Science

A group of researchers at Drexel University and the Korea Institute of Science & Technology has developed a new material called MXene to effectively block electromagnetic waves emanating from electronic gadgets and appliances. “As technology evolves and electronics become lighter, faster and smaller, their electromagnetic interference increases dramatically,” said Babak Anasori, PhD, a research assistant professor in the A.J. Drexel …

A major earthquake on one fault line can trigger large aftershocks on separate faults, according to a new research by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. In the study, published in the Sept. 9 issue of the journal Science, Scripps geophysicist Peter Shearer and Scripps graduate student Wenyuan Fan discovered 48 previously unidentified large aftershocks from 2004 …

Stargazers are not running out of celestial shows to watch this month. As early as this week, the moon is scheduled to meet planets Saturn and Mars and their gathering is visible in the night sky. Saturday, September 10 • This evening the Moon shines over the Sagittarius Teapot. The Teapot, about the size of your fist at arm’s length, …

Humpback whales have made an epic return after being hunted to the brink of extinction in several areas. Most of world’s humpback populations have finally been removed from the endangered species list, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday. International agreements to protect and conserve the whales over the past 40 years have proven successful for most populations, NOAA …

Researchers have identified a new species named Vivaron haydeni of extinct reptiles – 12 to 18 feet long carnivores related to crocodiles – that lived 212 million years ago in US. Vivaron haydeni was found in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, in 2009 during an excavation co-led by Sterling Nesbitt, then a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, …

UK government ratification of the Paris climate deal and a new plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions through 2030 may have to wait till 2017, climate minister Nick Hurd has told business leaders. The fifth carbon-reduction plan had been expected by the end of this year, and the June vote to exit the European Union has complicated environmental policy. The …

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on a trip to the asteroid Bennu. Bennu may contain the molecular precursors to the origin of life and the Earth’s oceans. The voyage will take seven years. It took off from Cape Canaveral just after 4 p.m. Tucson time.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is being launched on a mission to study asteroid 101955 Bennu, features three high-resolution cameras that are based on CCD detectors. Called “OCAMS”, the camera suite on Osiris-REx consists of three cameras: PolyCam, MapCam, and SamCam. These cameras will “see” asteroid Bennu as the spacecraft first approaches it.

A laser altimeter from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has been launched on board of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft, en route to the Bennu asteroid. OLA, which was built for CSA by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associated Ltd and Optech, is the most sophisticated lidar (light detection and ranging) system ever launched to an asteroid, …

Scientists have discovered a colourful new species of freshwater crab, which is also the first of an entirely new genus – the taxonomic rank above species – hiding in plain sight in a Chinese pet market. Shimmering carapaces and rattling claws make colourful freshwater crabs attractive to pet keepers. To answer the demand, fishermen are busy collecting and trading with …

NASA managers have given their approval for the launch Sept. 8 of an Atlas 5 carrying a spacecraft that will travel to a nearby asteroid, collect samples and return them to Earth. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, mission passed a launch readiness review Sept. 6, the last major review prior to its launch from …