New Scientist Australian Edition 9-Jul-22

Tour Renaissance astronomy in Prague, Czech Republic Explore the legacy of Renaissance astronomers in Prague, the city of a hundred spires, where maths, music and art connect. Astronomer Martin Griffiths will guide you through Prague’s medieval marvels, including one of the world’s oldest astronomical clocks, Prague Castle and the Klementinum astronomical tower. Plus enjoy stargazing at the Štefánik Observatory. This six-day trip starts on 10 September and costs £1968. newscientist.com/tours Event Origin of the universe One of the most famous ideas in science is that the universe began in a big bang. But this leaves many questions unanswered, like why the universe is so big and so old, and why it has its particular structure. In this talk, physicist Will Kinney delves into the theory of inflation, which may hold…

Tour Renaissance astronomy in Prague, Czech Republic Explore the legacy of Renaissance astronomers in Prague, the city of a hundred spires, where maths, music and art connect. Astronomer Martin Griffiths will guide you through Prague’s medieval marvels, including one of the world’s oldest astronomical clocks, Prague Castle and the Klementinum astronomical tower. Plus enjoy stargazing at the Štefánik Observatory. This six-day trip starts on 10 September and costs £1968. newscientist.com/tours Event Origin of the universe One of the most famous ideas in science is that the universe began in a big bang. But this leaves many questions unanswered, like why the universe is so big and so old, and why it has its particular structure. In this talk, physicist Will Kinney delves into the theory of inflation, which may hold some answers. Join us online at…

FINALLY, we are about to see further back in time than ever before – and all in glorious high resolution. On 12 July, NASA will release the first full-colour images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which promises to transform our understanding of how the universe was made. It is a moment to savour. These first snapshots are the culmination of a decades-long engineering effort, not to mention a suspenseful launch and commissioning phase in which the telescope’s origami-style sunshield had to unfold without a hitch and the 18 hexagonal segments of its mirror align with astonishing precision. Last month, there was another scare as the $10-billion telescope was struck by a small space rock. Not to worry. The JWST is working perfectly, and it sounds like those first images…

FINALLY, we are about to see further back in time than ever before – and all in glorious high resolution. On 12 July, NASA will release the first full-colour images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which promises to transform our understanding of how the universe was made. It is a moment to savour. These first snapshots are the culmination of a decades-long engineering effort, not to mention a suspenseful launch and commissioning phase in which the telescope’s origami-style sunshield had to unfold without a hitch and the 18 hexagonal segments of its mirror align with astonishing precision. Last month, there was another scare as the $10-billion telescope was struck by a small space rock. Not to worry. The JWST is working perfectly, and it sounds like those…

NUCLEAR fusion engineers are starting to design a power station they hope will mimic how the sun works to provide a clean, almost unlimited source of energy. This week marks the beginning of a five-year “conceptual design” phase to flesh out key technology decisions for the DEMOnstration power plant (DEMO), a project backed by a European consortium, EuroFusion, to take fusion power from the concept stage to a commercial reality. The group plans for the 300 to 500 megawatt reactor to be generating low-carbon energy by 2054. There has been plenty of experimental work on nuclear fusion, largely with machines known as tokamaks. These use powerful magnets to confine and control hot matter – or plasma – usually in the shape of a doughnut. The plasma is typically produced from two hydrogen…

ON 30 June, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling that could set back efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and more widely limit the work of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What was the ruling about? The ruling looked at a case between the state of West Virginia and the EPA with roots in a complex legal fight over who has authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. In the 1960s, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, giving the EPA authority to enforce regulations to improve air quality. In 2015, the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan set guidelines for states around carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Some states objected to the plan, setting up a political and legal back and forth across the Trump and Biden administrations that culminated in…