A monstrously large, 'potentially hazardous' asteroid will zip through Earth's orbit on Halloween

'Complete lack of sunlight' killed a Renaissance-era toddler, CT scan reveals | 2,100-year-old burial of Aphrodite 'priestess' discovered in Russia | Emperor penguins join threatened species list, thanks to climate change Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( October 27, 2022 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [A monstrously large, 'potentially hazardous' asteroid will zip through Earth's orbit on Halloween]( [A monstrously large, 'potentially hazardous' asteroid will zip through Earth's orbit on Halloween]( (Science Photo Library - ANDRZEJ WOJCICKI via Getty Images) A newly discovered, "potentially hazardous" asteroid almost the size of the world's tallest skyscraper is set to tumble past Earth just in time for Halloween, according to NASA. The asteroid, called 2022 RM4, has an estimated diameter of between 1,083 and 2,428 feet (330 and 740 meters) — just under the height of Dubai's 2,716-foot-tall (828 m) Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It will zoom past our planet at around 52,500 mph (84,500 km/h), or roughly 68 times the speed of sound. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] ['Complete lack of sunlight' killed a Renaissance-era toddler, CT scan reveals]( ['Complete lack of sunlight' killed a Renaissance-era toddler, CT scan reveals]( (Nerlich et al, Frontiers, 2022; (CC BY 4.0)) A "virtual autopsy" of the mummified remains of a toddler buried inside a family crypt in Austria reveals that the child died from a lack of sunlight, a new study finds. Believed to be Reichard Wilhelm, the first-born son of a Count of Starhemberg, a prominent member of the Austrian aristocracy, the young boy lived during the Renaissance (between the 14th and 17th centuries) and died when he was just 10 to 18 months old. Yet despite his privileged upbringing, a team of scientists from Germany concluded that he experienced "extreme nutritional deficiency and a tragically early death from pneumonia," according to a statement. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [2,100-year-old burial of Aphrodite 'priestess' discovered in Russia]( [2,100-year-old burial of Aphrodite 'priestess' discovered in Russia]( (Nikolay Sudarev) Russian archaeologists have unearthed an intricately detailed silver medallion of the Greek goddess Aphrodite in the 2,100-year-old grave of a young woman, possibly a priestess, on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. The medallion also shows 10 — not the known 12 — signs of the zodiac, and gives unique insight into religious practices at that time and place. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Climate Change [] [Emperor penguins join threatened species list, thanks to climate change]( [Emperor penguins join threatened species list, thanks to climate change]( (Sylvain Cordier via Getty Images) Climate change has pushed emperor penguins, the largest species of penguin on Earth, onto the threatened species list, which means the iconic Antarctic birds are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. A study published last year highlighted the imminent threats to the survival of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri). It found that up to 70% of emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica could become extinct by 2050 if current rates of sea ice loss continue. In the worst-case scenarios, 98% of colonies could disappear by 2100, leaving the species unable to rebound. These harrowing findings prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to propose protecting emperor penguins under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In the Sky [] [Massive 'proton aurora' blasted a 250-mile-wide hole in Earth's ozone layer]( [Massive 'proton aurora' blasted a 250-mile-wide hole in Earth's ozone layer]( (NASA/Scott Kelly) When a blast of solar energy slammed into Earth in June 2015, the resulting rain of particles tore a 250-mile-wide (400 kilometers) hole into the upper ozone layer, new research has found. Fortunately, the ozone hole only appeared in Earth's mesosphere — a high layer of the atmosphere that extends from about 31 to 53 miles (50 to 85 km) over Earth — and did not extend down to the much more important ozone layer in the stratosphere, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the researchers found. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: An asteroid will pass by Earth on Halloween. How close will it get? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [About six times the distance between Earth and the moon]( [Vote]( [About half the distance between Earth and the moon]( [Vote]( [It is expected to enter Earth's atmosphere](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( Future US LLC © 1100 13th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005