Researchers at Durham University found that a massive collision with an object twice the size of Earth likely tilted Uranus on its side. The impact may have trapped heat, explaining the planet's extremely cold temperature. Simulations also suggest this event could have formed Uranus' rings and moons.
An international team confirms Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity by making the most precise test of gravity outside our solar system. By combining data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, the researchers found that gravity behaves as predicted by GR on galactic s...
Astronomers identify hydrogenated nanodiamonds as likely source of anomalous microwave emission (AME), a type of faint microwave light emanating from regions across the Milky Way. The discovery provides new insights into the formation of nanodiamonds in protoplanetary disks and has implications for cosmology research.
Researchers at UT Dallas developed a tool to identify inconsistencies in cosmological data, revealing potential errors in current models. The findings suggest that either systematic errors need to be removed or the underlying model is incomplete, leading to questions about Albert Einstein's theory of gravity.
A new computer model developed by Dr. Jane Lixin Dai and Prof. Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz enables the categorization of variations in observations of Tidal Disruption Events, allowing for a better understanding of black hole properties and the study of rare celestial events.
A new study reveals that ancient communities in South America, particularly the Southern Jê people, played a significant role in expanding the critically endangered Araucaria forests between 1,410 and 900 years ago. The forests, which date back to the time of dinosaurs, were initially established on grasslands and expanded into highlan...
Researchers from Kazan University and Russian Academy of Sciences proved that graphene maintains the causality principle in its conductivity. The study found that graphene's real and imaginary parts satisfy Kramers-Kronig relations precisely.
New research suggests that life could be common throughout the multiverse due to dark energy's impact on star and planet formation. The findings contradict the long-held notion that a specific amount of dark energy is necessary for life to emerge, raising questions about the multiverse theory's ability to explain cosmic origins.
Hawking's final theory on the origin of the universe predicts a simpler and finite universe, contradicting the prevailing theory of eternal inflation. The new theory, developed by Hawking and ERC grantee Thomas Hertog, proposes that the universe is reasonably smooth and globally finite.
Astronomers have observed a gargantuan cosmic collision of 14 young galaxies, poised to merge and form a colossal galaxy cluster. This protocluster is located 12.4 billion light-years away, offering an unprecedented opportunity to study the early stages of cluster formation.
Researchers have uncovered behavior in ultracold atoms that resembles the universe in microcosm, with potential implications for cosmology and the early universe's rapid expansion. The study reveals analogies to Hubble friction and provides new insights into energy conversion during inflation.
Scientists warn that human brains may be overlooking signs of extraterrestrial life due to cognitive biases. Researchers conducted an experiment where participants failed to detect artificial structures in images, mirroring the famous gorilla suit test.
Researchers discovered a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient (FELT) captured by the Kepler Space Telescope in 2015. The transient rose in brightness over just 2.2 days and faded within 10 days, with scientists attributing its cause to a 'burp' from the star before exploding.
A team of researchers has created a comprehensive dark matter map, indicating inconsistent halos with the standard cosmological model. The findings could hold new clues to understanding the accelerating expansion of the Universe.
Narlikar shares personal reminiscences on the evolution of cosmology over six decades, highlighting the increase in confidence in the standard model. However, he also notes that this model lacks independent observational support and an established theoretical base.
The team discovered DES16C2nm, a superluminous supernova, in the Dark Energy Survey, providing insights into the explosion and its potential connection to magnetars. The detection offers opportunities for advances in stellar astrophysics and cosmology, allowing researchers to study the expansion history of the universe.
A new study using the LAser RElativity Satellite (LARES) demonstrates high-precision probing of General Relativity and fundamental physics. The research reveals frame-dragging effects on space-time, with implications for astrophysics.
A team of astronomers from the University of Basel has found that satellite galaxies around Centaurus A co-rotate within disc-shaped planes, a phenomenon that challenges the standard model of cosmology. This discovery suggests that these systems are not isolated cases but part of a widespread pattern.
Researchers found that 14 out of 16 satellite galaxies of Centaurus A orbit in a single plane and rotate coherently. This synchronized movement contradicts standard cosmology simulations, suggesting flaws in current theories of galaxy formation.
The IllustrisTNG project simulates the universe's large-scale structure, gaining insights into how supermassive black holes shape galaxies. The simulations predict a key transformation in galaxy life cycles, with black holes extinguishing star formation.
Researchers have designed a new approach to share scientific data, allowing for faster and more secure access. The 'Modern Research Data Portal' architecture uses Globus and the Science DMZ to simplify data transfers, enabling scientists to collaborate more easily.
The largest X-ray galaxy cluster ever discovered contains the mass of three million billion suns and is composed of two colliding clusters, with most mass hidden in dark matter. Hubble's observations also show that the hot gas is being torn from the dark matter during the collision.
Researchers have discovered swirling gas motion in early galaxies, which spun like a whirlpool similar to the Milky Way. The galaxies, observed nearly 13 billion years ago, were found to be forming stars at a higher rate than expected, yet retaining order and appearing well-regulated despite their small size.
Researchers found supermassive black holes prevent star formation in smaller galaxies by driving powerful winds that heat gas, quenching the process. This discovery sheds light on how dwarf galaxies, composed of up to 100 million stars, evolve and affects our understanding of galaxy evolution.
Emission line galaxies, or cosmic lanterns, help us understand the composition and fate of the Universe. These galaxies show strong emission lines from heated gas, allowing precise distance determination and insight into galaxy formation and evolution.
The Lomonosov satellite detected air showers caused by high-energy space rays and registered transient light phenomena associated with storm ares. The satellite also observed gamma-ray bursts for the first time in history, allowing for simultaneous measurements in optic and gamma ranges.
Scientists use a simulation program called DaMaSCUS to study how dark matter particles interact with normal matter, potentially affecting detector performance. The researchers found that if dark matter interacts strongly with atoms, deep site detectors may struggle to detect it.
Brazilian researcher Juliano Cesar Silva Neves challenges the standard cosmological model by proposing the elimination of the spacetime singularity and the possibility of a prior contraction phase. The current expansion may be preceded by contraction, with potential vestiges still present in the universe.
Researchers have discovered a new way to simulate Einstein's theory of general relativity in electronic systems, enabling the creation of 3D electron lenses and electronic invisibility devices. The discovery uses Weyl metamaterials, which combine ideas from solid-state physics, particle physics, and cosmology.
The Cosmos code, developed by the University of Texas at Austin, has been optimized for the Stampede2 supercomputer using XSEDE ECSS resources. This allows for accurate simulations of black hole jets and other astrophysical phenomena, providing new insights into the mysteries of space.
A new cosmic picture of the universe's history shows a close agreement with previous findings, leaving little room for new physics that could reveal dark matter and dark energy. The results support the standard model of Big Bang cosmology, but scientists remain hopeful that new observations will offer clues about what lies beyond.
Physicists propose that knots in flexible strands of energy called flux tubes link elementary particles, explaining the three-dimensional nature of the universe. The theory provides a natural power source for cosmic inflation, solving two key problems in cosmology.
Researchers have discovered evidence of dynamical dark energy, suggesting that the nature of dark energy may not be a constant vacuum energy. The discovery was made possible by high-precision measurements of Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations and will require confirmation from next-generation astronomical surveys.
A new study finds a model universe with no dark energy provides a slightly better fit to Type Ia supernovae data than the standard dark energy model. The 'timescape cosmology' challenges current understanding of the Universe's expansion, highlighting the need for more data and better supernova precision.
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that the unique binary star system AR Scorpii exhibits variability on a timescale of decades, contrary to initial expectations. The study found that the system's brightness more than doubled in minutes and hours, but also showed long-term changes over decades.
The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) is a radio telescope that will survey more than half the sky each day, creating a three-dimensional map of the largest volume of space ever surveyed. This will help scientists better understand the history of the universe and the nature of dark energy.
Researchers from SLAC and Stanford used neural networks to analyze images of strong gravitational lensing, performing complex analyses in a fraction of a second. The technique has the potential to transform astrophysics by analyzing vast amounts of data quickly and automatically.
Scientists used a giant cosmic lens to study a star-forming galaxy nearly five billion light-years away, providing clues about the origin of galactic magnetic fields. The analysis revealed a large-scale, coherent magnetic field similar to those in nearby galaxies.
Researchers at Hokkaido University developed a nanosheet made of CYTOP to prevent drying and deformation of biological samples. The nanosheet retains water content and provides sufficient surface adhesion for fixing samples, resulting in high-resolution images.
Astronomers have discovered a white dwarf with low mass, high velocity and strange composition that may be the remnants of a Type Iax supernova. The calculated age of the explosion suggests it occurred between five and 50 million years ago.
The Standard Model of cosmology has been tested to its limits by the Dark Energy Survey, with results showing that the universe clumps and expands as predicted by our best models. The survey's researchers analyzed light from 26 million galaxies to study how structures have changed over the past 7 billion years.
Researchers have produced new maps of dark matter dynamics in the Universe, revealing detailed information about matter streams and velocities. This study uses legacy survey data to build on previous research and provides insights into the nature of dark matter.
Researchers analyzed the interaction of cosmic web with distant quasar light to reveal properties of dark matter. The results support Cold Dark Matter theory and reject Fuzzy Dark Matter model.
Historians and physicists reveal the post-WWII transformation of Einstein's General Relativity into a bonafide physics theory. New insights highlight the extension of the foundation and complementation by pre-relativistic physics and philosophical considerations, ultimately leading to its renaissance.
A team of scientists has detected a rotating stellar disk in the ancient elliptical-shaped galaxy MACS2129-1, located 10 billion light-years from Earth. This finding contradicts prevailing astrophysical theory regarding the formation of such galaxies shortly after the Big Bang. The stars in MACS2129-1 rotate at a speed of over 500 km p...
Astronomers find compact yet massive, fast-spinning, disk-shaped galaxy that stopped forming stars only a few billion years after the big bang. The discovery challenges current understanding of how massive galaxies form and evolve.
Dr Dmitry Zmeev has been awarded a £1.4M EPSRC Career Fellowship to investigate the properties of superfluid helium 3He. His research aims to understand its unusual behavior and potential applications in nano-electronics and cosmology.
Researchers found a dying star that fizzled out and left behind a black hole, shedding light on why massive stars rarely explode as supernovae. The discovery could help explain the origins of supermassive black holes.
Astronomers discovered a massive star that collapsed into a black hole without exploding as a supernova, challenging the typical view of star formation. The study suggests that up to 30% of massive stars may quietly collapse into black holes without producing a supernova.
The Gruber Foundation has awarded $1.5 million to three top scientists for their groundbreaking work in cosmology, genetics and neuroscience. Sandra Faber, Stephen Elledge, and Joshua Sanes have been recognized for their pioneering research on galaxy structure, DNA damage response pathway, and synapse formation.
A new survey of galaxy redshifts finds no evidence of a supervoid causing the Cosmic Microwave Background's Cold Spot. The researchers suggest that smaller voids and galaxy clusters in the area may be responsible, but simulations of standard cosmology give only a 1-in-50 chance that the spot arose by chance.
Astronomers have captured images of a Type Ia supernova appearing in four different locations on the sky due to gravitational lensing. This rare event has opened up new possibilities for measuring the rate of the Universe's expansion with unprecedented accuracy and understanding the distribution of matter.
Astronomers detected four images of the same supernova, a rare find, due to precise alignment with a foreground galaxy. This extreme case of gravitational lensing offers opportunities to study Type Ia supernovae and their role in cosmology.
A team of astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to analyze four images of a gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernova, measuring the expansion of the Universe without theoretical assumptions. The discovery provides clues about the Universe's expansion rate and has implications for cosmology.
The Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope-prime (CCAT-p) will map the sky at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths, giving unprecedented insights into star and galaxy formation. The telescope's high-altitude location and innovative design enable faster measurements of polarized signals, revealing clues about the universe's early moments.
A Hungarian-American team suggests that standard models of the universe fail to account for its changing structure, eliminating the need for dark energy. The new model shows how the formation of complex structures affects the expansion, providing an alternative explanation for the acceleration.
Scientists at IBS have proposed a hypothetical portal connecting two possible dark sector particles: dark photons and axions. This discovery could lead to reinterpretation of previous data and potentially breakthroughs in axion and dark photon searches.
Astronomers have developed a way to detect the ultraviolet (UV) background of the Universe, which could help explain why there are so few small galaxies in the cosmos. The UV radiation strips smaller galaxies of the gas needed to form stars, effectively stunting their growth.
An experiment aims to resolve divergence between special relativity and standard model of cosmology by precisely measuring particle mass. The results may indicate whether the universe has a resting frame.
The discovery of over 60 extremely distant quasars nearly doubles the known number, offering a unique window into the early universe. Studying these 'lighthouses' of the cosmos will help understand how galaxies developed and interacted with supermassive black holes.