Tiny nanosat aims to spot volcanic eruptions from space before they happen

A new sensor aims to send information about volcanic activity and air quality from a tiny satellite as swiftly as possible, to help speed up the response to eruptions. The Nanosat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System, or NACHOS, will fly roughly 300 miles (480 kilometers) in altitude above Earth, scanning the ground using a hyperspectral … Read more

What Would Happen if Rich Countries Gave Away Half Their COVID-19 Vaccines?

New research gives a stark warning to richer nations that have been hoarding their supplies of COVID-19 vaccines: Doing so only has a short-term local benefit, and in the longer term leaves everyone more vulnerable to infection.   Across a five-year model, scientists found that when rich countries gave away 46 percent of their COVID-19 … Read more

Could the Earth ever stop spinning, and what would happen if it did?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Jacco van Loon, Astronomer, Keele University Could the Earth stop spinning, and if it did, what would happen? – Paul, aged 12, Aberdeen, Scotland The Earth has been spinning since its birth, four and a half billion years … Read more

Covid-19 pandemic in 2022: What will happen this year?

In the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, expect more variants, lower death rates and some continuing restrictions Health 4 January 2022 By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson and Helen Thomson Theme park visitors show their covid passes in France, July 2021 SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS/AFP via Getty Images While the pandemic is unlikely to fully end in 2022, … Read more