#Protecting Earth from asteroid impact with a tethered diversion

“#Protecting Earth from asteroid impact with a tethered diversion” Credit: CC0 Public Domain Our planet exists within the vicinity of thousands of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), some of which—potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs)—carry the risk of impacting Earth and causing major damage to infrastructure and loss of life. Methods to mitigate such a collision are highly desirable….

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#Genetic detectives ID microbes suspected of slowly ruining humanity’s treasures

“#Genetic detectives ID microbes suspected of slowly ruining humanity’s treasures” Photo summary of the various artworks sampled for the study “Characterizing microbial signatures on sculptures and paintings of similar provenance.” Circles indicate swabbed areas on each sample artwork. Credit: JCVI A new study of the microbial settlers on old paintings, sculptures, and other forms of…

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#Reducing the risk of space debris collision

“#Reducing the risk of space debris collision” Credit: CC0 Public Domain As humanity expands its horizons beyond the Earth and begins to consider space missions with extended duration, sustainability necessitates the launch of more space vehicles, increasing the risk of collision with existing space debris. One method of clearing this debris involves a tug vehicle…

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#Quantum rings in the grip of laser light

“#Quantum rings in the grip of laser light” by The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences </p><div> <div> <div data-src=”https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2020/quantumrings.jpg” data-sub-html=”Ultracold atoms caught in an optical trap form suprisingly complex structures. Dependently on mutual interactions between particles with opposite spins, phases with various properties can be created locally. Credit: IFJ PAN”…

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#Spacecrafts get a boost in ‘aerogravity assisted’ interactions

“#Spacecrafts get a boost in ‘aerogravity assisted’ interactions” Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In a recent paper published in EPJ Special Topics, Jhonathan O. Murcia Piñeros, a post-doctoral researcher at Space Electronics Division, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, Brazil, and his co-authors, map the energy variations of the spacecraft orbits during ‘aerogravity…

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#Off the scales: Fish armor both tough and flexible

“#Off the scales: Fish armor both tough and flexible” Optical microscopy image of the cross-section of a carp scale showing a multilayered structure. Credit: Quan et al., Structure and Mechanical Adaptability of a Modern Elasmoid Fish Scale from the Common Carp, Matter Humans have drawn technological inspiration from fish scales going back to ancient times:…

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