All posts tagged: dart

NASA DART Mission data reshapes understanding of how near-Earth asteroids evolve over time

NASA DART Mission data reshapes understanding of how near-Earth asteroids evolve over time

Published by Jenni Sidey

Bright streaks on a small asteroid moon looked, at first, like a camera problem. They were faint, fan-shaped, and easy to miss in the final images NASA’s DART spacecraft took before it slammed into Dimorphos in 2022. However, after months of image cleanup and modeling, astronomers concluded the marks were real. They now say the streaks are the first direct visual evidence that one asteroid in a binary system can shed material that lands on its companion. The finding, published in The Planetary Science Journal, points to a surprisingly active relationship between the near-Earth asteroid Didymos and its moon, Dimorphos. Rather than acting like two isolated rocks in space, the pair appears to exchange debris in slow, gentle impacts. These impacts leave visible traces on the surface. “At first, we thought something was wrong with the camera, and then we thought it could’ve been something wrong with our image processing,” said lead author Jessica Sunshine, a professor with joint appointments in the Department of Astronomy and Department of Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at the …

Russia rejects claims of poisoning Navalny with dart frog toxin | News

Russia rejects claims of poisoning Navalny with dart frog toxin | News

Published by Sam Flores

Five European countries have accused Russia of using a toxin from dart frogs to kill the Kremlin critic. Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 16 Feb 202616 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The Kremlin has “strongly” rejected an assessment by five European countries that the Russian state killed jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny by poisoning him. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest domestic opponent for years, died in an Arctic prison colony on February 16, 2024 while serving a 19-year sentence for “extremism”, a charge he and his supporters said was punishment for his opposition work. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden issued a joint statement on Saturday saying they believed he had been poisoned with epibatidine – a toxin found in poison dart frogs – and that the Russian state had the “means, motive and opportunity” to administer it. “We naturally do not accept such accusations. We disagree with them. We consider them biased and baseless,” …

European states say Navalny poisoned with dart frog toxin in Russian prison

European states say Navalny poisoned with dart frog toxin in Russian prison

Published by Sam Flores

Protesters and mourners rally at the Russian Embassy following the death of Alexei Navalny on February 16, 2024 in Washington, DC. KEVIN DIETSCH / AFP Five European countries, including Britain, France and Germany, accused Russia of “poisoning” opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison in 2024 using a “rare toxin,” on Saturday, February 14, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “The UK, Sweden, France, Germany and The Netherlands are confident that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin,” the countries said in a joint statement, following “analyses of samples” from his body. The staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin died in an Arctic prison in February 2024, while serving a 19-year prison sentence. The epibatidine toxin found in the skin of dart frogs native to South America was found in samples and “highly likely resulted in his death,” the European states said. “Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia, and we …

Alexei Navalny died after being ‘poisoned with dart frog tox | World | News

Alexei Navalny died after being ‘poisoned with dart frog tox | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

The Russian state killed opposition leader and Vladimir Putin nemesis Alexei Navalny using a poison developed from a dart frog toxin, the Foreign Office has said. Two years on from the death of Mr Navalny at a Siberian penal colony, Britain and its allies have pinned the blame on the Kremlin following analysis of material samples found on his body. There is no innocent explanation for the toxin epibatidine being found on Mr Navalny’s body, the Foreign Office said. Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Since Yulia Navalnaya announced the loss of her husband here in Munich two years ago, the UK has pursued the truth of Alexei Navalny’s death with fierce determination. Only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia. Today, beside his widow, the UK is shining a light on the Kremlin’s barbaric plot to silence his voice.” Western governments said laboratory testing had “conclusively confirmed” the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found …

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with dart frog poison, UK and allies say | World News

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with dart frog poison, UK and allies say | World News

Published by Sam Flores

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison in Russia after being poisoned with a deadly toxin found in the skin of Ecuadorian dart frogs, the UK and other allies have revealed. The “barbaric” act – using a neurotoxin that is classed as a chemical weapon – could only have been carried out by Vladimir Putin’s government, they said on Saturday. The poisoning “highly likely” resulted in Mr Navalny’s death in 2024. Sky News understands it is likely the toxin was manufactured in a laboratory rather than actually taken from the frogs It is not clear how the frog poison – called epibatidine – was allegedly administered to the dissident, who had been in a penal colony in Siberia when he died almost exactly two years ago. Indigenous tribes in South America are said to use the toxin in blow darts or blowguns when they hunt. Image: Alexei Navalny was buried in the suburbs of Moscow in March 2024. Pic: Reuters The poison – described as “one of the deadliest on earth” – is 200 …

Luke Littler seals record £20m deal with dart supplier | UK News

Luke Littler seals record £20m deal with dart supplier | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Luke Littler has secured a historic payday after agreeing a record £20m deal with his dart supplier. The 18-year-old, who claimed the first £1m prize pot when he won the World Championship at Alexandra Palace last Saturday, has renewed his contract with Target Darts. The Press Association understands the deal, including potential earnings and bonuses, as well as a percentage of sales of products and equipment, is worth £20m over 10 years and will be the biggest the sport has ever seen. English player Littler has helped to bring darts to the mainstream since his debut run to the 2024 World Championship final as a 16-year-old. Image: Pic: PA “Target has believed in me from day one and I’m delighted that there are many more years to come,” said Littler, who is also managed by the company. Read more from Sky News:TikTok creator jailed for nine yearsVideo from ‘personal’ series released on Kate’s birthday Littler, who bought all the staff at Target Apple AirPods for Christmas, has already won nearly £2.8m in prize money in …