'Seeds' of Supermassive Black Holes Discovered

'Seeds' of Supermassive Black Holes Discovered:
astroengine writes "The very existence of intermediate black holes (IBMHs) is in dispute, but a group of astronomers of Keio University, Japan, have found the potential locations of three IMBH candidates inside previously unknown star clusters near the center of the Milky Way. Using the 10-meter Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment in the Atacama Desert, Chile, and the 45-meter Nobeyama Radio Observatory in Japan, they hunted for the emissions from molecular gases associated with supernovae in star clusters — what they discovered could help evolve our view on how supermassive black holes form."

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Higgs excitations near absolute zero

Higgs excitations near absolute zero: Physicists have detected Higgs-type excitations in a low-dimensional system of ultracold atoms at the transition between different phases of matter.

Feds Ban 'Buckyballs' Magnets

Feds Ban 'Buckyballs' Magnets:
SicariusMan writes "Looks like warnings and other precautions were not enough to save Buckyballs Magnets. According to this report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is concerned about the increase in children swallowing the rare earth magnets, and has issued its first stop-sale order in 11 years. Amazon and others have already agreed to stop selling the toys. 'Although the commission issued a safety alert in November, it has received more than a dozen reports since then of children ingesting the magnets, with many requiring surgery, it said. More than 2 million Buckyballs and at least 200,000 Buckycubes, a similar cube-shaped magnet, have been sold in the United States.'"

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A fish friendly facility for the International Space Station

A fish friendly facility for the International Space Station: While aquariums provide a relaxing pastime for humans on Earth, recreation is not the goal behind the new Aquatic Habitat, or AQH, aboard the International Space Station. Instead, researchers will use this unique facility to look at how microgravity impacts marine life.

Third ‘Hobbit’ movie: How? What? When? Why?

Third ‘Hobbit’ movie: How? What? When? Why?: I admit, when I first heard talk of “a third ‘Hobbit’ movie” from the floor of Comic-Con, I was skeptical. Reporters Quickbeam and Justin brought back footage from a press conference (that you can watch right here) breaking the story that additional shooting was a possibility, directly from Peter Jackson’s mouth. I downplayed it because [...]

Cable Companies Shouldn't Fear Google?Yet

Cable Companies Shouldn't Fear Google?Yet: If as expected Google introduces a cable TV-like service as part of the rollout, Kansas Citians could find themselves with a lot more leverage in negotiating their monthly cable bills. But beyond the city limits, cable companies and telecoms likely don't have to worry just yet that the search giant will start spreading its broadband tentacles across the country.