In spite of their dark reputations, two black holes may have set off a cosmic light show.Subtle gravitational rumbles from a collision of two black holes may have been accompanied by a flare of light about a month later, physicists report June 25 in Physical Review Letters. It’s a surprising conclusion given black holes’ propensity to swallow up light and matter. “The normal expectation has been they just merge and all you would detect is gravitational waves,” says astrophysicist Matthew Graham of Caltech.But scientists, not ones to rest on assumptions, wanted to check if that expectation...…In spite of their dark reputations, two black holes may have set off a cosmic light show.Subtle gravitational rumbles from a collision of two black holes may have been accompanied by a flare of light about a month later, physicists report June 25 in Physical Review Letters. It’s a surprising conclusion given black holes’ propensity to swallow up light and matter. “The normal expectation has been they just merge and all you would detect is gravitational waves,” says astrophysicist Matthew Graham of Caltech.But scientists, not ones to rest on assumptions, wanted to check if that expectation...WW…

Australia’smost recent wildfire season was so severe that smoke from the fires reached newheights in the atmosphere — and showed some very weird behavior while it was upthere.Aparticularly intense series of bushfires in southeastern Australia fromDecember 29 to January 4 spurred the formation of huge (SN: 10/22/10). Thosefire-fueled thunderstorms launched between 300,000 and 900,000 metric tons ofsmoke into the stratosphere, which was more than any seen from a previous inferno.One especially large, long-lasting smoke plume .Those winds have never been observed around similar plumes,...…Australia’smost recent wildfire season was so severe that smoke from the fires reached newheights in the atmosphere — and showed some very weird behavior while it was upthere.Aparticularly intense series of bushfires in southeastern Australia fromDecember 29 to January 4 spurred the formation of huge (SN: 10/22/10). Thosefire-fueled thunderstorms launched between 300,000 and 900,000 metric tons ofsmoke into the stratosphere, which was more than any seen from a previous inferno.One especially large, long-lasting smoke plume .Those winds have never been observed around similar plumes,...WW…

Astronomersthink they’ve spotted the first example of a superbright blast of radio waves,called a fast radio burst, originating within the Milky Way.Dozensof these bursts have been sighted in other galaxies — all(SN: 2/7/20). But the outburst in ourown galaxy, detected simultaneously by two radio arrays on April 28, was closeenough to see that it was generated by a highly magnetic neutron star called amagnetar.Thatobservation is a smoking gun that magnetars are behind at least some of theextragalactic fast radio bursts, or FRBs, that have (SN: 7/25/14). Researchers describe the...…Astronomersthink they’ve spotted the first example of a superbright blast of radio waves,called a fast radio burst, originating within the Milky Way.Dozensof these bursts have been sighted in other galaxies — all(SN: 2/7/20). But the outburst in ourown galaxy, detected simultaneously by two radio arrays on April 28, was closeenough to see that it was generated by a highly magnetic neutron star called amagnetar.Thatobservation is a smoking gun that magnetars are behind at least some of theextragalactic fast radio bursts, or FRBs, that have (SN: 7/25/14). Researchers describe the...WW…

For fish eggs, getting gobbled by a duck kicks off a harrowing journey that includes a pummeling in the gizzard and an attack by stomach acids. But a few eggs can , possibly helping to spread those fish, including invasive species, to different places, a new study finds.It’s been an “open question for centuries how these isolated water bodies can be populated by fish,” says fish biologist Patricia Burkhardt-Holm of the University of Basel in Switzerland, who was not involved with the work. This study shows one way that water birds may disperse fish, she says.Birds’ feathers, feet and feces...…For fish eggs, getting gobbled by a duck kicks off a harrowing journey that includes a pummeling in the gizzard and an attack by stomach acids. But a few eggs can , possibly helping to spread those fish, including invasive species, to different places, a new study finds.It’s been an “open question for centuries how these isolated water bodies can be populated by fish,” says fish biologist Patricia Burkhardt-Holm of the University of Basel in Switzerland, who was not involved with the work. This study shows one way that water birds may disperse fish, she says.Birds’ feathers, feet and feces...WW…

The planet’s hefty pile of discarded electronics is getting a lot heavier, a new report finds.In 2014, the world collectively tossed an estimated 44.4 million metric tons of unwanted “e-waste” — battery-powered or plug-tethered devices such as laptops, smartphones and televisions. By 2030, , according to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2020. That’s roughly equivalent to eight times the weight of China’s Three Gorges Dam.The findings come from between the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, the International Solid Waste Association and other groups to track the accumulation of...…The planet’s hefty pile of discarded electronics is getting a lot heavier, a new report finds.In 2014, the world collectively tossed an estimated 44.4 million metric tons of unwanted “e-waste” — battery-powered or plug-tethered devices such as laptops, smartphones and televisions. By 2030, , according to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2020. That’s roughly equivalent to eight times the weight of China’s Three Gorges Dam.The findings come from between the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, the International Solid Waste Association and other groups to track the accumulation of...WW…

The remote Siberian town of Verkhoyansk is known for its extreme cold: Winter temperatures often dip below –50° Celsius. But on June 20, temperatures in the town soared to a high of 38° C (100.4° Fahrenheit). , that marks the hottest temperature ever recorded north of the Arctic Circle.Verkhoyansk has experienced extreme heat before: On July 25, 1988, the town hit a then-record of 37.3° C (99.1° F). The new high, which smashes that 32-year record, comes on the heels of a historically hot May around the globe, and especially in Siberia, which is in the grips of an ongoing heat wave.Globally,...…The remote Siberian town of Verkhoyansk is known for its extreme cold: Winter temperatures often dip below –50° Celsius. But on June 20, temperatures in the town soared to a high of 38° C (100.4° Fahrenheit). , that marks the hottest temperature ever recorded north of the Arctic Circle.Verkhoyansk has experienced extreme heat before: On July 25, 1988, the town hit a then-record of 37.3° C (99.1° F). The new high, which smashes that 32-year record, comes on the heels of a historically hot May around the globe, and especially in Siberia, which is in the grips of an ongoing heat wave.Globally,...WW…

Last year marked the thirdyear in a row of when Indonesia’s bleak rate of deforestation has slowed inpace. One reason for the turnaround may be the country’s antipovertyprogram. That initiative is associated with , researchers report June 12 in Science Advances.In 2007, Indonesia started phasingin a program that gives money to its poorest residents under certain conditions,such as requiring people to keep kids in school or get regular medical care. Calledconditional cash transfers or CCTs, these social assistance programs are designedto reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty....…Last year marked the thirdyear in a row of when Indonesia’s bleak rate of deforestation has slowed inpace. One reason for the turnaround may be the country’s antipovertyprogram. That initiative is associated with , researchers report June 12 in Science Advances.In 2007, Indonesia started phasingin a program that gives money to its poorest residents under certain conditions,such as requiring people to keep kids in school or get regular medical care. Calledconditional cash transfers or CCTs, these social assistance programs are designedto reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty....WW…

Jets of high-energy plasma shootingaway from supermassive black holes resemble bell-bottom pants — starting outnarrow but ending with a flare. The shape can help astrophysicists ,researchers report in the July Monthly Notices of the Royal AstronomicalSociety.“From studying this regionwhere the geometric transition happens, we can understand the black hole better,”says astrophysicist Yuri Kovalev of the Lebedev Physical Institute of theRussian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.Most galaxies in theuniverse host supermassive black holes at the center. Some of those black holesare actively eating a...…Jets of high-energy plasma shootingaway from supermassive black holes resemble bell-bottom pants — starting outnarrow but ending with a flare. The shape can help astrophysicists ,researchers report in the July Monthly Notices of the Royal AstronomicalSociety.“From studying this regionwhere the geometric transition happens, we can understand the black hole better,”says astrophysicist Yuri Kovalev of the Lebedev Physical Institute of theRussian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.Most galaxies in theuniverse host supermassive black holes at the center. Some of those black holesare actively eating a...WW…

Astronaut John Glenn was wary about trusting a computer.It was 1962, early in the computer age, and a room-sized machine had calculated the flight path for his upcoming orbit of Earth — the first for an American. But Glenn wasn’t willing to entrust his life to a newfangled machine that might make a mistake.The astronaut requested that mathematician Katherine Johnson double-check the computer’s numbers, as recounted in the book Hidden Figures. “If she says they’re good,” Glenn reportedly said, “then I’m ready to go.” Johnson determined that the computer, an IBM 7090, was correct, and (SN:...…Astronaut John Glenn was wary about trusting a computer.It was 1962, early in the computer age, and a room-sized machine had calculated the flight path for his upcoming orbit of Earth — the first for an American. But Glenn wasn’t willing to entrust his life to a newfangled machine that might make a mistake.The astronaut requested that mathematician Katherine Johnson double-check the computer’s numbers, as recounted in the book Hidden Figures. “If she says they’re good,” Glenn reportedly said, “then I’m ready to go.” Johnson determined that the computer, an IBM 7090, was correct, and (SN:...WW…

The second-largest Ebola virus outbreak ever has finally come to an end. Beginning in Congo , the outbreak sickened 3,470 people (SN: 5/18/18). Nearly two-thirds of those patients, or 2,287, died.    June 25 marks 42 days after the last patient linked to the outbreak went home from the hospital on May 14. That’s two full incubation periods for the virus. With no new cases, Congo health officials and the World Health Organization have officially declared the outbreak over.Lasting 22 months, this was Congo’s 10th fight against Ebola. Cases were concentrated in the North Kivu...…The second-largest Ebola virus outbreak ever has finally come to an end. Beginning in Congo , the outbreak sickened 3,470 people (SN: 5/18/18). Nearly two-thirds of those patients, or 2,287, died.    June 25 marks 42 days after the last patient linked to the outbreak went home from the hospital on May 14. That’s two full incubation periods for the virus. With no new cases, Congo health officials and the World Health Organization have officially declared the outbreak over.Lasting 22 months, this was Congo’s 10th fight against Ebola. Cases were concentrated in the North Kivu...WW…