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The star, named 2MASS J18082002–5104378 B, is part of a two-star system orbiting around a common point.
Credit: ESO/Beletsky/DSS1 + DSS2 + 2MASS

Astronomers have found what could be one of the universe’s oldest stars, a body almost entirely made of materials spewed from the Big Bang. The discovery of this approximately 13.5 billion-year-old tiny star means more stars with very low mass and very low metal content are likely out there – perhaps even some of the universe’s very first stars.

The star is unusual because unlike other stars with very low metal content, it is part of the Milky Way’s “thin disk” – the part of the galaxy in which our own sun resides...

Superoxide dismutase activity enabled by a redox-active ligand rather than metal. Nature Chemistry, 2018; DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0137-1

Scientists discover new protection against oxidative stress. Ageing and a low life expectancy are caused, at least partly, by oxidative stress. A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Ivana Ivanovi-Burmazovi from the Chair of Bioinorganic Chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), together with researchers from the USA, have discovered that zinc can activate an organic molecule, helping to protect against oxidative stress.

Zinc is a trace mineral we need in order to remain healthy. FAU researchers working together with Prof. Dr...

MIT researchers describe an autonomous system for a fleet of drones to collaboratively search under dense forest canopies using only onboard computation and wireless communication — no GPS required.
Images: Melanie Gonick

Autonomous System allows drones to cooperatively explore terrain under thick forest canopies where GPS signals are unreliable. The drones use only onboard computation and wireless communication – no GPS required.

Each autonomous quadrotor drone is equipped with laser-range finders for position estimation, localization, and path planning. As the drone flies around, it creates an individual 3D map of the terrain. Algorithms help it recognize unexplored and already-searched spots, so it knows when it’s fully mapped an area...

The Sun’s magnetic field, which is embedded in the solar wind, permeates the entire solar system. The current sheet — where the magnetic field changes polarity —spirals out from near the solar equator like a wavy skirt around a ballet dancer’s waist.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Combined observations of Comet McNaught – one of the brightest comets visible from Earth in the past 50 years – have revealed new insights on the nature of comets and their relationship with the Sun. Engineers and scientists gathered around a screen in an operations room at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., eager to lay their eyes on the first data from NASA’s STEREO spacecraft...