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Editor's note
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Who doesn’t get awestruck by a bright full moon on a clear winter’s night? So it is no wonder that excitement is growing over the announcement that the Earth is being orbited by a second “moon” – a mini object that has been with us for about three years.
The body is actually an asteroid, estimated to be just one to six metres across, that has been captured into an orbit around the Earth temporarily. It is not the first time that this has happened, scientists estimate that it occurs regularly. Such mini-moons tend to be fleeting visitors though, as gravitational tugs from our much larger, permanent moon and the Sun make their orbit unstable.
And the orbit of the Moon’s tiny cousin is indeed crazy, meaning it won’t be long before it breaks free to reclaim an independent orbit about the Sun.
Also check at our stories about how birds are being used to tell the future and whether gold is an “artificial” driver of UK economic statistics.
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Miriam Frankel
Science Editor
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Top stories
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The Earth currently has two moons - but they won’t look like this in the sky.
David Rothery, The Open University
Earth currently has a second moon - but it won't stay long.
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Owl: nature’s soothsayer?
Shutterstock
Felice Wyndham, University of Oxford
The natural world is full of intriguing clues.
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Shutterstock/Vetre
Drew Woodhouse, Sheffield Hallam University
Is the UK economy booming or are the statistics being twisted out of shape by the shuffling of gold bullion?
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Politics + Society
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David Gillborn, University of Birmingham
The Sabisky affair should not be seen as a random event: the real battle lies ahead.
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Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University
A shared commitment to democracy was always key to the India-US relationship – until Trump. A foreign policy expert explains what's on the agenda for Trump's trip to India and what's missing.
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Vanessa Bettinson, De Montfort University
The ability to prosecute alleged domestic abuse cases without the support of the victim is vital.
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Jeffrey Howard, UCL
Free speech is too important to leave it to a government regulator to decide what should be banned.
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Science + Technology
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Garfield Benjamin, Solent University
The more we use facial recognition, the more we see its limits and its risks.
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Gry Wester, King's College London
CRISPR isn't a tool to fix social problems.
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Health + Medicine
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Ian Colbeck, University of Essex
Commercially available respirator masks are becoming a popular choice for cyclists and pedestrians wanting to reduce pollution exposure.
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Dominic Wilkinson, University of Oxford
If the COVID-19 outbreak becomes a pandemic, there will be many difficult ethical decisions for health services.
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Environment + Energy
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Joshua P Twining, Queen's University Belfast
Where pine martens have recovered, red squirrels have tended to benefit while grey squirrels have declined. Scientists weren't sure why – until now.
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Business + Economy
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Koen Heimeriks, University of Warwick; Irina Surdu, University of Warwick
What drives an industry leader like DuPont to prioritise corporate profit over stakeholder prosperity?
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Cities
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Mireille Tchapi, University of Westminster; Michael Neuman, University of Westminster
Community projects play a vital role in city life.
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Featured events
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Room ARC/014, Alcuin Research Resource Centre, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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East Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB11PT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Anglia Ruskin University
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School of the Arts, 19-23 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7ZG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Liverpool
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