Sci-tech
Japan resumes commercial whaling after three-decade break
The hunts come after Japan's withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission , a move slammed by anti-whaling activists but welcomed by Japanese whaling communities. With the recent withdrawal, Japan would be conducting coastal whaling as the country won't be allowed to fish in worldwide waters like before. Having left the IWC, Japan is no longer part of any such worldwide organisation and... [Full Article...]
Japan Resumes Commercial Whaling After 30-Year Ban
Whaling has been banned internationally since 1986, but Japan has continued to hunt whales for "scientific purposes", arguing that eating whale is an important part of its culture. Altogether, they are to catch 52 minkes, 150 Bryde's, and 25 sei whales through December 31. Some believe that Japan's return to commercial whale hunting will effectively sound the death knell for the industry. [Full Article...]
NASA picks eight new research teams to study Moon, asteroids
Of the 12 selected, seven are new experiments that will study planets and heliophysics. The tool, called the Lunar Compact Infrared Imaging System (L-CIRiS), is part of the larger effort to learn as much about the Moon as possible ahead of the eventual return of crewed missions to the lunar surface. [Full Article...]
TESS Discovers Planetary System with Three Terrestrial-Size Exoplanets | Astronomy
TESS launched in April 2018 with a key goal of developing a catalog of small , rocky planets that orbit around nearby stars. Each planet's size is unknown at this time and additional telescope observations will be needed to determine which gases are present on their surfaces and if they have atmospheres, NASA said in a press release . [Full Article...]
Floating Antarctic ice goes from record high to record lows
However, three years later, the annual average extent of Antarctic sea ice hit its lowest mark, wiping out three-and-a-half many years of gains - after which some, a NASA study of satellite data shows. A freshwater lake is formed by the melting of ice on King George Island, Antarctica in February 2018. In may and June, 2019 (in the southern hemisphere it is the autumn and winter months), t... [Full Article...]
NASA preps for key Orion safety test tomorrow
At this point, the abort motor will fire with 400,000 pounds of thrust, pulling the crew module away from the booster. The abort system is created to pull an Orion moon capsule, hidden from view inside an aerodynamic shroud, safely away from a malfunctioning booster during an actual climb to space. [Full Article...]
‘Oumuamua interstellar object isn’t an alien ship, but mysteries remain
It most likely has a high metal content and spins on its own axis every 7.3 hours. A visitor to our solar system became the subject of headlines around the world after the cigar-shaped rock now named 'Oumuamua flew past our sun. "But visually, it hasn't ever displayed any of the comet-like characteristics we'd expect". And, although the object seems to contain no ice and emits no gases, as a c... [Full Article...]
Japan’s first commercial whale hunt in 30 years sparks outrage from activists
Japan pulled out last December from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which has imposed a ban on commercial whaling. It talked about the commercial hunts can be little to Japan's territorial waters and its 200-mile peculiar financial zone. [Full Article...]