Astronomer captures explosive pair of stellar ‘peacocks’

Astronomers have captured a stunning photo of an incredibly rare and explosive pair of stars dubbed ‘one of the peacocks of the stellar world’.  The star system, made of two so-called Wolf-Rayet stars revolving around each other while spewing out plumes of glowing carbon dust, is more than 8,000 light years away from Earth in … Read more

Earth’s first mammals lived almost FIVE times longer than modern-day equivalents

Mammals run hotter, use more energy and live shorter lives than reptiles, but it wasn’t always like that, according to a new study. Research has found that the first mammals to ever evolve, around 200 million years ago, were lethargic individuals that moved at a slow pace, like snakes and lizards.  Life in the slow … Read more

A real-life space oddity: Asteroid hurtling towards earth might be a piece of rocket trash from 1966

A real-life space oddity: ‘Asteroid’ hurtling towards Earth may be a piece of rocket that was jettisoned during attempted moon landing in 1966 A telescope discovered ‘asteroid 2020 SO’ hurtling towards Earth last month Now scientists believe the object is part of an Atlas Centaur 7 rocket from 1966 The rocket propelled NASA’s Surveyor 2 to … Read more

Iceland’s most active volcano may be preparing to erupt

Iceland’s most active volcano that grounded 900 passenger flights in 2011 looks like it’s getting ready to erupt again The volcano, called Grímsvötn, is almost entirely covered by thick ice  Seismic measurements indicate magma is accumulating under the volcano  Experts do not believe the eruption will be as large or disruptive as in 2011   By Joe Pinkstone … Read more

Facebook ads calling climate change a hoax have been watched more than eight million times

A new report finds that dozens of climate disinformation ads have run on Facebook in the first half of 2020. Produced by a variety of conservative groups, ads have received a total of 8 million views. The report, produced by the climate group InfluenceMap, accuses climate-denialist groups of using Facebook’s advertising platform to spread disinformation, … Read more

Astronomers capture first direct image of an exoplanet located some 63 light-years from Earth

Astronomers from the Max Planck institutes has confirmed the existence of an exoplanet in another star system some 63 light years away from Earth – and have shared a picture to prove it. Called b Pictoris c, the planet was captured using the radial velocity method that detects exoplanets, along with the Very Large Telescopes … Read more

Nigerian-Irish teens win international prize with app that helps people with dementia

A group of Nigerian girls living in Ireland have won an international tech competition with an app that helps people with dementia. Three teens took first place in Technovation Girls, a contest challenging young women and families to use technology to address real-world problems.  Their app, Memory Haven, was on one of 16 finalists at the … Read more

Hey Google, tighten my sneakers! Nike adds virtual assistant to its Adapt BB basketball shoes

Hey Google, tighten my sneakers! Nike adds virtual assistant to its Adapt BB basketball shoes, allowing wearers to use voice commands instead pushing buttons on the footwear Nike Adapt BB basketball sneakers have a power-lacing system It tightens the sneakers when they push a button on the side of the shoe  Google has rolled out its … Read more

Speed limit: Scientists calculate fastest possible velocity of sound is 22 miles per second

Scientists calculate fastest possible speed of sound is 22 miles per second — but it is only possible under conditions found in Jupiter’s metallic hydrogen core Sound waves are travelling disturbances that move energy through mediums The denser the transport medium is, the faster the wave can pass through it Researchers set out to calculate … Read more

Virtual reality objects you can FEEL are a step closer thanks to new ‘universal law of touch’ 

Virtual reality objects you can FEEL just like on Star Trek’s holodeck move a step closer thanks to new ‘universal law of touch’ Birmingham researchers studied ‘Rayleigh waves’ generated from skin touch They found these waves are picked up by the body’s touch receptor cells  The way the waves interact has led to the creation … Read more