CNN Profiles - Ben Brumfield - Digital Newsdesk Editor, CNN - CNN

Breaking News

International Edition+

U.S.

International

Arabic

Español

SCIENCE, MEDICINE, SPACE

This nebula, or cloud of gas and dust, is called RCW 34 or Gum 19. The brightest areas you can see are where the gas is being heated by young stars. Eventually the gas burst outwards like champagne after a bottle is uncorked. Scientists call this champagne flow. This new image of the nebula was captured by the European Space Organization's Very Large Telescope in Chile. RCW 34 is in the constellation Vela in the southern sky. The name means "sails of a ship" in Latin.

'The Universe is slowly dying,' study shows with unprecedented precision

UNSPECIFIED - DECEMBER 16: USA, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1976). Region of geysers, Castle Geyser (Photo by DEA/ C.DANI /I.JESKE/De Agostini/Getty Images)

Magma expanse under Yellowstone supervolcano more vast than thought

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, businessman Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take the stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

5 myths surrounding vaccines -- and the reality

new horizons pluto flyby nasa orig_00000616.jpg

They're here! New Horizons' best shots of Pluto are arriving

You may be your germs: Microbe genes slipped into human DNA, study says

The new species of Ceratioid anglerfish lives in dark ocean depths nicknamed the "midnight zone"

New scary-looking fish species comes from the ocean's dark depths

Sleeper spaceship could carry first humans to Mars in hibernation state

'Afterlife' feels 'even more real than real,' researcher says

Altamura Man is the oldest Neanderthal to have his DNA extracted

Neanderthal who fell into a well gives scientists oldest DNA sample

pkg tomkins superbugs_00001512.jpg

Understanding CRE, the 'nightmare' superbug that contributed to 2 deaths in L.A.

Stephen Hawking's fantastic vision of black holes may solve 40-year paradox

Many spiders can sail great distances over water, using legs or abdomens as sails

Some spiders are great sailors that can traverse oceans, scientists say

New Horizons satellite sends new images of Pluto's moons.

Photos of two small Pluto moons open the door to a new vastness

The Norwegian Elkhound's genes were studied to locate a mutation causing glaucoma.

Helping blind dogs see could help fight human blindness

Professor Ole Kiehn, right, annouces at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm the winners of the 2014 Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain. Images of the winners U.S.-British scientist John O'Keefe and Norwegian husband and wife Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser are projected on a screen at rear.

Medicine Nobel Prize goes for work on cells that form brain's GPS system

Until recently, scientists thought the universe would slow down its expansion due to gravity, but a newly-discovered phenomenon called dark energy is causing the expansion to speed up.

Dark matter? Scientists closer to seeing a vast, invisible universe

The Ampulex dementor, or Soul-Sucking Dementor wasp is named for a Harry Potter character

New 'Soul-Sucking Dementor' wasp buzzes to fame on Harry Potter name

NEWS FEATURES

$14 million for classic car found under a pile of French magazines?

The Confederate flag is seen flying on the Capitol grounds a day after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced that she will call for the Confederate flag to be removed on June 23, 2015 in Columbia, South Carolina.

Confederate battle flag: Separating the myths from facts

She loved a good book, Jimi Hendrix and political discussions. Activist Sabeen Mahmud was gunned down in Pakistan.

'Bravest woman,' free speech activist Sabeen Mahmud killed in Pakistan

The Hermione is a replica of the historic ship of the same name that fought in the War of Independence.

Reminder of U.S. liberty, replica of 18th century ship sets sail from France

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces 2016 inductees

Nazi era poster pitches Hitler's vile manifesto "Mein Kampf" as "The book of Germans," and boasts 4 million copies.

'Mein Kampf' to be republished in Germany 70 years after Hitler's death

pkg viral photo veterinarian shoots cat _00000514.jpg

Vet posts pic of cat shot with arrow, triggers social media firestorm

National park staff taped the butt of the Winchester Model 1873 rifle to the gun to keep them together.

132-year-old Winchester rifle found propped against desert tree in Nevada

The Yamato-class battleship Musashi, pictured here in 1944 leaving Brunei for the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Microsoft co-founder shows WWII's largest battleship, 70 years after its sinking

virginia school calligraphy homework assignment islam_00000908.jpg

All schools shut down in Augusta County, Virginia, over Islam homework

A police vehicle burns, Monday, April 27, 2015, during unrest following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Baltimore riots: A few people tried to stop the unrest

south carolina jenny horne confederate flag sot_00015821.jpg

Jenny Horne's tearful Confederate flag speech shakes S.C. State House

A new Russian nuclear submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, drives in the water area of the Sevmash factory in the northern city of Arkhangelsk on July 2, 2009. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the Sevmash factory, a well-equipped shipbuilding complex that builds and repairs submarines. AFP PHOTO / POOL / ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian sub or no, there's a mighty stir in Sweden's waters

FERGUSON, MO - UNDATED: In this undated handout photo provided by the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson is seen in Ferguson, Missouri. Police officer Darren Wilson shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9th, 2014. A St. Louis County 12 member grand jury who reviewed evidence related to the shooting decided not to indict Wilson on charges, sparking large ongoing protests. (Photo by St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office via Getty Images)

Off-duty cops protect Darren Wilson, as death threats come in

Migrants and refugees arrive aboard a Hellenic coast guard ship at the port of Lesbos island on February 8, 2016.
Streams of people fleeing conflict or poverty continue to make the often perilous journey from Turkey across the Mediterranean and through the Balkans, despite cold winter weather, in the hope of starting new lives in more prosperous European countries / AFP / STRINGER

Migrants flock to Europe in peak numbers, getting stuck in Greece

Iran arrests Baquer Namazi, father of imprisoned American businessman

russia metrojet syria airstrieks putin matthew chance lkl newsroom_00004121.jpg

Egypt's President links Russian plane crash to terrorism

FILE - This Dec. 22, 2001 file photo shows Ramon Castro during a rally, in Havana, Cuba. Castro, a lifelong rancher and farmer who bore a strong physical resemblance to his younger brother, Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, state media announced. He was 91. ( AP Photo/Jose Goitia, File)

Cuba's Ramon Castro, brother to revolutionary Fidel Castro, dies

severe storm forecast southeast tornadoes myers lklv_00001813.jpg

Storms slam Louisiana and Mississippi; three people dead

Somali Al-Shebab fighters gather on February 13, 2012 in Elasha Biyaha, in the Afgoei Corridor, after a demonstration to support the merger of Al-shebab and the Al-Qaeda network. Shebab insurgents staged rallies across Somalia on February 13 to celebrate their group's recognition by Osama bin Laden's successor as a member of the Islamist Al-Qaeda network. Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri announced in a video message posted on jihadist forums on February 9, 2012 that Shebab fighters had joined ranks with the Islamist network. AFP PHOTO / Mohamed Abdiwahab (Photo credit should read Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images)

Al-Shabaab intelligence head killed, says Kenya, but doubts persist

MAINZ, GERMANY - OCTOBER 02: Umberto Eco, writer and professor, receives the 10.000 Euro Gutenberg price, on October 2, 2014 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)

Umberto Eco, famed author of 'The Name of the Rose,' dead at 84

syria assad doubts ceasefire possible damon_00012530.jpg

Aid convoys head to besieged Syrian towns in early test

RECIFE, BRAZIL - JANUARY 26: Dr. Angela Rocha (L), pediatric infectologist at Oswaldo Cruz Hospital, examines Ludmilla Hadassa Dias de Vasconcelos (2 months), who has microcephaly, on January 26, 2016 in Recife, Brazil. In the last four months, authorities have recorded close to 4,000 cases in Brazil in which the mosquito-borne Zika virus may have led to microcephaly in infants. The ailment results in an abnormally small head in newborns and is associated with various disorders including decreased brain development. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika virus outbreak is likely to spread throughout nearly all the Americas. At least twelve cases in the United States have now been confirmed by the CDC. Brazil reported the first cases in the Americas of local transmissions of the virus last year. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

FDA issues guidelines to keep Zika virus out of donated blood

The German Shorthaired Pointer wins Best in Show of the 140th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

California Journey wins top prize at Westminster Dog Show

Vanity now known as Denise Matthews performs with the group Vanity 6 on the TV Show "Solid Gold". (Photo by Ron Wolfson/WireImage) *** Local Caption ***

Prince protege Vanity dies at 57

This blossom suspended in amber 15-30 million years ago is a new species discovery, Strychnos electri. It is likely highly poisonous.

Newly named prehistoric plant connected to poison and food

Friday's 5 things: TGIFingers crossed

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters building.

Thursday's 5 things: A siege, a suit and a washed-up foot in a shoe

first votes case in New Hampshire primary sot ctn_00002929.jpg

Wednesday's 5 things: A treat, a defeat and a tweet

A motorist rides past a hoarding at the construction site of the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) flagship Tun Razak Exchange in Kuala Lumpur on July 8, 2015. A government task force investigating a Malaysian state-owned investment fund seized documents from its offices on July 8 after a probe allegedly found hundreds of millions of dollars in the prime minister's personal bank accounts. AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA

$4 billion 'misappropriated' from Malaysia, Swiss Attorney General says

At least 22 killed in attack on Bacha Khan University in Pakistan

Children play in the hallway because the gym and the playground are closed off.

Detroit school system wants judge to end teacher sickouts

A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu

Search suspended for Marines missing in Hawaii helicopter crash

View of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacterium --which reduces mosquito transmitted diseases such as dengue and chikungunya by shortening adult lifespan, affect mosquito reproduction and interfere with pathogen replication-- at the Oswaldo Cruz foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 2, 2014. The mosquitoes, when released, are expected to quickly infiltrate the insect population and stop the spread of the disease. Small-scale trials have already been conducted in communities in northern Australia.

Hawaii baby born with small head had prior Zika infection

A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu

Searchers find life rafts off Hawaii but no Marines

A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu

Marines missing after Hawaii copter crash are named

Indonesia Jakarta Explosions vo vause nr_00002303.jpg

12 arrested after deadly Jakarta attack

A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu

Marines missing after Hawaii copter crash named

About

When time allows, I indulge my passion for writing about science, tech and medicine. I'm a CNN international news veteran, and was once a journalist, producer and on-air talent for German television networks.