MI weekly selection #313

Astronomers may have observed black hole’s birth

A strange blast approximately 200 million light-years away may have been the birth of a black hole. Astronomers first thought the blast, dubbed “The Cow” because its official name is AT2018cow, was from a black hole consuming a white dwarf, but “further observations of other wavelengths across the spectrum led to our interpretation that ‘The Cow’ is actually the formation of an accreting black hole or neutron star,” said study lead author Raffaella Margutti.

Space.com

Vesicles produced after chemo in mice may aid tumor spread

Researchers studying drug-resistant tumors in mice found that extracellular vesicles produced by cancer cells following certain chemotherapy treatments helped spread tumor material to other parts of the body. In other words, chemotherapy was enhancing the process of metastasis.

The Scientist

First commercial quantum computer released by IBM

IBM has announced its first commercial quantum computer, IBM Q System One, available to be used outside of the lab, and the model is designed to be upgradable as more advancements are made in the field of quantum computing.

TechCrunch

Overall cancer death rate falls 27% over 25-year period in US

The overall rate of death from cancer in the US dropped a total of 27% from 1991 to 2016. Death rates declined for lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers, but they increased for cancers related to obesity, such as uterine, pancreatic and liver, researchers say.

The Scientist

Can crows discern weight of breeze-blown objects?

Crows can tell whether objects are light or heavy by the way they move in a breeze. Crows were trained to recognize light and heavy objects and then were able to choose between objects of different weights that had been suspended in front of a fan.

New Scientist

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