Astronomers take virtual plunge into black hole

Dare to fall into a black hole and you would get vaporized in what is probably the most violent place in the universe. But the journey would yield some amazing sights, though you might need three eyes for the best view of what’s going on, new research suggests.

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Ancient microbes discovered alive beneath Antarctic glacier

Beneath an Antarctic glacier in a cold, airless pool that never sees the sun seems like an unusual place to search for life. But under the Taylor Glacier on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, near a place called Blood Falls, scientists have discovered a time capsule of bacterial activity. At chilling temperatures, with no oxygen or sunlight, these newly found microbes have survived for the past 1.5 million years using an “iron-breathing” technique, which may show how life could exist on other planets

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Colombia’s Drug Extraditions: Are They Worth It?

When he was the king of cocaine, the prospect of doing hard time in an American penitentiary was about the only thing that made Pablo Escobar’s blood run cold. Living by the motto “Better a tomb in Colombia than a prison cell in the United States,” Escobar unleashed a wave of car bombings and assassinations that forced the Colombian government to water down extradition laws

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In-flight food: Heaven or hell on a tray?

The "crime scene cookies", "baaji custard" and "sponge shafts" depicted in Oliver Beale’s letter of complaint to Virgin Atlantic struck a chord worldwide. The missive he sent to Virgin chairman Sir Richard Branson about a meal he received on board a Virgin flight from Mumbai to London in December spread across the web and email with a vengeance. Not only was this a complaint letter par excellence, but it hit upon one of the most emotive subjects of long-haul air travel: the in-flight meal

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