Russia’s halting attempts to build a next generation spacecraft have received a boost after a leading constructor announced that it has completed the design of a new prototype. But seasoned space watchers await specifics before popping their corks. ­“We have finished the design of the new spaceship. We took into consideration that the new craft has to be able to travel not only to the International... 

The bright spot at the center of this large elliptical galaxy is one of the biggest black holes in the universe, which scientists recently found is even bigger than previously thought. This galaxy is in the center of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-19, which is located about 1.3 billion light years from Earth It turns out that the largest black holes may be even bigger than scientists previously thought.... 

Iran launched its first domestically-produced satellite, Omid (Hope), via Safir (Ambassador) carrier (shown) into orbit in 2009. Head of Iran’s Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli says the country plans to launch two indigenous satellites into orbit by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2013). “The launching of the two satellites, Fajr and Shrif Sat, by the end of the current... 

MIT physicists grew this pure crystal of herbertsmithite in their laboratory. This sample, which took 10 months to grow, is 7 mm long (just over a quarter-inch) and weighs 0.2 grams. Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say that they have been able to demonstrate the existence of a new state of magnetism. MIT physics professor Young Lee, the senior author of the study, said... 

Doomsday paranoia triggers private asteroid hunt The Mayan doomsday may have passed without incident, but it’s too early to relax. Astronomers have found a large asteroid heading this way. However one private firm thinks it knows how to save us. ­Scientists from the University of Hawaii said that the 140 meter asteroid’s will just miss Earth as the orbital trajectory of the 2011 AG5 space... 

Regulators with the FDA have released a preliminary report that suggests they will soon give the go-ahead to a team of scientists who’ve created a sci-fi “frankenfish.” On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration released an environmental assessment report regarding a salmon-hybrid developed in the laboratories of AquaBounty. The FDA must wait two months before they make final their decision... 

Recent research shows that snail saliva may have antioxidant and regenerative effects on human skin. According to a study by scientists at the Autonomous University of Madrid, snail saliva could be used in therapies to regenerate damaged skin tissues. Recent research shows that snail saliva may have antioxidant and regenerative effects on human skin. According to a study by scientists at the Autonomous... 

Artist’s impression: five planets orbit the star Tau Ceti, which is just 11.9 light-years from Earth. Astronomers have discovered that the closest Sun-like star, Tau Ceti, is orbited by five planets, one of which is in the “habitable range”. If its existence is confirmed, the planet could be the closest potentially life-harboring world to our own. Tau Ceti, twelve light years away, belongs... 

The image shows the final flight path for NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (Grail) mission spacecraft, which impacted the Moon on Dec. 17, 2012. NASA’s twin Grail probes have smashed themselves into a lunar mountain, ending their year-long mission of mapping lunar gravity and providing data on its composition. The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, known as Grail,... 

Iran launched its first domestically-produced satellite, Omid (Hope), via Safir (Ambassador) carrier (shown) into orbit in 2009. Head of Iran’s Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli says the country plans to send a living organism into space on board the Pishgam (Pioneer) satellite carrier in the near future. “Iran’s Space Agency (ISA) is fully prepared to send the Pishgam satellite carrier bearing... 

Viewers, beware: while you’re watching TV, your TV might be watching you back. A security firm discovered that Samsung’s Smart TV can give hackers access to the device’s built-in camera and microphones, allowing them to watch everything you do. The Malta-based firm ReVuln posted a video showing its team of researchers hacking into one of the Samsung TVs and accessing its settings, channel lists,... 

Scientists reprogram urine cells to generate neurons: Chinese scientists claim to have succeeded in reprogramming cells from human urine into brain cells (neural progenitor), in a study that may contribute to future advances in the treatment of degenerative illnesses like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Research has contributed to the advancement of the treatment of degenerative diseases... 

The work on the Russian aviation project of the hypersonic experimental aircraft, known for the Russian initials as GELA, has been shelved before 2014, RBC reports. According to sources at Rainbow design bureau and the Central Institute of AeroHydroDynamics, the works on the Russian hypersonic experimental aircraft (GELA), which were conducted in Dubna (a town near Moscow) were suspended at least... 

Imagine texting while driving, or placing a call while showering, without holding your phone in your hands. It’s not sci-fi any more – a new technology allows information like text messages and driving directions to be projected onto a contact lens. The hardware behind this invention is a spherical curved LCD display that can fit into a contact lens, developed by Ghent University’s Centre... 

Opel cars are parked in front of Opel’s plant in the western German city of Bochum on June 8, 2009. US auto giant, General Motors, has decided to stop car production at a plant of the troubled and loss-making German carmaker, Opel, after 2016. Head of the Opel works council, Rainer Einenkel, said on Friday that there will be no more auto production at Opel plant in Bochum, situated about 442...