It was a great day for science-loving geeks everywhere. Here are the day’s big stories, in no particular order:
Welcome to the age of armchair astrophysics. Two amateur stargazers independently reported a huge flash as something — either a small comet or asteroid — went crashing into the Solar System’s largest planet in the wee hours of Sep 10. The fireball was only visible for a brief second, and whether it will leave lasting scars like 1994’s Shoemaker-Levy 9 crash has yet to be seen. A video (also available below) and running update of user-submitted images are available at the link. [Space]
Unlike similarly deep-colored fruits, however, condensata berries are nearly-empty husks that offer almost no nutritional value. [New Scientist]
It was only a matter of time before energy harvesting found a way to lift off, this time literally. The planet’s most abundant renewable resource next to solar is wind; after all, this rock just keeps spinning. But collecting that energy has yet to be cost-effective and overwhelmingly impressive enough for most consumers (and corporate consumers) to make the switch. How to fix it? Grab it straight from the sky with the help of airborne wind farms. In a new report from the journal Nature, the theoretical limits of energy extraction from the wind at altitudes between 200 meters and 20 kilometers “can sustain an equivalent of 200 Earth habitations.” We’d have been satisfied with just the one, but hey, yes, 200 sounds great. Let’s get to it people. [Nature]
https://youtu.be/twUK5YreLWk?si=SZGqB6HsbkYaGKyr Ever wondered why the price of Costco's legendary hot dogs has remained unchanged at…
StunningArt/Shutterstock Matyáš Moravec, University of St Andrews Modern physics suggests time may be an illusion.…
In a galaxy far, far away from the clutches of cancellation, a hero quietly worked…
For today’s edition of “Deal of the Day,” here are some of the best deals…
https://youtu.be/KJpYWOJNVGY?si=vsu_6JYvYYO9VBpH Ever wondered why we use those adorable yet cringey words for our loved ones?…