Dark matter galaxy crashed into the Milky Way, causing the ripples in its disk
New research suggests hundreds of millions of years ago, the Milky Way collided with Antlia 2, a nearby dwarf galaxy. This collision caused ripples in the disk of gas around the Milky Way which we still observe today. Antlia 2 is about one third the size of the Milky Way and is dominated by dark matter.
Tiny galaxy has huge black hole at its center, gives clues to galactic evolution
A Hubble image shows a tiny galaxy, ESO 495-21, located 30 million light-years away, which could hold the clue to unraveling a longstanding question about the evolution of galaxies. Despite its small size, it hosts a feature found in much larger galaxies -- a supermassive black hole.
Security vulnerabilities found in three quarters of mobile apps
Three quarters of Android and iOS apps have security vulnerabilities related to insecure data storage, according to a new report. The insecure storage of data from apps could lead to information like passwords, financial details, personal data, and communications being accessible by hackers.
FedEx mistakenly rejects shipment of a Huawei phone to the U.S.
There has been some confusion about what exactly the placement of Huawei on the U.S. Entity List means for private customers. Recently a tech writer who tried to ship a Huawei phone from the U.K. to the U.S. was surprised when the phone did not reach its destination, and was returned to him in the U.K.
You can help search for aliens with an open access release of SETI data
The Breakthrough Initiatives, a program founded in 2015 to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), recently submitted two papers covering the analysis of the first three years of radio telescope data. And all of the data collected is being made publicly available in an open data archive.
SpaceX is on a hiring spree for its Starlink global internet project
After a string of delays, SpaceX's Starlink project was finally launched last month with the ambitious aim of creating a "global broadband" system. Now an analysis of data from SpaceX's job listings shows the company is on a hiring tear, advertising for more and more positions for the project.
Hubble captures explosive galaxy, the site of three recent supernovae
Hubble's latest image is of the spiral galaxy NGC 4051, located 45 million years from Earth. This particular galaxy is notable for having played host to a large number of supernovae over the years: the first seen in 1983 (SN 1983I), the second in 2003 (SN 2003ie), and the most recent in 2010 (SN 2010br).
The Very Large Telescope gets upgrade to aid its hunt for habitable exoplanets
The Very Large Telescope, located in the desert in Chile, is growing even bigger. The latest addition to the telescope's suite of instruments is a tool called NEAR (Near Earths in the AlphaCen Region) which will hunt for exoplanets in the nearby Alpha Centauri star system.
Your smartphone could be the key to predicting natural disasters
One of the challenges for atmospheric scientists is gathering enough data to understand the complex, planet-wide weather system. Now an atmospheric scientist has come up with a clever idea to gather more data using smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The grainy texture of Saturn’s rings reveals clues to their origins
New analysis of data from Cassini shows that Saturn's rings are not smooth, but rather are grainy in texture. Scientists believe that tiny moons within the rings cause materials to cluster and form clumps and straw-like patterns, revealing rings which are more complex and dynamic than we realized.
Pass the salt please: Table salt found on Jupiter’s moon Europa
Astronomers have spotted something unexpectedly familiar on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa -- sodium chloride, better known as table salt. Europa has been imaged several times over the years, but this is the first time that scientists have found evidence of the compound.
Facebook’s comment-ranking system aimed at taming the dumpster fire
As anyone who has moderated a Facebook page knows, the comments section on public posts is usually a cesspool of hatred, bigotry, spam, and irrelevance. Even by the standards of the internet, Facebook comments are famously awful. Now Facebook is introducing a ranking system to tackle this problem.
Adobe develops tool to identify Photoshopped images of faces
With deepfake videos making headlines and campaigns against the over-Photoshopping of models, people are more aware than ever of how images can be digitally manipulated. Now the company that created Photoshop, Adobe, wants to give tools to users to let them spot faked images themselves.
James Webb telescope undergoes vacuum testing, finally moving toward launch
The long-delayed James Webb telescope is moving toward completion. The telescope passed a round of testing ahead of its planned launch in 2021. The spacecraft which will launch the telescope into space went through vacuum testing, in which the craft is exposed to a simulation of the space environment.
Two baby gas giants spotted in orbit around a distant star
Two baby planets have been spotted forming around a distant young star called PDS 70. The two planets are growing into gas giants, and one of them came as a complete surprise. Astronomers were expecting to see one planet called PDS 70b. The surprise was finding a second developing planet, called PDS 70c.
Hubble captures our galactic twin, the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7773
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new image of a picture-perfect galaxy called NGC 7773, located in the constellation of Pegasus, 357 million light-years away from Earth. It is in many ways similar to our own galaxy, as both are a type of galaxy called a barred spiral galaxy.
In the search for extraterrestrial life, we should look to exomoons
The search for life outside of our planet has a new target: Exomoons. Traditionally scientists have looked to other planets for signs of life, but a new study by an astrophysicist from the University of Lincoln, U.K., suggests we may be more successful if we started looking at moons as well.
Milky Way’s supermassive black hole is wrapped in a vast mantle of cool gas
At the center of our galaxy, approximately 26,000 light-years away, is a supermassive black hole. Scientists have long theorized that there must be gas and dust orbiting the black hole which gather together in an accretion disk. Now astronomers have observed the entire accretion disk for the first time.
This beautiful map of the sky traces key sources of X-rays as seen from the ISS
NASA has released a beautiful image showing the mapping data gathered by the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer instrument aboard the ISS since the instrument was launched in June 2017. It traces the X-ray sources which NICER captures during its night time passes.
Want a good night’s sleep? Delete that sleep-tracking app, expert advises
Sleep-tracking apps could actually be making your sleep worse, a British sleep expert has warned. Dr Guy Leschziner, a sleep disorder specialist working at Guy's hospital in London, has said the use of sleep tracking technology can raise anxieties about sleep to the point where users can develop insomnia.
SpaceX satellites could threaten vital telescope data, experts warn
SpaceX launched its first set of 60 satellites last month. Now the International Astronomical Union has weighed in on the issue and underlined the potential problems to science that satellite launches could cause due to light pollution and interference with telescope and radio signals.
Melting pesky lunar dust with a laser enables 3D printing of tools on the moon
Dust is a major problem for lunar expeditions. Not only is it harmful to astronaut's health, it also gums up devices and causes technological problems. But now scientists from Germany have come up with an idea to make use of dust: by melting it with a laser and using it to 3D-print tools and equipment.
Eruption of ice volcano threw liquid water over the frozen surface of Pluto
Liquid water could once have existed on the frozen surface of Pluto, put there by the violent eruption of a cryovolcano, according to a new study. By analyzing the wavelengths of light in images of Pluto's surface, researchers can see what chemical compounds are likely located on the planet's surface.
Improved fluidic robot paves the way for untethered soft robotics
Soft robots may be the future of robotics, but there are still many limitations in their design. One big problem is that soft robots generally need to be tethered, meaning that they have to be connected to an external device by wires. Now scientists have taken a first step towards untethering soft robots.
Bouncing robot reaches new heights, artfully dodges moving obstacles
Meet Salto, a tiny adorable bouncing robot developed at UC Berkeley. The bot weighs just 100 grams and is about a foot long, and moves through its environment by bouncing and jumping. It can do hundreds of jumps in a 10-minute period, can jump 4 feet high, and can travel at eight to ten miles per hour.
Spitzer captures childhood, middle age, and maturity of stars in one image
NASA's Spitzer telescope has captured a stunning images of a pair of nebulas containing the star clusters Cepheus B and Cepheus C. The image includes a dense region of dust and gas which acts as a stellar nursery, a nebula which is shaped by winds of maturing stars, and fully mature star clusters.
FCC filing reveals mysterious new Google device, but no one knows what it’s for
There's a new Google media device that has appeared in information on the FCC's website, but so far no one is quite sure what the device is or what it will do. The device is listed as A4RH2B and is presumed to be a Google Home device because of its similarity to previous model numbers.
Older versions of Windows have critical vulnerability, should be updated ASAP
If you're running an older version of Windows, it's vital to update it as soon as possible. Microsoft has warned about a critical security issue called BlueKeep. This vulnerability is a particular concern because the vulnerability is wormable, similar to the WannaCry malware from 2017.
NASA pushes ahead with Moon 2024 mission despite funding uncertainties
The ambitious, even perhaps overly ambitious, plan for NASA to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024 is underway, with new developments coming this week. But the project remains troubled due to uncertainty about how much funding will actually be available
Lawsuit alleges Apple disclosed information about iTunes purchases
Apple may promote itself as a privacy-focused company, but a new lawsuit alleges that it sells off personal data regarding iTunes purchases.The lawsuit is brought by three iTunes customers from Rhode Island and Michigan, and was brought to federal court in San Fransisco on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
Personal information from Grindr was accessible by Chinese engineers
When the Chinese Kunlun Group bought gay dating app Grindr last year, there were concerns raised about users' privacy which were serious enough to prompt U.S. officials to get involved. Now an investigation reveals how the issue of the private data on Grindr became a national security concern.
Samsung’s new A.I. software makes generating fake videos even easier
A.I. is getting better and better at producing fake videos. Now Samsung has developed software which makes creating fake videos even easier. The new software can create somewhat convincing fakes from just a few images of a person. Potentially, it could even work with a single image of a face.
Scientists find organic matter from outer space in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks
Scientists believe they have located organic matter that is extraterrestrial in origin, in 3.3 billion year old rocks in the Makhonjwa Mountains in South Africa. This offers support to the theory that organic chemicals arrived on our planet aboard a meteorite and created the building blocks for life.
Water on Earth could have an interstellar origin, according to comet data
Scientists have uncovered indications of the source of Earth's bountiful surface water. New research shows that water carried aboard comets may originate from the same source as water in the Earth's oceans, suggesting that water could have been carried to our planet on comets.
This galaxy, Messier 90, appears blue because it’s traveling toward us
A new Hubble image has been released showing Messier 90, 60 million light-years away in the Virgo Cluster. It is located in the constellation of Virgo, part of the Virgo Supercluster which includes our galaxy. An unusual feature of Messier 90 is it is traveling towards the Milky Way, not away from it.