Heavens

Weather patterns in a mysterious world beyond our solar system have been revealed for the first time, a study suggests.

Layers of clouds, made up of hot dust and droplets of molten iron, have been detected on a planet-like object found 75 light years from Earth, researchers say.

Findings from the study could improve scientists' ability to find out if conditions in far-off planets are capable of sustaining life, the team of astronomers suggests.

EEAST LANSING, Mich. - Stealthy diseases sometimes trick plants by hijacking their defense signaling system, which issues an alarm that diverts plant resources for the wrong attack and allows the enemy pathogens to easily overrun plants.

The huge West Antarctic ice sheet would collapse completely if the comparatively small Amundsen Basin is destabilized, scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research find. A full discharge of ice into the ocean is calculated to yield about 3 meters of sea-level rise. Recent studies indicated that this area of the ice continent is already losing stability, making it the first element in the climate system about to tip. The new publication for the first time shows the inevitable consequence of such an event.

Deaths among white U.S. men and women aged 45-54 rose significantly between 1999 and 2013, according to a new analysis. This change reversed decades of progress in mortality and was unique to non-Hispanic whites in the United States. In parallel, morbidity rates increased as well. The study found self-reported declines in health, mental health, and abilities to conduct activities of daily living, accompanied by increases in reports of chronic pain, inability to work, and deterioration of liver function among this group.

DURHAM, N.C. -- When restoring coastal wetlands, it's long been common practice to leave space between new plants to prevent overcrowding and reduce competition for nutrients and sunlight

It turns out, that's likely all wrong.

NASA's Aqua satellite and the GPM satellite passed over Cyclone Chapala as it was approaching landfall in central Yemen on November 2. The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission or GPM core satellite analyzed the heavy rain falling in the major hurricane.

When astronomers study protoplanetary disks of gas and dust that surround young stars, they sometimes spot a dark gap like the Cassini division in Saturn's rings. It has been suggested that any gap must be caused by an unseen planet that formed in the disk and carved out material from its surroundings. However, new research shows that a gap could be a sort of cosmic illusion and not the sign of a hidden planet after all.

If you are planning to take the long trip to Mars, don't forget to pack sleeping pills and skin cream. A new study published in the November 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal, is the first-ever examination of the medications used by astronauts on long-duration missions to the International Space Station.

The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa also took its toll socially on one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, African immigrants. Guy-Lucien Whembolua, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of Africana studies, leads an analysis of national news coverage of the Ebola scare in a poster presentation on Nov. 2, at the 143rd American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo, in Chicago.

Boulder, CO, USA - While Mars doesn't have much in the way of Earth-like weather, it does evidently share one kind of weird meteorology: acid fog.

We all pursue goals. It stands to reason that we meet our goals better when we pursue them consciously. But is that really the case? Perhaps not, according to a forthcoming study in the Journal of Marketing Research. As the study shows, unconscious goal pursuit can be just as beneficial.

Pressing on the gas and the brakes at the same time hardly sounds like good driving technique, but Weizmann Institute scientists have discovered that plants drive some of their key processes in precisely such manner.

Münster classical scholars discovered invaluable ancient Syrian mosaics and buildings and are excavating one of the few sites that are currently accessible for studies on ancient Roman Syria despite the tense political situation in the Middle East. "The ancient city of Doliche, which was part of the province of Syria in Roman times, lies at the fringes of the Turkish metropolis of Gaziantep today", explains Prof. Dr. Engelbert Winter from University of Münster's Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics".

Osteoporosis is one of the chief reasons why the elderly often suffer broken bones from relatively minor injuries. Postmenopausal women in particular experience a relatively rapid loss in bone mass due to a reduced concentration of oestrogen, which is responsible for strong bone growth during youth. Maintaining bone mass requires physical exercise and vitamin D, which is mainly produced in the skin with the help of UVB radiation. This is why, especially in the wintertime, many elderly women are prescribed a vitamin D supplement by their doctor to maintain bone mass.

The Soft X-ray focusing Telescope (SXT) onboard Astrosat, India's first satellite dedicated to astronomical observations, saw its first light from an astronomical source on Oct. 26, 2015, after the camera door was opened at 06:30UT. The telescope door covering the optics had already been opened 10 days earlier.