Record number of Americans apply to #BeAnAstronaut at NASA
California, Feb 20 ( (Just Earth News/IBNS) More than 18,300 people applied to join NASA’s 2017 astronaut class, almost three times the number of applications received in 2012 for the most recent astronaut class, and far surpassing the previous record of 8,000 in 1978.
NASA scientists, engineers receive Presidential early career awards
California, Feb 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS) President Obama Thursday named six NASA researchers as recipients of the 2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). These recipients, and 100 other federal researchers, will receive their awards in a ceremony later this year in Washington.
Bees can help boost food security of two billion small farmers at no cost – UN
New York, Feb 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Friday highlighted the publication of a new study that quantifies, for the first time, how much crop yields depend on the work of bees that unknowingly fertilize plants as they move from flower to flower.
Study finds Aboriginal children experience high burden of unintentional injury
Melbourne, Feb 19 (IBNS) New research shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more than one and a half times more likely to be hospitalised for unintentional injuries than non-Indigenous children, prompting calls for more targeted child injury prevention programs.
NASA introduces new, wider set of eyes on the Universe
California, Feb 19 (IBNS) After years of preparatory studies, NASA is formally starting an astrophysics mission designed to help unlock the secrets of the universe -- the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).
Hubble directly measures rotation of cloudy 'Super-Jupiter'
California, Feb 19 (IBNS) Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have measured the rotation rate of an extreme exoplanet by observing the varied brightness in its atmosphere. This is the first measurement of the rotation of a massive exoplanet using direct imaging.
Pluto's 'Hulk-like' Moon Charon: A possible ancient ocean?
California, Feb 19 (IBNS): Pluto’s largest moon may have gotten too big for its own skin.
El Nino passed peak, but UN weather agency warns 'not to lower guard' as impacts continue
New York, Feb 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The 2015-2016 El Nino, one of the strongest on record, has passed its peak, but its humanitarian and economic impacts will continue for many months to come, the United Nations weather agency has announced, adding that lessons learned from this climate phenomenon would help build global resilience to weather related hazards.
How a NASA team turned a smartphone into a satellite business
California, Feb 18 (IBNS) Satellites aren’t small or cheap. The Solar Dynamics Observatory launched by NASA in 2010 weighs about 6,800 pounds and cost $850 million to build and put into orbit.
NASA plant researchers explore question of deep-space food crops
California, Feb 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS) NASA plant physiologist Ray Wheeler, Ph.D., and fictional astronaut Mark Watney from the movie "The Martian" have something in common — they are both botanists.
NASA TV to broadcast U.S. cargo ship departure from space station
California, Feb 17 (IBNS) After delivering more than 7,000 pounds of cargo to support dozens of science experiments from around the world, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station Friday, Feb. 19.
Water birds census begins in Kashmir
Srinagar, Feb 17 (IBNS) Two-day census of waterbirds began on Tuesday in 23 wetlands of Kashmir valley, which hosts a million migratory birds each winter in addition to thousands of local species.
Glow from the Big Bang allows discovery of distant black hole jet
California, Feb 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to discover a jet from a very distant supermassive black hole being illuminated by the oldest light in the Universe. This discovery shows that black holes with powerful jets may be more common than previously thought in the first few billion years after the Big Bang.
NASA releases Mar 8 total solar eclipse visualizations
California, Feb 15 (JEN/IBNS) People in parts of Southeast Asia will see the sun in a new light on Mar 8, 2016 EST, (March 9 local time) during a total solar eclipse that will last over a minute in every location on its path, NASA said.
Nutrient slowed cancer cell growth in early-stage breast cancer: Study
Washington, Feb 15 (Just Earth News/IBNS) One of the first clinical studies to look at the effect of sulforaphane on breast tissues of women diagnosed with breast cancer showed that this compound was well tolerated and slowed the growth of cancer cells, especially at early stages, Oregon State University said.