Science Images of the Week
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A bizarre hybrid star has been discovered by American, British and Chilean astronomers. Using the Magellan Clay telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, the researchers were able to confirm the existence of what, until now, has only been part of a theoretical class of stars. Called a Thorne-Zytkow object (TZO), this celestial oddity […]
Ancient Zircon Reveals Age of Earth’s Crust
A tiny sliver of ancient zircon reveals the crust of our planet formed at least 4.4 billion years ago—160 million years after the birth of the solar system, according to a new study. Earth itself is believed to be about 4.5 billion years old. The researchers examined some of the oldest materials ever found on […]
Fossil Reveals New Species of Ancient Platypus
Australian scientists say they’ve found the fossil of a new species of giant platypus that walked the Earth between 5 and 15 million years ago. Up until now, the fossil record of the platypus indicated that only one species of the animal lived on Earth at any one time. The new study suggests this new […]
US, Europe Could Collide to Form Supercontinent
Taking a trip from the United States to Europe might be much easier in 220 million years, according to a recent study, which suggests that’s when the Atlantic Ocean could close up, causing North America to collide with Europe. Australian geologists have detected a new subduction zone–when two oceanic plates collide–forming off the coast of […]