Black hole's 'big meal' could spark fireworks (BBC News)

Astronomers are getting ready for their best ever glimpse of the mysterious black hole at the heart of our galaxy.

"Fireworks" will flare if it gobbles up a giant gas cloud which is drifting perilously close.

A collision is now likely in spring, according to scientists at the American Astronomical Society meeting. [Read Full Article]

Mars lake 'much like early Earth' (BBC News)

The ancient lake environment found in Mars' Gale Crater could have supported microbes called chemolithoautotrophs - if they had been present.

That is the conclusion of scientists after reviewing all the pictures and other data gathered in the deep impact bowl by NASA's Curiosity rover.

Chemolithoautotrophs do not need light to function; instead, they break down rocks and minerals for energy.

On Earth, they exist underground, in caves and at the bottom of the ocean. [Read Full Article]

Violent 'weather forecast' for 'failed stars' (BBC News)

The first weather forecast for a brown dwarf is in - and it's not looking good up there.

Astronomers predict it will rain molten iron and "snow" hot sand, with lightning and hurricanes likely.

New observations with Nasa's Spitzer telescope reveal surprisingly turbulent storm clouds circling these "failed stars". [Read Full Article]

Life From Outer Space (Biozine)

Have alien life forms visited Earth? There’s no real sign that they have. This fact, however, hasn’t stopped some people from suggesting it. Don’t laugh! Many of those who have made the suggestion are actually quite reputable.

For example, over a century ago William Thompson, later known as Lord Kelvin, the scientist responsible for the second law of thermodynamics, proposed that meteorites carried the seeds for life to Earth from parts of the cosmos yet unknown. [Read Full Article]