Today’s physics news: Friday, 2 July

Academies’ success questioned over vocational subjects
The success of England’s academies is being questioned after data showed they rely more heavily than regular state schools on GCSE equivalents

BBC
Telegraph 
 
Herschel telescope spies galaxy
Europe’s Herschel space telescope has spied a far-distant galaxy with the aid of a cosmic “zoom lens”.

BBC 
 
NASA unveils ‘ten cool things’ seen by Moon mission
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been sweeping around the Moon for one full year, and to celebrate the occasion NASA has compiled a set of 10 images dubbed “cool things seen in the first year of LRO”.

Physics World  

Scientific Academies: In the best company
The grandfather of scientific national academies is staging major celebrations this week for its 350th birthday. But, like similar elite groups around the world, Britain’s Royal Society has had to work hard to stay relevant

Nature

Did vast ocean cover Mars 3.5 billion years ago?
Satellite images reveal features resembling river valleys and flood plains. University of Colorado scientists identified 52 delta regions fed by river-like systems
 
Times