the classification of a new type of space explosion – may have now been revealed. According to an analysis of the 2018 event, nicknamed “the Cow” (AT2018cow), it was likely an unusual kind of core-collapse supernova that led to the formation of … Read more

Space cow: Bizarre explosion was probably a failed supernova

By Leah Crane Illustration of a cow in space Shutterstock An explosion that baffled astronomers in 2018 may finally have an explanation. Observations of X-rays from the blast have revealed that it was probably a massive star that only partially blew up, leaving behind either a dense neutron star or a small black hole – … Read more