Physics News

Supermassive black holes grow by pulling in matter around them. Credit: M. Kornmesser/ESO Astronomers exploring the faraway universe with the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s most powerful telescope, have found a class of galaxies that challenges even the most skillful creatures in mimicry—like the mimic octopus. This creature can impersonate other marine animals to avoid … Read more

A village inside the core of Sariska tiger reserve. Credit: Ghazala Shahabuddin British colonialism turned India’s tigers into trophies. Between 1860 and 1950, more than 65,000 were shot for their skins. The fortunes of the Bengal tiger, one of Earth’s biggest species of big cat, did not markedly improve post-independence. The hunting of tigers—and the … Read more

City workers remove garbage floating on the Negro River, which has a rising water level due to rain, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, June 6, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Edmar Barros, File The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the … Read more

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Most school shootings don’t just happen out of nowhere—there are typically warning signs. A year before a 14-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly opening fire in his high school math class in Winder, Georgia, on Sept. 4, 2024—killing two teachers and two students—authorities visited his home to investigate several anonymous tips … Read more

The starry part of every galaxy is surrounded by a vast shroud of gas extending out for more than 100,000 light years. Credit: Cristy Roberts / ANU / ASTRO 3D Have you ever wanted to make a $150,000 gamble? If you’re right, you open a new window to the universe. But if you’re wrong, you’ve … Read more

Public service employees don’t necessarily benefit from remote work. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new research report released today has identified an important shift in how employees choose to engage in the workforce, as they increasingly seek flexibility and opportunities to tailor work schedules and locations to their needs. The ninth report in the Gender … Read more

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Australia’s push for net-zero emissions received a welcome boost on Thursday, with the release of an official report showing how Australia can seek to cut domestic emissions across each sector of the economy. The Climate Change Authority prepared the report, which provides vital scaffolding for Australia’s climate ambitions. Hopefully, it will … Read more

Super Typhoon Yagi has ripped roofs off houses, damaged boats and triggered landslides in Vietnam, leaving nine people dead as of Sunday. Super Typhoon Yagi ripped roofs off buildings, sank boats and triggered landslides in Vietnam, leaving nine people dead as of Sunday, after tearing through southern China and the Philippines. A family of four … Read more

A helicopter drops water onto the Line Fire Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Highland, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Thayer Evacuations were ordered Saturday as a wildfire scorched the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles, amid a days-long heat wave that pushed temperatures into the triple digits across the region. The so-called Line … Read more

The empty Boeing Starliner capsule sits at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, late Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, after undocking from the International Space Station. Credit: Boeing via AP Boeing’s first astronaut mission ended Friday night with an empty capsule landing and two test pilots still in space, left behind until next year because … Read more