Smithsonian scientists have discovered two new gecko species—the Lenya banded bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus lenya) and Tenasserim Mountain bent-toed gecko (C. payarhtanesnsis)—in the little-studied lowland forests […]

The post Smithsonian Scientists Discover Two New Gecko Species in Vanishing Myanmar Rainforest appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The inversion of X-ray reflectivity to reveal the topography of a one-dimensional interface is evaluated through model calculations.

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Scientists have recovered the first genetic data from an extinct bird in the Caribbean, thanks to the remarkably preserved bones of a Creighton's caracara in a flooded sinkhole on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Studies of ancient DNA from tropical birds have faced two formidable obstacles. Organic material quickly degrades when exposed to heat, light and oxygen. And birds' lightweight, hollow bones break easily, accelerating the decay of the DNA within. But the dark, oxygen-free depths of a 100-foot blue hole known as Sawmill Sink provided ideal preservation conditions for the bones of Caracara creightoni, a species of large carrion-eating falcon that disappeared soon after humans arrived in the Bahamas about 1,000 years ago. Florida Museum of Natural History researcher Jessica Oswald and her colleagues extracted and sequenced genetic material from the 2,500-year-old C. creightoni femur. Because ancient DNA is often fragmented or missing, the team had modest expectations for what they would find –- maybe one or two genes. But instead, the bone yielded 98.7% of the bird's mitochondrial genome, the DNA most living things inherit from their mothers. The mitochondrial genome showed that C. creightoni is closely related to the two remaining caracara species alive today: the crested caracara and the southern caracara. The three species last shared a common ancestor between 1.2 and 0.4 million years ago. "This project enhanced our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary implications of extinction, forged strong international partnerships, and trained the next generation of researchers," says Jessica Robin, a program director in National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering, which funded the study.

Image credit: Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Source: Peter Krauth for Streetwise Reports   05/05/2020

Gold has the wind in its sails. Its price in U.S. dollars is up an astounding 62% since late 2015, with a 33% gain in just the past year, outpacing all major assets.

And investors are only just starting to get interested.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its economic impact is a major catalyst. More than $8 trillion in global fiscal stimulus has already been committed to alleviate unemployment and support struggling businesses. But it's almost certainly not enough.

"That sets up the perfect storm for X-Terra, making it a Strong BUY. With its outstanding initial drill results at the Grog property and the remarkable potential at Troilus East, I can easily see XTT double its market cap in the next 6-12 months, perhaps sooner."

Near-zero interest rates combined with unprecedented money-printing are creating ideal conditions for the ultimate inflation hedge: gold. And that's making junior gold equities the go-to sector as the metal rapidly approaches its all-time high.

Amidst all this, one junior gold explorer with a nascent exploration breakthrough could soar as the gold bull market moves into its next phase.

New Brunswick Could Host Large New Gold System

Bona fide new discoveries with district potential are rare. Participating early in one could be a life-changing event.

That's what makes X-Terra Resources Inc. (XTT:TSX.V; XTRRF:OTCMKTS; XTR:FSE) such a compelling investment right now. XTT shares are a Strong BUY, with the potential to double in the next 6–12 months.

Here's my rationale…

Its top two projects are in neighboring Canadian provinces, both among the highest-ranking gold mining jurisdictions globally.

In early March, X-Terra completed its inaugural drill program over the Grog and Northwest Properties in the province of New Brunswick along the McKenzie Fault. It comprised 1,904 meters over 16 holes.

Initial results are in, and they're impressive.

Hole GRG-20-012 identified gold mineralization over a significant width. One interval averaged 0.41 g/t gold over 36 meters, including 0.46 g/t gold over 31 meters and 7.59 g/t gold over 0.6 meters. The company points out that 6 of the remaining holes returned mineralized intervals between 0.1 g/t gold and 0.35 g/t gold.

X-Terra President and CEO Michael Ferreira said, "This is a significant exploration breakthrough, and reinforces our expectations that a large epithermal system is present. While more in-depth geological work, which includes drilling is needed, it remains evident that the 11 holes (1570 metres drilled) only covered a very small fraction of the targeted environment. Reaching a significant mineralized interval this shallow (From 107 metres to 143 metres, in GRG-20-012) is a milestone we were relentlessly pursuing after completing the limited field exploration programs based predominately on roadside trenching. The information obtained in this program will allow the detailed follow up on the Grog Target but also allow the company to refine and generate more high priority targets carrying the same geological characteristics to that of the Grog target. This provides a monumental shift moving forward."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM HOLE GRG-20-012

The beauty of this impressive drill hole intercept is its signature, which contains a wide alteration halo associated with sulfidation and quartz veining. Based on the geophysical data, they will be able to track the gold bearing system at depth using an advanced data processing approach combined with their geological knowledge.

The exploration team can now use the signature to formulate similar drill targets elsewhere on the property, with the potential for similar results.

Clearly, X-Terra's diligent, methodical and scientific approach has begun to pay off. Experience combined with a skilled overlay of induced polarization, magnetic surveys, sampling and trenching helped achieve this recent success.

Back in 2017, the company discovered high grade gold occurrences. That was followed up with further work, which delivered extensive anomalies scattered over roughly 30 km along the McKenzie Gulch regional Fault.

Their geologists then engaged a quick exploration cycle over the next 18 months, starting with an orientation geophysics survey, followed by trenching and drilling. They now have an initial model in progress, which involves an extensive magmatic hydrothermal system, and the targets generated so far are pluri-kilometric.

X-Terra is contemplating that it could be onto a brand new regional gold trend.

Such outstanding recent drill intercepts make for an even more exciting outlook. That's because future exploration targets will be chosen with a better understanding of the geological sequence. And that should improve the odds of more successful drill results.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway from hole GRG-20-012 is the suggestion that it demonstrates real potential for a large epithermal system. And that could mean a whole lot of gold lies beneath, something further exploration will answer.

Quebec Offers Huge Promise Near Large Developing Gold Mine

Despite the exciting outlook offered by the Grog area located in New Brunswick, X-Terra is far from being a one-trick pony.

Also bursting with massive untapped potential is the Troilus East Property, located in north-central Quebec.

X-Terra's Troilus East project is immediately adjacent to Troilus Gold Corp.'s former producing gold-copper mine. Even after 15 years of historic production, the Troilus Gold Project currently boasts 4.71 million ounces of gold equivalent in the Indicated category, plus 1.76 million ounces of gold equivalent in the Inferred category.

Early last year, X-Terra announced the completion of a high-resolution magnetic survey on the Troilus-East property. Management continues to advance the project, using the same diligent and methodical scientific approach that has brought success to the Grog discovery. XTT will be using magnetic signatures to perform follow-up work, looking to identify geological contexts with characteristics similar to those of the Troilus gold-copper mineral deposit.

Since tripling its land position, X-Terra has locked up the largest adjacent land claims to Troilus Gold of any public company.

That's exciting, as Troilus Gold is considered by some as the largest—or at least one of the largest—undeveloped gold deposits in North America. And that could well make X-Terra a future target should Troilus Gold or other players look to lock up more of the adjacent land.

People and Projects Offer Massive Potential

As is often the case, people are as important to a junior explorer's success as its properties. As a former professional motorcycle racer, X-Terra President and CEO Michael Ferreira saw the potential of resource exploration to create immense value for shareholders. Now living full-time in the Quebec mining town of Rouyn Noranda, Ferreira has judiciously curated a winning team.

Dr. Michael Byron, Ph.D., P.Geo. and a company director, has thirty years of field work, research and senior management positions across gold, base-metals, diamond and gemstone exploration. He was instrumental in re-discovering Falco Resources' leading asset, the Horne 5 deposit.

A testament to the quality of management is XTT's rare combination of tight share structure and quality projects. On a fully diluted basis, there are just 80 million shares outstanding, with management's skin in the game representing 6% of ownership.

As I see it, X-Terra's combination of quality management with exceptional high potential projects is starting to bear fruit. Its New Brunswick-located Grog and Northwest project, along with its Troilus East project located in Quebec, are highly prospective.

Given that the global fiscal and monetary response to the coronavirus has generated a tsunami of money printing, the gold market is kicking into high gear.

That sets up the perfect storm for X-Terra, making it a Strong BUY. With its outstanding initial drill results at the Grog property and the remarkable potential at Troilus East, I can easily see XTT double its market cap in the next 6–12 months, perhaps sooner.

In my view these are the early days of a string of successful exploration results, making XTT.V radically undervalued, for now.

Peter Krauth is a former portfolio adviser and a 20-year veteran of the resource market, with special expertise in energy, metals and mining stocks. He has been editor of a widely circulated resource newsletter, and contributed numerous articles to Kitco.com, BNN Bloomberg and the Financial Post. Krauth holds a Master of Business Administration from McGill University and is headquartered in resource-rich Canada.

Disclosure:
1) Peter Krauth: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: X-Terra Resources. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: X-Terra Resources. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with X-Terra Resources. Please click here for more information. An affiliate of Streetwise Reports is conducting a digital media marketing campaign for this article on behalf of X-Terra Resources. Please click here for more information. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.
4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of X-Terra Resources, a company mentioned in this article.

( Companies Mentioned: XTT:TSX.V; XTRRF:OTCMKTS; XTR:FSE, )

Racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than whites do, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable.

A single breakthrough discovery for managing citrus greening in Florida in the future is unlikely, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

We tend to think of the process of seeing as fairly objective — that our eyes are similar to cameras, neutrally taking in light and turning it into pictures. But research has shown that biases buried beneath our awareness can powerfully shape how we see.

The junior gold explorer with a nascent exploration breakthrough could soar on the back of a gold bull market, writes Peter Krauth.

Visit the aureport.com for more information and for a free newsletter

When plastic debris meets coral

Sticky solution to the places on the body that are difficult to bandage up

As millions of Americans have lost their jobs, Congress is trying to figure out what to do to help those who have also lost their health insurance.; Credit: South_agency/Getty Images

Mayra Jimenez had just lost the job she loved — and the health insurance that went along with it.

The 35-year-old San Francisco server needed coverage. Jimenez has ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition. Just one of her medications costs $18,000 per year.

"I was just in panic mode, scrambling to get coverage," Jimenez said.

A recent estimate suggests the pandemic has cost more than 9 million Americans both their jobs and their health insurance.

"Those numbers are just going to go up," MIT economist Jon Gruber said. "We've never seen such a dramatic increase in such a short period of time."

House Democrats introduced a bill in mid-April to help the millions of people, like Jimenez, who find themselves unsure of where to turn.

The Worker Health Coverage Protection Act would fully fund the cost of COBRA, a program that allows workers who leave or lose a job to stay on their former employer's insurance plan. COBRA currently requires workers to pay for their entire premium, including their employer's share.

The Worker Health Coverage Protection Act is one bill being considered as Congress tries to figure out what to do about the very real health care gap for those millions who have lost their jobs. Sponsors of the COBRA legislation say they hope their plan gets rolled into the next relief bill. But it's unclear when, how and whether the problem will get addressed in upcoming coronavirus relief measures.

Jimenez learned COBRA would run her $426 a month.

"I was kind of shocked to hear the number," she said. "That's almost half my rent."

The idea of allowing laid-off workers to stick with their coverage at no cost in a pandemic has clear appeal, says Gruber.

But he warns, "COBRA is expensive, and for many employees, it won't be there."

Only workers who get insurance through their employer are eligible for COBRA, leaving out more than half of the 26 million who have lost jobs in the last few weeks. Many of the industries hit hardest by COVID-19, including retail and hospitality, are among those least likely to offer employees insurance.

And even if someone had insurance through work, the person loses COBRA coverage if the former employer goes out of business.

Funding COBRA costs, federal dollars also wouldn't go as far as they could. Unpublished Urban Institute estimates show that an employer plan costs, on average, about 25% more than a Gold plan on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

"We need to be all hands on deck, spending whatever we can to help people," Gruber said. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be thinking about efficient ways to do it."

Congress has tried this move before. In response to the Great Recession, lawmakers tucked a similar COBRA subsidy into the massive stimulus bill a decade ago. That legislation paid for 65% of COBRA premiums, leaving laid-off workers to cover the rest.

A federally commissioned study found that COBRA enrollment increased by just 15%. Mathematica senior researcher and study co-author Jill Berk said workers skipped the subsidy for two main reasons.

First, only about 30% of eligible workers even knew the subsidy existed.

"For those that were aware," Berk said, "their overwhelming response was that COBRA was still too expensive."

At that time, the average premium for a single worker — even with the subsidy — ran about $400 per month for a worker with family coverage.

"When you're actually facing those choices, choosing between rent and food and other bills," Berk said, "that COBRA bill looks quite high."

Berk's team also discovered that people who reported using the subsidy were four times more likely to have a college degree and a higher income than those who passed on it. In other words, Berk found that the COBRA subsidy was least helpful to those with the greatest need.

Several economists, including Gruber, and some Democrats in Washington are kicking around alternatives to COBRA. Among their ideas is a plan to have the federal government pick up more of a person's premium and other expenses on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Another proposal would extend ACA subsidies to people who earn too much to qualify for any aid and to lower-income people who live in states yet to expand Medicaid.

Compared with funding COBRA, beefing up ACA subsidies could potentially help millions more people, including the pool of laid-off workers who did not get health insurance from their employer.

The ACA ties subsidies to people's income, giving more help to those at the bottom end of the wage scale and spending less on those who are better off. In contrast, the current COBRA plan would cover 100% of COBRA for everyone, regardless of the person's income.

There are some downsides to this approach. Making ACA subsidies more generous could end up costing the federal government more overall, because it gives more help to a lot more people.

Chris Holt from the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank, points out that the ACA already increases federal support when people's earnings fall and questions how much more of the tab Washington should pick up.

"If that subsidy would have been good enough for someone six months ago, why is it not good enough now?" he asked.

Maybe the biggest challenge to building on the ACA: The 10-year-old law remains a political football.

"There's just so much both emotion and, frankly, bitterness tied up in debates," Holt said, adding that this makes it hard to move anything forward.

Holt notes that COBRA is not free of political hang-ups either. He expects a fight over whether subsidy money can be spent on employer plans that cover abortion services, for example.

Holt and Gruber agree that perhaps the easiest idea is to leave the ACA alone with one minor tweak: allow people to take the ACA subsidy they're already eligible for and use it on COBRA if they choose.

As for Jimenez, she did not have time to wait for Congress. She brought in too much from unemployment to qualify for Medicaid. And she couldn't afford COBRA, so she picked out a plan on the ACA exchange, where she's eligible for generous existing subsidies. It will cost her $79.17 per month, and she gets to keep her doctors. Not everyone does.

This is the first time she has ever purchased insurance on her own, rather than gotten it through work — and that has delivered one other unexpected benefit.

"Freedom," Jimenez said. "It feels so freeing to take charge of my health care and to know that no one can take this away from me. I don't have to rely on a job to give me what they want to give me. I can make my own choices."

Policymakers, providers, employers and health-industry executives have been fighting over whether the United States should tie insurance to work since the end of World War II.

Subsidizing COBRA preserves the status quo, while doubling down on the ACA might just start to drive a real wedge between work and health insurance.

As states begin reopening businesses, some laid-off workers will get back their jobs, as well as their insurance. But many will remain unemployed and uninsured. A decade ago, faced with the same challenge, Congress chose to subsidize COBRA. It proved to be a narrow solution with limited impact.

Lawmakers now have the ACA at their disposal, a tool that may be a better fit for this moment. Whether they choose to use it may be a choice grounded more in political realism than policy idealism.

Dan Gorenstein is the creator and co-host of the Tradeoffs podcast, and Leslie Walker is a producer on the show, which ran a version of this story on April 23.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Between 10 and 50% of marine species and ecosystems are recovering from population declines and degradation, according to recent research, which identified five strategies for successful recoveries. Recoveries are often driven by a combination of factors, which include restricting exploitation, better protection of vulnerable habitats and greater political support and local involvement with conservation.

4 awesome discoveries you probably didn't hear about this week -- Episode 31

4 awesome discoveries you probably didn't hear about this week -- Episode 32

Ron Struthers of Struthers' Research Report takes a look at the investment thesis for Ridgestone Mining.

4 awesome discoveries you probably didn't hear about this week -- Episode 32

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Scientists have recovered the first genetic data from an extinct bird in the Caribbean, thanks to the remarkably preserved bones of a Creighton's caracara in a flooded sinkhole on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Studies of ancient DNA from tropical birds have faced two formidable obstacles. Organic material quickly degrades when exposed to heat, light and oxygen. And birds' lightweight, hollow bones break easily, accelerating the decay of the DNA within. But the dark, oxygen-free depths of a 100-foot blue hole known as Sawmill Sink provided ideal preservation conditions for the bones of Caracara creightoni, a species of large carrion-eating falcon that disappeared soon after humans arrived in the Bahamas about 1,000 years ago. Florida Museum of Natural History researcher Jessica Oswald and her colleagues extracted and sequenced genetic material from the 2,500-year-old C. creightoni femur. Because ancient DNA is often fragmented or missing, the team had modest expectations for what they would find –- maybe one or two genes. But instead, the bone yielded 98.7% of the bird's mitochondrial genome, the DNA most living things inherit from their mothers. The mitochondrial genome showed that C. creightoni is closely related to the two remaining caracara species alive today: the crested caracara and the southern caracara. The three species last shared a common ancestor between 1.2 and 0.4 million years ago. "This project enhanced our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary implications of extinction, forged strong international partnerships, and trained the next generation of researchers," says Jessica Robin, a program director in National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering, which funded the study.

Image credit: Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

ESET researchers discover, and play a key role in the disruption of, a 35,000-strong botnet spreading in Latin America via compromised USB drives

The post Following ESET’s discovery, a Monero mining botnet is disrupted appeared first on WeLiveSecurity

My new book LOSERTHINK, available now on Amazon https://tinyurl.com/rqmjc2a Content: Hydroxychloroquine as a game-changer Winning a Pulitzer A logical back to work metric Yearly flu death numbers aren’t real Remdesivir does NOT change survival rate The FBI’s reputation If you would like my channel to have a wider audience and higher production quality, please donate […]

The post Episode 955 Scott Adams: Extra Cussing Tonight. Put the Kids to Bed. Close Your Windows, Get Under the Covers appeared first on Scott Adams' Blog.

A fossil that has been in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History since it was discovered in 1951 is today helping scientists piece together the evolutionary history of whales and dolphins, including the origins of the endangered South Asian river dolphin.

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Paleontologists with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the University of Washington have discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex, including a very complete skull. The find, which paleontologists estimate to be about 20 percent of the animal, includes vertebrae, ribs, hips and lower jaw bones.

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Archaeologists translating a very rare inscription on an ancient Etruscan temple stone have discovered the name Uni -- an important female goddess.

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Scientists today announced the discovery of a new species of pterosaur from the Patagonia region of South America. The cranial remains were in an excellent state of preservation and belonged to a new species of pterosaur from the Early Jurassic. The researchers have named this new species 'Allkauren koi' from the native Tehuelche word 'all' for 'brain', and 'karuen' for 'ancient'.

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A rare small-bodied pterosaur, a flying reptile from the Late Cretaceous period approximately 77 million years ago, is the first of its kind to have been discovered on the west coast of North America.

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Farber Cancer Institute investigators report they have discovered a type of immune antibody that can rapidly evolve to neutralize a wide array of influenza virus strains - including those the body hasn't yet encountered.

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Regulators should establish a process to consider the full lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of electric vehicles, according to a new US study. This would help ensure that vehicle emissions regulations are placed on a sound scientific basis, manufacturers continue to improve the efficiency of electric vehicles, and the full benefit of regulations to limit GHG emissions from vehicles are realised, say the researchers.

Scientists have found that retreating glaciers and melting permafrost in Alaska are releasing up to 70% more methane – a potent greenhouse gas – than previously thought. If this estimate is true for the rest of the Arctic, this could have serious implications for global warming, say the scientists.

Precious metals, such as gold and silver, constitute a small but valuable part of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). New research suggests that significant amounts of these precious metals are lost in the initial stage of the waste recovery process and makes recommendations for improvements in the recycling chain.

Recycling green waste as compost could match the environmental benefits of converting it into renewable energy, in terms of CO₂ savings, according to new German research. It suggests that the two forms of waste management should be seen as complementary and both should receive subsidies.

Flat screen televisions and computer monitors should be designed so they can be quickly dismantled for recycling, a recent study says. The researchers calculated that in order to ensure the recycling process remains economically viable, it must be possible to disassemble small screens in less than 11 minutes. Good design could lower the costs of recycling and enable near-total recovery of precious metals from the waste screens.

Sustainable urban waste management has progressed over recent decades, with recycling of waste becoming a routine activity across the EU. However, the increasing volume and complexity of waste poses ongoing challenges for policymakers and municipal administrators. New research suggests that a rethink around how household waste is sorted could lead to more resources being recovered from solid waste.

Concern is growing around the issue of energy efficiency in data centres (DC) as more and more data are saved, processed, and transferred to facilitate myriad digital services worldwide. Utilising waste heat from DCs as heating for nearby districts may be a potential solution if technical and knowledge barriers are overcome, suggests this Finnish study, which identified key obstacles to this concept and possible methods of implementation.

A three-step chemical process could successfully recover high-purity silicon from recycled photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, new tests show. The scientists behind the research say that recycling not only helps the PV industry meet regulatory requirements, but also reduces pressure on demand for raw materials.

A team of Carnegie scientists has discovered three giant planets in a binary star system composed of stellar ''twins'' that are also effectively siblings of our Sun. One star hosts two planets and the other hosts the third. The system represents the smallest-separation binary in which both stars host planets that has ever been observed. The findings, which may help explain the influence that giant planets like Jupiter have over a solar system's architecture, have been accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal.

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Terzan 5, 19 000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer) and in the direction of the galactic centre, has been classified as a globular cluster for the forty-odd years since its detection. Now, an Italian-led team of astronomers have discovered that Terzan 5 is like no other globular cluster known.

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Quasars are supermassive black holes that sit at the center of enormous galaxies, accreting matter. They shine so brightly that they are often referred to as beacons and are among the most-distant objects in the universe that we can currently study. New work from a team led by Carnegie's Eduardo Bañados has discovered 63 new quasars from when the universe was only a billion years old. (It's about 14 billion years old today.)

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When natural disasters, such as earthquakes, storms and hurricanes, are reported in the media, they are often accompanied by an assessment of the cost of the disaster. While such information can be useful to help governments and international organisations target aid and recovery efforts, the details of what is included in the assessment, and the methods used, are often unclear.