The newly discovered Asteroid 2012 BX34 passed 77 000km by Earth friday at a speed of 9 km/sec. Eventhough the distance iwas only 1/5 the distance to the Moon, the passage did not pose a threat to Earth

Kilder: NASA, Youtube, physorg mfl.

This image from the HiRISE camera on the MRO probe shows wind-shaped sand-dunes

NASA's Kepler mission has discovered 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 confirmed planets. These discoveries nearly double the number of verified Kepler planets and triple the number of stars known to have more than one planet that transits, or passes in front of, the star. Such systems will help astronomers better understand how planets form.

Astronauts on a mission to Mars will need much more than freeze-dried ice cream to sustain them, and researchers at Cornell are working to  determine the best way to keep them well nourished during their 3-year journeys and four-month stays on the Red Planet.

Why is the universe magnetized? It's a question scientists have been asking for decades. Now, an international team of researchers have demonstrated that it could have happened spontaneously, as the prevailing theory suggests.

ESA satellites show that a large dome of fresh water has been building up in the Arctic Ocean over the last 15 years. A change in wind direction could cause the water to spill into the north Atlantic, cooling Europe.