No atmosphere found at faraway Earth-sized world, study says
This March 5, 2020, photo made available by NASA shows the main mirror assembly of the James Webb Space Telescope during testing at a Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, Calif. (Chris Gunn/NASA via AP, File)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -
The Webb Space Telescope has found no evidence of an atmosphere at one of the seven rocky, Earth-sized planets orbiting a nearby star.
Scientists said Monday that doesn't bode well for the rest of the planets in this solar system, some of which are in the sweet spot for harbouring water and potentially life.
The NASA-led team reported little if no atmosphere exists at the innermost planet in the Trappist system, 40 light-years away. The researchers used a special technique geared toward a warm planet like this one. Results were published Monday in the journal Nature.
The lack of an atmosphere would mean no water and no protection from cosmic rays, said NASA's Thomas Greene, the lead researcher.
As for the other planets orbiting the small, feeble Trappist star, "I would have been more optimistic about the others" having atmospheres if this one had, Greene said in an email.
Because this innermost planet is bombarded by solar radiation -- four times as much as Earth gets from our sun -- it's possible that extra energy is why there's no atmosphere, Greene noted.
More observations are planned not only of this planet, but the others in the Trappist system.
------
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Unemployment rate ticks higher in May for first time in 9 months: StatCan
Canada's jobless rate ticked higher to 5.2 per cent in May, marking the first increase since August 2022 as economists have been watching for any sign of a softening labour market.
2-year-old girl dead after going missing near Canmore, Alta., campground
A two-year-old girl who went missing from Canmore's Bow River Campground on Thursday afternoon has died.
Bernardo's prison transfer 'slap in the face' for victims' families, Tori Stafford's father says
The father of Tori Stafford, an Ontario girl who was murdered in 2009, says the latest decision to transfer convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison is a 'slap in the face' to all murder victims' families.
'That hurt has been extended': Indigenous leaders in Manitoba share displeasure of Queen Elizabeth II statue being back up
Two years after two statues were knocked down and damaged at the Manitoba Legislature, one is now back up and Indigenous leaders are upset by the decision.
Trump charged over classified documents in 1st federal indictment of an ex-president
Donald Trump said Thursday that he was indicted for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, a remarkable development that makes him the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges by the federal government that he once oversaw.
Ottawa girl set to become the youngest university graduate in Canadian history
Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis is not your typical 12-year-old. She is a child prodigy who's about to become the youngest Canadian to ever graduate from university.
A little white pill, Captagon, gives Syria's Assad a strong tool in winning over Arab states
A little white pill has given Syrian President Bashar Assad powerful leverage with his Arab neighbours, who have been willing to bring him out of pariah status in hopes he will stop the flow of highly addictive Captagon amphetamines out of Syria.
Largest ruby ever to come to auction sells for record-breaking US$34.8 million
A 55.22-carat ruby has become both the largest and most valuable gem of its kind ever to sell at auction, netting US$34.8 million on Thursday.
Poor air quality from fires expected to continue for at least a couple days
Smoke and flames continue to engulf much of Canada, with Alberta imposing new evacuation orders, Manitoba bracing for heavy, lightning-generating thunderstorms and high wildfire risks and poor air quality from coast to coast.
Canada
-
2-year-old girl dead after going missing near Canmore, Alta., campground
A two-year-old girl who went missing from Canmore's Bow River Campground on Thursday afternoon has died.
-
Ontario police search for 3 children from Muskoka area
Ontario police are searching for three missing children from the Muskoka area.
-
Bernardo's prison transfer 'slap in the face' for victims' families, Tori Stafford's father says
The father of Tori Stafford, an Ontario girl who was murdered in 2009, says the latest decision to transfer convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison is a 'slap in the face' to all murder victims' families.
-
Unemployment rate ticks higher in May for first time in 9 months: StatCan
Canada's jobless rate ticked higher to 5.2 per cent in May, marking the first increase since August 2022 as economists have been watching for any sign of a softening labour market.
-
Northern Ont. wildfire update, highway closure expanded
The number of active wildfires in northern Ontario has grown, but more of them are under control as the fight continues. Here is what you need to know.
-
Ottawa girl set to become the youngest university graduate in Canadian history
Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis is not your typical 12-year-old. She is a child prodigy who's about to become the youngest Canadian to ever graduate from university.
World
-
Philippines evacuates people near Mayon Volcano, where more unrest indicates eruption may be coming
Philippine troops, police and rescue workers began forcibly evacuating residents near Mayon Volcano on Friday as its increasing unrest indicated a violent eruption of one of the country's most active volcanoes is possible within weeks or days.
-
Russian citizen mauled to death by tiger shark off Egypt's Red Sea coast in rare attack
A Russian man died after being mauled by a shark on Thursday off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, Egyptian and Russian authorities said.
-
France hails 'backpack hero' who fought Annecy knife attacker
France is calling him "the backpack hero," a young Catholic pilgrim on a walking tour of cathedrals who came face to face with the man who stabbed several children in a park in Annecy.
-
Child victims of stabbing attack in France in critical but stable condition, president visits
France's president travelled Friday to the side of families traumatized by the savage stabbings of four very young children, all said to be in stable condition after emergency surgery, while investigators worked to unravel the motives of a Syrian man taken into custody.
-
Vatican: Pope sitting up, working from an armchair after abdominal surgery
Pope Francis was "progressively improving" and sitting in an armchair working Friday, following surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.
-
Sudan's government declares UN envoy, a mediator in the conflict, no longer welcome
The United Nations envoy to Sudan, a key mediator in the country's brutal conflict, is no longer welcome in the African country, Sudanese authorities say.
Politics
-
Freeland's budget bill passes House after Poilievre pledges to block it
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
-
Canada sought use of European Union compound in Kabul for fingerprinting, reneged
Canada requested use of the European Union's compound in Kabul to help with tasks such as fingerprinting for those fleeing Afghanistan, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.
-
Liberals unveil plan to make hybrid House of Commons sittings permanent
Government House Leader Mark Holland has unveiled the federal Liberals' plans to make hybrid sittings a permanent feature in the House of Commons.
Health
-
Supreme Court of Canada won't hear unvaccinated woman's case for organ donation
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
-
A little white pill, Captagon, gives Syria's Assad a strong tool in winning over Arab states
A little white pill has given Syrian President Bashar Assad powerful leverage with his Arab neighbours, who have been willing to bring him out of pariah status in hopes he will stop the flow of highly addictive Captagon amphetamines out of Syria.
-
Shannen Doherty reveals cancer has spread to her brain
Actress Shannen Doherty is letting her social media followers in on the spread of her breast cancer.
Sci-Tech
-
Government policy tells CRTC to exclude social media users from online streaming bill
Canadians who make content online are to be excluded from future regulations that the Liberal government is imposing on digital giants, a new draft policy shows.
-
Meta previews generative AI tools planned for its platforms
Facebook owner Meta Platforms on Thursday gave employees a sneak peek at a series of AI tools it was building, including ChatGPT-like chatbots planned for Messenger and WhatsApp that could converse using different personas.
-
Scientists find crocodile 'virgin birth' at Costa Rica zoo
Scientists have documented the first-known instance of a 'virgin birth' by a crocodile, which had been living in isolation for 16 years at Costa Rican zoo, according to a study published Wednesday.
Entertainment
-
Movie reviews: 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' delivers what matters to fans
This week, pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,' 'Daliland,' and 'Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis).'
-
Bell Media touts 'strike-proof' TV slates as Hollywood labour disputes heat up
Executives at Bell Media say they've designed a 'strike-proof' fall television lineup that will carry its banner CTV network and Crave TV and streaming platform through months of potential labour unrest that's already shut down much of Hollywood.
-
Morning maven Marilyn Denis wraps decades-long daytime TV tenure
Daytime mainstay Marilyn Denis makes her final appearance as host of the 'Marilyn Denis Show' on Friday, capping a decades-long run as one of Canada's most enduring television personalities.
Business
-
Unemployment rate ticks higher in May for first time in 9 months: StatCan
Canada's jobless rate ticked higher to 5.2 per cent in May, marking the first increase since August 2022 as economists have been watching for any sign of a softening labour market.
-
Pizza shop owner turned his business into a worker-owned co-op
Six years ago, Kirk Vartan turned A Slice of New York Pizza into a co-op by selling the business to his staff as a leveraged buyout. The employee-owners are now paying back a business loan with the profits generated by the company. And they all run the shop as a board of directors.
-
Wildfires, smoke having 'huge impact' on some tourism operators across Canada
Raging wildfires and smoky skies across much of Canada have put a damper on travel this summer, resulting in cancelled plans and closed businesses.
Lifestyle
-
WATCH
WATCH | Strawberry Moon creates stunning rainbows over Yosemite waterfalls
Photographer Shreenivasan Manievannan captured lunar rainbows forming over Yosemite National Park waterfalls during the June 2-3 Strawberry Moon.
-
10-year-old girl survives more than 24 hours alone in the rugged Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family
Rescuers in Washington state are praising the resourcefulness of a 10-year-old girl who survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family.
-
Largest ruby ever to come to auction sells for record-breaking US$34.8 million
A 55.22-carat ruby has become both the largest and most valuable gem of its kind ever to sell at auction, netting US$34.8 million on Thursday.
Sports
-
In this youth baseball league, fans who mistreat umpires are sentenced to do the job themselves
The April Facebook post hardly seemed like national news at the time for Deptford Little League president Don Bozzuffi. He'd lost patience when two umpires resigned in the wake of persistent spectator abuse. So he wrote an updated code of conduct.
-
Red Sox comfortable with handling of pitcher Matt Dermody after learning of 2021 homophobic tweet
The Boston Red Sox believe they took the proper steps after learning about a homophobic tweet made by pitcher Matt Dermody two years ago.
-
Canada's Fernandez and U.S. partner Townsend advance to doubles final at French Open
Canada's Leylah Fernandez and American playing partner Taylor Townsend advanced to the women's doubles finals at the French Open on Friday.
Autos
-
Ford to bring Mustang back to Le Mans under company rebranding
Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer "into the racing business."
-
Climate activists deflate tires of more than 100 SUVs in Denmark's capital
A group of climate activists claimed responsibility on Wednesday for deflating the tires of sport utility vehicles in Denmark's capital. More than 100 vehicles were vandalized, police said.
-
WATCH
WATCH | Police chase 10-year-old driver on Michigan highway
A 10-year-old driving a stolen Buick led Michigan police on a highway chase last month, newly released video shows.
