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Editor's note
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With more than 4,000 exoplanets – planets orbiting stars other than our sun – discovered to date, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard about a new discovery. And the truth is that scientists tend to know very little about such worlds, often just their mass and radius.
That said, there are at least a dozen exoplanets with the potential to support life. But even in these cases, there’s often little information to go on. A planet is thought to lie in its star’s “habitable zone” if it orbits at the right distance for liquid water to stably exist on its surface. Another promising sign is if the planet is rocky rather than gaseous. But what we really want to know is what is going on in its atmosphere.
Now, scientists have made a major breakthrough, for the first time detecting water in the atmosphere of an exoplanet thought to be rocky and in the habitable zone – making it the best candidate for hosting life to date.
Meanwhile, on planet Earth, consider our ongoing coverage of Brexit, vaping and a host of other topical issues.
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Miriam Frankel
Science Editor
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Top stories
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Artist’s impression of planet K2-18 b, its host star and an accompanying planet in this system.
ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser
Angelos Tsiaras, UCL
K2-18 b is now the exoplanet most likely to be habitable.
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Brexit is dominating headlines.
Shutterstock
Andrew Calcutt, University of East London
The political class is tearing itself to pieces, and journalists are making sure we can read all about it. But beyond Westminster, why would people care about things they can do nothing about?
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A man exhales after vaping Aug. 28, 2019 in Portland, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo
Ilona Jaspers, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
As vaping-related illnesses increase and deaths reported, an inhalation toxicologist explains why comparing the dangers of vaping to the dangers from cigarettes doesn't make sense.
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Politics + Society
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Chris O'Leary, Manchester Metropolitan University
Reforms to the way local authorities are funded are probably the most radical – and least discussed – changes made by the Conservative government.
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Daniel Kirkpatrick, University of Kent; Recep Onursal, University of Kent
Extremism and terrorism should not be simply interlinked.
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Steven Hurst, Manchester Metropolitan University
As US national security advisor, John Bolton was too much of a warmonger for Donald Trump.
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Daniele Albertazzi, University of Birmingham
The former deputy prime minister has been outmanouevered by his government partners –but he thrives in opposition.
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Science + Technology
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Michael J. I. Brown, Monash University
Why do astronomers believe there's dark matter when it cannot be directly detected? Lets look at the evidence, and see what dark matter's presence means for our universe.
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Laurence Belcher, University of Bath; Philip Madgwick, University of Bath
A thought experiment from Richard Dawkins' book The Selfish Gene turned out to be a more realistic explanation for altruism than he expected.
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Harriet Dempsey-Jones, UCL
Ultra-clear maps of individual toes were found in the brains of two foot painters – these are not found in typically developed humans.
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Business + Economy
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Vassilis K. Fouskas, University of East London; Shampa Roy-Mukherjee, University of East London
A no-deal Brexit means the immediate imposition of import duties and various controls on UK-EU trade.
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Colin Mason, University of Glasgow
It has undoubtedly been a game-changer for entrepreneurial finance, but researchers are discovering new inequalities and risks for investors.
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Arts + Culture
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Robert Pepperell, Cardiff Metropolitan University
When we look at art we may not all see the same thing. It all depends on what happens in our brains.
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Sarah Wright, Royal Holloway
The Spanish director's new film is a mischievously autobiographical commentary on the healing powers of art.
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Environment + Energy
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Tobias Jackson, University of Cambridge; Sami Rifai, University of Oxford
The monster trees are almost 90m tall, and may make the Amazon's northeast a much greater carbon sink than previously thought.
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Health + Medicine
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John J Reilly, University of Strathclyde ; Xanne Janssen, University of Strathclyde
It may not be such a bad habit after all.
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Featured events
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Dalhousie Building, Dundee, DD1 5EN, Dundee, Angus, DD1 5EN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Dundee
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Cambridge Judge Business School, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1AG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Cambridge
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Northampton Square, London, Islington, EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — City, University of London
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Northampton Square, London, Islington, EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — City, University of London
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