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In this week's science news, we learned that the interstellar object hurtling through our solar system is the largest of its kind ever seen, while experts pushed back on a suggestion that 3I/ATLAS could be alien technology.
3I/ATLAS is an extremely rare comet from outside our solar system. A new controversial paper, which has not been peer reviewed, explored the idea that 3I/ATLAS could be a piece of "possibly hostile" extraterrestrial technology in disguise. However, experts told Live Science the claims were "nonsense" and "insulting."
Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995, over 60 years after their eradication from the national park.
(Image credit: Photo by William Campbell/Sygma via Getty Images)
Young aspen trees are thriving in Yellowstone National Park's northern range for the first time in 80 years — and it's all thanks to wolves.
Gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995 after disappearing from the area by 1930. Since then, these top predators have helped keep elk populations under control, which in turn has stopped the elk from eating up all of the leaves, twigs and bark of trees like quaking aspen.
The sun will eventually become unstable and transform into a red giant.
(Image credit: alexandarilich/Getty Images)
Our solar system has been around for a very long time — 4.6 billion years. However, the sun powering our little corner of the universe won't stay lit forever, and as it reaches the end of its life cycle, everything will change. So, how much time has our solar system got left?
A new humanoid robot can change its own battery, which means it never needs to power down and can keep working 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Walker S2 robot, created by the Chinese company UBTECH, is around the size and weight of a small adult human and is designed to work in factories and other workplace settings.
The robot can walk for two hours or stand for four hours before it runs out of juice. However, the robot's batteries only take 90 minutes to charge, so with access to two batteries and a charging station, Walker S2 can keep itself going indefinitely.
The 1.5 C threshold is important when it comes to measuring humanity's efforts — and often failure — to address climate change. In 2015, world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, an international treaty that promised to limit global warming to preferably below 1.5 C and well below 2 C (3.6 F).
The good news is that passing 1.5 C doesn't mean instant climate doom for all of humanity. However, it's a big step in the wrong direction, and curbing emissions now is easier than attempting to reverse warming later on.
Something for the weekend
If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best long reads, book excerpts and interviews published this week.
Computer simulations revealed what happens when two immiscible fluids with different viscosities interact.
(Image credit: Chi-Chian Chou, Yuka F. Deki, Ryuta X. Suzuki, Yuichiro Nagatsu, and Ching-Yao Chen)
Researchers have created a trippy liquid "firework" display by running computer simulations of what happens if you mix two fluids that don't want to mix.
The paints in these virtual works of art are immiscible fluids, or fluids that naturally separate from each other, such as oil and water. The computer simulations show that if you inject one into another, you can get a firework-like pattern.
The researchers weren't just trying to make pretty patterns. Studying fluid interactions boosts our understanding of carbon storage systems, which play a role in tackling climate change.
Patrick Pester is the trending news writer at Live Science. His work has appeared on other science websites, such as BBC Science Focus and Scientific American. Patrick retrained as a journalist after spending his early career working in zoos and wildlife conservation. He was awarded the Master's Excellence Scholarship to study at Cardiff University where he completed a master's degree in international journalism. He also has a second master's degree in biodiversity, evolution and conservation in action from Middlesex University London. When he isn't writing news, Patrick investigates the sale of human remains.
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