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Orbital ATK is among the two private companies that presently hold a contract with the US space agency NASA for flying unmanned cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS). The formation of the company took place with a merger of Orbital Sciences Corp. and Alliant Techsystems (ATK).

Specialized in launching tiny satellites, Orbital Sciences was best known for the Cygnus cargo spacecraft launch to the ISS, and ATK gained prominence by making solid rocket boosters for the space shuttles. Since the merger in February 2015, Orbital ATK has been working on defense systems, flight systems and space systems.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) used its Spitzer Space Telescope for creating a precision temperature (exo-) map of a nearby ‘super-Earth’ exoplanet, known as 55 Cancri e. This is the first of its kind graphical representation for the heat data available for such an exoplanet, which is located at a distance of 40 light years from Earth and is situated in the constellation of Cancer.

Extinct species Homo floresiensis discovered in Indonesia more than a decade ago vanished much earlier than previously estimated, suggests a new study. The study also stated that modern humans could be behind the extinction of this mysterious and diminutive species.

In 2003, researchers first discovered the signs of the primate in a cave in Flores, an island in Indonesia. After examining the species’ bones, they found that the species, dubbed ‘The Hobbit’ by the researchers, became extinct about 12,000 years ago. But now, the study stated that the Homo floresiensis had gone 50,000 years ago.

World seas might see drastic rise in near future if we fail to curb global warming at its present rate. Many climate scientists have already predicted the sea-level rise by 2100, but a new study has suggested that the rise could be at double the rate of previous estimates.

The study by two climate scientists- Robert DeConto of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and David Pollard from the Pennsylvania State University- stated that previous ice-sheet-climate models have not understood the Antarctic ice sheet’s melting completely. These models have ‘under-appreciated’ the melting and its impact on sea level, added the study.

The research has been published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Since Saturday when Tonya Owens posted a sign on Facebook page with a caption which reads simply “Nice job Kroger. This is from a Kroger in Athens, Ga”, the post has gone viral receiving more than 2,800 comments, 67,600 likes and 100,000 shares. The sign was on the door of a unisex restroom at an Athens Kroger store.

The sign had on it written a note that says, “We have a UNISEX bathroom because sometimes gender specific toilets put others into uncomfortable situations. And since we have a lot of our friends coming to see us, we want to provide a place for our friends”.

On Tuesday, Medivation Incorporated shares fell after a group of lawmakers began a campaign to cut the price of an advanced prostate cancer drug, Xtandi, which as per them has been developed at UCLA via taxpayer-backed research grants.

In the United States, the drug is marketed jointly by San Francisco-based Medivation and its partner, Astellas Pharma Inc., which is a Japanese drug-maker. Xtandi is sold outside the US by Astellas.