A first experiment with the new "free-electron laser" An international group of scientists has published first experiments carried out using the new soft X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) at the research center DESY (Nature, vol 420, p 482-485 and p 467). Using small clusters of noble gas atoms, for the first time, researchers studied the interaction of matter with intense X-ray radiation from an FEL... view more... (2002-12-05)
Unravelling a cosmic mystery-scientists discover the Universe's strongest magnetic field Scientists from The University of Exeter and the International University, Bremen have discovered what is thought to be the strongest magnetic field in the Universe. view more (2006-03-31)
Where are the supermassive black holes hiding? European and American scientists, on a quest to find super-massive black holes hiding in nearby galaxies, have found surprisingly few. Either the black holes are better hidden than scientists realised or they are lurking only in the more distant universe. view more (2006-07-27)
A Stellar Explosion You Could See on Earth! Astronomers are familiar with seeing amazing things through their telescopes. But nothing prepared them for an incredible explosion detected early Wednesday morning by NASA's Swift satellite. At 2:12 a.m. EDT, Swift detected an explosion from deep space that was so powerful that its afterglow was briefly visible to the naked eye. Even more... view more... (2008-03-24)
Groundbreaking study on complex movements of enzymes A groundbreaking study has revealed in great detail how enzymes in the cell cooperate to make fat. These enzymes are integrated into a single molecular complex known as fatty acid synthase. This complex is regarded as a potential target for developing new anti-obesity and anti-cancer drugs. view more (2009-02-12)
Supernova radiation simulated in Virtual Reality To astrophysicists, the energy-charged x-ray radiation on the fringes of a supernova explosion has long been enigmatic. It hasn't been possible to explain how the electrons are able to accelerate to nearly the speed of light. Now scientists in England and in Linköping, Sweden, have hit upon a possible explanation by combining supercomputer... view more... (2001-12-20)
Chest X-ray exposure may increase likelihood of breast cancer An analysis of 1,600 women with BRCA 1/2 mutations suggests that exposure to chest X-rays may increase the risk of breast cancer, and that exposure before the age of 20 may be linked to particularly heightened risk. view more (2006-06-27)
Science with Integral -- 5 years on With eyes that peer into the most energetic phenomena in the universe, ESA's Integral has been setting records, discovering the unexpected and helping understanding the unknown over its first five years. view more (2007-10-18)
Study gives clues to increasing X-rays' power Three-dimensional, real-time X-ray images of patients could be closer to reality because of research recently completed by scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a pair of Russian institutes. view more (2009-06-16)
Integral - tracking extreme radiation across the Universe The world`s most advanced gamma-ray space telescope Integral [International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory] was successfully launched today [17 October 2002] from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Integral will provide first-hand observations of cosmic objects that release some of the most energetic radiation of the Universe. British... view more... (2002-10-11)
X-Rays Examine Colliding Galaxies Galaxies were once thought of as `island universes` evolving slowly in complete isolation. This is now known not to be the case. By using the world`s most powerful X-ray observatories, UK astronomers are discovering that most of these gigantic star systems interact with each other in a wide variety of ways. During the UK National Astronomy Meeting... view more... (2002-04-07)
Chandra looks back at the Earth In an unusual observation, a team of scientists has scanned the northern polar region of Earth with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. view more (2005-12-30)
X-rays provide a new way to investigate exploding stars ESA's X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has revealed a new class of exploding stars - where the X-ray emission 'lives fast and dies young'. view more (2007-05-10)
Argonne scientists use lasers to align molecules Protein crystallographers have only scratched the surface of the human proteins important for drug interactions because of difficulties crystallizing the molecules for synchrotron x-ray diffraction. view more (2008-05-14)
The Glory of a Nearby Star Optical Light from a Hot Stellar Corona Detected with the VLT The solar corona is a beautiful sight during total solar eclipses. It is the uppermost region of the extended solar atmosphere and consists of a very hot (over 1 million degrees), tenuous plasma of highly ionised elements that emit strong X-ray radiation. There is also a much weaker... view more... (2001-07-31)
UI researchers discover star orbiting a 'medium-sized' black hole University of Iowa researchers have found a star orbiting a "medium-sized" black hole - about 1,000 times more massive than the sun - in the nearby starburst galaxy M82, a development that may help explain how medium-sized black holes form and evolve. view more (2006-01-06)
Physicists find evidence for highest energy photons ever detected from Milky Way's equator Physicists at nearly a dozen research institutions, including New York University, have discovered evidence for very high energy gamma rays emitting from the Milky Way, marking the highest energies ever detected from the galactic equator. view more (2005-12-14)
Ghost Remains After Black Hole Eruption NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has found a cosmic "ghost" lurking around a distant supermassive black hole. This is the first detection of such a high-energy apparition, and scientists think it is evidence of a huge eruption produced by the black hole. view more (2009-05-29)
Seeing through tooth decay Dental caries afflict at least 90% of the world's population at some time in their lives. Detecting the first signs of this disease, which can be lethal in extreme cases, just got easier thanks to work by researchers in India discussed in the latest issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology. view more (2008-08-25)
NASA's Fermi Telescope Probes Dozens of Pulsars With NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astronomers now are getting their best look at those whirling stellar cinders known as pulsars. view more (2009-07-07)
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