SCIENCE
Israel maybe headed towards herd immunity: Report
According to Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash, herd immunity against Covid-19 is possible in the country, but at the cost of many infections, Jerusalem Post reported. "The price of herd immunity is very many infections, and that may be what will happen. The numbers need to be high to reach herd immunity, this is something that is possible," Ash was quoted as saying to 103FM Radio on Sunday.
What's next for NASA's newly launched James Webb Space Telescope
The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope was launched atop an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 25, kicking off a long-delayed, potentially transformative mission to study the early universe, nearby exoplanets and more. The telescope is headed for the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), a gravitationally stable spot 1.5 million kilometres from our planet in the direction of Mars, Space.com reported.
Astronomers uncover largest group of 'rogue planets' yet
A team of astronomers, using data from several European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes and other facilities, has discovered at least 70 new rogue planets in our galaxy. Rogue planets, lurking far away from any star illuminating them, would normally be impossible to image.
Omicron infection to reduce hospitalisation risk by 40%: Study
Researchers from Imperial College London stressed that these estimated reductions in severity must be balanced against the larger risk of infection with Omicron, due to the reduction in protection provided by both vaccination and natural infection.
For example, at a population level, large numbers of infections could still lead to large numbers of hospitalisations.
Aussie astronomers capture black hole eruption
The discovery, published in the Nature Astronomy journal and released to the public on Thursday, took a deep dive into the black hole at the center of the galaxy Centaurus A, about 12 million light-years away, reported Xinhua news agency. Despite being galaxies far away, the erupting black hole extended across a length equal to 16 moons placed side by side in the night sky. However, it is not visible to the naked eye.
Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vax protection wanes after 3 months: Lancet
The findings suggest that booster programmes are needed to help maintain protection from severe disease, said a team of researchers led by University of Edinburgh. The researchers from Scotland and Brazil analysed data for two million people in Scotland and 42 million people in Brazil who had been vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which uses an adenovirus, specifically a common cold virus from chimpanzees, to train the immune system to fight the virus.
Himalayan glaciers melting at 'exceptional rate', says new study
The study, led by the University of Leeds, also reveals that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking far more rapidly than glaciers in other parts of the world, a rate of loss the researchers describe as 'exceptional' as they lost around 40 per cent of their area. The research is the latest confirmation that the changes in the Himalayan glaciers are accelerating.
NASA aims to replace ISS with a commercial space station by 2030
NASA's auditing body, the Office of Audits, has produced a report detailing the agency's commitment to replace the orbiting lab with commercial space stations. Astronauts have lived and worked onboard the ISS orbiting roughly 250 miles above the Earth's surface for more than 20 years. "The ISS costs about $3 billion a year, roughly a third of NASA's annual human space flight budget, and while current plans call for the Station's retirement in 2024, an extension to 2030 is likely," the US space agency said in the audit report.
Astronomers discover more than 300 possible new exoplanets
The findings, described in a paper published in the Astronomical Journal, showed a planetary system that comprises a star and at least two gas giant planets, each roughly the size of Saturn and located unusually close to one another. The discovery is significant because it's rare to find gas giants -- like Saturn in the solar system -- as close to their host star as they were in this case.
Hubble captures stunning image of star-forming Prawn Nebula
The Prawn Nebula is a massive stellar nursery located in the constellation Scorpius, about 6,000 light years from Earth. Though the nebula stretches 250 light-years and covers a space four times the size of the full moon, it emits light primarily in wavelengths the human eye cannot detect, making it extremely faint to earthbound viewers.
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