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Oct 3, 2018
Is this the first moon found outside our solar system?
Posted by Michael Lance in category: satellites
For the first time, astronomers have discovered what could be an exomoon, a moon outside our solar system. The exomoon was found around the gas giant exoplanet Kepler-1625b, which orbits a star 8,000 light-years from Earth.
Although moons are common in our solar system, which has nearly 200 natural satellites, the long search for interstellar moons has been an empty one. Astronomers have had success locating exoplanets around stars outside our solar system, but exomoons are harder to pinpoint because of their smaller size.
Oct 3, 2018
Do we really live longer than our ancestors?
Posted by Lilia Lens-Pechakova in category: biotech/medical
Is the lifespan today longer than in ancient times, an interesting article.
The wonders of modern medicine and nutrition make it easy to believe we enjoy longer lives than at any time in human history, but we may not be that special after all.
Oct 3, 2018
The First Exomoon: Astronomers Unveil ‘Compelling Evidence’
Posted by Bill Retherford in category: space
Oct 3, 2018
SpaceX executive talks rocket R&D: “Nobody paid us to make Falcon Heavy”
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: government, space travel
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hs2LBeLCo_s
Set to give a keynote speech on October 3rd at 2018’s International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Hans Koenigsmann – SpaceX Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability – attended an impromptu talk one day prior, titled “From the University of Bremen to SpaceX”.
Speaking before a small audience, the University of Bremen graduate and fourth employee to join SpaceX discussed his opinions of Falcon Heavy, BFR, and more, frankly relating how SpaceX intentionally chose to build Falcon Heavy on its own, going so far as to turn down funding reportedly offered by one or more US government agencies.
Continue reading “SpaceX executive talks rocket R&D: ‘Nobody paid us to make Falcon Heavy’” »
Oct 3, 2018
Jeff Bezos explains why Blue Origin is ‘the most important work I’m doing’
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: futurism, space travel
The Amazon chief explained that while the solar system has plenty of resources that can be used by future generations, the current cost of space travel is far too expensive.
Oct 3, 2018
America’s Clergy Are Teaming Up With Scientists
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: cosmology, neuroscience
Scientists and religious leaders joined forces to create programs on neuroscience, cosmology—and even some evolutionary science.
Oct 3, 2018
Traveling to Mars Could Cause Life-Threatening Damage to Astronauts’ Guts, Says Study
Posted by Michael Lance in categories: biotech/medical, health, space travel
Spend months in space, and you could develop cancer.
To study the effects of deep space radiation exposure on astronaut health, researchers exposed mice to comparable levels of radiation. It hurt their guts.
Oct 3, 2018
Replacing fertilizer with plant probiotics could slash greenhouse gases
Posted by Bill Kemp in categories: biotech/medical, food
Pivot Bio just got a $70 million infusion from Bill Gates’s energy fund and other investors to launch its commercial product next year.
The science: The biotechnology company, based in Berkeley, California, is creating probiotics for plants. The firm’s researchers have identified microbes with a dormant ability to produce nitrogen, a crucial nutrient in synthetic fertilizer, and engineered them to reawaken and enhance it. For its initial product, Pivot Bio has created a liquid treatment for corn crops that can be applied when the seeds are planted.
The sell: In early field tests, patches treated with the microbes produce comparable yields to those relying on synthetic fertilizers. Pivot Bio’s pitch to farmers is that the product reduces work and complexity, because a single application takes less time than spraying multiple rounds of fertilizer.
Continue reading “Replacing fertilizer with plant probiotics could slash greenhouse gases” »