Scott Martelle
journalist/author

I don't think any outlet is doing a better, more consistent job of tracking the discoveries of science and the universe than Wired. Which could be why I keep linking to them.

Today's installment: a peek back toward the beginning of the universe, which for all intents and purposes is the beginning of time (as close as we can understand it, which isn't particularly well).

The infrared image is of the heart of the Milky Way galaxy - ours - with its thick cluster of stars. The linked article points out that usually the core of the galaxy is obscured by dust, but the infrared lights cuts through it, allowing the Spitzer Space Telescope to see what it can see.

Remarkable.

I love this stuff -- from Wired, a bit on four galaxies discovered colliding deep in space.

Very cool photos from Wired Science -- and some interesting details about the recovery of a butterfly species in England. Yes, ecosystems are fragile, and the little things -- like unusually tall grass -- can have devastating consequences. Of course, you knew that, but it's reassuring to have it proven again. Now if we were just smart enough to act on it more often...

Some things just should not be contemplated before the first cup of coffee. Like "brown matter," the flow of material that some scientists and astrophysicists speculate is, in essence, a leak from our universe to the next.

So maybe H. Ross Perot was on to something more cosmic than trade policy back in the 1992 election.