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First Unambiguous Theoretical Evidence of Quantum Effects in Photosynthesis

Light-gathering macromolecules in plant cells transfer energy by taking advantage of molecular vibrations whose physical descriptions have no equivalents in classical physics, according to the first unambiguous theoretical evidence of quantum effects in photosynthesis published today in the journal Nature Communications.

10 Jan 2014

Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey Measures Scale of the Universe to One Percent Accuracy

Today the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Collaboration announced that BOSS has measured the scale of the universe to an accuracy of one percent. This and future measures at this precision are the key to determining the nature of dark energy.

10 Jan 2014

Chandra Provides Evidence for Black Hole Destroying a Star in a Dwarf Galaxy

A bright, long duration flare may be the first recorded event of a black hole destroying a star in a dwarf galaxy. The evidence comes from two independent studies using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes.

10 Jan 2014

Rare Eclipsing Double Asteroid Discovered by Student Astronomers

Students in a University of Maryland undergraduate astronomy class have made a rare discovery that wowed professional astronomers: a previously unstudied asteroid is actually a pair of asteroids that orbit and regularly eclipse one another.

9 Jan 2014

Swift Spacecraft Images Help Discover Rare Subclass of Neutron Star

Recent observations by NASA's Swift spacecraft have provided scientists a unique glimpse into the activity at the center of our galaxy and led to the discovery of a rare celestial entity that may help them test predictions of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

9 Jan 2014

Scottish Universities Launch World’s First International Max-Planck Partnership

The world’s first International Max-Planck Partnership (IMPP) was launched by five Scottish universities on 19th December 2013. The Scottish Universities of Heriot-Watt, Glasgow, Strathclyde, St Andrews and Edinburgh have partnered with the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) Hannover; the MPI for the Science of Light, Erlangen; the MPI for Quantum Optics, Garching; the MPI for Chemical Physics, Dresden; and the MPI for Solid State Physics, Stuttgart.

9 Jan 2014

Hubble Space Telescope Uncovers Long-Suspected Underlying Population of Galaxies

A team of scientists led by astronomers at the University of California, Riverside has used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to uncover the long-suspected underlying population of galaxies that produced the bulk of new stars during the universe’s early years.

9 Jan 2014

Frequency Comb Laser Could Help Discover ‘Earth-Like’ Planets

A team of Heriot-Watt scientists is developing a new kind of laser that could help astronomers to find small, ‘Earth-like’ planets outside our solar system or detect the presence of hazardous chemicals at a safe distance.

9 Jan 2014

Hubble Peers into Pandora's Cluster

This image of Abell 2744 is the first to come from Hubble's Frontier Fields observing programme, which is using the magnifying power of enormous galaxy clusters to peer deep into the distant Universe. Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster, is thought to have a very violent history, having formed from a cosmic pile-up of multiple galaxy clusters.

9 Jan 2014

NEOWISE Spacecraft Spots Never-Before-Seen Asteroid

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft has spotted a never-before-seen asteroid -- its first such discovery since coming out of hibernation last year.

8 Jan 2014