Tech & Science

Not long ago, the center of the Milky Way exploded

A titanic, expanding beam of energy sprang from close to the supermassive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way just 3.5 million years ago, sending a cone-shaped burst of radiation through both poles of the Galaxy and out into deep space.

That’s the finding arising from research conducted by a team of scientists led by Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn from Australia’s ARC Centre of Excellence…

New Organic Compounds Found in Enceladus Ice Grains

New kinds of organic compounds, the ingredients of amino acids, have been detected in the plumes bursting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The findings are the result of the ongoing deep dive into data from NASA’s Cassini mission.

Powerful hydrothermal vents eject material from Enceladus’ core, which mixes with water from the moon’s massive subsurface ocean before it is released into space as water…

Will Andromeda start consuming the Milky Way?

Scientists have now charted the cannibalistic past of the neighboring galaxy to our own – Andromeda. The large galaxy now appears to have sights set on the Milky Way as its next main target.

By pulling together big data, astronomers have figured out that Andromeda has, over time, consumed several smaller galaxies, something that has taken place over the course of several billion years. While a…

Scientists start mapping the hidden web that scaffolds the universe

After counting all the normal, luminous matter in the obvious places of the universe – galaxies, clusters of galaxies and the intergalactic medium – about half of it is still missing. So not only is 85% of the matter in the universe made up of an unknown, invisible substance dubbed “dark matter”, we can’t even find all the small amount of normal matter that should be there.

This is known as the…

Quantum vacuum: Less than zero energy

Energy is a quantity that must always be positive — at least that’s what our intuition tells us. If every single particle is removed from a certain volume until there is nothing left that could possibly carry energy, then a limit has been reached. Or has it? Is it still possible to extract energy even from empty space?

Quantum physics has shown time and again that it contradicts our intuition —…

First fully rechargeable carbon dioxide battery lasts 500 cycles

The search for advanced materials that can take battery technologyto the next level has led scientists to some imaginative places, including designs inspired by the human spine and others that fashion key components into nanochain structures. Another example concerns an element we’re producing too much of in carbon dioxide, which scientists have now worked into a high-potential battery with the…

Huawei Launches the ‘Huawei VR Glass’ Virtual Reality Glasses

During the launch event of the Mate 30 Series on September 26 in China, Huawei announced its new Huawei VR Glass virtual reality glasses. The design is sleek and closer to that of real stylish glasses. They are also much lighter than the traditional virtual reality headsets.

The design of the Huawei VR Glass is both thin and foldable making it much easier to wear compared to the existing bulkier…

‘Planet Nine’ may actually be a black hole

For nearly 5 years, growing numbers of scientists have blamed the weird orbits of distant solar system objects on the gravitational effects of an as-yet-undiscovered “Planet Nine” that lies in the icy realm far beyond Neptune. But a pair of physicists is now floating an intriguing idea that could offer a new way to search for the object: What if that supposed planet is actually a small black hole?

Three black holes on collision course

Astronomers have discovered three giant black holes within a titanic collision of three galaxies. Several observatories, including the Chandra X-ray Observatory and other NASA space telescopes, captured the unusual system.

“We were only looking for pairs of black holes at the time, and yet, through our selection technique, we stumbled upon this amazing system,” said Ryan Pfeifle of George Mason…

Oculus Quest to receive hand-tracking powers next year

The Oculus Quest will be getting the ability to track your hands in an update expected to arrive early 2020. 

This new technology will mean you won’t need to press buttons or use a controller to interact with objects in the virtual space, making the whole experience feel more natural and less intimidating for gaming newcomers.

Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the news during the Oculus Connect 6 keynote…

Astronomers watch six galaxies suddenly fire up into quasars

Normally things happen slowly out in space. It can take thousands, millions or even billions of years for stars and galaxies to evolve. But now astronomers have spotted an event that was thought to happen over millennia play out in a matter of months, as a usually-quiet galaxy suddenly fired up into an energetic quasar – and not just once, but in six different cases.

The galaxies in question…

Where Do Black Holes Lead?

So there you are, about to leap into a black hole. What could possibly await should — against all odds — you somehow survive? Where would you end up and what tantalizing tales would you be able to regale if you managed to clamor your way back?

The simple answer to all of these questions is, as Professor Richard Massey explains, “Who knows?” As a Royal Society research fellow at the Institute for…