WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

Our nearest supermassive black hole awoke from a “period of dormancy”, becoming a million times more intense, scientists have said. The supermassive black hole, known as Sagittarius A*, sits at the heart of the Milky Way and is about four million times more massive than the Sun. About 200 years ago, it ate cosmic objects that got too close to it and became vastly more bright, scientists found. The increase in brightness is as if a single glow-worm hidden in a forest suddenly became as bright as the Sun, according to researchers. The intense event was discovered by scientists who picked up an X-ray “echo” from the event. It also explains the intense bright shine of galactic molecular clouds around the black hole – scientists say they are reflecting those X-rays that came out of the black hole towards the start of the 19th century. The work is described in a new paper, ‘X-ray polarization evidence for a 200 years-old flare of Sgr A*’, published in Nature. Read More Jupiter is struck by neon green lightning bolt in stunning Nasa photo Humans have affected the Earth’s rotation, scientists say First disabled astronaut says his selection sends ‘powerful message’

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

Average test scores for 13-year-old students in both mathematics and reading have declined several points since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, building on a decline that's been trending over the last decade, according to a new report released from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Life forms could potentially be able to survive in the conditions in the clouds above Venus – although, to be honest, we don’t want to be the ones who go there and have to test this theory out. Venus has fascinated scientists for years due to the relative similarities between the planet and Earth. The surface of Venus now is around 475 degrees Celsius, but its geology resembled Earth’s before the greenhouse effect took hold over millions of years. To add to that, the surface is also covered in sulphuric acid, so the chances of it being able to foster life is slim to say the least. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, new research has looked into the conditions in the clouds above the surface and the findings have been published in the journal Astrobiology. The key point revolves around the presence of the biosignature gas phosphine, which is often identified as a sign of life. It also posits the idea that potential life forms on the planet could use sulphuric acid the way life forms on Earth use water. The paper reads: "Although we consider the prospects for finding life on Venus to be speculative, they are not absent. "The clouds can support a biomass that could readily be detectable by future astrobiology-focused space missions from its impact on the atmosphere." It goes on: “We conclude that Venus' aerial biosphere must be much smaller than the Earth's. However, even such scarce, strictly aerial life could leave a detectable mark on the chemistry of the atmosphere in the clouds… “We conclude that terrestrial precedent exists for mechanisms that could keep at least some life-containing cloud particles aloft on Venus, and it prevents the entire ecology from inevitably falling to its doom in the hot, lower layers of the atmosphere.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

LE BOURGET, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

The US Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon.com Inc. Wednesday, alleging the e-commerce giant duped consumers into signing up

DÜSSELDORF, Germany & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

LEHI, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--