About 2.4 billion years ago there was a dramatic increase in the level of free oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, which led to the widespread extinction of many species of bacteria which had evolved when the atmosphere was anaerobic. Previously … Continue reading
The images below show how galaxies similar in mass to our home galaxy, the Milky Way, evolved over time. The images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveal that Milky Way-like galaxies grow larger in size and in stellar mass … Continue reading
The Earth’s magnetic field permanently protects us from the charged particles and radiation that originate in the Sun. This shield is produced by the geodynamo, the rapid motion of huge quantities of liquid iron alloy in the Earth’s outer core. … Continue reading
The solar system appears to have a new ninth planet. Today, two scientists announced evidence that a body nearly the size of Neptune—but as yet unseen—orbits the sun every 15,000 years. During the solar system’s infancy 4.5 billion years ago, … Continue reading
Great Podcast on Science Friday If you don’t know Science Friday podcasts, this is a good place to start. Physicist Lawrence Krauss and Nobel Laureates Frank Wilczek and Brian Schmidt discuss cosmic challenges. Episode Download Link (24 MB): http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/scifri201401312.mp3 Show … Continue reading
Astronomers have seen what could be the most powerful supernova ever detected. The exploding star a super-luminous supernova, was first seen 3.8 billion light-years from Earth by the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) in June 2015 and is still radiating vast … Continue reading
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35315509 … Continue reading
It is widely held that the first step in forming gas-giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, was the production of solid cores each with a mass roughly ten times that of the Earth. Getting the cores to form before … Continue reading
ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has revealed three massive filaments of hot gas flowing towards a cluster of galaxies, uncovering a portion of the cosmic skeleton that pervades the entire Universe. Source: Cosmic filaments exposed near huge cluster … Continue reading
The Hadza, or Hadzabe are an indigenous ethnic group in north-central Tanzania, living around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighbouring Serengeti Plateau. The Hadza number just under 1,000. Some 300–400 Hadza live as hunter-gatherers, much … Continue reading