A mysterious ring of radio light could have been created by a type of massive star with a powerful wind of radiation blowing away its outer layers, astronomers in South Africa discovered. It could be a trace of a dramatically unstable star shedding its skin. Live Science has more: https://flip.it/f2q2gW #Science#Space#Astronomy#Stars
Scientists have come up with a new way to detect brain cancer that is faster and less invasive than a surgical biopsy and, within an hour, detect biomarkers associated with glioblastoma – the deadliest and most common type of brain tumor. ScienceAlert explains: https://flip.it/x4v2_P #Science#Health#Cancer#Biology
How a Soviet-era accident created one of Turkmenistan’s most popular tourist attractions, known as “Gates of Hell” or the “Shining of Karakum.”
CNN reports: "When a Soviet exploratory team drilled for natural gas in Turkmenistan more than 50 years ago, they are said to have set off a chain reaction that created the Darvaza Gas Crater — a giant, fiery hole that eventually became the country’s most sought-after sight."
NASA record holder can relate to astronauts stuck in space. He was, too.
AP reports that Frank Rubio's visit to the International Space Station lasted just over a year, twice as long as planned. "He said he spoke with Suni Williams on Thursday and expressed pride in how she and Butch Wilmore have coped with their situation."
A mysterious virus is spreading around the Americas after undergoing genetic changes that may make it more potent.
BBC News reports: "Oropouche ... virus causes a feverish disease in humans but is also found in a number of animals including howler monkeys, marmosets and sloths, along with a number of different insects." It is sometimes called the "sloth virus."
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Dogs are really good at detecting chronic wasting disease, study shows.
Outdoor Life reports that the research "may help wildlife and livestock managers detect and contain CWD, the fatal prion disease that infects deer, elk, and other cervids across North America."
Newborn rattlesnakes at a Colorado "mega den" in the U.S. are making their live debut.
AP reports: "Thanks to livestream video, scientists studying the den on a craggy hillside in Colorado are learning more about these enigmatic — and often misunderstood — reptiles. They’re observing as the youngsters, called pups, slither over and between adult females on lichen-encrusted rocks."
Here's what's missing from the invasive species narrative.
NPR has a 12-minute audio segment on the topic: "To get at the root of the problem, [a researcher] says we humans have to take a concerted look in the mirror — even if it means being slower and stricter about the flow of commerce."
Half of the world's beaches could disappear in less than 100 years. Could electroshock theory save them?
Popular Mechanics reports: "A new study from scientists at Northwestern proposes that mild voltages applied to these ecosystems could spur the creation of 'binding' materials that may be able to make beaches more resilient to erosion."
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-search-for-aliens-is-redefining-life-in-the-golden-age-of/ In her new book The Secret Life of the Universe, Nathalie Cabrol presents both a comprehensive guide to how life could have evolved across our solar system and a review of life’s own journey on Earth, using historical, scientific and even spiritual lenses. Cabrol grounds our quest to find and define “life” in the natural balance, the give and take, between the biological and its environment.
The worldwide catastrophe of rising seas especially imperils Pacific paradises.
AP reports: "The United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization Monday issued reports on worsening sea level rise, turbocharged by a warming Earth and melting ice sheets and glaciers. They highlight how the Southwestern Pacific is not only hurt by the rising oceans, but by other climate change effects of ocean acidification and marine heat waves."
Scientists are living at sea in Papua New Guinea to study one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
From @euronews: "The three-month scientific expedition is a partnership between National Geographic Pristine Seas, the government of Papua New Guinea’s Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)."