Space mystery as scientists baffled by bizarre temperature changes recorded on Neptune
Led from the University of Leicester, the team found unseasonal cooling followed by “dramatic” warming at the south pole. As it orbits around the Sun, Neptune experiences seasons, much like on Earth. Unlike our seasons, however, those on Neptune each lasts more than 40 Earth years, as the planet takes nearly 165 years to complete…
Solar storm warning as ‘major blackouts’ threaten life on Earth – scientists raise alarm
Using data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Cluster and Swarm missions, scientists were able to establish a link between the oddly named bursty bulk flows and sudden changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. According to a paper published in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers studied bursty bulk flows, which are fast bursts of ions with…
NASA plans two visits to Earth’s nearest neighbour Venus
NASA has announced missions to Earth’s nearest neighbour Venus. After decades of exploring other planets and moons, the space agency is returning its sights to the solar system’s hottest planet, which it last visited with its Magellan spacecraft in orbit in 1989. NASA’s new administrator, Bill Nelson, announced the missions during his first major address…
Greta Thunberg becomes ‘bunny hugger’ on Twitter
Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has updated her Twitter biography to describe herself as a “bunny hugger”. The change comes after remarks made by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to US President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit on 22 April. In his speech, Boris Johnson described “the politically correct green act of bunny hugging”. The…
Humans and robots battle it out for control of the future
From bioengineering and gene editing to cybersecurity, 5G, and much more, the future is very much under the spotlight at the 40th annual Gulf Information Technology Exhibition in Dubai. It’s the only major tech event to have gone ahead this year with over 1200 exhibitors from 60 countries. Mesmerised Among the most eye-catching exhibits, incredibly…
Climate change: Weakened ‘ice arches’ speed loss of Arctic floes
Look down on the Arctic from space and you can see some beautiful arch-like structures sculpted out of sea-ice. They form in a narrow channel called Nares Strait, which divides the Canadian archipelago from Greenland. As floes funnel southward down this restricted conduit, they ram up against the coastline to form a dam, and then…
Bird charity warns of harm from new wind farm
The bird charity RSPB has criticised a government decision to permit an offshore wind farm expected to harm birds feeding in the North Sea. The giant Hornsea Three development lies 75 miles away from Flamborough Head, England’s biggest sea bird colony on the Yorkshire coast. The RSPB says kittiwakes will need to fly through the area, dodging turbines, to…
New Year Honours 2021: ‘Green’ economist recognised
The work of a number of the UK’s leading scientists has been recognised in this year’s New Year Honours. Prof Dieter Helm, chairman of the government’s advisory Natural Capital Committee, has received a knighthood. Marcus Agius, former chairman of the board of trustees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, becomes a CBE. Meanwhile, Dr Hermoine Ferguson,…
Astronaut Scott Kelly: How to survive a year in space
Since 2007, Kelly has made three separate visits to the orbiting outpost. But it was on his last flight between 2015 and 2016 that he gained worldwide recognition. Along with Misha Kornienko, he was tasked with spending a whole year on the space station – twice the length of a regular stay. In doing so,…
Humans and robots battle it out for control of the future
From bioengineering and gene editing to cybersecurity, 5G, and much more, the future is very much under the spotlight at the 40th annual Gulf Information Technology Exhibition in Dubai. It’s the only major tech event to have gone ahead this year with over 1200 exhibitors from 60 countries. Mesmerised Among the most eye-catching exhibits, incredibly…