Heavens

Some problems, says Paolo Bocchini, cannot be solved through intuition.

"If you are trying to solve a problem that has, say, ten possible outcomes -- you can probably find a way to figure out which one is optimal," says Bocchini, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Lehigh University. "But what if the possible solutions number as high as 10 to the 120th power?"

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite provided scientists with a look at rainfall rates and cloud heights within Tropical Storm Gaston as it continued to intensify in the Atlantic Ocean.

Astronomers studying distant galaxies powered by monster black holes have uncovered an unexpected link between two very different wavelengths of the light they emit, the mid-infrared and gamma rays. The discovery, which was accomplished by comparing data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has enabled the researchers to uncover dozens of new blazar candidates.

The remaining traces of rainfall in weakening Tropical Depression Kay was in a small area when the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed overhead early on Aug. 23.

Tropical Depression 14W appeared to be a small storm when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead early on Aug. 24.

On Aug. 24 at 12:00 a.m. EDT (0400 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed some isolated strong storms over around a weak low-level center. Persistent northerly vertical wind shear has prevented the tropical cyclone from intensifying.

Archaeologists translating a very rare inscription on an ancient Etruscan temple stone have discovered the name Uni -- an important female goddess.

The discovery indicates that Uni -- a divinity of fertility and possibly a mother goddess at this particular place -- may have been the titular deity worshipped at the sanctuary of Poggio Colla, a key settlement in Italy for the ancient Etruscan civilization.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The international University of California, Riverside-led SpARCS collaboration has discovered four of the most distant clusters of galaxies ever found, as they appeared when the universe was only 4 billion years old. Clusters are rare regions of the universe consisting of hundreds of galaxies containing trillions of stars, as well as hot gas and mysterious dark matter. Spectroscopic observations from the ground using the W. M.

Astrophysicists from the Johns Hopkins University have proposed a clever new way of shedding light on the mystery of dark matter, believed to make up most of the universe.

The irony is they want to try to pin down the nature of this unexplained phenomenon by using another, an obscure cosmic emanation known as "fast radio bursts."

New research suggests that Pennsylvania residents with the highest exposure to active natural gas wells operated by the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry are nearly twice as likely to suffer from a combination of migraine headaches, chronic nasal and sinus symptoms and severe fatigue.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reporting online August 25 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, say their findings add to a growing body of evidence linking the fracking industry to health problems.

Scientists have discovered the cause of the recent run of miserable wet summers as they begin to unravel the mysteries of the Atlantic jet stream.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield and The Met Office have identified a number of possible factors that may influence the Atlantic jet stream and therefore help to predict summer climate from one year to the next.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 24, 2016 -- Indoor air pollution is an important environmental threat to human health, leading to symptoms of "sick building syndrome." But researchers report that surrounding oneself with certain house plants could combat the potentially harmful effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a main category of these pollutants. Interestingly, they found that certain plants are better at removing particular harmful compounds from the air, suggesting that, with the right plant, indoor air could become cleaner and safer.

World-first research has found technical problems rather than operator errors are behind the majority of drone accidents, leading to a call for further safeguards for the industry.

Researchers Dr Graham Wild and Dr Glenn Baxter from RMIT University's School of Engineering, along with John Murray from Edith Cowan University, completed the first examination of more than 150 reported civil incidents around the world involving drones, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 23, 2016 -- Chaos, somewhat ironically, has one clear attribute: random-like, apparently unpredictable, behavior. However recent work shows that that unpredictable behavior could provide the key to effective and efficient wireless communications.

Something really drastic must have happened to the Ancient Maya at the end of the Classic Period in the 9th century. Within a short period of time, this advanced civilisation in Central America went from flourishing to collapsing -- the population dwindling rapidly and monumental stone structures, like the ones built at Yucatán, were no longer being constructed. The reason for this demise remains the subject of debate even today.

Why are we now?

We know that the universe is roughly 14 billion years old, and that someday it is likely to end -- perhaps because of a Big Freeze, Big Rip or Big Crunch.

But what can we learn by considering our own place in the history of the universe? Why does life on Earth exist now, rather than at some point in the distant past or future?