Case Bolstered for a Present-Day Subsurface Ocean on Pluto
When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft buzzed by Pluto last year, it revealed tantalizing clues that the dwarf planet might have - or had at one time - a liquid ocean sloshing around under its icy crust. According to a new analysis led by a Brown University Ph.D. student, such an ocean likely still exists today. The study, which used a thermal evolution model for Pluto updated with data from New Horizons, found that if Pluto's ocean had frozen into oblivion millions or billions of years ago..>> view originalStrawberry-pink Arctic snow: Pretty maybe, but alarming
(Liane G. Benning/GFZ) Pink snow was a high-latitude curiosity described by Arctic explorers like the British Captain John Ross. Upon receiving word of the reddish snow, the London Times speculated in 1818 that the color came from meteoric iron deposits. Biologists know now that the red hue is the result of a chemical reaction within the algae Chlamydomonas nivalis and other cold-loving species. These algae are normally green, but as they start to suck up ultraviolet rays they turn red. Wha..>> view originalVenus' 'Monster' Electric Winds Stripped Away Its Oceans, Study Says | The Weather Channel
Earth and Venus are remarkably similar, but our sister planet is missing one key element: water. A recent study claims that Venus’ powerful electric wind is the culprit behind the arid planet’s lack of moisture.With surface temperatures topping 860 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s no surprise that Venus has a dry surface. One would think the water simply boiled off, but according to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, that’s too easy an explanation.Lead author and NASA Goddard..>> view originalGoogle's AI researchers say these are the five key problems for robot safety
Google is worried about artificial intelligence. No, not that it will become sentient and take over the world, but that, say, a helpful house robot might accidentally skewer its owner with a knife. The company's latest AI research paper delves into this issue under the title "Concrete Problems In AI Safety." Really, though, that's just a fancy way of saying "How Are We Going To Stop These Terror-Bots Killing Us All In Our Sleep." Five key problems for future robot manufacturers To answer this ..>> view originalGood news, bears! No hunting for you in Florida this year
In a surprise move, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 late Wednesday to hold off on having a second bear hunt later this year.The vote marks a major change from last year, when the wildlife commissioners voted 6-1 to go ahead with Florida’s first bear hunt in 21 years, which was held in October despite strong public opposition.The change in attitude was made more remarkable by the venue for Wednesday’s all-day meeting, the tiny Panhandle town of Eastpoint, where t..>> view original'Seismic strain': Land around the San Andreas fault is rising and sinking, new earthquake research shows
For the first time, scientists have produced a computer image showing huge sections of California rising and sinking around the San Andreas fault. The vertical movement is the result of seismic strain that will be ultimately released in a large earthquake. The San Andreas fault is California’s longest earthquake fault, and one of the state’s most dangerous. Scientists have long expected that parts of California are rising — and other parts sinking — around the fault in a way that is ongoing, ve..>> view originalWhy Protecting Pollinators Is Top Of Mind
Science Explains How Chameleons Capture Their Prey
(Photo : Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) On January 25, 2011 in London, England. When it comes to catching their prey, there is hardly any animal that is as precise as a chameleon. Even though these creatures have a nonchalant appearance, they do not fail at whipping their tongues out to capture prey that can weight up to 30 percent of their weight. A team of researchers from several different universities recently studied the sticky weapon that chameleons possess. While catching their prey, a cham..>> view originalArchaeologists Say They Made A 16th-Century Find At The Lost Roanoke Colony Site
Four centuries after the colony of Roanoke vanished, archaeologists say they have unearthed what they believe to be the remnants of the New World's first English settlement. Two small pieces of blue-and-brown pottery, believed to be from an apothecary jar used in the 16th century, were recently uncovered during a dig at North Carolina's Roanoke Island, archaeologists announced. “This is really exciting,” Eric Deetz, an archaeologist with the First Colony Foundation who said he personally identi..>> view original
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Case Bolstered for a Present-Day Subsurface Ocean on Pluto and other top stories.
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