From: hils@saynotospam.net   
      
   "Astronomers will be able to gain major insights into the evolution of   
   stars after discovering the first dead star in the universe that is not   
   concealed by a thick layer of hydrogen and helium. [...]   
      
   The white dwarf – known as Dox – is situated about 1,200 light-years   
   away in the constellation Draco and has an atmosphere that is 99.9 per   
   cent oxygen.   
      
   The researchers are unsure why Dox differs from other dead stars, but   
   they do have a couple of theories.   
      
   One possibility is that the gravitational pull of a nearby star may have   
   stripped Dox of its lighter elements, such as hydrogen and helium.   
      
   Alternatively, the star may have had one final rally of carbon burning,   
   sending out a huge pulse of burning gas and plasma into space, taking   
   the lighter elements with it.   
      
   Dox was discovered as part of a project to map the entire universe with   
   the help of a 2.5-metre wide-angle optical telescope.   
      
   The star is the only one of the 32,000 white dwarfs that have been   
   discovered with an atmosphere of this composition, according to the   
   research, which was published in the journal Science."   
      
   http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/rare-white-dwarf-will-   
   eveal-secrets-of-star-evolution-a6964631.html   
      
   http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6281/67   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)