Author: Daniel Tom

A fascinating DNA study of more than 400 Viking skeletons has just re-written history. Scientists have examined skeletons scattered across Europe and Greenland and cutting-edge DNA sequencing sheds new light on the history of Vikings.   The results of the six-year research project led by Professor Eske Willerslev, a Fellow of St John’s College, University…

Bo-105 was the first light twin-engine helicopter in the world, and the first rotorcraft that could perform aerobatic maneuvers such as inverted loops.     The Bo-105, a light utility helicopter from Germany, is globally recognized for its versatility, performance and safety. It has been and continues to serve both military and civilian purposes since…

The design was so successful that it provided a basis for future submarines around the world.   Here’s What You Need to Know: New technologies can combine to produce a weapons system with vastly improved characteristics. The Skipjack-class submarines were arguably the first truly modern postwar submarines of the U.S. Navy. Combining two new innovations—a new…

Once again archaeologists at a famous necropolis in Egypt have made astonishing discoveries. They have uncovered many ancient Egyptian coffins that are perfectly preserved. The most recently discovered ancient Egyptian coffins were all sealed, which means they have been completely undisturbed for over two thousand years! The treasure trove was found at the Saqqara necropolis,…

Scientists working with telescopes at the European Southern Observatory and NASA announced a remarkable new discovery: An entire system of Earth-sized planets. If that’s not enough, the team asserts that the density measurements of the planets indicates that the six innermost are Earth-like rocky worlds. And that’s just the beginning. Three of the planets lie in the…

Imaged by the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii, this pair has already collided at least once. The galaxies NGC 5394 (the smaller one, on the right) and NGC 5395 (the larger one, on the left) are in the middle of colliding over the span of millions of years.NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/Gemini Observatory/AURA Collisions between…

This is Valles Marineris and it is one of the largest canyons in the Solar System. It’s more than four times as deep as the Grand Canyon, and its length surpasses the United States from coast to coast. Credit: NASA     The largest canyon in the Solar System cuts a wide swath across the…

The University of Canterbury (UC) astronomers discovered a magnificent new exoplanet near the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. The planet is significant since it is one of just a few comparable exoplanets discovered so far. The super-Earth, according to the experts, is comparable to Earth in both size and orbit. Dr. Antonio Herrera Martin…

The gamma-ray burst was also the nearest ever detected. Gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic flashes of light known to exist in the universe. (Image credit: NASA, ESA and M. Kornmesser) Astronomers just detected what may be the most powerful flash of light ever seen. The so-called gamma-ray burst, the most energetic type of electromagnetic…

Measurements of stars orbiting our galaxy’s core suggest our 4-million-solar-mass black hole, Sagittarius A*, may have another supermassive companion lurking nearby. An artist’s conception of two black holes entwined in a gravitational tango.NASA/GSFC/SkyWorks/Dana Berry Do supermassive black holes have friends? The nature of galaxy formation suggests that the answer is yes, and in fact, pairs…