SciGlow | All Science News In One Place
SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
Supernovae and their young remnants often interact with the circumstellar material ejected at the end of the progenitor stars’ lifetime. By studying the physical and chemical characteristics of this material, we can learn how massive stars stripped off their envelopes and exploded, which is crucial for understanding the connection between the diverse types of supernovae … Read more
Since the discovery of quasars more than a half a century ago, measuring their distances has always been a fundamental problem for cosmology. Recently, a team led by Professor Jian-Min Wang from the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed a new geometric method and successfully measured the cosmological … Read more
Deep within Earth, swirling liquid iron generates our planet’s protective magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is vital for life on Earth’s surface: it shields the planet from harmful solar wind and cosmic rays from the sun. Given the importance of the magnetic field, scientists have been trying to figure out how the … Read more
Under the leadership of astrophysicist Kathrin Altwegg, Bernese researchers have found an explanation for why very little nitrogen could previously be accounted for in the nebulous covering of comets: the building block for life predominantly occurs in the form of ammonium salts, the occurrence of which could not previously be measured. The salts may be … Read more
An accurate refinement of the quality of the data on the surface composition of the nucleus of the comet 67P Churyumov Gerasimenko collected by the Italian spectrometer VIRTIS, on board the European space mission Rosetta, has allowed to identify, the first time for a comet, clear traces of aliphatic organic compounds, chains of carbon and … Read more
Magnetic storms are the primary drivers of extreme space weather around our planet, visible as the northern and southern auroral lights. Despite their importance and potential hazards to space and ground infrastructure, the process that powers storms has not been understood yet because they are far too dynamic and complex to study with single satellites. … Read more
Our Galaxy is populated with billions of bright stars that have masses equivalent from ten to many tens the mass of the Sun. Despite their short and turbulent existence, these stars play a paramount role in astrophysics. For example they forge metals and more heavier chemical elements and eject them into space at the end … Read more
Corey Nislow is not an astronaut, but if humanity makes it to Mars safely, he will have played a vital role. In his lab at UBC, he’s working to develop drugs and other treatments that can protect space mission crews from the impact of cosmic radiation. “Outside Earth’s protective atmosphere, mission crew are exposed to … Read more
The small red planet is losing water more quickly than what theory as well as past observations would suggest. The gradual disappearance of water (H2O) occurs in the upper atmosphere of Mars: sunlight and chemistry disassociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space. … Read more
Astronomers at Harvard University have discovered a monolithic, wave-shaped gaseous structure – the largest ever seen in our galaxy – made up of interconnected stellar nurseries. Dubbed the “Radcliffe wave” in honor of the collaboration’s home base, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the discovery transforms a 150-year-old vision of nearby stellar nurseries as an … Read more