Heavens

Astronomers have long sought strong evidence that Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is producing a jet of high-energy particles. Finally they have found it, in new results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope.

Previous studies, using a variety of telescopes, suggested there was a jet, but these reports -- including the orientation of the suspected jets -- often contradicted each other and were not considered definitive.

TRMM Precipitation Radar data were also used to create a 3-D image that showed Melissa's structure. The TRMM data revealed that the tallest towers, reaching heights of over 13km/~8 miles, were located in a band of rainfall to the northwest of Melissa's center. The strongest intensity radar echo of over 49dBZ was returned from an area of heavy convective storms near Melissa's center. This heavy convection near the center signaled Melissa's transition from a subtropical storm to a tropical storm.

Washington, D.C. -- When Neil Armstrong took humanity's first otherworldly steps in 1969, he didn't know what a nuisance the lunar soil beneath his feet would prove to be. The scratchy dust clung to everything it touched, causing scientific instruments to overheat and, for Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, a sort of lunar dust hay fever. The annoying particles even prompted a scientific experiment to figure out how fast they collect, but NASA's data got lost.

Tropical Cyclone 04B has strengthened and been renamed "Helen" as it slowly nears landfall in southeastern India.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As NASA prepares to launch a new Martian probe, a Florida State University scientist has uncovered what may be the first recognized example of ancient Martian crust.

When Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013, it pounded the island of Leyte with winds near 315 kilometers (195 miles) per hour and a tremendous storm surge. In Tacloban, winds blew a wall of water ashore that may have been as much as 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) high. Much of the city sits less than 5 meters (16 feet) above sea level. These false-color images hint at the impact of the storm surge and winds on the city.

Researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have developed a faster 3D printing process and are now using it to model and fabricate heterogeneous objects, which comprise multiple materials.

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Cooling systems generally rely on water pumped through pipes to remove unwanted heat. Now, researchers at MIT and in Australia have found a way of enhancing heat transfer in such systems by using magnetic fields, a method that could prevent hotspots that can lead to system failures. The system could also be applied to cooling everything from electronic devices to advanced fusion reactors, they say.

Adding on to a series of solar flares throughout October and November, the sun emitted another significant solar flare on Nov. 19, 2013, peaking at 5:26 a.m. EST. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.

A new technique that allows curved surfaces to appear flat to electromagnetic waves has been developed by scientists at Queen Mary University of London.

The discovery could hail a step-change in how antennas are tailored to each platform, which could be useful to a number of industries that rely on high performance antennas for reliable and efficient wireless communications.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A steadily improving job market will greet most college graduates this year, although those with a newly minted MBA may find tough sledding, according to Michigan State University's annual Recruiting Trends report.

Due largely to huge layoffs in the banking industry, hiring for workers with new MBAs will decline about 25 percent over last year, predicts Phil Gardner, an economist and director of MSU's Collegiate Employment Research Institute.

Recent changes to World Health Organization guidelines for starting anti-AIDS drugs (antiretroviral therapy—ART) in young children are unlikely to improve death rates but may increase the numbers of children receiving ART by simplifying access to treatment, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

Moderate physical activity in sedentary older adults reduced the progression of injury to the heart, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.

In a pilot study, 310 adults 70 years and older with a previously sedentary lifestyle, were randomly assigned to one-year supervised physical activity or to health education controls.

Troponin T, a blood-based injury marker which historically has been used for the diagnosis of heart attack was measured with a new high sensitive cardiac assay (hs cTnT).

A new paper from members of the HEAL (Health & Ecosystems: Analysis of Linkages) consortium delineates a new branch of environmental health that focuses on the public health risks of human-caused changes to Earth's natural systems.

Looking comprehensively at available research to date, the paper's authors highlight repeated correlations between changes in natural systems and existing and potential human health outcomes, including:

The fourth tropical cyclone of the Northern Indian Ocean season formed and is headed for landfall in a couple of days in southeastern India. NASA's TRMM satellite saw broken bands of thunderstorms with moderate rainfall in the northern and eastern quadrants of Tropical Cyclone 04B on Nov. 19.

Tropical Cyclone 04B was located just 180 nautical miles south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, India near 15.0 north and 84.5 east at 1500 UTC/10 a.m. EST on Nov. 19. 04B had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots/40 mph/64 kph and is moving to the west at 8 knots/9.2 mph/14.8 kph.