Nature Hub

 From- Sky & Telescope  By - Monica Young  Edited by -Amal Udawatta In this illustration of an active galactic nuclei, the black hole at the center isn't visible, but the disk of gas around it is. Many such black holes also power jets of light and plasma, shown here in white and blue. ESO / M. Kornmesser and L. Calçada Astronomers have found supermassive black holes in smaller galaxies are actually more likely to light up when they’re isolated in vast, cosmic voids. There are immense regions of space that are mostly — but not entirely — empty. Less than a fifth of all galaxies reside within these cosmic voids; most galaxies crowd together along the densely bubble-like walls around them. But it is the isolated galaxies that offer a window on uninterrupted galaxy growth and evolution. While galaxies along the void walls dance gravitational tangoes with one another, lonely void galaxies evolve without outside interference, as do the supermassive black holes that lurk in their core

 From - BBC News, Edited by - Amal Uawatta, IMAGE SOURCE, NATURESCOT Image caption, Species on the Edge will work to secure the future of species such as butterflies and bumblebees Eight leading conservation organisations have joined forces to help reverse the decline of vulnerable coastal species in Scotland. The Species on the Edge programme will focus on the conservation of 37 priority species such as bumblebees. It aims to secure the future for coastal and island species as well as raising awareness of biodiversity in Scotland. Many of the species the programme will help are at risk of extinction. Climate change and farming driving insect decline 'Insect apocalypse' more complex than thought 'Alarming' loss of insects and spiders recorded The scheme was officially launched at an event in Balnagowan Estate in Invergordon on Saturday. Nick Halfhide, NatureScot's director of nature and climate change, said: "It is an excellent example of what can be achieved t

  By Tom Housden BBC News, Sydney, Edited by - Amal Udawatta, IMAGE S IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES   An Australian man has escaped with his life after being attacked by a saltwater crocodile while snorkelling at an exclusive Queensland resort. Marcus McGowan, 51, has detailed how he managed to prise the predator's jaws off his head, suffering lacerations. He was airlifted to a nearby island hospital, and later flown to Cairns for further treatment. Crocodile attacks are uncommon in Australia, but there have been several in recent months. Mr McGowan said he was in the water with a group of people about 28km (17.3 miles) off Haggerstone Island near Cape York when he was bitten from behind. "I thought it was a shark but when I reached up, I realised it was a crocodile. I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out," he said in a statement. The crocodile - suspected to be a juvenile - came back for another go, he said, but he was able to push it away, suf

From- Sky & Telescope, By - Jure Japelj Edited by -Amal Udawatta Artist’s impression of a white dwarf sucking material from a companion helium star. Adam Makarenko / W. M. Keck Observatory Astronomers have observed an unusual supernova, in which a helium star fed a white dwarf until it exploded. In March 2020, astronomers detected a supernova designated  SN 2020eyj . They weren't particularly impressed at first — just one more among the thousand supernovae found each year. But then its strange behavior caught researchers’ attention. The supernova was of Type Ia, indicating that a white dwarf had exploded when it became more massive than it could handle. Most white dwarfs cross this limit when they merge with a white dwarf companion — the so-called  double-degenerate  scenario. But more than 100 days after the detection, it became apparent that this supernova wasn’t behaving like most Type Ias. Further observations, presented in  Nature ,  reveal a rare specimen. For the first t

  By Helen Briggs Environment correspondent, Edited by - Amal Udawatta , IMAGE SOURCE, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM LONDON Image caption, From anemones to worms: A number of weird creatures have been retrieved from the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean. A vast stretch of ocean floor earmarked for deep sea mining is home to thousands of oddball sea creatures, most of them unknown to science. They include weird worms, brightly coloured sea cucumbers and corals. Scientists have put together the first full stocktake of species to help weigh up the risks to biodiversity. They say more than 5,000 different animals have been found in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean. The area is a prime contender for the mining of precious metals from the sea bed, which could begin as early as this year. Companies want to exploit valuable deep-sea metals in international waters, but have yet to start extraction. Scientists warn of sea mining threat to whales and dolphins Companies back mo