Observable universe contains two trillion galaxies, 10 times more than previously thought

October 13, 2016 Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161013111709.htm The universe suddenly looks a lot more crowded, thanks to a deep-sky census assembled from surveys taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories. Astronomers came to the surprising conclusion that there are at least 10 times more galaxies in the observable universe than previously thought. This places the universe’s …

Tim Radford – Forests of southwest US face mass die-off by 2100

Tens of millions of trees in California are now at risk because of sustained drought, according to new research. And a different study in a different journal foresees a parched future for the evergreen forests not just in the Golden State but in the entire US southwest. Gregory Asner of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford, California and colleagues …

Conor Friedersdorf – The NYPD Is Using Mobile X-Ray Vans to Spy on Unknown Targets

Dystopian truth is stranger than dystopian fiction. In New York City, the police now maintain an unknown number of military-grade vans outfitted with X-ray radiation, enabling cops to look through the walls of buildings or the sides of trucks. The technology was used in Afghanistan before being loosed on U.S. streets. Each X-ray van costs an estimated $729,000 to $825,000. …