Dark matter spectra?

NGC 1275 the galaxy at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226074829.htm

Astrophysicist Alexey Boyarsky and his researchers believe they have discovered indirect evidence of a new particle. The team is calling this new particle the sterile neutrino and they say that it is responsible for a hidden spike in the x-ray part of the spectra of the Perseus galaxy cluster. This spectral line apparently cannot be explained by any known atomic transition frequency. This spectral line has also been seen by Boyarsky in the nearby Andromeda galaxy as well as by a team at Harvard in many other galaxy clusters. The spectral line is attributed to the decay of this sterile neutrino which gets its name because it does not interact with other neutrinos. The sterile neutrino does have mass however and Boyarsky and his team have hope that this particle may be able to explain dark matter. The sterile neutrino is an appealing candidate for dark matter because it would only require a small modification to the standard model.

Habitable zone does not guarantee a habitable planet

                              

Modeling of super earths suggests that a rocky planet lying in the habitable zone is not enough to create a habitat. The theory of planetary formation says that planets form from proto-planetary disks which are essentially accretion disks around young stars. In these proto-planetary disks clumps start to form and increase in size through gravitation with other clumps eventually forming planets. The planetary disks should be abundant in hydrogen and this hydrogen will be gravitationally attracted to the forming planets. The size of the planet will dictate the gravitational force and thus how much hydrogen gas collects around the planet. The young star the planets are forming around will also be stripping away hydrogen through radiation pressure. By modeling the balance of capture and removal rate of hydrogen Dr. Helmut Lammer of the Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences was able to show that under similar conditions as our own solar system a rocky planet with 0.5 the radius of the earth would not capture enough hydrogen and would not likely support life. Alternatively a rocky planet with a radius 1.5 times that of the earth  would capture to much hydrogen and form a thick atmosphere that would not likely support life. Dr. Lammer's research suggests that for some of the recently discovered rocky planets, such as Kepler-62e, being in the habitable zone does not make them habitable planets.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226074925.htm 

The beggining of the Universe?

I found an article about a new cosmological theory that I thought was an interesting read. Dr. Christof Wetterich professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics is proposing a theoretical model of the universe where instead of the big bang there is the slow thaw. In this theory the universe starts as static and slowly "thaws" and the mass of particles are variable and increases with time. Prof. Wetterich also says this this theory does not invalidate the big bang theory. The theory seems wild and I was wondering what other people would think. Here it is, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140225111921.htm