Science / 42

FORECAST: Sunny, mild, high of 76; warmer weekend ahead

October 27, 2018

The National Weather Service's forecast for Ionia County for today , Oct 26, calls for a slight chance of showers with cloudy skies and cool temperatures. The day ahead holds cloudy skies, light NW winds and highs either side of 60. Friday and into Saturday is looking to be quiet overall with partly sunny skies.

Federal carbon tax rebates to exceed cost for most people affected

October 27, 2018

Putting a price on carbon pollution is the best way to cut climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions, Trudeau says. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called it an "election gimmick" and said his party will scrap the tax if they get elected next year.

Pence leaves open possible use of nuclear arms in space

October 26, 2018

Pence announced in August that the administration hopes to establish Space Force as the sixth branch of the USA military as soon as 2020, the first since the Air Force was formed after World War II. There is a "good chance" that the United States will formally launch its space force next year, President Donald Trump has said. A new budget in early 2019 will carve out funds for the USSF in the National Defense Authorization Act, said Pence.

China will launch an artificial moon

October 25, 2018

The satellite is set to be launched into orbit about 310 miles above the city of Chengdu in 2020, and may have the power to entirely replace streetlights , The Daily Wire and other outlets noted. The testing of the light beams will be done in an uninhabited desert so that it does not interfere with any people or Earth observatories. Harbin Institute of Technology and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp have evaluated and approved the project.

Stephen Hawking's Papers And Wheelchair For Sale

October 24, 2018

Only five copies of the Ph.D. thesis exist - although a digital copy was made available online for free by Cambridge University Library's Open Access Week a year ago. A leather bomber jacket and a copy of the script of the 22nd season premiere of " The Simpsons ", entitled "Elementary School Musical", for which Hawking lent his voice.

Europe, Japan send spacecraft on 7-year journey to Mercury

October 24, 2018

ET from the French Guiana on the European workhorse rocket Ariane 5. And while it has one of the world's most powerful launch vehicles in the Atlas V rocket, it will still require a seven-year journey to enter orbit around Mercury rather than the Sun.

Perfectly rectangular iceberg found in Antarctica

October 24, 2018

It looks like it has been cut that way deliberately, but this huge iceberg is simply a wonderful display of nature's awesomeness and beauty. Not all of them are rectangular-some have jagged borders like a puzzle piece, but most of their sides are sheer and smooth (at least at first).

NASA captures incredible image of near-perfect rectangle iceberg off Antarctic Peninsula

October 23, 2018

WTF?! NASA has released an image showing an iceberg in Antarctica that appears so rectangular and flat, it looks purposely cut into shape. Like all icebergs, Brunt said only 10 percent of this particular tabular berg was visible above the waterline, with the majority of it submerged.

`Extreme Dangerous’ Hurricane Willa heads to Mexico

October 22, 2018

Hurricane Willa has quickly strengthened into a deadly Category 4 storm and will intensify further this week in wake of low wind shear and warm water temperatures. In areas of western Jalisco rainfall accumulations could be as high as 18 inches, triggering life-threatening flash flooding and landslides. The NHC said it could make landfall along Mexico's southwestern coast Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and bring with it a life-threatening storm surge - especially near and to the ...

Meghan Markle pulls out of royal tour engagement at the last minute

October 21, 2018

Kensington Palace says the couple has chose to slightly reduce Meghan's schedule "for the next couple of days" ahead of the final week-and-a-half of the tour. Mrs Connell, who is 23 weeks pregnant, added: " Meghan told me that pregnancy was like having jet lag". Another Royal source told DailyMailTV: "Samantha is kidding herself if she thinks there is any possibility of getting together with Meghan or anyone from the Royal family for that matter".

Louis area rated "fair" viewing zone for Orionid meteor shower this weekend

October 21, 2018

With the visibility of about 15-20 meteors per hour, there will be a couple of factors that might make the viewing a little hard. The Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG) says the Orionid Meteor Shower "is one of the best known and most reliable meteor showers in the annual calendar, visible from across the globe".

In posthumous message, Stephen Hawking warns "what will cripple the Earth"

October 21, 2018

While that answer is undoubtedly unsettling for people of faith, they may take some comfort knowing that Hawking doesn't think we're entirely alone in the universe. "I think that reading through the book again, it's nearly like his voice has been leaping off the page as I've been reading through the chapters, and it's been very nice to connect with him again in that way", Timothy Hawking added.

Climate forecasters say ME likely to have above-average temps this winter

October 20, 2018

A mild winter could be in store for much of the United States this winter according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center . WASHINGTON Winter looks wet and especially mild for much of the country, thanks to a weak El Nino brewing, US meteorologists said.

A Strange Noise is Coming from the Antarctic Ice Shelf

October 20, 2018

That's where scientists buried dozens of sensors to alert them to the shelf's condition under climate change. In 2014, scientists deployed seismic equipment on the Ross Ice Shelf, which is the biggest section of floating ice in Antarctica, so they could study the crust and mantle underneath it.

NOAA Winter Outlook: Warmer for Much of the United States

October 19, 2018

Mike Halpert, Deputy Director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, says their forecast calls for above average temperatures and below average precipitation for both the Lower and Upper Peninsula. During the winter, typical El Nino conditions in the US can include wetter-than-average precipitation in the South and drier conditions in parts of the North.

China May Soon Have a Second (Artificial) Moon

October 19, 2018

The plans were reportedly revealed by the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Co.at a Chinese innovation and entrepreneurship event that took place last week. The project has sparked concern from the public, as many began to worry that the lights reflected from space could affect the daily routines of certain animals.

Cosmonaut Describes Aborted Soyuz Launch

October 17, 2018

Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin says the force he felt during a Soyuz emergency landing last week was like having a concrete block on his chest. Air Force Colonel Nick Hague on Tuesday publicly described his close call. This means that while they will be able to return to Earth, if they do so there will be no crew aboard the station until another crew can be launched.

At least 13 dead in southwestern France flooding

October 17, 2018

A vehicle and debris are pictured after floods in the town of Villegailhenc, southern France , Oct.15, 2018. The official also said that an anticipated reshuffling of government ministers would not be announced on Monday since the government was focused on the flooding.

Climate Change Could Lead to Global Beer Shortage, Study Finds

October 16, 2018

And the results of these two were given as inputs into a third, an algorithm that modelled the economy and showed price fluctuations of barley and beer. The biggest consumer of beer today, China, is expected to see a drop of 4.34 billion litres. In recent years, the beer sector consumed around 17% of global barley production, but the share varied drastically across major beer-producing countries - from 83% in Brazil to 9% in Australia.

Donald Trump says he thinks climate change will 'change back again'

October 16, 2018

I will say this: I do not want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don't wanna lose millions and millions of jobs . A working paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond found that global warming could substantially slow economic growth in the U.S., especially in places where people voted for Trump.

Almost 50 People Missing in Florida After Hurricane Michael Ravages Beachfront Town

October 16, 2018

As a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, Michael was one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in USA history. Nola reports that Hurricane Michael's winds are the fourth strongest from a storm making landfall in the United States, behind 1992's Andrew, 1969's Camille, and 1935's "Labor Day Hurricane ".

Chinese scientists create mice with two mothers with gene-editing technology

October 15, 2018

The researchers in China have noted that there are still obstacles in achieving their feat with other mammals. The researchers, based at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained that in mammals, because certain maternal or paternal genes are shut off during germline development by a mechanism called genomic imprinting, offspring that don't get genetic material from both a mother and father might be developmentally abnormal or might not be viable.

Searchers find body in hurricane-stricken town

October 14, 2018

Residents and rescue workers in Florida and other southeastern USA states are digging through the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael , the remnants of which have moved out into the Atlantic Ocean. The Coast Guard said it rescued 129 people. Beyond Florida, five storm-related deaths were reported in Virginia - including that of a fireman whose firetruck was struck by a semitrailer truck.

Cut adrift by Canada, Michaelle Jean continues bid for Francophonie post

October 13, 2018

Her election is a victory for both Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame and French President Emmanuel Macron, who have sought to improve relations between their two nations, long fraught due to Kigali's accusations of French complicity in the 1994 genocide that killed at least 800,000, mostly Tutsis.

Florida resident surveys 'total devastation' from Hurricane Michael

October 13, 2018

Rescue teams, hampered by power and telephone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to hunt for hundreds of people unaccounted for in devastated communities across the Florida Panhandle. The Coast Guard reported rescuing 129 people. "Never ends, but we're all prepared and hopefully it won't be as bad as it's looking". Long said the storm posed a direct threat to people who ignored warnings and evacuation orders on the coastlines, particularly given the threat of storm ...

Rescuers find first body in town worst hit by Michael

October 13, 2018

But even as affected communities evaluate the damage left in the storm's wake, weather satellites continued to monitor Michael's progress. More than 900,000 homes and businesses in Florida , Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas have been left without power.

Failed Soyuz astronauts to fly again

October 13, 2018

Reuters Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin (R) and US astronaut Nick Hague (L) disembark from a plane, after the Soyuz spacecraft made an emergency landing following a failure of its booster rockets, as they arrive at Baikonur airport, Kazakhstan , Oct.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket wins Air Force contract

October 12, 2018

Atlas V rocket lifting off with NRO payload from Vandenberg, AFB on March 1. The U.S. Air Force has chosen three aerospace companies in which to invest $2 billion, including one that builds rockets in Chandler. The main assembly of the New Glenn launch vehicle will occur in the Blue Origin rocket manufacturing facility in Florida, near Launch Complex 36 which the company leased from Spaceport Florida.

Watch as Florida man gets rare look inside Hurricane Michael's eye

October 12, 2018

Since making landfall on Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, the now tropical storm has left thousands of people without power, uprooted trees, turned homes and marinas into ruins and killed at least 2 people. 11-year-old Sarah Radney, identified by a coroner Thursday, was killed when a portable carport fell on her home in Seminole County, which is in the extreme southwest corner of Georgia.

Here's how Hurricane Michael will impact your county

October 12, 2018

The storm - now located over the Gulf of Mexico - is sweeping toward the Florida coast at around 12 miles per hour and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, bringing with it "life-threatening" storm surges and heavy rainfall, the National Hurricane Centre said.

Hurricane Michael: 'Unimaginable destruction after monster storm'

October 12, 2018

Activists say the anti-environment policies of the Florida governor, Rick Scott, who they have nicknamed Red Tide Rick, are at least partly responsible for the unprecedented scale of this year's outbreak of a naturally occurring phenomenon.

American and Russian astronaut rescued after emergency landing following rocket booster malfunction

October 12, 2018

Hague, 43, and Ovchinin, 47, lifted off as scheduled at 2:40 p.m. (4:40 a.m. EDT) from Baikonur. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, members of the International Space Station expedition 57/58, board the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft prior to launch.

Soyuz rocket carrying US, Russian astronauts to ISS malfunctions during launch

October 12, 2018

This failure raises serious questions about the future of the International Space Station , as since the space shuttle's retirement in 2011 the Soyuz spacecraft and rocket were the only means by which crews have had to reach it. The crew were able to carry out repairs and return to Earth six days later. ABC News reported that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that all manned launches will be suspended until the investigation is complete and the cause of the rocket's ...

Hurricane Michael heads toward Florida Panhandle, 13 deaths in its wake

October 11, 2018

A hurricane warning was in effect for a more than 300-mile (480-km) stretch of coastline from the Florida-Alabama border to the Suwannee River in Florida. "Michael should weaken as it crosses the southeastern United States through Thursday", the NHC said. Below are 15 images that personify the aftermath of the Category 4 storm, which blew ashore along the Panhandle packing 155 miles per hour winds.

Rescues, damage in Florida after hurricane — WHAT’S HAPPENING

October 11, 2018

Long said several hospitals in the Panhandle were hit by the hurricane and patients had to be evacuated. "Today is the day". Tens of thousands of people were told to evacuate the coastal areas in nine counties as the storm approached with winds of 155kmh.

Russian, US astronauts survive rocket failure in space station launch

October 11, 2018

NASA astronaut Nick Hague, a member of the International Space Station ( ISS ) expedition 57/58, is helped by specialists as his space suit is tested at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on October 11, 2018 . The failure is a setback for the Russian space programme and the latest in a string of mishaps. The US now only has access to the space station via Russia's Soyuz rocket , which is normally dependable.

Where Is Hurricane Michael Right Now?

October 11, 2018

The roar of the winds, he said, sounded like a jet engine. Only three major hurricanes have made landfall in the Florida Panhandle since 1950, Eloise in 1975, Opal in 1995 and Dennis in 2005. In Mexico Beach , population 1,000, the storm shattered homes, leaving floating piles of lumber. Michael washed away white sand beaches, hammered military bases and destroyed coastal communities, stripping trees to stalks, shredding roofs, toppling trucks and pushing boats into buildings.

Virgin will reach space in 'weeks, not months', says founder Branson

October 11, 2018

In Singapore, billionaire and founder of Virgin , said that the company is close to launching its first mission into space, he hopes to briefly leave the Ground - and not even in the coming years and months, writes naked-science. Virgin's commercial space flight venture was founded in 2004 and has been competing with Elon Musk's SpaceX and Amazon to send the first paying passengers to the stars.

New Space Station Crew Launches Thursday

October 11, 2018

The rocket was carrying a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut who had set off for a six-month mission at the International Space Station , on a relatively rare two-man launch. The current Soyuz on the ISS, Soyus MS-09, launched in June and has an orbital lifetime of about 200 days. Relations between Moscow and Washington have sunk to post-Cold War lows over the crisis in Ukraine, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 United States presidential vote, but ...

Hurricane Michael is a storm to watch in Atlantic Canada

October 11, 2018

Hurricane Michael is a Category 4 storm approaching the Florida Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center has enacted hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings for more than 300 miles of the Florida coast. "Where that becomes a factor is with the evacuation of some of the local populations", he said. "If you don't follow warnings from officials this storm could kill you", said Scott, a Republican running for the U.S.

Hurricane Michael brings devastation to Florida

October 11, 2018

In any case, no matter how you measure it, Michael is among the most powerful hurricanes in recent memory along with Camille in 1969, Andrew in 1992 and Katrina in 2005. The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee issued a dramatic appeal for people to comply with evacuation orders. The NWS said it had found no record of any previous Category 4 hurricanes that made landfall in the Panhandle or the "Big Bend" coastal region.

One dead as Hurricane Michael tears into Florida

October 11, 2018

It was the most powerful hurricane to hit the USA mainland in almost 50 years and the most powerful in recorded history to strike the Florida Panhandle. Only the 1935 storm and Camille had lower pressures, Mr. Klotzbach said. The storm continued on its destructive path, bringing heavy rains and tearing down trees.

Monstrous Hurricane Michael tears into Florida

October 11, 2018

Hurricane Michael , a category 4 storm, slammed into the Sunshine State, bringing winds over 150 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center said Michael would pass through the Carolinas as a tropical storm on Thursday, dumping as much as 8 inches of rain in some areas.

Hubble in 'safe mode' after technical snag

October 11, 2018

Gyroscopes are needed to keep the 340-mile-high (540-kilometer-high) Hubble pointed in the right direction during observations. "At any given time, Hubble needs three of its six gyroscopes operating to ensure optimal efficiency", NASA says .

From the Hill: Climate change urgency

October 10, 2018

Melissa Price, the federal Environment Minister, said the government would consider the IPCC report , saying the government "is committed to the Paris Agreement and takes its worldwide obligations seriously". The reality of the world today is that climate change is now happening at such an alarmingly fast rate that we may only have 12 years left before hundreds of millions of people are in peril of losing everything.

Rock used as a doorstop for decades is actually a $100,000 meteorite

October 10, 2018

For Sirbescu throughout her career, this has been a regular request, with no exciting outcomes. But this time, the answer was different. The man has indicated that he will donate "10 percent of the sale value to the university to be used as funding for students in earth and atmospheric sciences".

Hurricane Michael Expected to Make Landfall Wednesday

October 10, 2018

Rainfall could reach up to a foot (30 centimeters), and the life-threatening storm surge could swell to 14 feet (4 meters). Tallahassee´s Democratic Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is campaigning to succeed Scott as governor in next month´s elections, suspended his campaign and returned to the state capital to oversee storm preparations.

Hurricane Michael vs. Hurricane Opal: Comparing the two storms

October 10, 2018

Once a tropical storm , Hurricane Michael is expected to strike the Florida Panhandle with Category 3 winds of 74-plus miles per hour. Although few forecast models were predicting it would reach major hurricane status at the time, it seemed possible given that the storm was now moving away from the Yucatan Peninsula landmass and toward warmer waters in the southern Gulf of Mexico , where it will encounter lower overall wind shear.

United Nations warns world must take "unprecedented" steps on global warming

October 10, 2018

To have a chance of meeting the 1.5 degrees goal, climate-changing emissions would have to plunge 45 percent by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, the report said . The review of thousands of scientific papers also said the spread of disease and economic damage and harm to yields of crops will be less severe at 1.5C than 2C, as will the extinction of species.

‘Star Trek: Discovery season 2’ reveals new Spock

October 10, 2018

While running down the other Star Trek projects in development, he asked the crowd if they wanted to know who the bad guys will be in the forthcoming Captain Picard series. "As a child, I had the same vision again and again", Spock - seen here with an uncharacteristic beard - says later in the video. She also spoke about how Discovery highlights diversity.

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