Solar sail is late bloomer
More than a month after NASA’s NanoSail-D solar sail was supposed to deploy from its mothership, it finally – and unexpectedly – flew the nest last week. In a few months, the 9-square-metre sail will be pulled towards Earth by atmospheric drag before burning up in our atmosphere, showing a way to clear space junk.
Heat fuels obesity
An upward trend in domestic central heating temperatures in rich countries may have stoked obesity by making brown fat, the body’s natural “radiator”, redundant. US bedroom temperatures rose from 19.3 to 20.2 °C between 1987 and 2005, mirroring a…
