Author: Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post
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An alien star sideswiped our solar system and sent comets reeling, scientists say
Some 70,000 years ago, when humans and Neanderthals shared the planet, an alien star streaked through the outer edges of our solar system and jostled its contents, astronomers say. In a study of hundreds of solar system objects with unusual orbits, the scientists also noted eight comets that may also have interstellar origins. This idea…
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Scientists caught black holes swallowing stars – and burping energy back up
Supermassive black holes are voracious beasts. Their tremendous gravitational pull sucks in everything that gets too close, including stars. For the first time, astronomers have clearly observed at infrared wavelengths what happens after a black hole eats a star: it burps back up a brilliant flare of light that echoes through space. Two studies published…
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Scientists named a parasite after Barack Obama
Other presidents have mountains named after them. They’re the namesakes for high schools, boulevards, space centers, libraries, airports, and elk. George Washington has the capital of our country named for him, for crying out loud. But how many of them have the dubious honor of being the namesake for a parasitic worm? World, meet Baracktrema…