1. Atmospheric super-rotation at the upper clouds of Venus. Credit: ESA, JAXA, J. Peralta and R. Hueso 2. New types of cloud morphology on Venus. Credit: ESA, NASA, J. Peralta and R. Hueso

Scientists have used ESA’s Venus Express to characterise the wind and upper cloud patterns on the night side of Venus for the first time–with surprising results. The study shows that the atmosphere on Venus’ night side behaves very differently to that on the side of the planet facing the Sun (the ‘dayside’), exhibiting unexpected and previously-unseen cloud types, morphologies, and dynamics – some of which appear to be connected to features on the planet’s surface.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to characterise how the atmosphere circulates on the night side of Venus on a global scale,” says...

Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, consists of more than 100 billion stars. New stars are formed in so-called molecular clouds, where most of the gas is in the form of molecules, and is very cold. In the Milky Way there are many different varieties of molecular clouds, with for example masses ranging from a few hundred to several million times the mass of the Sun. Photo: NASA

Star formation: 3 scientists at Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have carried out extensive computer simulations related to star formation. They conclude that the present idealized models are lacking when it comes to describing details in the star formation process. “Hopefully our results can also help shed more light on planet formation,” says Michael Küffmeier, astrophysicist.

In order to explain t...

The efficacy of ( )-Naltrexone on alcohol preference and seeking behaviour is dependent on light-cycle. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2017.08.021

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have found a new link between the brain’s immune system and the desire to drink alcohol in the evening. In laboratory studies using mice, researchers have been able to switch off the impulse to drink alcohol by giving mice a drug that blocks a specific response from the immune system in the brain. Now published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, this research is one of the first of its kind to show a link between the brain’s immunity and the motivation to drink alcohol at night.

“Alcohol is the world’s most commonly consumed drug, and there is a greater need than ever...

A new study explains how an ultrathin oxide layer (oxygen atoms shown in red) coating graphene-wrapped magnesium nanoparticles (orange) still allows in hydrogen atoms (blue) for hydrogen storage applications. (Credit: Berkeley Lab)

Simulations and analysis provide new atomic-scale clues to material’s enhanced hydrogen storage properties. A powdery mix of metal nanocrystals wrapped in single-layer sheets of carbon atoms, developed at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), shows promise for safely storing hydrogen for use with fuel cells for passenger vehicles and other uses...