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Asteroids could be mined by 2015

A new company called Deep Space Industries (DSI) has launched and plans to build an entire fl eet of asteroid-mining spacecraft by 2015. They will exploit the abundant resources contained in the thousands of near-Earth asteroids that regularly pass our planet. The water available on these rocks is worth more than gold because of the cost of taking it into space and its value as rocket fuel.

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Gamma-ray burst hit medieval Earth

Scientists think the most energetic explosion in the universe, a gamma-ray burst (GRB), hit Earth in the eighth century. Researchers have found high levels of carbon-14 in ancient cedar trees and beryllium-10 in Antarctic ice – both of which are created when intense radiation of this type hits atoms in the upper atmosphere. This would have happened from within our galaxy, but it’s unlikely Earth’s inhabitants would have noticed anything.

Bioluminescence could light up our streets

Bioluminescence – the light that some creatures like plankton, jellyfi sh and fi refl ies emit – may one day be used in streetlights. It’s already being harnessed in medicine as a biological marker for certain diseases, but research is underway to create bioluminescent products for all kinds of markets, including testing for contaminated water and even glowing drinks.

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Water bears are tough

Tardigrades, or water bears as they’re more commonly known, are microscopic creatures. They are able to enter a reversible, death-like state where their metabolism stops, allowing them to survive in extreme conditions that would kill most other life. This includes boiling temperatures, near-absolute zero, deadly radiation, high atmospheric pressure and even the virtual vacuum of space. They can also go without food or water for up to a decade.