Some scientists have held the view that we live in a finely tuned universe, and should just one constant in its composition be even slightly different to the status quo, the universe as we know it, and even life, would not exist. Fred Adams, professor of physics at the University of Michigan, has put this idea to the test, and found that stars that can support life could form ... Read full entry

Sun's properties not "fine-tuned" for life It turns out the type of star our Sun is, a G star by the way, doesn't make it anymore conducive to hosting life bearing planets than any other star type. There's nothing special about the Sun that makes it more likely than other stars to host life, a new study shows. The finding adds weight to the idea that alien life should ... Read full entry

It's a death star, but that's life How's this for a science (non)fiction movie synopsis; two stars, closely orbiting each other, 8000 light years from Earth, pose a direct threat to life on this planet should one of them explode. Eight years ago Dr Tuthill's team, using Hawaii's huge Keck telescope, discovered that one of the objects is a highly unstable beast called a Wolf-Rayet star. They inevitably die in huge ... Read full entry

My erratic schedule often sees me stumbling through Centennial Park after dark rather a lot these days. Happens more often than I would like it, but what can you do. It’s a hard life after all. You know what’s it like. Trying to eke out an existence for yourself, the wife, and the charming kids, but someone’s got to do it.Then there’s in-laws, deadlines, and in-boxes overflowing ... Read full entry

...somewhere anyway. Apparently there are now only 60 stars visible in the night sky from central Sydney because of growing light pollution caused by the haphazard and rampant increase of outdoor and street lighting.The Southern Cross constellation, whose status is central to the Australian flag, is in danger of being referred to as the Southern Triangle, as the mounting glare from the city's various light sources makes it ever harder ... Read full entry