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To celebrate 25 years since the completion of the International Gemini Observatory, students in Chile voted for the Gemini South telescope to image NGC 6302 — a billowing planetary nebula that resembles a cosmic butterfly. The International Gemini Observatory is partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab.

Today, the deserts of the Arabian peninsula are inhospitable – but 100,000 years ago, the area was full of animals and ancient humans

The famous double-slit experiment brings into question the very nature of matter. Its cousin, the quantum eraser experiment, makes us question the very existence of time – and how much we can manipulate it

Why is the Universe filled with matter? Why isn't it an equal amount of matter and antimatter? We still don't know the answer, but a new approach looks at the symmetries of extended models of particle physics and finds a possible path forward. It's a knotty problem that may just have a knotty solution.

Two clashing ideas about disorder inside black holes now point to the same strange conclusions, and it could reshape the foundations of how we think about space and time

Today we have some lovely parrot photos by Scott Ritchie from Cairns in Oz (his Facebook page is here). Scott’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.

And on to New South Wales. First stop, Eden. This is at the southeaster-most point where Australia turns north. The first night we drove down to the end of the beach along an elevated ridge. There, I heard the unmistakable almost cat-like call, but softer, of the Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo [Zanda funerea]. Here are some images I got of this small group that was feeding in Banksia seeds along the road. I particularly like the yellow cheek and the nice soft masklike feathers around their beak. There’s a story to tell here that will be given in the photos below.

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (YTBC), love Banksia seeds:

Indeed, they become single-minded in their pursuit of these seeds. Taste pretty good:

But while they’re chewing away, there could be danger about. Raptors could suddenly appear from the sky and clean them up. Have them for dinner, literally:

These are smart group, smart birds that travel in small parties—perhaps a family group. And they usually have a sentinel bird. This bird perches high in a tree, eyes peeled for signs of trouble. He called out my presence straight away. He’s often calling by chirping away to his mates. Everything’s fine. Enjoy your meal. I particularly like the cute little mask that they wear over the bill. Reminds me of the Covid mask, the P95:

Anyway, the Cockeys continue to feed:

And they are loving it!:

All of a sudden the sentinel urgently calls. You can see his mask, pulled up even higher, with urgent calls “Warning, warning. Incoming. Take flight now.”:

And sudden suddenly off they go, flying as one right over my head!:

And who should fly by, who may have had his eyes on the cockies, but a White-bellied Sea-eagle [Icthyophaga leucogaster]. He passes behind and flies down the beach:

And is chased by a Masked Lapwing [Vanellus miles] screaming “stay away stay away!” The YTBC warning system worked!:

Is there any science to viral relationship tests like the bird test, the orange peel theory and the moon phase test? Emily Impett, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Toronto, has the answers

Remember back in 2018 when there was a discovery of a briny “lake” underground near the Martian south pole? Pepperidge Farm probably does, and anyone that works there that’s interested in space exploration will be disappointed to hear that, whatever might be causing the radar signal that finding was based on, it’s most likely not a lake. At least according to new data collected by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and published recently in Geophysical Research Letters by lead author Gareth Morgan of the Planetary Science Institute and his colleagues.

Some white dwarfs in rapid binary orbits are far hotter and larger than theory predicts. Researchers found that powerful tidal forces between them generate enough heat to inflate their sizes and change their orbital behavior. This leads the stars to interact much sooner than expected, potentially triggering dramatic cosmic events. The new model may offer clues about the origins of type Ia supernovae.

We knew from prior analyses that a distant asteroid sampled in 2020 carried all but one of the molecules needed to kick-start life, and researchers have just found the missing ingredient: sugar

It should have been impossible for the CIA's Glomar Explorer to obtain the ship's bell from the K-129 submarine... but they did. How?

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A UC Irvine team uncovered a never-before-seen quantum phase formed when electrons and holes pair up and spin in unison, creating a glowing, liquid-like state of matter. By blasting a custom-made material with enormous magnetic fields, the researchers triggered this exotic transformation—one that could enable radiation-proof, self-charging computers ideal for deep-space travel.

A UC Irvine team uncovered a never-before-seen quantum phase formed when electrons and holes pair up and spin in unison, creating a glowing, liquid-like state of matter. By blasting a custom-made material with enormous magnetic fields, the researchers triggered this exotic transformation—one that could enable radiation-proof, self-charging computers ideal for deep-space travel.

A UC Irvine team uncovered a never-before-seen quantum phase formed when electrons and holes pair up and spin in unison, creating a glowing, liquid-like state of matter. By blasting a custom-made material with enormous magnetic fields, the researchers triggered this exotic transformation—one that could enable radiation-proof, self-charging computers ideal for deep-space travel.

That plus 12 other thoughts about Dr. Vinay Prasad's recent memo.

The post Dr. Vinay Prasad: “The Incidence of Myocarditis Found for Young Men after SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Larger Than What We Found for Myocarditis Following COVID-19 Vaccination.” first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.

Russia's only launch site capable of sending humans to orbit has suffered serious damage that may take two years to fix. Will NASA keep supporting the ISS without Russian involvement, or is this the end for the space station?

Over the past 250 million years, periods when coral reef growth has peaked have coincided with big rises in sea temperatures

Tumour growth is reduced by exercise due to a shift in the body’s metabolism that means muscle cells outcompete cancer cells in the race to get sugar to grow

The complex molecules required for life on Earth might never have formed if it wasn’t for cosmic dust.

There is a period in the Universe known as the cosmic dark ages. It lies between the recombination of the first atoms and the ignition of the first stars, when the Universe was thought to be cold and dark. Now astronomers have looked at the faint glow of atomic hydrogen to find that while the Universe was dark, it wasn't quite as cold as we thought.