Author: Editor

The discovery of K2-18b is remarkable.

Editor

In a study published Sept. 11, 2019, researchers at the University College London released this image to illustrate the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b.In a study published Sept. 11, 2019, researchers at the University College London released this image to illustrate the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b.(Image: © ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser) Water vapor, and likely clouds that rain liquid water, have been discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet that lies in the habitable zone of its star. But there’s…

Some Flavored E-Cigarettes May Contain Cancer-Causing Chemical

Editor

Electronic cigarettes flavored with mint and menthol may contain high levels of a potentially cancer-causing chemical that’s banned from food in the U.S., according to a new study. The finding comes just days after President Donald Trump’s administration proposed banning flavored e-cigarettes following a string of mysterious vaping-related illnesses across the country. Pulegone is an oil extracted from mint plants such as peppermint and spearmint that was previously added to candies and chewing gum to give flavor. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned synthetically made pulegone as…

There’s a Lost Continent Hiding Beneath Europe

Editor

Greater Adria as it existed 140 million years ago, before sliding beneath what is now southern europe. The darker green areas depict the land above the water and the lighter green, the land below. There’s a lost continent hidden below southern Europe. And researchers have created the most detailed reconstruction of it yet. The lost continent “Greater Adria” emerged about 240 million years ago, after it broke off from Gondwana, a southern supercontinent made up of Africa, Antarctica, South America, Australia and other major landmasses, as Science magazine reported. Greater…

It’s so black, it turns diamonds into “black holes.”

Editor

On the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, a team of artists and scientists have made a 16.78-carat diamond — valued at more than $2 million — disappear. Granted, denizens of the Stock Exchange are no strangers to making vast amounts of wealth vanish, but this time the scientists are doing the heavy lifting. Working with artist Diemut Strebe, a team of researchers from MIT covered the shimmering yellow diamond in a newly discovered type of carbon nanotube coating that turns 3D objects into black, almost 100% light-free voids.…