ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Record-breaking black hole outburst detected
• Milky Way core drives wind at 2 million miles per hour
• Hubble goes high def to revisit the iconic ‘Pillars of Creation'
• The biology of fun and playfulness
• New instrument reveals recipe for other Earths
• Super-Earths have long-lasting oceans
• Acoustic levitation made simple

Record-breaking black hole outburst detected Posted: 05 Jan 2015 03:25 PM PST Last September, after years of watching, astronomers observed and recorded the largest-ever flare in X-rays from a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Milky Way core drives wind at 2 million miles per hour Posted: 05 Jan 2015 03:25 PM PST At a time when our earliest human ancestors had recently mastered walking upright, the heart of our Milky Way galaxy underwent a titanic eruption, driving gases and other material outward at 2 million miles per hour. Now, at least 2 million years later, astronomers are witnessing the aftermath of the explosion: billowing clouds of gas towering about 30,000 light-years above and below the plane of our galaxy.

Hubble goes high def to revisit the iconic ‘Pillars of Creation' Posted: 05 Jan 2015 03:25 PM PST In celebration of its 25th anniversary, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revisited the famous "Pillars of Creation" region of the Eagle Nebula (M16), providing astronomers with a sharper and wider view. As a bonus, the pillars have been photographed in near-infrared light, as well as visible light.

The biology of fun and playfulness Posted: 05 Jan 2015 11:16 AM PST Several new articles explore the biology of fun (and the fun of biology). Scientists present what we know about playfulness in dogs, dolphins, frogs, and octopuses. They also provide insights on whether birds can have fun and how experiences in infancy affect a person's unique sense of humor.

New instrument reveals recipe for other Earths Posted: 05 Jan 2015 11:16 AM PST How do you make an Earth-like planet? The 'test kitchen' of Earth has given us a detailed recipe, but it wasn't clear whether other planetary systems would follow the same formula. Now, astronomers have found evidence that the recipe for Earth also applies to terrestrial exoplanets orbiting distant stars.

Super-Earths have long-lasting oceans Posted: 05 Jan 2015 11:16 AM PST For life as we know it to develop on other planets, those planets would need liquid water, or oceans. Geologic evidence suggests that Earth's oceans have existed for nearly the entire history of our world. But would that be true of other planets, particularly super-Earths? New research suggests the answer is yes and that oceans on super-Earths, once established, can last for billions of years.

Acoustic levitation made simple Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:25 AM PST Scientists have developed a new levitation device that can hover a tiny object with more control than any instrument that has come before.

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