Artist’s conception of SIMP J01365663+0933473, an object with 12.7 times the mass of Jupiter, but a magnetic field 200 times more powerful than Jupiter’s. This object is 20 light-years from Earth.
Credit: Caltech/Chuck Carter; NRAO/AUI/NSF

Object is at boundary between giant planet and brown dwarf. Astronomers have detected a possible planetary-mass object with a surprisingly powerful magnetic field some 20 light-years from Earth. It can help scientists better understand magnetic processes on stars and planets. Astronomers using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) have made the first radio-telescope detection of a planetary-mass object beyond our Solar System...

This figure shows cross sectional MRI images are displayed with pixels colour-coded for fat content. In this individual, the high liver fat at baseline (30.4 percent) decreased to 1.3 percent after weight loss. The lower panels, at the level of the pancreas (outlined in white), show the decrease in pancreas fat (8.9 to 7.5 percent) associated with the restoration of first phase and maximal insulin secretion.
Credit: Taylor et al.

A clinical trial recently showed that nearly half of individuals with type 2 diabetes achieved remission to a non-diabetic state after a weight-loss intervention delivered within 6 years of diagnosis...

The network, composed of a series of polymer layers, works using light that travels through it. Each layer is 8 centimeters square. Credit: UCLA Samueli / Ozcan Research Group

The 3D-printed artificial neural network can be used in medicine, robotics and security. Electrical and computer engineers have created a physical artificial neural network that can analyze large volumes of data and identify objects at the actual speed of light. The device was created using a 3D printer.

Numerous devices in everyday life today use computerized cameras to identify objects – think of automated teller machines that can “read” handwritten dollar amounts when you deposit a check, or internet search engines that can quickly match photos to other similar images in their databases...

Artist’s concept depicting one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b.
Credit: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle

Scientists have identified a group of planets outside our solar system where the same chemical conditions that may have led to life on Earth exist. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB), found that the chances for life to develop on the surface of a rocky planet like Earth are connected to the type and strength of light given off by its host star.

Their study, published in the journal Science Advances, proposes that stars which give off sufficient ultraviolet (UV) light could kick-start life on their orbiting planets in the same way it likely developed on Earth, where the UV light powers a s...