{"id":12091,"date":"2022-04-30T19:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-04-30T17:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=116777"},"modified":"2022-04-30T19:20:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-30T17:20:14","slug":"darvaza-gas-crater-friendly-robots-and-hubbles-birthday-present-the-best-images-in-science-for-april","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/darvaza-gas-crater-friendly-robots-and-hubbles-birthday-present-the-best-images-in-science-for-april\/","title":{"rendered":"Darvaza gas crater, friendly robots and Hubble\u2019s birthday present: The best images in science for April"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By James Cutmore\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 30 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Have you ever done something and then instantly regretted it? That is probably what happened in Turkmenistan in 1971, when engineers looking for oil decided to set fire to a gas pocket. They thought that the fire would burn out after a few weeks. Now, over 50 years later, efforts are being made to finally extinguish the fire.<\/p>\n

Spring is a time for new life, and in the case of science, new product launches and new technology, and we have plenty of that on offer.<\/p>\n

So, while it\u2019s not quite time to break out the flip-flops, why not take a look through our gallery of the best images in science for April.<\/p>\n

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Closing the gate to hell<\/h2>\n
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A view of the Darvaza gas crater also known as the Gate to Hell, which has been burning for almost half of a century, is seen on 2 April 2022. Steps are finally being taken\u00a0to close the crater due to negative effects on human health and environmental damage. The crater is located in Darvaza, in the middle of Karakum Desert, 270 kilometres from Turkmenistan\u2019s capital, Ashgabat. The crater was first formed in 1971 during a Soviet gas drilling expedition. Photo by Merdan Velhanov\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Free home delivery<\/h2>\n
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A delivery man wearing personal protective equipment prepares to deliver food bought online for residents who were restricted due to a recent COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, in Ningbo in China\u2019s eastern Zhejiang province on 2 April 2022. Photo by AFP\/STR\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Ta-Da!<\/h2>\n
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Ai-Da, an ultra-realistic robot paints an image during a photocall in central London, on 4 April 2022. Ai-Da is the world\u2019s first ultra-realistic robot artist, and is named after Ada Lovelace \u2013 regarded to be the first computer programmer. As a machine with artificial intelligence capabilities, her artist persona is part of the artwork, along with her drawings, performance art and collaborative paintings. Photo by Ben Stansall\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

A touch of frost<\/h2>\n
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An aerial view taken near Vernou-sur-Brenne, central France, on 4 April 2022 shows the fires set in the Vouvray vineyards to protect them from the frost. Photo by Guillaume Souvant\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Downing tools<\/h2>\n
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Cars are seen on the assembly line during a tour of the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing facility ahead of the \u2018Cyber Rodeo\u2019 grand opening party on 7 April 2022 in Austin, Texas, USA. Photo by Suzanna Cordeiro\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Here be Dragon<\/h2>\n
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft is shown as it launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station, on 8 April 2022, at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Photo by NASA\/Joel Kowsky<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Turkish floods<\/h2>\n
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An aerial view of wild horses running through the flooded forests on the shore of the Marmara Sea in the Karacabey district of Bursa, Turkey, on 9 April 2022. Photo by Ugur Ulu\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Eye see trees of green<\/h2>\n
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This image, released on 13 April 2022, shows the largest antenna ever tested in ESA\u2019s Hertz radio frequency test chamber. This transponder antenna will operate on the ground in Australia, and will communicate with the Biomass satellite mission to chart the health of all the forests on Earth. Part of ESA\u2019s technical heart in the Netherlands, the metal-walled\u00a0\u2018Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone\u2019\u00a0chamber is shut off from all external influences. Its internal walls are studded with radio-absorbing \u2018anechoic\u2019 foam pyramids, allowing radio-frequency testing without any distorting reflections. Photo by ESA\/SJM Photography<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

It\u2019s in here somewhere<\/h2>\n
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Aerial view of shipping containers sitting stacked at Asia\u2019s first fully automated container terminal of Qingdao Port on 13 April 2022 in Qingdao, in the Shandong Province of China. Photo by Zhang Jingang\/VCG\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Thermal power<\/h2>\n
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Engineers at MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have designed a heat engine with no moving parts. Their new demonstrations show that it converts heat to electricity with over 40 per cent efficiency \u2014 a performance better than that of traditional steam turbines. In this image, released on 13 April 2022, a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell is seen mounted on a heat sink. Photo by Felice Frankel<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Crash landing<\/h2>\n
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This image of Perseverance\u2019s protective shell sitting upright on the surface of Jezero Crater, on the planet Mars, was collected from an altitude of 8 metres by NASA\u2019s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 26th flight at Mars on 19 April 2022. Engineers working on the Mars Sample Return program obtained images from an aerial perspective so that they could study the components\u2019 performance during the rover\u2019s entry, descent, and landing. Photo by NASA\/JPL<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Digital Earth<\/h2>\n
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A general model shows \u2018Geo-Cosmos\u2019, the world\u2019s first spherical display made using organic electroluminescent panels showing a high-resolution model of the Earth. The model has been updated with 10,362 new LED panels, and is shown during a media preview at Miraikanon, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, in Tokyo, Japan, on 19 April 2022. Photo by Philip Fong\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Check out more galleries on Science Focus<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n