Cosmic ray origin confirmed

Summary: The Fermi telescope has confirmed that cosmic rays originate from the star explosions known as supernovae. They actually get accelerated toward Earth not by the explosion itself, but rather by the shock wave created after the explosion. (That's the part that looks beautiful in images!)
Scientists determined this by looking at characteristic particle decays. They know that pions decay into gamma rays which then travel toward Earth. Studying the gamma rays are ideal since they are not affected by magnetic fields and thus will point directly back to their source after being detected by Fermi.



BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21421449

Medieval Gamma Ray bursts

Summary: This article discusses recent finds that indicate that there may have been a gamma-ray burst in the 8th century. It would've been visible during the day, but would not have had an effect on everyday life. This is in contrast to scientists predicting massive everyday disturbances  if another were to occur in our times.



BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21082617