London, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Researchers have detected early signs of the Sun's next 11-year solar cycle, despite being only halfway through the current one. This discovery was made through the observation of sound waves within the Sun.
Currently at its peak or 'solar maximum,' Cycle 25 has seen the Sun's magnetic field flip, causing an increase in sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections. These activities result
London, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Europe's upcoming space mission, a telescope designed to search for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, is scheduled for launch at the end of 2026.
The telescope, known as PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars), aims to find nearby potentially habitable planets around Sun-like stars for detailed examination.
The spacecraft will be launched on Europe's new Ariane
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
NASA's latest experiment indicates that if life exists in the oceans beneath the ice crusts of Europa and Enceladus, its organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleic acids, could survive just beneath the surface ice. Despite the harsh radiation conditions, robotic landers may not need to dig deep to find these life signs.
"Based on our experiments, the 'safe' sampling depth for amino
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
Astronomers have identified a planet with the most elongated orbit ever detected among transiting planets. This exoplanet's highly stretched orbit provides new insights into the formation and evolution of close-in massive gas planets, also known as hot Jupiters. Remarkably, the exoplanet orbits its star in the opposite direction to the star's rotation.
The study, led by Penn State research
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
An international team of researchers, led by PD Dr. Florian Peissker, has identified signs of an intermediate-mass black hole while studying a star cluster near the supermassive black hole SgrA* (Sagittarius A*) at the center of our galaxy.
Despite extensive research, only about ten intermediate-mass black holes have been discovered throughout the universe. These black holes, believed to h
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
Astronomers using the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of NSF NOIRLab, have found an exoplanet with a highly unusual orbit. This planet is on a trajectory to become a hot Jupiter and has one of the most elongated orbits of all known transiting exoplanets, as well as a reverse orbit around its star. This discovery sheds lig
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Among several recent findings, the rover has found rocks made of pure sulfur - a first on the Red Planet.
Scientists were stunned on May 30 when a rock that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover drove over cracked open to reveal something never seen before on the Red Planet: yellow sulfur crystals.
Since October 2023, the rover has been exploring a region of Mars rich with sulfates, a kind of
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Lunar swirls, characterized by their contrasting light and dark patches, exhibit more than just variations in brightness. The differences also encompass the structure of lunar soils and the grains within them.
Lunar swirls are distinct high- and low-albedo patterns found on the Moon's surface, both in the dark basalt plains known as mare and the bright highland regions. The origins of thes
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
An international team of scientists has uncovered new evidence of caves beneath the Moon's surface using data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
The re-analysis of radar data from LRO's Mini-RF (Miniature Radio-Frequency) instrument, collected in 2010, revealed a cave extending over 200 feet from the base of a pit. This pit is situated 230 miles northeast of the historic Apoll
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2024
NASA announced Wednesday that cost overruns and delays have forced it to cancel a planned Moon rover it already spent $450 million to develop, marking a significant setback for the agency's lunar exploration program.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) was intended to explore the lunar south pole in search of ice and other resources, paving the way for planned crewed
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
NASA and Boeing engineers are currently evaluating the results from last week's engine tests conducted at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. These efforts are part of the preparations for the return of the Boeing Crew Flight Test from the International Space Station in the coming weeks.
Teams have completed ground hot fire testing at White Sands and are in the process of analy
Paris, France (SPX) Jul 19, 2024
Next month, ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will undertake a groundbreaking maneuver: the first combined lunar-Earth flyby. This precise operation, now being prepared at ESA mission control, will utilize the gravitational forces of the Moon and Earth in quick succession, setting Juice on course for its journey to Jupiter.
Juice represents Europe's inaugural mission to the Jupiter
The Hague (AFP) July 17, 2024
Shares in Dutch tech giant ASML which supplies chip-making machines to the semiconductor industry took a tumble Wednesday on the back of a report that Washington was eyeing stricter export restrictions to China.
The company posted better-than-expected results earlier Wednesday for the second quarter, as well as a full order book, boosted by the development of artificial intelligence.
ASM
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
An international team led by Dr. Luis Guanter from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) has reported the largest methane leak ever documented in an oil well. The well, situated in the Karaturun East field in Kazakhstan, was the site of this unprecedented emission.
Published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters and highlighted by Nature, the study uses satellite data fro
Beijing (AFP) July 18, 2024
Beijing's leaders vowed Thursday to resolve "risks" plaguing China's economy, but were yet to offer any concrete steps to pull the country out of its financial woes.
The world's second-largest economy is grappling with a property debt crisis, weakening consumption, and an ageing population.
All eyes were on how this week's Third Plenum meeting of the Communist Party in Beijing, attended
Milwaukee (AFP) July 17, 2024
Climate change is little more than an afterthought for attendees at the Republican National Convention, who are gathered this week to crown Donald Trump as their party's nominee for this November's election.
"I don't believe all that," said Jack Prendergast, from New York, who believes that human activity does just as much harm to the planet as "when a volcano goes off."
"Trump is going
Valencia, Spain (AFP) July 17, 2024
Spanish authorities on Wednesday began cleaning up three beaches in the eastern city of Valencia, closed to the public after an unidentified black substance washed up on the coast.
Workers in protective coats and masks shovelled tainted sand into plastic sacks.
"All avenues of investigation are still open regarding the origin of the oil spill," deputy prefect Raquel Ibanez told reporters
New Delhi (AFP) July 17, 2024
India's navy said Wednesday that one of its warships had rescued nine of 16 crew members aboard an oil tanker that capsized off the coast of Oman earlier this week.
The Comorian-flagged MV Prestige Falcon overturned and sank in the Arabian Sea late on Monday night with 13 Indian and three Sri Lankan nationals aboard.
Indian warship INS Teg was diverted from its operations in the area to
London (AFP) July 17, 2024
The new Labour government must act "fast" to put the country on target to meet its 2030 climate goals, Britain's top climate change advisory body warned on Thursday.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said that the UK had committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 68 percent compared to 1990 levels, but "only six years away, the country is not on track to hit this target".
Accordi
Zaragoza, Spain (AFP) July 17, 2024
The world's biggest technology firms are investing billions in cloud storage facilities in the northeastern Spanish region of Aragon, drawn to its abundance of renewable energy sources.
While local authorities hope to reap the economic benefits of the ever-growing data demands of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, environmentalists have criticised the vast quantities of water and power t
Frankfurt, Germany (AFP) July 14, 2024
A proposal to create Germany's biggest motorway has sparked a backlash, with critics fearful the "monstrosity" will increase climate-damaging emissions, worsen noise pollution and harm biodiverse habitats.
The recommendation suggests widening a section of the A5 outside the western city of Frankfurt to 10 lanes at an estimated cost of 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion).
While supporters
Prek Takeo (AFP) July 18, 2024
Dust covers everything in Lim Tong Eng's yard, thrown up by excavators toiling next door to enlarge a channel that Cambodia's government hopes will soon be a major shipping canal.
Next month, Cambodia will officially break ground on the Funan Techo canal, a $1.7 billion project running from the Mekong river to a Cambodian port on the Gulf of Thailand that will offer an alternative to transit
Seoul (AFP) July 18, 2024
Samsung Electronics has bought a British startup that develops advanced AI technology, the South Korean tech giant said Thursday, as demand for its high-end chips used in artificial intelligence hardware surges.
Oxford Semantic Technologies specialises in knowledge graph technology - a more advanced way of storing complex information in a web - Samsung said in a statement.
It added tha
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 17, 2024
Kinematics, a leading company in intelligent motion solutions, has announced the initial shipment of its innovative ST Series actuators, marking an important step in technological advancement. The ST Series showcases extensive research, development, and engineering proficiency.
Featuring a unique maintenance-free, grease-free dry bearing design, the ST Series offers 20-50% more holding tor
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
Australian engineers have introduced an innovative device, inspired by a modified speargun, to provide a cost-efficient method for testing seabed soil in the development of offshore wind farms.
The RMIT University-designed device propels a probe into the seabed, gathering critical data about the underwater terrain.
Traditionally, seabed testing involves winching or dropping probes, k
