339 articles from WEDNESDAY 9.9.2020
A scan of 10.3 million stars turns up no sign of aliens - yet
Scientists have completed the broadest search to date for extraterrestrial civilizations by scanning roughly 10.3 million stars using a radio telescope in Australia, but have found nothing - not yet, at least. Seeking evidence of possible life beyond our solar system, the researchers are hunting for "technosignatures" such as communications signals that may originate from intelligent alien...
Massive smoke clouds, thick air darken Western US skies
People from San Francisco to Seattle woke Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West.
Baboon matriarchs enjoy less stress
You know the type: Loud. Swaggering. Pushy. The alpha male clearly runs the show. Female alphas are often less conspicuous than their puffed up male counterparts, but holding the top spot still has its perks.
Did Columbus really introduce syphilis to Europe?
Explorer Christopher Columbus, long blamed for bringing syphilis to Europe from the New World, may have gotten a bad rap, new research suggests.
6 Western states blast Utah plan to tap Colorado River water
Six states in the U.S. West that rely on the Colorado River to sustain cities and farms rebuked a plan to build an underground pipeline that would transport billions of gallons of water through the desert to southwest Utah.
Think 2020's disasters are wild? Experts see worse in future
A record amount of California is burning, spurred by a nearly 20-year mega-drought. Meanwhile, the Atlantic’s 16th and 17th named tropical storms are swirling, a record number for this time of year. Phoenix keeps setting triple-digit heat records, while Colorado went through a weather whiplash of 90-degree heat to snow this...
Nasa prepares to test SLS rocket to moon as costs rise to $9.1bn
First uncrewed mission of the Space Launch System now scheduled for November 2021Nasa has quietly made public that the development of its giant rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), is now budgeted at $9.1 bn (£7bn). Ground systems to support the mission are budgeted at a further $2.4bn. As pointed out by Ars Technica, the new development cost represents a 33% increase in the cost of the...
NASA infrared imagery shows Tropical Storm Rene's seesaw of strength
Tropical Storm Rene weakened to a tropical depression late on Sept. 8 but regained tropical storm status on Sept. 9. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite captured Rene as it was twice transitioning.
NASA infrared imagery shows wind shear affecting Tropical Storm Paulette
Tropical Storm Paulette has run into wind shear that is pushing the bulk of clouds and showers away from its center of circulation, and that is apparent on infrared imagery from NASA.
Massive smoke clouds, thick air darken Western US skies
People from San Francisco to Seattle woke Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West. “It's after 9 a.m. and there's still no sign of the sun,” the California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate division tweeted, urging drivers to turn on...