Shockwave of Supernova 1987A as it slammed into debris that ringed the original star before its demise. Credit: Yvette Cendes, Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto

Astronomers have observed the aftermath of Supernova 1987A over a 25-year period, from 1992 to 2017. Since it first appeared in the southern night sky on February 24th 1987, Supernova 1987A has been one of the most studied objects in the history of astronomy.

The supernova was the cataclysmic death of a blue supergiant star, some 168,000 light-years from Earth, in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy. It was the brightest supernova to appear in our skies since Kepler’s Supernova in 1604 and the first since the invention of the telescope.

The brilliant new star...

The NLRP3 inflammasome (green) is expressed by immune cells (red) in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease.

A promising new therapy to stop Parkinson’s disease in its tracks has been developed at The University of Queensland. UQ Faculty of Medicine researcher Associate Professor Trent Woodruff said the team found that a small molecule, MCC950, stopped the development of Parkinson’s in several animal models. “We have used this discovery to develop improved drug candidates and hope to carry out human clinical trials in 2020,” Dr Woodruff said.

“Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, with 10 million sufferers, whose control of body movements is affected.
“The disease is characterised by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, which ...

Integrating eye tracker into a regular pair of glasses, the system relies on NIR lights and photodiodes for eye tracking and is powered by two thin solar cells on the arms of the glasses.
Credit: Photo courtesy of DartNets Lab

Battery-free eye-tracking glasses developed at Dartmouth College could create an even more realistic experience for augmented reality enthusiasts. The new technology improves player controls for gaming and allows for more accurate image displays.

High power consumption and cost have kept eye trackers out of current augmented reality systems. By using near-infrared lights and photodiodes, Dartmouth’s DartNets Lab has created an energy-efficient, wearable system that tracks rapid eye movements and allows hands-free input of system commands.

The glasses, which can also h...