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Scientists have recently discovered scores of free-floating worlds that defy classification. The new observations have forced them to rethink their theories of star and planet formation.

WILMA is no longer just a cartoon character from “The Flintstones.” In aviation circles, it’s shorthand for Windows, Middle and Aisle, United Airlines’s newly released passenger boarding system for flights on its single-aisle aircraft, mainly Boeing 737s, 757s and Airbus A320-type twin-engine jets.

Never arrive at your seat on the plane annoyed again or argue about the storage space for your luggage? A dream idea! Jason Steffen actually spends his working life unraveling the deepest secrets of the universe. He is an astrophysicist and studies exoplanets orbiting distant stars. In his free time, the super brain also occupied himself with another impenetrable mystery of the galaxy. What is the best way to board a plane? You can read his formula here.

Most near-Earth-sized planets travel around their host stars on nearly circular orbits, and the more small planets there are orbiting close to a star, the more nearly circular their orbits are. These are just two of many findings based on a major new analysis of data from NASA’s retired Kepler space telescope that focused on detailing exoplanet — planets beyond our solar system — characteristics. The new catalog includes almost 4,400 planets and strong planet candidates, which are still awaiting confirmation, and includes more than 700 systems with multiple planets.

In Nevada, millions of dollars are being spent to plant trees to help cool the concrete jungle, provide shade and help clean the air. The question is, can the trees survive?

Is Las Vegas going to run out of water? It might feel that way if you’ve been paying any attention to the growing bathtub ring around Lake Mead, the shrinking Colorado River and federal actions to try to keep the river’s main reservoirs in working order.

Jason Steffen is a physics professor at 51�ԹϺ���, and formerly at Northwestern. He came up with a method for boarding airplanes efficiently but it hasn't been adopted by an airline. Still, with United Airlines new boarding scheme, the whole concept is fascinating.

Astrophysicist Jason Steffen devised a better method of getting humans on a plane

Is there a better way to board airplanes? As the busy holiday travel season approaches, one astrophysicist says he’s cracked the code, discovering a more efficient boarding process for airlines.

We live in an age of exoplanet discovery. One thing we’ve learned is not to be surprised by the kinds of exoplanets we keep discovering. We’ve discovered planets where it might rain glass or even iron, planets that are the rocky core remnants of gas giants stripped of their atmospheres, and drifting rogue planets untethered to any star.

Jason Steffen has spent his career trying to crack the deepest mysteries of the Earth. He's an astrophysicist who studies exoplanets orbiting distant stars, dark matter and gravitation. In his spare time he also tackles another impenetrable riddle of the galaxy.

One of America’s largest airlines is changing its boarding process to make it faster. It could be even faster.