natural sciences
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Ground Temperatures Hit 48 Degrees in the Arctic Circle
Newly published satellite imagery shows the ground temperature in at least one location in Siberia topped 48 degrees Celsius going into the year’s longest day. It’s hot Siberia Earth summer, and it certainly won’t be the last.
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A Rare Flower Is Screwing Up Plans for a Nevada Lithium Mine
Last week brought some good news for an at-risk desert flower. The Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it will propose listing the Tiehm’s buckwheat flower, a cute little puffball-style plant with yellow-orange petals, as an endangered species. But doing so could make it harder to mine lithium, a key metal for batteries needed to…
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This Fuzzy Image Shows a Spiral Forming Soon After the Big Bang
A team of Japanese astronomers recently peered way, way back in time using a telescope array in Chile. What they made out in the distant, early universe is a record-breaking galaxy, one that turns back the clock on when galaxies took on their classic spiral structures.
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New Video Puts Iconic Image of Black Hole in a Cosmic Context
Two years ago, astronomers acquired the first direct image of a black hole. A coordinated observation campaign of this object is now adding to our understanding of this black hole and its tumultuous surroundings.