Light from behind a black hole spotted for 1st time, proving Einstein right
(Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library)
Astronomers have detected light coming from behind a black hole for the first time, proving Albert Einstein right, yet again.
Researchers were studying the X-rays flaring from a supermassive black hole in the center of the spiral galaxy, Zwicky 1, 800 million light-years away when they discovered the unexpected phenomenon.
Full Story: LiveScience (7/30)
'The war has changed,' against new delta variant, internal CDC presentation says
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The coronavirus delta variant may be as contagious as chickenpox and cause more severe illness than previous variants, according to an internal presentation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Vaccines continue to be highly effective, especially at preventing severe illness and death, but may be less effective at preventing infection or transmission of the delta variant, according to the internal report.
Full Story: LiveScience (7/30)
Cathedral's stained-glass windows 'witnessed' medieval murder of Archbishop of Canterbury
(University College London/Canterbury Cathedral)
The stained-glass windows of England's Canterbury Cathedral are so old that they "witnessed" one of medieval England's most infamous murders, a new study reveals.
The analysis shows that some of the cathedral's stained-glass windows could date as far back as the mid-1100s. As such, the windows may have overlooked the murder scene of Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury who was slain at the cathedral's altar by soldiers loyal to Henry II in 1170.
Full Story: LiveScience (7/30)
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Buried 'lakes' on Mars may just be frozen clay
(ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum), CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
Bright reflections that radar detected beneath the south pole of Mars may not be underground lakes as previously thought but deposits of clay instead, a new study finds.
Full Story: LiveScience (7/30)
People who live to 100 have unique gut bacteria signatures
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People who live to age 100 and beyond may have special gut bacteria that help ward off infections, according to a new study from Japan.
The results suggest that these bacteria, and the specific compounds they produce, known as secondary bile acids, could contribute to a healthy gut and, in turn, healthy aging.
Full Story: LiveScience (7/30)
What are asteroids?
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Asteroids are flying space rocks occasionally featured in sci-fi movies and perhaps in our low-level fears of going the way of the dinosaurs. But just what are these potato-shaped chunks of rock, and what are the odds that one could hit Earth sometime in the near future?
"You can think about asteroids as planets that didn't make it," Federica Spoto, a research scientist at the Minor Planet Center, an institute that studies small bodies, told Live Science. "They are what's left over from the origin of the solar system."
Full Story: LiveScience (7/30)
Strange DNA 'borgs' discovered in California
(PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay Images)
Scientists accidentally discovered a mysterious -- and unusually large -- DNA structure deep in the mud in California wetlands. The structure, known as a "Borg," likely belongs to a single-celled organism and carries many genes that are unknown to science. It's not totally clear what these massive strings of DNA do, but they may help supercharge the organisms' ability to break down chemicals in the soil.
"Imagine a strange foreign entity, neither alive nor dead, that assimilates and shares important genes," said senior author Jillian Banfield, a geomicrobiologist at UC Berkeley.
Full Story: LiveScience (7/29)
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