SCIENCE - Page 6

Our planet bears the marks of a violent past. Scattered across its surface lie silent testaments to cosmic collisions – impact craters. One such crater, a stark reminder of the raw power of the universe, resides in northern Arizona, USA. This 1.2-kilometer-wide marvel, known as Meteor Crater (also called Barringer Meteor Crater), is a window into a fiery event that transpired 50,000 years ago. Imagine a colossal iron-nickel meteor hurtling towards Earth, estimated to be 30-50 meters in diameter. As

One year after the devastating Titan submersible implosion, which killed five people, including his co-founder Stockton Rush, Guillermo Söhnlein is determined to continue deep-sea exploration. This time, his sights are set on Dean’s Blue Hole, a vast underwater sinkhole in the Bahamas nicknamed the “portal to hell” by locals. Söhnlein, now leading Blue Marble Exploration, a company he established after leaving OceanGate in 2013, plans to pilot a submersible into the unexplored depths of Dean’s Blue Hole. The 663-foot sinkhole

In a world-first attempt to curb the devastating rhino poaching crisis, South African scientists are taking an ingenious approach. They are injecting radioactive material into the horns of live rhinos, rendering them detectable at border crossings and potentially worthless on the black market. This initiative dubbed the Rhisotope project, offers a glimmer of hope in the fight against this brutal wildlife crime. South Africa is home to the vast majority of the world’s rhinos, making it a prime target for

The colossal sunspot that ignited the most powerful geomagnetic storm in decades has returned to the Sun’s face, flaring once more. This hyperactive region, now designated AR3723, was previously known as AR3697 and, before that, AR3664. In May 2024, it unleashed a barrage of solar activity, culminating in a G5-class geomagnetic storm that triggered breathtaking auroras across the globe. Sunspots are more excellent, and darker regions on the Sun’s surface are caused by intense magnetic activity. This particular sunspot is

For nearly a decade, astronomers have been hunting for a hidden giant in the outer reaches of our solar system. This elusive world, nicknamed “Planet Nine” or “Planet X,” is theorized to be a gas or ice giant lurking in the dark beyond Neptune. But the vast distance and faint light make it a cosmic needle in a haystack, undetectable by current telescopes. However, this shadowy existence may soon be brought to light with the dawn of a new era

For the first time, astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole transitioning from a dormant state to an active feeding frenzy. This groundbreaking discovery, published in a recent scientific journal, sheds new light on the behavior of these enigmatic giants that lurk at the heart of most galaxies. Supermassive black holes are celestial behemoths, millions to billions of times more massive than our sun. Despite their immense size, they are shrouded in darkness, as not even light can escape their

Although revered for their intelligence and complex social structures, African elephants may possess an ability rarely seen outside our species: calling each other by names. A recent study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests elephants use unique vocalizations that function similarly to human names. This groundbreaking research, led by behavioral ecologist Mickey Pardo, sheds light on the sophisticated communication methods employed by these gentle giants. Traditionally, animal naming has been observed in species like dolphins and parrots, who mimic

Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson, recently achieved another milestone by successfully launching its “Galactic 07” mission. This sub-orbital spaceflight carried four eager passengers on a brief but exhilarating journey to the edge of space and back. The mission, which occurred earlier this year, marked a significant moment for Virgin Galactic. It was the second mission of 2024 for the company and the final commercial flight for their spaceplane, the VSS Unity. VSS Unity carried its precious

Gazing at the night sky, we’ve all marveled at the stars’ constant, twinkling presence. But what if one of those distant pinpricks of light was about to transform dramatically, visible from our backyards? That’s the intriguing possibility surrounding a star system called T Coronae Borealis (T CrB). T CrB is a binary system located roughly 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown). This means it’s not a single star but two locked in a cosmic dance.

China’s reusable space plane, the Shenlong (meaning “divine dragon”), has once again sparked international curiosity by releasing an unidentified object into Earth’s orbit. This latest deployment, spotted in late May 2024, marks the seventh object ejected by the Shenlong in just six months, adding to the secrecy surrounding the spacecraft’s mission. The object, currently designated 59884 (2023-195G) by the U.S. Space Force, is being closely monitored. Experts speculate it could be a small satellite or hardware jettisoned before Shenlong’s planned