Artists impressions of a habitable planet around M-dwarfs (left) and primordial Earth (right). The surface of M-dwarf planet is illuminated by visible light. On the other hand, similar light conditions are expected underwater, since only blue-green light can penetrate meters of water. Credit: Copyright Astrobiology Center

Researchers at the Astrobiology Center (ABC) of National Institutes of Natural Science (NINS) in Japan and their colleagues have proposed a prediction that red-edge could be observed as on the Earth even on exoplanets around M-dwarfs. They pointed out that the first oxgenic photorophs are most likely to have evolved underwater to utilize visible light just like what had happened in the primordial ocean on the Earth...

An artists impression of GJ 436b can be seen in the background in this image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astronomers have discovered a comet-like exoplanet that trails a huge, Rapunzel-like hair made of gas behind it. The research team focused the Hubble Space Telescope on an exoplanet that had already been seen losing its atmosphere, which forms an enormous cloud of hydrogen, giving the planet the appearance of a giant comet. During earlier observations in 2015, it was not possible to cover the whole cloud, whose shape was predicted by numerical simulations. Thanks to these new observations, however, the scientists have finally been able to confirm the initial predictions.

Exoplanet GJ 436b is similar in size to Neptune (i.e. about four times larger than Earth)...

People suffering from a fear of heights experience the anxiety also in virtual reality – even though they are aware that they are not really in a dangerous situation. Credit: VTPlus

It is possible to unlearn fears. And this works even better when a specific region of the brain has previously been stimulated magnetically. This has been shown by researchers from the Würzburg University Hospital in a new study. Nearly 1 in 7 Germans suffer from an anxiety disorder. Some panic upon boarding an aircraft, others find it impossible to enter a room with a spider on the wall and again others prefer the staircase over the elevator – even to get to the tenth floor – because riding in elevators elevates their heart rate.

What sounds like funny anecdotes is often debilitating for the sufferers...

By coating gold nanoparticles in thin layers of platinum, only a few atoms thick, Xiaohu Xia’s team was able to increase the sensitivity of test strips that detect prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
Credit: Xiaohu Xia/Michigan Tech

Identifying minute concentrations is the greatest challenge of test strips that have been developed to detect everything from cancer to infectious diseases to heart problems. The actual stripe on the paper simply isn’t sensitive enough to change color for a human eye to easily see it at concentrations that make a life-changing difference. Some nanoparticle bling could change that. And it would not greatly impact the cost of current test strips.

Gold nanoparticles have been used widely for decades for in vitro diagnostics to make medical care and treatment decisions...