Heavens

Near the edge of the visible Universe are some of the brightest objects ever observed, known as quasars, which are believed to contain supermassive black holes of more than a billion times the mass of our Sun. Simulations by Kentaro Nagamine at Osaka University's Department of Earth and Space Science, Isaac Shlosman at the University of Kentucky and co-workers have revealed for the first time exactly how these black holes formed 700 million years after the Big Bang.

Tropical Cyclone 17S formed in the Southern Indian Ocean late on March 28. NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead.

The storm formed on March 28 around 2100 UTC (5 p.m. EDT) and strengthened into a tropical storm. At 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT), Tropical cyclone 17S's maximum sustained winds were near 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph). It was located near 17.8 degrees south latitude and 78.3 degrees east longitude, about 726 nautical miles south-southeast of Diego Garcia. It was moving to the south at 15 knots (17.2 mph/27.7 kph).

Astronomers using an orbiting radio telescope in conjunction with four ground-based radio telescopes have achieved the highest resolution, or ability to discern fine detail, of any astronomical observation ever made. Their achievement produced a pair of scientific surprises that promise to advance the understanding of quasars, supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies.

New York, NY - March 29, 2016 - Physicians and fellows from the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) will be presenting abstracts at the American College of Cardiology 65th Annual Scientific Session taking place April 2-4, 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. They will be sharing the latest data on drug-eluting stents, imaging technologies, dual antiplatelet therapy, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and bioresorbable vascular scaffolds.

Astronomers using an orbiting radio telescope in conjunction with four ground-based radio telescopes have achieved the highest resolution, or ability to discern fine detail, of any astronomical observation ever made. Their achievement produced a pair of scientific surprises that promise to advance the understanding of quasars, supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies.

The first scientific Roadmap for European Astrobiology was published on March 21st. This strategic landmark for European astrobiology has been produced through the European Commission-funded AstRoMap project (2013-2015). In putting this research roadmap document together, the 19 authors relied on the outcome and findings of the AstRoMap project as well as on wide community consultation and four disciplinary workshops organised between 2013 and 2014.

WASHINGTON - Weather and environmental forecasts made several weeks to months in advance can someday be as widely used and essential as current predictions of tomorrow's weather are, but first more research and sustained investment are needed, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The committee that conducted the study and wrote the report developed a research agenda, outlining strategies to address the scientific and capability gaps that currently limit the accuracy and usefulness of long-term weather and ocean predictions.

BINGHAMTON, NY - Researchers at Binghamton University and pharmacy solutions provider Innovation Associates have developed an optimized approach for determining prescribed medication associations within a high-volume pharmacy environment that could save money and time.

Arctic sea ice appears to have reached a record low wintertime maximum extent for the second year in a row, according to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA.

The Cassini spacecraft has observed geysers erupting on Saturn's moon Enceladus since 2005, but the process that drives and sustains these eruptions has remained a mystery. Now, scientists at the University of Chicago and Princeton University have pinpointed a mechanism by which cyclical tidal stresses exerted by Saturn can drive Enceladus's long-lived eruptions.

Current terahertz sources are large, multi-component systems that sometimes require complex vacuum systems, external pump lasers, and even cryogenic cooling. The unwieldy devices are heavy, expensive, and hard to transport, operate, and maintain.

Now Northwestern University's Manijeh Razeghi has developed a new type of security detection device that bypasses these issues. With the ability to detect explosives, chemical agents, and dangerous biological substances from safe distances, the device could make public spaces more secure than ever.

BOSTON - March 28, 2016 - Precise measurements of leaks from natural gas pipelines across metropolitan Boston have demonstrated that almost a sixth of the leaks qualified as potentially explosive, and that a handful of leaks emitted half of the total gas lost.

The findings by Boston University researchers differ significantly from results gathered by gas companies and other monitoring groups, and highlight the risks that these "fugitive" gas emissions pose both for safety and the environment, says Margaret Hendrick, a PhD candidate in BU's Earth & Environment department.

For centuries, the solar system was viewed as a standard blueprint for planetary systems in the universe, with a star (our sun) at the center of a circular track, and a planet orbiting within each lane. Smaller, rockier planets fill the interior lanes, and larger gas giants orbit further out.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in India despite tougher laws enacted more than three years ago after a woman was gang raped on a bus and later died of her injuries, indicates new research by a Michigan State University criminologist.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A Sandia-led team has developed a way to make a magnetic material that could lead to lighter and smaller, cheaper and better-performing high-frequency transformers, needed for more flexible energy storage systems and widespread adoption of renewable energy.

The work is part of a larger, integrated portfolio of projects funded by Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Storage Program in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.