Sciencetech

The final full moon of the decade will reach its peak in the night sky as the clock strikes 12:12am on 12/12 in the Eastern United States, delighting numerologists. While only the Eastern United States will have such a notable time and date for the lunar peak, the full moon will be 'bright and visible' around the world. This is a good time of year to watch and possibly photograph the full moon, according to NASA, because it is opposite a low sun. 'The moon takes a high trajectory across the sky and as it is opposite to the low sun, it will be above the horizon longer than at other times', NASA said in a blog.    NASA captured this stunning image of a full moon over Earth from the International Space Station. The final full moon of the 2010s is on Thursday 12 December The moon appears 'full' on Earth due to the relative positions of the Moon and the Sun.  When you look up at the final full moon of the decade on Thursday, the light you see is reflected from other … [Read more...] about Final ‘Full Cold Moon’ of the decade will reach its peak on 12/12 at 12:12am EST – delighting numerologists

It is common for distant exoplanets orbiting faraway stars to have water in their atmosphere, a shock new study reveals.  Scientists scouring the composition of 19 worlds for five years say that water is often spotted on alien worlds, but in much lower amounts than is expected.  A total of 14 of these worlds had water vapour floating in its atmosphere, and key chemicals sodium and potassium were each present on six.  Water is key for life to thrive and its presence on distant worlds sparks hope for future discoveries.     Scroll down for video   The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet formation and has implications for the search for water in the solar system and beyond The finding, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, has implications for the search for extra-terrestrial life.   Dr Nikku Madhusudhan, author of the … [Read more...] about Water is common in the atmospheres of distant worlds outside our Solar System – but only in tiny amounts, scientists claim

Tapping a can of beer in an attempt to stop it fizzing over when you open it 'does not work' according to researchers in Denmark.  Health Economics scientists from the University of Southern Denmark wanted to find out the best way to 'prevent or minimise beer loss' from a shaken can. They created a randomised trial involving shaking 165 cans of beer and leaving 165 unshaken then asking volunteers to tap half the cans in each group. The researchers found 'no significant difference' between the amount of beer lost from a shaken can that had been tapped and one that hadn't been tapped.  The team says the best solution to avoiding beer loss from a shaken can is to 'let it settle for a while' before opening it.  Researchers from Denmark (pictured) say the age old 'tape it on the side' to prevent it from fizzing over doesn't work Requiring people to wait while a can of beer settles could also have public health benefits, says project lead and public health expert … [Read more...] about Tapping a beer can that has been shaken up will NOT stop it fizzing over when you open it, new study finds

YouTube says will take a 'stronger stance' on preventing hate speech against public figures and creators that use its platform in response to a widely publicized controversy earlier this year.  The platform says it has updated rules governing personal attacks and banned videos that 'maliciously insult' people based on their race, gender expression, or sexual orientation. For the first time, those stricter guidelines will apply to not only individual users, but to everyone on the platform, whether they are a YouTube creator or a public official. 'We will no longer allow content that maliciously insults someone based on protected attributes such as their race, gender expression, or sexual orientation,' said Matt Halprin, vice president, global head of trust and safety at YouTube.  Carlos Maza (right), host of Vox's Strikethrough, detailed the abuse he has faced from YouTuber Steven Crowder (left), whose has more than 3.8 million subscribers on the platform The move comes … [Read more...] about YouTube is BANNING videos that attack people based on their race, gender or sexual orientation after being criticized for failing to take action over homophobic attack on video producer

Scientists have made a startling discovery off the coast of Big Sur, California -15,000 small crates stretch across 500 square miles of the seafloor, many of which were created by garbage. The depressions, known as ‘micro-depressions’, were uncovered during a series of underwater autonomous vehicle (AUV) surveys in 2018 and 2019. The observations revealed that marine trash is responsible for 4,500 of the tiny pits, which were found to be the size of a bus and filled with plastics, nets, rope and other garbage. The micro-depressions were spotted by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, California, who initially set out to study North American’s largest pockmark – an enormous crater that stretches 600 feet across and is about 16 feet deep. Scroll down for video  The micro-depressions were spotted by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, California, who initially set out to study … [Read more...] about More than 4,000 bus-sized craters created by TRASH are found on the seafloor near California

Thin hair is often stronger and more robust than thicker hair according to scientists who have been examining the way strands can break. The University of California study involved researchers taking samples of hair from humans, bears, boars, horses, capybaras, javelinas, giraffes and elephants. They tied individual strands to a machine that gradually and very gently pulled on them until they tore apart. Researchers found that thin locks were able to withstand greater tension from the machine before breaking compared to thicker strands.    This is due to the fact that cracks form in some of the thinner hair strands as they are pulled, rather than simply snapping, says lead researcher Wen Yang. The University of California study involved researchers taking samples of hair from humans (pictured here broken), bears, boars, horses, capybaras, javelinas, giraffes and elephants They studied the strands with a microscope after they were pulled and found that despite most … [Read more...] about Hair-raising discovery: Thick lustrous locks may be WEAKER than thinner hair and break more quickly, scientists claim