Germany switches off black hole telescope on Russian satellite, halts space cooperation

A German-built space telescope making the largest ever map of black holes in the universe has been switched off after Germany halted all science cooperation with Russia to protest that country’s invasion of Ukraine.  The black hole-hunting telescope, called eROSITA, launched in 2019 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard the Russian-built Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite. The … Read more

After deadly floods, can Germany adapt to its climate future?

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change prepares to release a major report on adapting to climate change, Adam Vaughan visits the site of 2021’s deadly floods in Ahr, Germany, to discover how locals are rebuilding Environment 23 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan A message for volunteers in Rech near the Ahr river, Germany David … Read more

Nord Stream 2: Germany paused gas pipeline to Russia – what’s next?

After Russia’s recognition of separatist regions in Ukraine, Germany paused the certification of a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. What does that mean for gas prices and climate targets? Environment | Analysis 22 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan Facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany Michael Sohn/AP/Shutterstock Germany has halted … Read more

Arctic Sponges Survive Dark, Hostile Conditions by Feasting on The Extinct

The bottom of the Arctic Ocean, below the permanent sea ice, is not a friendly place for life. Down there in the cold dark, nutrients and vegetation are sparse; it’s expected that any life that does manage to eke out an existence under these conditions would be likewise thin on the ground.   Scientists were … Read more