456P/Panstars, an active main-belt asteroid first discovered in 2021, is repeatedly active, and its activity is linked to volatile ice formations, according to new observations from the Magellan-Baade and Lowell Discovery telescopes. It is likely that this is caused by sublimation.
456P/PanSTARS image taken on October 3, 2024 with the Magellan Baade Telescope in Chile and with the Lowell Discovery Telescope in Arizona on October 26, 2024. At the center of each image is the comet’s head or nucleus, the tail extends to the right. Image credits: Scott S. Sheppard / Carnegie Institution for Science / Audrey Thirouin, Lowell Observatory / Henry H. Hsieh, Planetary Science Institute.
“Main-belt comets are icy objects found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, rather than outside the cold solar system, where icy objects would normally be expected,” said Henry Hsieh, senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.
“They have comet-like features, such as tails that extend away from the sun and fuzzy clouds as the sun’s heat evaporates the ice.”
These objects were first discovered in 2006 at the University of Hawaii by Dr. Hsieh and his then-doctoral supervisor, Professor David Jewitt.
“Main-belt comets belong to a larger group of Solar System objects known as active asteroids, which look like comets but have asteroid-like orbits in the warm inner Solar System,” the astronomers said.
“This large group includes not only objects that emit dust from evaporated ice, but also objects that have clouds or tails of ejected dust from collisions or rapid rotation.”
“Both main-belt comets and active asteroids in general are still relatively rare, but scientists are discovering them.”
456P/PANSTARRS was discovered as P/2021 L4 (PANSTARRS) through observations by Pan-STARRS1 on June 9 and 14, 2021, and observations by Canada, France, and Hawaii telescopes on June 14, 2021.
Dr. Hsieh and his co-authors observed the object twice in October 2024 using the Magellan-Baade Telescope and the Lowell Discovery Telescope, establishing its status as a main-belt comet.
“This object is not just an asteroid that experienced a one-off event, but is essentially an active icy object, like other comets in the outer solar system,” Hsieh said.
If 456P/PANSTARRS’s activity is due to something other than ice evaporation, its tail would be expected to appear only once, randomly, and not repeatedly as it approaches the Sun.
On the other hand, icy objects heat up every time they approach the sun, and the evaporated ice is carried away with the dust.
As the object moves away from the sun and cools, it ceases to be active.
Observations of repeated dust ejection activity during their approach to the Sun are currently considered the best and most reliable method of identifying main-belt comets.
“Confirmed main-belt comets are still largely unknown,” Dr. Xie said.
“We want to grow the population so we can understand more clearly what its broader characteristics are, such as its size, active period, and distribution within the asteroid belt. We will be able to better utilize them to track ice within the asteroid belt and across the solar system.”
of findings Published in American Astronomical Society Research Notes.
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Henry H. Shea others. 2024. Recurrence activity of main belt comet 456P/Panstars (P/2021 L4) confirmed. Resolution memo AAS 8,283;doi: 10.3847/2515-5172/ad90a6
This article is a reprint of a press release provided by the Planetary Science Institute.
Google is facing challenges. According to my colleague Dan Milmo, the U.S. Department of Justice is looking into Google’s structure and business practices, including the potential sale of its Chrome browser to break its monopoly on Internet search. This comes after a court ruling finding Google in violation of antitrust laws for monopolizing search services. The Justice Department’s proposal is straightforward: Google should sell Chrome. As for Android, two options have been proposed: sell it or agree to government oversight.
Both demands present a significant challenge to Google’s advertising business, and could have severe consequences for the company.
In a blog post, Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, criticized the Justice Department’s proposal, calling it “staggering,” “extreme,” and “unprecedented government overreach.” Google plans to submit its own proposal and appeal the court ruling. However, Walker’s response was somewhat exaggerated, referring to the requirement for two selection screens to access Google Search on Pixel smartphones as comically histrionic.
The Justice Department aims to increase competition by exposing Google to competition, denying the benefits of any legal violation, and preventing Google from dominating markets in the future.
Google’s advertising business relies heavily on its search service, with Chrome being a key component as the most popular browser globally. Losing Chrome would have a significant impact on Google’s advertising revenue. The debate also touches on U.S. leadership in the tech industry, with Google arguing that selling Chrome could undermine it.
There’s also talk of potentially selling Android, which plays a crucial role in data collection for advertising. The government could impose surveillance on Android, impacting Google’s business operations. The potential changes raise questions about the future aesthetic and control of smartphone operating systems.
Without Chrome, Google would lose a vital market, particularly in the education sector where Chromebooks are widely used in schools. Chrome OS is designed for web-based tasks, influencing user preferences towards Google products in the future.
If Google manages to retain Chrome, it may still need to reconsider its search engine default agreements, including the $20 billion contract with Apple. The company could be forced to adjust or terminate these contracts as part of the proposed remedies.
Review
Elon “First Buddy” Musk and his Sidekick Debut, Doge
Elon Musk and Donald Trump in October. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
A recent development saw Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy appointed as heads of the Ministry of Government Efficiency, known as Doge, although it’s not an official government department. Musk has given it a governmental status on Twitter. They are advisors to President Trump and plan to use executive actions to reform non-governmental government agencies. Their approach focuses on efficiency but lacks detailed plans.
Musk and Ramaswamy target cost-cutting, aiming to eliminate programs that lack congressional approval. However, their approach faces criticism for potential repercussions such as cutting medical care for military veterans. Despite their intentions, the implementation of their ideas remains uncertain.
FThe fake images, created using generative artificial intelligence techniques, aim to stoke fears of a migrant “invasion” among leaders like Emmanuel Macron and far-right parties in Western Europe. This political weaponization is a growing concern.
Experts point to this year’s European Parliament elections as the starting point for the far right in Europe to deploy AI-based electoral campaigns, which have since continued to expand.
Recently, anti-immigrant content on Facebook came under scrutiny by Mark Zuckerberg’s independent oversight board as it launched an investigation. German accounts featuring AI-generated images with anti-immigration rhetoric will be examined by the supervisory board.
AI-generated right-wing content is on the rise on social media platforms in Europe. Posts from extremist groups depict disturbing images, like women and children eating insects, perpetuating conspiracy theories about “global elites.”
The consistent use of AI-generated images with no identifying marks by far-right parties and movements across the EU and UK suggests a coordinated effort in spreading their message.
According to Salvatore Romano, head of research at AI Forensics, the AI content being shared publicly is just the beginning, with more concerning material circulating in private and official channels.
William Alcorn, a senior research fellow, notes that the accessibility of AI models appeals to fringe political groups seeking to exploit new technologies for their agendas.
Some of the AI-generated images posted on X by the L’Europe Sans Eux account. Illustration: @LEuropeSansEux
AI technology makes content creation accessible without coding skills, which has normalized far-right views. Mainstream parties remain cautious about using AI in campaigning, while extremists exploit it without ethical concerns.
Germany
Supporters of Germany’s far-right party AfD use AI image generators to promote anti-immigration messages. Meta’s content moderation committee reviewed an image showing anti-immigrant sentiments against a blonde, blue-eyed woman.
AI-powered campaign ads by AfD’s Brandenburg branch contrast an idealized Germany with scenes of veiled women and LGBTQ+ flags. Reality Defender, a deepfake detection firm, highlighted the speed at which such images can be generated.
People with a uterus experience menstruation about once every 28 days for approximately 40 years of their lives.
Menstruation goes beyond just blood. It’s common for 84% of women to experience menstrual pain regularly. Severe menstrual pain can lead women to miss numerous days of education or work each month. Additionally, periods are costly, with an estimated lifetime cost of around 4,800 pounds (approximately $6,100).
Given these challenges, it’s only natural to want to stop menstruation. While periods may naturally cease during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or menopause, many women in the UK opt to stop their menstrual cycles using hormonal contraception.
Contraceptive pills, implants, and hormonal coils work by releasing hormones that prevent ovulation. Without an egg being released or the lining of the uterus thickening for pregnancy, menstruation, which occurs due to shedding of this lining, typically stops when it ceases to grow.
“There’s nothing harmful about not having a menstrual cycle,” affirms Dr. Nicola Tempest, a researcher and gynecologist at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. “Taking hormones doesn’t detract from your body’s wellbeing.”
But are there any drawbacks to not having periods?
For individuals with regular menstrual cycles (not taking hormonal contraceptives), the sudden absence of periods may signify underlying health issues.
While the occasional missed period isn’t typically worrisome, a prolonged absence of periods after having regular cycles could indicate potential problems such as early menopause or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Tempest notes that individuals with such conditions may require hormone medication as part of their treatment, which could help in diagnosing these conditions along with other associated symptoms, even if periods have ceased due to birth control pills.
There may be certain side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives, such as a slight increase in the risk of breast, liver, and cervical cancer with long-term use. However, Tempest emphasizes that prolonged use of birth control also reduces the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer.
In her view, menstruation is not an indispensable aspect of a person’s health. “If you wish to forego menstruation, you have that choice,” she states.
This article addresses the question “Can I stop my period?” posed by Veronica Nielson via email.
If you have any queries, please reach out to us via email:questions@sciencefocus.comor connect with us onFacebook,×orInstagram(please include your name and location).
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Dr. Nicola Tempest I am a clinical researcher and gynecologist at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Her research includes chronic pelvic pain, exercise and reproduction, and endometriosis.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have taken surprising new photos of spiral galaxy NGC 2090.
This Hubble image shows NGC 2090, a spiral galaxy located south of the constellation Columba, about 40 million light-years away. Color images were created from separate exposures taken in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the spectrum using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). This is based on data obtained through six filters. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Tilker.
NGC2090 It is a spiral galaxy located south of the constellation Columba.
Also known as ESO 363-23, IRAS 05452-3416, LEDA 17819. discovered It was announced by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on October 29, 1826.
“NGC 2090 is notable as part of a group of galaxies being studied. Hubble's Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project“This study aimed to determine a new, state-of-the-art value for the Hubble constant, one of the main scientific goals of the then-new telescope,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“NGC 2090's contribution was to calibrate the Tully-Fisher (TF) distance method by observing Cepheid variable stars in the galaxy.”
“Cepheid-based measurements from a 1998 study estimated the distance of NGC 2090 to be 37 million light-years.”
“Latest measurements in 2020 using the TF method place NGC 2090 slightly further away, at 40 million light-years.”
Before and after that project, NGC 2090 has been well studied as a very prominent nearby example of star formation.
It has been described as a cotton-like spiral, meaning a spiral galaxy with a speckled, dusty disk and flaky or no visible arms.
“This Hubble image gives a good indication of why NGC 2090 received such a description, with its spiral arms looking like lanes of light winding through the dust,” the astronomers said. said.
“NGC 2090 remains an active galaxy, with clusters of star formation in various stages of evolution spread throughout the disk.”
“Investigating star formation and the movement of matter within galaxies was the motivation for these Hubble observations taken in October of this year.”
“Likewise, Hubble's partner in space astronomy, NASA/ESA/CSA's James Webb Space Telescope, also scouted this galaxy to add infrared data to the picture of galaxy evolution.”
The world's thinnest spaghetti is only 372 nm wide, which is about 1/200th the width of a human hair.
Britton others. Using a scanning electron microscope, they scanned the mat with a focused beam of electrons and created images based on the patterns of electrons that were deflected, or bounced away. The individual strands are too thin to be clearly captured by any form of visible light camera or microscope. Image credit: Beatrice Britton/Adam Clancy.
Beatrice Britton, a researcher at University College London, and her colleagues said: “This novel nanopasta is not intended as a new food product, but rather that strands of ultra-thin material called nanofibers have a wide range of uses in medicine and industry. It was made with usage in mind.”
“Nanofibers made from starch are particularly promising and could be used in dressings to aid wound healing and as scaffolds for bone regeneration and drug delivery.”
“But they rely on starches that are extracted and purified from plant cells, a process that requires a lot of energy and water.”
“A more environmentally friendly method is to create nanofibers directly from starch-rich raw materials, such as the flour that pasta is made from.”
To create the spaghetti, which is just 372 nm in diameter, the authors used a technique called electrospinning. In this technique, a thread of flour and liquid is pulled through the tip of a needle by an electric charge.
“To make spaghetti, you push a mixture of water and flour through metal holes,” says Adam Clancy, a researcher at University College London.
“In our study, we did the same thing, except we charged the flour mixture and forced it through. It's literally spaghetti, but much smaller.”
The new nanopasta forms a mat of nanofibers about 2 cm in diameter that is visible to the eye, but the individual strands are too thin to be clearly captured by any form of visible light camera or microscope. Therefore, its width was measured using a scanning electron microscope.
Professor Gareth Williams, from University College London, said: “Nanofibers, such as those made from starch, are highly porous and therefore show potential for use in wound dressings.”
“Additionally, nanofibers are also being investigated for use as scaffolds for tissue regrowth because they mimic the extracellular matrix (the network of proteins and other molecules that cells build to support themselves). .”
“Starch is a promising material to use because it is abundant and renewable. Starch is the second largest source of biomass on Earth after cellulose, and it is biodegradable, so it can be broken down in the body,” Clancy said. the doctor said.
“However, refining starch requires a lot of processing. We have shown that a simple method of making nanofibers using wheat flour is possible.”
“The next step is to investigate the properties of this product.”
“We want to know, for example, how quickly it breaks down, how it interacts with cells, and whether we can produce it at scale.”
In electrospinning, the needle containing the mixture and the metal plate on which the mixture is deposited form the two ends of the battery.
When a charge is applied, the mixture flows out of the needle and onto the metal plate, completing the circuit.
Electrospinning with starch-rich raw materials, such as refined flour, is more difficult than with pure starch because impurities (proteins and cellulose) increase the viscosity of the mixture, making it impossible to form fibers.
The researchers used flour and formic acid instead of water. This is because formic acid breaks down the giant helical stacks that make up starch.
This is because the layers of helices stuck together are too large to be the building blocks of nanofibers.
When the noodles fly through the air and reach the metal plate, the formic acid evaporates.
The scientists also had to carefully warm the mixture for several hours and then slowly cool it to the right consistency.
“As the newly developed material is composed of fibers formed by extruding and drying flour, it could be defined as pasta, breaking the previous record for the thinnest pasta runga by about 1,000 the researchers concluded.
their paper appear in the diary Nanoscale advances.
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Beatrice Britton others. Nanopasta: Electrospinning white flour nanofibers. nanoscale advancepublished online October 30, 2024. doi: 10.1039/D4NA00601A
The world currently generates more than 50 million tonnes of “mismanaged” plastic waste each year, and some researchers predict that this flood of plastic pollution will double by mid-century. But he also said that if countries could agree to adopt four key policies during this period. This number could be reduced by 90 per cent if this week's global plastics deal is negotiated.
Plastic pollution ultimately chokes land and sea ecosystems. “This affects every level of the food chain, from phytoplankton cells to humans,” he says. Sarah-Jeanne Royer at the University of California, San Diego. Plastics also account for about 5% of greenhouse gas emissions.
That's why most of the world's countries are meeting this week in Busan, South Korea, to hammer out the final details of a global treaty to end plastic pollution. By 2022, 175 countries have already agreed to adopt a legally binding treaty For the past two years, we have been debating what exactly we should require, with particular disagreements over setting limits on production of new plastics.
To make the discussion more clear, douglas mcquarley The researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, used an artificial intelligence model trained on economic data to test how the policies they were considering would affect global plastic pollution. “I wasn't sure that [eliminating plastic pollution] It was actually possible,” McCauley said. “But it turns out we can get pretty close.”
They predict that under current conditions, plastic pollution is expected to almost double by 2050, reaching between 100 million and 139 million tonnes. However, all four policy combinations are still on the bill. Current draft treatywas sufficient to reduce this by over 90%.
The most influential of these was the mandate that plastic products contain at least 40% recycled material. This rule alone will cut plastic pollution in half by mid-century. Mr McCauley said this effect was significant because it would reduce demand for newly made or “virgin” plastics, while also stimulating demand for recycled materials. “Suddenly, there was a huge global recycling market.”
But recycling alone wasn't enough. “If our goal is to eliminate plastic pollution, we need to address it throughout its lifecycle,” he says. Further reductions would have required limiting virgin plastic production to 2020 levels. According to the model, this production cap would have reduced plastic pollution by about 60 million tons per year by mid-century. This change also had the biggest impact on greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, as the extraction of fossil fuels and conversion into virgin plastics involves processes with large emissions.
A third policy would spend $50 billion on waste management, roughly equal to the production cap, especially if these funds go to low-income countries with poor infrastructure and where plastic pollution is most severe. reduced pollution. “When we start talking about global finance, [the amount of money needed] It’s not that big,” McCauley said. “Building a sanitary landfill is different from building a port.”
Plastic waste is increasing, and while some is recycled or destroyed, the majority is “mismanaged” and piles up as plastic pollution.
A. Samuel Pottinger et al.
Finally, a small tax on plastic packaging has reduced pollution by tens of millions of tons. The researchers based this estimate on case studies of how people reduced their plastic use in response to similar taxes. 5 cents fee Regarding disposable plastic bags in Washington DC. Funds raised through such taxes could also be used to pay for other changes, such as building waste management infrastructure or improving recycling systems.
Royer, who was not involved in the study, said he thinks all of these policies will help. Reducing the use of single-use plastics, such as shopping bags and plastic forks, through taxes or bans could also make a difference, she says. “If you look at plastic pollution in general, 40% of the plastic produced is single-use.”
However, she points out that local rules alone will never solve the problem. California, for example, banned some single-use plastic bags a decade ago and this year banned all such bags. But most of the plastic pollution that washes up on our shores comes from outside the state, with California's plastic waste typically washing ashore from Asia across the Pacific or being left behind by fishing. “There are no borders,” Royer says.
This is where the World Treaty comes into play. Researchers explore how different policies around the world can reduce three things: the amount of poorly managed plastic waste, the production of new plastics, and plastic-related greenhouse gas emissions. I showed you. By combining the four key policies seen in the graph below, all three measures reduced, specifically mismanaged waste, by 91%.
Researchers estimated the impact of different policies to reduce plastic
sharp resolution Web’s mid-infrared device (MIRI) focuses on details of the outer ring of the Sombrero Galaxy, providing insight into how dust is distributed.
This web image shows the Sombrero Galaxy. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI.
The Sombrero Galaxy is located approximately 28 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.
This spiral galaxy, also known as Messier 104, M104, or NGC 4594, was discovered by French astronomer Pierre Méchain on May 11, 1781.
It is about 49,000 light-years in diameter, about one-third the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
The Sombrero galaxy has a very large central bulge and a supermassive black hole.
We are looking directly at the galaxy, at an angle of 6 degrees south of its face. Its dark dusty path dominates the view.
“The clumpy nature of the dust, in which MIRI detects carbon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, may indicate the presence of young star-forming regions,” Webb astronomers said in a statement.
“But unlike some of the galaxies studied with Webb, such as Messier 82, which has 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way, the Sombrero galaxy is not a special hotbed of star formation.”
“The Sombrero ring produces less than 1 solar mass per year of stars, compared to about 2 solar masses per year for the Milky Way.”
“The supermassive black hole at the center of the Sombrero galaxy, also known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN), is fairly docile, even at a massive 9 billion solar masses,” the researchers noted.
“Classified as a low-luminosity AGN, it slowly chews up material falling from the galaxy while emitting bright and relatively small jets.”
“Also, there are about 2,000 globular clusters within the Sombrero galaxy, which are collections of hundreds of thousands of old stars held together by gravity,” the researchers said.
“This type of system acts as a pseudo-laboratory for astronomers to study stars. There are thousands of stars in one system of the same age but with different masses and other properties, making it difficult to compare It’s an interesting opportunity for research.”
“In the MIRI images, galaxies of different shapes and colors are scattered across the cosmic background.”
“The different colors of these background galaxies can tell astronomers about their properties, such as their distance.”
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new species of Quetzalcotorin azhdarchopterosaur. Nippotherus mifunensis from the Late Cretaceous of Japan.
Restoration of life in the giant azhdarchid group, Quetzalcoatlus nothropi foraging in the Cretaceous fern steppe. Image credit: Mark Witton / Darren Naish.
Pterosaurs were highly successful flying reptiles (not dinosaurs, as is commonly misunderstood) that lived between 210 and 65 million years ago.
They were the first flying vertebrates on Earth, with birds and bats appearing much later.
Some pterosaurs, like the giant azhdarchids, were the largest flying animals in history, with wingspans exceeding 9 meters (30 feet) and a standing height comparable to modern giraffes.
“Pterosaurs, the earliest vertebrate group to achieve powered flight, exhibit remarkable morphological diversity, with a fossil record that spans from the Late Triassic to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. '' said Dr. Naoki Ikegami of the Mifune Dinosaur Museum and Dr. Naoki Ikegami of the University of São Paulo. Rodrigo Pegas and his friends.
“The pterosaur skeleton's fragile air bones make its fossil record particularly irregular and uneven.”
“Most well-preserved, relatively complete archaeological sites are confined to a few Lagerstätten around the world. In contrast, most other deposits that yield pterosaurs are typically fragments. generate a typical sample.
“For one thing, there are very few records of pterosaurs in Japan, so every artifact has special significance.”
“The first pterosaur specimen discovered in Japan came from the Ezo Group in Hokkaido, and is representative of an indeterminate pterosaur species consisting of a femur, metatarsals, foot phalanges, and part of the caudal vertebrae. It is.”
The newly identified species is Quetzalcoatrinae a subfamily of the pterosaur family Azhdarchidae.
“Azhdarchids represent a very special clade of pterosaurs, particularly notorious for containing some of the largest flying creatures in history, with wingspans of 10 to 11 meters (33 to 36 feet).” Quetzalcoatlus nothropi, aramburgiania philadelphia and Hatzegopteryx tanbema'' said the paleontologists.
“The azhdarchid clade, most prominently characterized by elongated cervical vertebrae with reduced neural spines, is widely distributed in Turonian to Maastrichtian pterosaur communities around the world.”
“They represent the most diverse and widespread group of pterosaurs during the Late Cretaceous.”
named Nippoterus mifunensis the new species lived in what is now Japan about 90 million years ago (late Cretaceous period).
“Nippoterus mifunensis “This is the first nominally Japanese pterosaur species,” the researchers said.
“This new species exhibits many Quetzalcoat line characteristics and bears a striking resemblance to the unnamed Burcant azhdarchid of Mongolia's Turonian-Coniacian.”
Part of the 6th cervical vertebra Nippotherus mifunensis It was produced from an outcrop of the Mifune Group near Amagi Dam in Mifune Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu.
“The specimen was found in a 30-centimeter (12-inch) thick layer of coarse lenticular sandstone, nestled between two tuff layers, in the middle of the upper formation of the Mifune Group,” the scientists said. said.
their paper Published in this month's magazine Cretaceous research.
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Zhou Xuanyu others. Re-evaluation of azhdarchoid pterosaur specimens from the Mifune Group, Late Cretaceous of Japan. Cretaceous researchpublished online on November 16, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106046
In today’s world, side jobs have become a central part of many people’s lives. Nearly 50% of British individuals are engaging in side hustles. Nine out of 10 individuals under the age of 34 who have a side hustle plan to turn it into a full-time business. Balancing a side hustle along with a full-time job can be challenging, even for the most skilled multitaskers. Here are some tips for managing multiple gigs without disrupting your work environment.
Separate and Support Each Other View your day job as a source of motivation and insight rather than a hindrance to your side hustle. This approach can make your life more coherent and less draining.
Surprisingly, finding inspiration in both roles can help you focus better on each gig.
Reshmi Bennett, an award-winning chef from Surrey, runs a bakery called Anges de Sucre alongside publishing a recipe book for children to promote creativity in the kitchen. Bennett’s bakery has been thriving since its establishment in 2011, and she successfully manages both ventures, especially during the pandemic. Bennett shared, “During the lockdown, I had some free time, so I started writing a novel and selling it on Amazon.”
“Balancing the two roles can be challenging, so I try to organize my schedule as efficiently as possible. When I’m at my day job, I focus on fulfilling bakery orders and meeting customer needs. I pour all my energy into this. I also try to apply the skills and experiences I gain at the bakery, like recipe testing, to my side hustle. This way, I can continue managing both roles at a realistic pace.”
Work Smarter Emma Thomson, hailing from Romford, Essex, founded a jewelry business while working as a medical secretary for the NHS. Thomson juggled both roles during her lunch breaks for six years before transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship. She shared, “I unintentionally started this business. It began as a coping mechanism for my anxiety and depression, and gradually, people started asking where they could purchase my jewelry.”
jeweler emma thomson
Her top advice? “Optimize the time you spend in your main job as much as possible. I worked 10 hours a day for 3 days straight at my NHS job instead of the standard 8-hour day. Although it was long, I had four full days to focus on my business and take a day off if needed. This significantly reduced fatigue and stress. Additionally, scheduling and automating social media content proved to be beneficial, as I didn’t have to personally oversee much of my social media presence.”
Enhance Your Visual Identity Develop a strong visual identity for both your day job and side hustle. Whether presenting internally to your team or creating social media content for your side gig, leveraging your design skills and adaptability can strengthen your personal brand. Improved design skills can benefit you in both roles and help you excel at both. Consider using apps like Adobe Express for creating high-quality content effortlessly.
Candace Mason runs an herbal tea business for women.
Outsource Whenever Possible Successfully managing a family bus and coach company alongside a women’s herbal tea business requires a diverse set of skills. Candace Mason from Tring, Hertfordshire, emphasizes the importance of good organization. She runs two very distinct and separate businesses, managing her life effectively using online tools like Trello for project management. Having a streamlined calendar and booking system is crucial for efficient operation. Mason acknowledges the value of outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping, recognizing the importance of accepting that one person cannot do everything.
Stick to Your Schedule Strictly Leanne Alston of Bradford, West Yorkshire, owns a private hotel while working full-time as a mental health team manager in the NHS. Alston attributes her success to strict scheduling in all areas of her life. “I create a weekly schedule, detailing my 9-to-5 job requirements and sleep routine. I then allocate time for meeting private clients, organizing social media, exercising, socializing, and personal projects. Some days require specific planning, while others are more relaxed, but having a written schedule eliminates mental clutter and provides visual clarity. Prioritizing health is crucial; neither your day job nor side hustle can thrive if your well-being is neglected.”
Psychotherapist Leanne Alston
“I meticulously plan my week to accommodate my 9-to-5 responsibilities, sleep, and personal activities, including meetings with clients, social media management, exercise, and socializing. Some days require specific planning, while others are more relaxed. Having everything written down eliminates mental clutter and provides visual clarity, making it easier to follow through on tasks. One important suggestion is to prioritize your health, as neither your day job nor side project will thrive if your well-being is neglected.”
Stay True to Yourself We often hear about bringing our “authentic selves” to work. While the wisdom of this approach is debatable, aligning your personal and professional personas can simplify your life, especially if you have a side hustle. This consistency reduces the energy spent on adapting between roles and opens up opportunities for cross-pollination.
Charlotte Walsh started a reusable straw business
Try Time Chunking Charlotte Walsh, an engineer from North Yorkshire, founded a silicone straw company to address the challenge of finding high-quality, reusable straws for her children. Walsh shared, “I launched the business in 2019 and now work full-time, handling everything from order dispatch to securing compliance for high street retail partners. By segmenting tasks into chunks through time chunking, you can prioritize urgent tasks and make significant daily progress without distractions from emails or new requests.”
Be Punctual Lastly, never compromise on punctuality, even if you’re working late nights. Losing your professionalism can lead to a loss of trust, which may require even more time and effort to regain.
When COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev stepped up to the podium on Sunday morning at the closing session of the Baku Climate Summit, he had two speeches ready. According to sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, one speech was prepared in anticipation of a much-anticipated deal, while the other was prepared in case of a deadlock after the summit collapsed. It was seen as a contingency plan.
An official from the COP29 Presidency revealed that negotiations were tough until the last minute to secure the Baku breakthrough, but they were still preparing for various outcomes. The final speech was being crafted to address different possibilities.
Ultimately, without giving his detractors a chance to react, Babayev succeeded in pushing through a $300 billion funding plan to assist developing countries in handling the escalating costs of global warming over the next decade, earning praise for his efforts.
He lauded the agreement as a significant achievement and criticized skeptics, labeling them as “wrong,” along with many individuals targeted by the climate deal accused of being grossly inadequate.
The audience was already aware that Babayev was preparing for a mixed outcome at the divisive Baku summit, signaling that negotiations were unlikely to proceed smoothly.
Concerns about the imminent withdrawal of the United States from global climate cooperation, geopolitical tensions, and the surge of isolationist politics that have sidelined climate change in many nations’ priorities had lowered expectations for the deal.
An activist holds up a globe balloon during a protest at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 21. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Potential obstacles loomed large over Baku. The coming months will continue to cast a shadow over global efforts to address climate change as Brazil gears up to host a major conference next year in the Amazon rainforest city of Belem. The world will then embark on a multi-year plan for deeper emissions cuts and building climate resilience.
Trump Effect
One major factor clouding the negotiations in Baku was the impending return of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, the world’s largest economy, historically the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and a significant producer of oil and gas, who has been a climate change skeptic.
President Trump, due to take office again in January, had vowed to withdraw the US from the global Paris climate accord, repeating his stance from his previous term and dismissing climate change as a hoax.
Negotiators at the Baku conference noted that while the US delegation contributed to developing a climate finance agreement, the country was unable to play the high-profile leadership role seen in previous climate summits. Doubts persisted about the administration’s commitment to honoring the agreement.
“As far as the United States is concerned, the voters have spoken, and that’s where we stand. We are unsure of their intentions,” stated South Africa’s Environment Minister Dion George.
US officials attending COP29 tried to assure global partners that even if President Trump withdraws from the international process, market forces, federal subsidies, and state mandates will continue driving the deployment of renewable energy.
Furthermore, conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East diverted global attention towards security and energy availability, compelling many governments to tighten their budgets, making it challenging to secure larger climate finance amounts, noted observers.
“Given the current political climate, maintaining climate finance at its current level is an uphill battle,” remarked Joe Thwaites, a senior adviser at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The pledged $300 billion annually by 2035 would theoretically triple the previous commitments of rich countries to provide $100 billion by 2020. Rich countries’ reluctance to offer further funding and the pressure to reach agreements amidst political turmoil disappointed least developed countries and small island states left out of negotiations at the Baku conference.
At one point during the summit’s final stages, the negotiating bloc representing these nations staged a walkout in protest, leading to a delay in reaching an agreement.
Representatives from Marshall Islands and India voiced their dissatisfaction with the climate finance deal, highlighting the reluctance of developed countries to fulfill their responsibilities, setting the stage for challenges at COP30 in Brazil.
“This could prove contentious in Belém. Brazil must find a way to rebuild trust,” remarked Oscar Soria, head of the Common Initiative focused on global financial reform.
Vikings played a prominent role among the peoples of the North Atlantic, and the populations founded by them might be expected to be genetically similar and homogeneous. New research suggests that the Icelandic and Faroese people had distinctly different founding fathers. This result is consistent with a scenario in which the male population of the Faroe Islands was formed by a more diverse population from the more diverse Scandinavian population than from neighboring Icelanders. Furthermore, this study conclusively shows that there is no evidence of post-founder admixture between the Faroese and Icelandic gene pools.
The Faroe Islands consist of an archipelago of 18 small islands located in the North Atlantic Ocean between southern Norway, Iceland, and Scotland. As a result of their demographic history and relative geographical isolation, the Faroe Islands, like other North Atlantic island populations, are genetically homogeneous compared to mainland populations. Historical and archaeological sources report that the Faroe Islands were settled around 800 AD by Vikings, primarily from western Norway. However, increasing evidence suggests that these islands were settled earlier, perhaps by Celtic monks or other people from the British Isles. Carbon dating of peat moss and barley grain supports two pre-Viking periods of settlement, approximately 300-500 AD and 500-700 AD. More recently, scientists detected sheep DNA in archaeological deposits from 500 AD, and based on modern whole-genome data, the original founding of the Faroe Islands occurred between 50 and 300 AD. estimated that it may have been two to three centuries earlier than previously thought. Based solely on archaeological findings. Image credit: Oscar CR
From the 8th century to about 1050 AD, Vikings roamed the Atlantic in longships all the way to Newfoundland, Labrador, and Greenland, as well as exploring the Mediterranean and Eurasia.
Among the places they are known to have settled are the Faroe Islands, an archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.
They probably weren’t the first. Archaeologists have found evidence that these islands have been inhabited since about 300 AD, perhaps by Celtic monks or other people from the British Isles.
However, according to Fairinga Sagawritten around 1200, a Viking chieftain called Grimur Kamban settled in the Faroe Islands between about 872 and 930 AD. But where in Scandinavia did Grimur and his followers come from?
“We have strong evidence here that the Faroe Islands were colonized by a diverse group of male settlers from multiple Scandinavian populations,” said University of Louisville researcher Dr. Christopher Tillquist. .
In this study, Dr. Tillquist and his colleagues genotyped 12 “short tandem repeat” (STR) loci on the Y chromosome of 139 men from the Faroese islands of Bordoloi, Streymoy, and Suzloj.
They assigned each man to the most likely haplogroup. Each haplogroup has a different known distribution across Europe today.
They compared the genotype distribution to that found in 412 men from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland.
This allowed the team to reconstruct the source population of the founders of the Viking population.
Advanced analysis showed that the Faroe Islands sample range was similar to the broader Scandinavian genotype range, whereas the Icelandic genotypes were different.
The authors also developed a powerful and innovative genetic method called “variational distance from modal haplotype” to analyze SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) variation within STRs.
This has led to the “founder effect” (vestiges of random loss of diversity during historical colonization by a small number of people) that remains in the genetic composition of male populations in the Faroe Islands and Iceland today. was able to clarify.
“Scientists have long thought that the Faroe Islands and Iceland were settled by similar Nordic peoples,” Dr Tillquist says.
“However, our new analysis showed that these islands were founded by people belonging to different gene pools within Scandinavia.”
“One group of diverse Scandinavian origins settled in the Faroe Islands, while a more genetically distinct group of Vikings colonized Iceland. They had separate genetic characteristics that continue to this day. Masu.”
“Despite their geographic proximity, there appears to have been no subsequent interbreeding between these two populations.”
“Our findings show that Viking expansion into the North Atlantic was more complex than previously thought.”
“Each longship that sailed to these distant islands carried a different genetic heritage, and not just Vikings.”
“We can now trace the separate journeys of conquest and settlement, revealing a more nuanced story of Viking exploration than is told in history books.”
of findings appear in the diary frontiers of genetics.
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Alison E. Mann others. 2024. Genetic evidence points to distinct patrilineal colonization of the Faroe Islands and Iceland. front. Genet 15;doi: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1462736
Astronomers discover large planets around other stars more often than small planets.whether to measure The gravitational pull of an exoplanet on its host starobserve How much starlight do exoplanets block?or Take a photo of the exoplanet itselfObservation methods for exoplanets are biased toward planets with masses twice the mass of Earth, or 12 septillion kilograms or more. But astronomers know that small planets exist. It's just harder to find because the smaller the planet, the more accurate equipment is needed.
Astronomers call planets smaller than Earth: sub-earth or asteroid. Current telescopes are bad at finding these tiny planets, so astronomers rely on simulations to determine how they behave. A team of astronomers studied the conditions of a hypothetical planetary system containing only asteroids. They argued that understanding where asteroids are likely to appear in large numbers will allow scientists to better understand how common these types of planets are.
To obtain a representative sample of the right conditions for planetary systems to form, astronomers simulation codeGenerate models of exoplanets similar to actual observations. Using this code, the team ran 33 sets of 1,000 simulations, each set with different starting parameters. Most stars in the Milky Way are in that size range, so they simulated a system containing stars ranging from 1/2 to 5 times the mass of the Sun. They ran all but the last two sets of simulations over a billion years of simulation time.
The first set was their point of comparison. This demonstrated that the code would produce a system containing asteroids given the same conditions as a solar system in which planets smaller than Earth are known to exist. In the next set of eight, they varied the mass of the host star, the spread of mass within the disk of matter's starting point, and the ratio of gas to dust in the system. The astronomers then ran four sets of experiments varying the period during which the asteroid could accumulate new material, ranging from 320,000 to 32 million years. The researchers ran 16 more sets, varying the amount of dust the system needed to start with, from exactly the same mass of Earth to 10,000 times the mass of Earth.
The astronomers' last four sets of simulations varied depending on the host star's mass, which ranges from 1.5 to 5 times the mass of the Sun. They ran their two largest sets on shorter timescales than the rest because large stars burn out their fuel faster and have shorter lifetimes than smaller stars. At the end of a star's life, it expands, sometimes quite dramatically. Scientists used these sets to find scenarios in which the star swallows the asteroid as it expands, and scenarios in which the star survives.
The researchers noted that computing power limits the scope of the simulation, as certain systems cannot perform calculations on more than 1,000 objects at once. Also, ice and rock were not allowed to accumulate at the edges of the system, as they do in real star systems. They said these factors limit the accuracy of models of planet formation processes and long-term system dynamics, respectively.
Overall, the research team found that asteroids should be extremely abundant in the universe. They found that under the parameters they studied, systems consisting of only planets between 1 and 110 million times the mass of Earth could “easily form.” They suggested that estimates of how often planets form around stars may significantly underestimate the actual frequency of planets.
Astronomers have found that the most important factor determining how large an asteroid becomes is the amount of dust it can initially form. But they also found that systems containing only small planets stop forming when the initial available dust exceeds 100 times the mass of Earth. Their final conclusions dealt with the outermost asteroids of certain systems, which are more than 10 times the distance from Earth to the Sun. They found that although these planets rarely grow larger than small moons, they can survive the star's inevitable expansion and persist for billions of years after the star's expansion.
Personal branding has undergone a radical transformation. The way we present ourselves in the workplace and in the job market has evolved, thanks to the tools available to us and social changes like the merging of work and personal life. Just 25 years ago, a resume was all you needed to secure a new job. However, today, the internet, social media, and smartphones have revolutionized the way we showcase ourselves to the world. These tools enable us to transform our resumes into polished websites or captivating slide decks. Social media platforms provide an avenue for anyone to cultivate and manage their personal brand in real time.
The current landscape is witnessing a significant shift as increasingly advanced tools allow individuals to create professional visual and video content using just their smartphones. With the proliferation of platforms and social channels, along with the emergence of technologies like artificial intelligence, the possibilities are virtually limitless.
So, what are the guidelines for personal branding in this new era?
Utilize modern tools
Personal branding expert Jennifer Holloway emphasizes the importance of packaging the best aspects of oneself to appeal to the target audience. Leveraging available tools can help in creating a sophisticated website with striking images and polished videos, crafting engaging social media content, and developing well-designed marketing materials.
Smartphone editing tools and the abundance of visual content on social media have inadvertently enhanced our visual skills. As the competition grows, standing out from the crowd necessitates a higher level of skill. Apps like Adobe Express can be game-changers by facilitating the creation of eye-catching designs quickly and effortlessly, while tools like generative AI enable the adoption of new design capabilities.
Be authentic – yet genuine
Daisy Morris, an Adobe Express evangelist and author, highlights the importance of personal branding reflecting one’s unique traits without feeling overly curated. Authenticity plays a crucial role, but the concept has become somewhat cliché. Striving for authenticity can sometimes create a conflict between one’s true self and their ideal self. It’s vital to strike a balance between highlighting one’s strengths and ensuring all information conveyed is accurate.
Holloway stresses the need for truthfulness in personal branding to avoid potential discrepancies in the future. The goal is to provide a glimpse of what one would experience in a personal encounter, ensuring alignment between the online persona and the real self.
Embrace experimentation
Not every strategy works for everyone, so experimenting with various media, platforms, and channels is essential. Researching suitable channels and focusing efforts on a select few can amplify the impact of a personal brand, fostering a unique message tailored to the chosen audience.
Exercise discretion in sharing
While openness is often encouraged, it’s acceptable to maintain privacy in certain aspects of life. Crafting a personal brand should align with one’s comfort level, whether leaning towards transparency or a more professional stance.
Patiently pursue success
Social media may promote instant success stories, but building a successful personal brand requires dedication and time. Avoid getting caught up in the allure of rapid success and focus on developing engaging content at a sustainable pace.
Learn from others
Observing successful personal brands can offer valuable insights and inspiration. Staying informed about evolving technologies and best practices is crucial to thriving in the dynamic realm of personal branding.
“Oreos were my best friend as a kid,” he says brian hair. Once Hare wanted to hone his baseball pitching skills, his Labrador eagerly took on fielding duties. If he decided to explore the nearby forest, Oreo was always happy to take him. But there was one place where the boy and the dog always parted ways. “Oreo has never set foot in our house. Not once,” Hare says.
Nowadays, the front door is not closed for most dogs in high-income countries, and many dogs spend their days relaxing on the couch or watching TV. You would think they would be in dog heaven. But Hare, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, believes development has kept them in a doghouse. For thousands of years, he says, we have relied on dogs to protect our property and protect our families at night. Now, we have different expectations. Not only do you want your indoor dog to be friendly to strangers and rest quietly throughout the night, but also to be toilet trained, avoid chasing other animals, and avoid getting dirty paws on upholstery. You also need to do so. “This is an evolutionary mismatch,” Hare says.
Fortunately, this problem is solvable. Many recent studies have shown that selective breeding and careful training can help dogs adapt to indoor life. Meanwhile, Hare and his team “Puppy Kindergarten” Their lab delves into necessary behaviors and sheds new light on the milestones of cognitive development in dogs. Even better, researchers have devised a technique…
Stephen Bartlett, a visionary entrepreneur, understands that having a vision is not enough. In partnership with Adobe Express, a quick content app, he uses carefully crafted manifestos to align with people’s goals and values to turn visions into actionable steps. This approach, known as the Manifest-o Method, provides a framework for guiding entrepreneurs in the early stages. By creating a manifesto, Bartlett aims to help people develop daily habits that bring them closer to their goals and alleviate fears about the journey.
Unlike a traditional business plan or mission statement, a manifesto goes beyond structure and focuses on belief, intent, and purpose. It serves as a daily reminder of why you embarked on your path in the first place. Bartlett, known for his work with Flight Studio, leverages Adobe Express to create manifestos for business development.
Creating a manifesto involves reflecting on core values and goals. It is a statement of intent that defines your position and objectives. Manifestos, when well-designed, carry more weight and are more enduring. Bartlett emphasizes the importance of distilling beliefs into actionable steps and making manifestos visually appealing. Creative digital tools like Adobe Express make designing manifestos easy and enjoyable.
Regularly reviewing and updating your manifesto is essential to ensure it remains a dynamic tool for growth. It should inspire you to take action and move closer to your goals. The Manifest-o method is not limited to business; it can also be applied to personal life, helping clarify values and priorities.
Meta’s latest virtual reality headset, the Quest 3S, offers almost all the features of the Top Model but at a more affordable price point of £290 (€330/$300/AU$500). This makes it around 40% cheaper than the Quest 3 and even cheaper than the 2020 Quest 2.
Positioned between the Quest 2 and Quest 3, the Quest 3S utilizes the same high-performance Qualcomm VR chip found in the Quest 3 while maintaining a similar design and feel to the Quest 2 to keep costs down.
Well-designed straps, rotating arms, and a well-cushioned faceplate make it easy to get a comfortable fit. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Quest 3S has adjustable straps, rotatable arms, and a foam faceplate that make it one of the most comfortable headsets for extended wear. Additional straps and faceplates are available for users seeking a customized fit.
Featuring speakers in the arm, the Quest 3S provides decent spatial audio, but users can also opt to connect Bluetooth headphones or use a USB-C headphone adapter for wired audio.
The Quest 3S boasts the same screen and lens as the Quest 2, delivering sharp images at up to 120 frames per second. However, the use of fresnel lenses with limited distance settings may lead to blurriness at the edges when looking around.
The headset comes with industry-leading hand controllers for precise and intuitive interactions. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Two hand controllers, light and comfortable, feature capacitive buttons that respond to finger movements without accidental presses. Each controller uses a standard AA battery, with rechargeable options recommended for cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
The Quest 3S also includes spacers for glasses and offers prescription lenses for an additional cost.
CThrongs of J-Pop enthusiasts gathered outside John Cain Arena on a scorching 36-degree Melbourne night, flaunting their iconic green wigs. However, the blistering heat wasn’t a concern for Hatsune Miku, the night’s star attraction who is digitally animated and doesn’t sweat. The 16-year-old ‘Vocaloid’ virtual pop sensation embarked on her inaugural Australian tour.
As followers are well-informed, Miku is the avatar of a 157 cm tall teenage girl with distinctive green pigtails. She is the representation of a collection of voice samples created using Yamaha’s Vocaloid speech synthesis technology by Krypton Future Media. Users input lyrics and melodies, which are then “sung” by the sampled audio (portrayed by actor Saki Fujita as Hatsune Miku). While some Vocaloid producers fine-tune their software for realism, others cherish its artificial essence.
Inside the arena, Miku came to life on an LED screen, igniting a controlled frenzy among the audience. Most attendees remained seated, focusing on synchronizing their battery-powered colored glow sticks. Miku, towering over with a mesmerizing presence, danced to a live band amid a massive lighting setup. Speaking in English with a Japanese accent, she engaged with the audience, creating an illusion of a live, spontaneous performance.
“Thank you all for making this night truly special,” she joyfully exclaimed. “I hope we had a great time.” The crowd erupted in cheers. “Until we meet again!” she signed off.
Vocaloid tracks have gained popularity in Japan, often appearing on mainstream pop charts and even reaching the top spots. Billboard introduced a chart exclusively for Vocaloid, Niconico. Since its debut in 2007, Miku’s first demo, 01_Ballad, has inspired over 100,000 fan-made songs, mostly from Japan’s otaku community, known for their fervent passion for characters over celebrities. Miku’s prominence led her to open for Lady Gaga, perform at Coachella, and be remixed by Pharrell Williams.
Other popular characters based on various voicebanks include Rin Kagamine and Luka Megurine, who made a surprise appearance at Miku’s Melbourne concert, delighting fans.
While many attendees in Melbourne cosplay as Miku, some fans create new Miku designs to embody specific traits or brands. For instance, “Bunningsmiku” or “Woolysmiku.” This quirky practice aligns with the highly commercialized subculture. A recent Live Nation survey found that Asian pop fans spend 138% more per ticket and 85% purchase merchandise.
“Vocaloid is essentially a gift to the fans. It’s the fans who shape its identity,” Olivia shared. “There’s a vibrant community surrounding it that unites everyone.”
For some fans, concerts serve as an opportunity for identity exploration. Tori, 19, dressed as the gender-swapped male Mikuo, embracing their transgender identity.
“I’m transgender, but I feel more comfortable.” [dressed this way]. “I love music, I love her as an instrument, and I find the technology amazing,” they said. “I feel like a lot of nerd people, transgender people, people who don’t feel like they fit in can relate to that.”
Initially unrelated to artificial intelligence, Vocaloid software paved the way for today’s generative AI models trained on artists’ voices, often without consent. Open source pop music is on the rise. Grimes announced that AI could render artists’ voices in exchange for royalties.
Despite her perpetual teen persona and cutting-edge tech, Miku has established herself as a legendary figure with timeless hits. Fans like Kong, 36, a devotee since 2008, hold a special place in their hearts for Miku and revel in nostalgic performances of classics like world is mine.
“Miku has a special place in my heart. Before I had a job, before I had a family, before I had children, I gave birth to Miku,'' Kong reminisced, under the glow of home lights. “She embodies what you need in life when you know her, when you meet her. The song is haunting. It transcends time.”
HDo you often look up at the sky instead of looking down at the black mirror you might be reading this column on? Will you read this page to the end? How many tabs did you have open today? How many of you interact with other humans on the train without looking at your phone? I’m not one to judge. I, like everyone else, am obsessed with the release of dopamine. But these days, as the world becomes increasingly disillusioned and divided, it seems more urgent than ever to look outward rather than inward and pay attention in the ways that are most valuable.
I remembered seeing this floor rot a tapestry by US-based artist Quaysha Wood at Salon 94 in New York. It shows a woman slumped, exhausted, or “rotting in bed,” as if her white eyes were illuminated by the screen. Surrounding her are dozens of tabs with slogans emblematic of the culture of 2024 (like “Summer of the Kid”), but somehow already outdated, lost in the speed of an internet-driven world. It feels like it’s closed. She seems exhausted. I get tired looking at her. And her fatigue is common.
In a new radio series, desire to be distracted Matthew Said explores the state of our attention span. The debate surrounding this issue has been around for thousands of years, with medieval monks furious about the technology of “books,” but it feels especially applicable in our digital age. Research shows that the average amount of time people spend watching something on screen is just 40 seconds or less, an 80% decrease since 2004.
Distraction comes in many forms, but the problem today, Saeed tells us, is uncontrolled exploitation by big tech companies. They use sophisticated algorithms to use more data than ever before and turn our ever-longer scrolls into cash. This promotes addiction and stunts brain growth, especially in children. Slowly, we seem to be losing our positivity, losing our creativity, losing our connection, and losing our humanity.
This is not to say that modern digital technology should be abolished. Great things come from that. It’s global connectivity. Community building, especially in subcultures. to cause movement. A platform to give people a voice and spread joy, beauty, and knowledge. But we need to be aware of the more sinister aspects built into its design to keep us fascinated. Wood’s Tapestry is an unsettling vision of what this world could become, or already is.
It’s worth recognizing that Bed Rot held my attention longer than a typical screen, affirming the power of art to make viewers stop, stare, and think. Just as conversations are more meaningful in person than on a screen, it’s very hard to look away when something physical is right in front of you.
I believe that art can help counteract the negative effects of smartphone scrolling. Now more than ever, we need art that offers a world-changing perspective to make us believe in humanity again. Land artist Nancy Holt’s work, for example, reminds us of the mysteries of the natural world and the atmosphere above.
Lying in Utah’s Great Basin Desert is Holt’s Sun Tunnel. It’s four giant concrete tubes, tall enough to walk on, facing each other in an X-shape. During the day, you can see the vast arid land and sky through the tunnel. If the sky is clear, the light shines mottled through the holes in the pipes placed in the constellations of Capricorn, Columba, Draco, and Perseus, making it seem as if you are walking on the stars. Twice a year, on the summer and winter solstice, the sun aligns perfectly with the tunnel, allowing light to shine through.
Holt, who passed away in 2014, uses the earth and space as tools to highlight the vast beauty of the natural world by providing a vessel for viewing it. Her work reaffirms the fact that land, sea, sky, and human connections are all there, competing for our attention, but not for capitalist profit.
Author Iris Murdoch said in an interview: We create a small personal world and remain trapped within it. Great art brings freedom and allows us to take pleasure in seeing things that are not ourselves. ”
Art reminds us to look up from the little world we create on the black mirror in our pockets. It helps us understand our place in the universe and look out into the expanse rather than at ourselves as filtered through technology. It’s time to regain our attention. And to give it to what is worthy and important to us.
It took around 90 seconds for Liana Montag to witness the violence on her X account. The altercation in the restaurant escalated into a full-fledged brawl, with chairs being smashed over heads and bodies strewn across the floor.
The “Gang_Hits” account features numerous similar clips, including shootings, beatings, and individuals being run over by cars. This falls into a brutal genre of content that is frequently promoted by algorithms and appears on young people’s social media feeds without their consent.
Liana Montag: “It’s normal to see violence.” Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
Montag, an 18-year-old from Birmingham, also active on Instagram and Snapchat, has connected with several other teenagers at the Bring Hope charity in Handsworth. She shared, “If someone mentions they were stabbed recently, you don’t react as strongly anymore. It’s become a normal sight.”
Violent content is becoming more relatable in many cases. Iniko St Clair Hughes, 19, cited the example of gangs filming chases and posting them on Instagram.
“Now everyone has seen him flee, and his pride will likely push him to seek revenge,” he explained. “It spreads in group chats, and everyone knows about the escape, so they feel the need to prove themselves the next time they step out. That’s how it goes. The retaliation gets filmed, sometimes.”
Jamil Charles, 18, admitted to appearing in such video clips. He mentioned that footage of him in fights had been circulating on social media.
“Things can escalate quickly on social media as people glamorize different aspects,” he commented. “Fights can start between two individuals, and they can be resolved. But when the video goes viral, it may portray me in a negative light, leading to a blow to my pride, which might drive me to seek revenge and assert myself.”
All this had a worrying impact, as St. Clair-Hughes pointed out.
“When fear is instilled through social media, you’re placed in a fight-or-flight mode, unsure of how to proceed when leaving your house – it’s either being ahead of the game or lagging behind. You feel prepared for anything… It’s subliminal; no one is explicitly telling you to resort to violence, but the exposure to it intensifies the urge.”
Leanna Reed, 18, shared a story of a friend who started carrying a knife post an argument on Snapchat. While mostly boys were involved, there was also a female acquaintance who carried a weapon.
“It’s no longer a topic of discussion,” she noted. “He who emerges victorious with his weapon is deemed the winner. It’s about pride.”
Is there a solution? St. Clair Hughes expressed pessimism.
“People tend to veer towards negativity… [Social media companies] want us using their platforms, so I doubt they’ll steer towards a more positive direction.”
Reed mentioned hearing about TikTok being more regulated and education-focused in China, leading her to ponder different approaches taken by various countries on the same platform.
O’Shaun Henry, 19, directed a candid message towards social media companies, urging them to utilize their power to make positive changes, especially through AI. Limits need to be set, considering the influence on young individuals. It’s time to introspect, conduct research, and bring about improvements.
A senior police official has issued a warning that pedophiles, fraudsters, hackers, and criminals are now utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to target victims in increasingly harmful ways.
According to Alex Murray, the National Police’s head of AI, criminals are taking advantage of the expanding accessibility of AI technology, necessitating swift action by law enforcement to combat these new threats.
Murray stated, “Throughout the history of policing, criminals have shown ingenuity and will leverage any available resource to commit crimes. They are now using AI to facilitate criminal activities.”
He further emphasized that AI is being used for criminal activities on both a global organized crime level and on an individual level, demonstrating the versatility of this technology in facilitating crime.
During the recent National Police Chiefs’ Council meeting in London, Mr. Murray highlighted a new AI-driven fraud scheme where deepfake technology was utilized to impersonate company executives and deceive colleagues into transferring significant sums of money.
Instances of similar fraudulent activities have been reported globally, with concern growing over the increasing sophistication of AI-enabled crimes.
The use of AI by criminals extends beyond fraud, with pedophiles using generative AI to produce illicit images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, a distressing trend that law enforcement agencies are working diligently to combat.
Additionally, hackers are employing AI to identify vulnerabilities in digital systems, providing insights for cyberattacks, highlighting the wide range of potential threats posed by the criminal use of AI technology.
Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding the radicalization potential of AI-powered chatbots, with evidence suggesting that these bots could be used to encourage individuals to engage in criminal activities including terrorism.
As AI technologies continue to advance and become more accessible, law enforcement agencies must adapt rapidly to confront the evolving landscape of AI-enabled crimes and prevent a surge in criminal activities using AI by the year 2029.
Some individuals enjoy shopping for Christmas presents. Polly Arrowsmith starts jotting down preferences of her friends and family, meticulously hunting for deals. Vee Portland begins her shopping spree in January, selecting a theme each year, ranging from heart mirrors to inspiring books. On the other hand, Betsy Benn devoted so much time to pondering gifts that she launched her own online gifting business.
How will these gift-giving experts react to a trend that could either revolutionize time management or debase the essence of Christmas: relying on ChatGPT to do the work for you?
We’ll have to wait like kids on Christmas Day for the answer. Yet, it appears that people are indeed turning to ChatGPT to craft their Christmas lists. OpenAI’s tool boasts numerous tailored prompts for composing holiday gift lists and has seen a surge in Reddit posts from individuals seeking inspiration through interactions with chatbots.
Is there a significant number of people embracing this trend? ChatGPT’s bots either weren’t privy to that information, or if they were, they kept it under wraps. observer. OpenAI’s spokesperson was unaware that the company was devising Christmas quizzes, designing cards, and formulating “creative responses” to kids’ letters to Santa. (Other AI chatbots like Google’s Gemini and Perplexity AI were similarly clueless.)
Even if only a handful of individuals have embarked on this path, AI firms are hopeful that more will follow suit. Perplexity recently rolled out “Buy with Pro” in the US. This $20/month AI shopping assistant enables users to explore products and make purchases on Perplexity’s platform.
This move, right before the peak of the Black Friday shopping frenzy, was viewed as a direct challenge to Google’s supremacy in online advertising, as stated by Jai Khan, Push’s digital marketing agency director.
“While some begin their shopping journey on Amazon and young folks engage with TikTok, Google remains the dominant force,” he remarked. “The repercussions on Google Ads if individuals start turning to ChatGPT for solutions are crucial to us.”
Numerous online Christmas gift guides predict the must-have items for the annual toy craze (from Furby and Beyblade tops to a mother duck leading her ducklings and the comeback of the fart blasters). Lego’s evil Collection, however, is rapidly flying off the shelves.
For 53-year-old Portland, a confidence coach from Winchester, online searches are merely a fraction of her gift-hunting process. “I tend to purchase gifts throughout the year, and it’s frustrating when I find the perfect present in February only to discover it’s sold out by December,” she said. “It also aids in budgeting.”
Betsy Benn sells custom gifts such as Christmas tree decorations. Photo: Emma Jackson
Benn disapproves of the notion of gifting directly to charity shops. “We want our loved ones to feel genuinely acknowledged and valued for their uniqueness,” she expressed. The 49-year-old from Cheltenham established betsybenn.com, a venture specializing in personalized gifts like Christmas tree ornaments.
“Nothing compares to the joy recipients feel when they realize this is exclusively theirs and not just a hastily grabbed bottle of wine in a festive gift bag. Don’t we all crave recognition and understanding? Isn’t that the essence of relationships?”
The challenge arises when gifts don’t reflect the recipient’s taste, leading to scenarios like receiving deodorant, an expired voucher, or oversized red undergarments. There are numerous signs that demonstrate you missed the mark.
Katherine Jansson-Boyd, a consumer psychology professor at Anglia Ruskin University, noted, “60% to 70% of individuals make mistakes while shopping for Christmas presents.” She added, “Looking at shopping patterns, most people postpone their purchases, indicating uncertainty.”
With the added complexity of deciphering the preferences of diverse generations, AI-generated lists could potentially streamline this intricate social exchange.
“In essence, AI is a tool that processes data from the internet to produce logical outcomes,” Jansson-Boyd remarked. “Emotions can’t be inherently emotional or personalized since they can’t be quantified.
“However, in my opinion, this is a fantastic concept as we frequently run out of ideas ourselves.”
YouGov research revealed that last year, 45% of Christmas shoppers found gift shopping to be stressful, prompting some to completely opt out and simply inform others of their wishes.
For some individuals, even determining their own desires can be daunting. Most AI bots offer users the option to save their conversations for future reference, potentially making AI a solution in that regard as well.
“You can ask ChatGPT, ‘Tell me something I don’t know about myself,'” Khan explained. “The insights gained are fascinating.”
Frequent users might reach a point where they believe their AI bot excels at understanding and interpreting their preferences.
So, how does observerGift Master fare with ChatGPT?
Arrowsmith wasn’t impressed with the suggestions for her sister. The Neom candle was recommended, but “the price was significantly higher than the one I purchased yesterday during the Black Friday sale,” she revealed. “It all felt very generic. I went with a designer handbag instead of a run-of-the-mill tote.”
“I repeated the process for my 83-year-old father, a man with multiple interests,” she recounted. “Options included a foot massager, a personalized cane, a meal delivery service, or a newspaper subscription. However, my father arranged his own subscription, did his grocery shopping, and spent $20,000 every day. You might wonder why I opted for this while he walks around so much.”
Portland pondered what suggestions fit a “time-poor mother of a child with a disability,” finding proposals like spa getaways and extended baths unsuitable. “While those might be what she needs, she lacks the time for such activities,” she remarked. Other potential options included cleaning services, meal kits, and clothing, with size discrepancies posing a befuddling challenge.
“There were also recommendations for gifts for her children, but I refrained. This reflects entirely on her as a mother, not as an individual,” she articulated.
Benn realized that the key to avoiding mundane gifts lay in asking probing questions.
“By injecting curiosity and personality, you unlock much better outcomes, and I relish that,” she shared. “You might strike gold on your initial attempt or draw inspiration from a few suggestions and delve deeper to find something extraordinary.
“If someone reveals they used AI to find a gift for me, the mere fact that they contemplated, assessed options, and landed on what they believed was ideal warms my heart.”
Some kitchen appliances have become popular in our kitchens due to their cost-effectiveness, durability, and easy cleaning. However, recent studies indicate that certain food staples like black plastic utensils, plastic cutting boards, and nonstick pots may release harmful substances into our food. This is not the kind of seasoning we want in our healthy, nutritious meals.
So, what are the risks associated with these kitchen tools, and what are the safer alternatives available?
Issues with Plastic Utensils
Many of us may have a set of black plastic spatulas, spoons, and ladles tucked away in our kitchen drawers. New research reveals that these items can potentially leach toxic flame retardants like decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) into our food.
These chemicals were originally used in electronics to reduce fire risks but are now present in black plastic kitchen utensils made from recycled electronic waste.
Another study found that 85 percent of black plastic household items examined, including fast food trays, children’s toys, and kitchen utensils, contained toxic flame retardants, with the highest levels found in kitchen utensils.
DecaBDE is particularly harmful, linked to cancer, hormonal disorders, thyroid issues, developmental problems in children, neurobehavioral effects, and toxicity in the reproductive and immune systems. Due to these concerns, it was banned in the UK in 2018 and in the US in 2021.
Researchers estimate that people may be exposed to an average of 34.7 ppm of deca-BDE daily through recycled black plastic kitchen utensils, posing a significant health risk as the chemicals can accumulate in the body over time.
Instead of using black plastic utensils, consider switching to safer alternatives like stainless steel or food-grade silicone options.
Cutting Board and Microplastics
Plastic cutting boards, although seemingly harmless, can release microplastics into our food. These small particles, known as microplastics, can be ingested unintentionally and pose health risks.
Recent research suggests that cutting boards made of polypropylene and polyethylene can release up to 1,114 microplastic particles with just one cut, leading to potential health issues related to microplastic ingestion.
Replacing plastic cutting boards with bamboo or wood alternatives can help reduce these health risks, as these materials are naturally resistant to bacteria and environmentally friendly.
The Truth about Nonstick Cookware
Nonstick pans are favored by many home cooks for their convenience, but the chemicals used in these coatings, such as PFAS, raise health concerns. While modern nonstick pans are considered safe, there are uncertainties about their long-term impacts, especially when exposed to high temperatures or damage.
Be cautious with nonstick pans to prevent overheating, which can release toxic fumes and particles. Scratches or damage to the coating can also release harmful substances into food.
Consider using alternative cookware options like stainless steel or cast iron to avoid potential health risks associated with nonstick pans.
Influencers are big fans of post-workout ice baths.
But a recent small study suggests that recreational athletes may perform better when using hot tubs instead of cold ones, especially during breaks in training like halftime in football or soccer games. The study was presented at the Integrative Exercise Physiology Conference at the University Park, Pennsylvania.
According to Mamoru Tsuyuki, the lead author of the study and a master’s student in sports and health science at Ritsumeikan University, hot water promotes blood flow, helps muscles repair, and increases power output. He recommends soaking in hot water for 15-20 minutes to improve performance in the second half of a workout. Despite the benefits of hot water, Tsuyuki acknowledges that cold water can still be beneficial for relieving muscle pain and treating injuries.
Further research is needed to compare the advantages and disadvantages of both hot and cold water treatments. Different types of exercises may yield different results with each temperature soak.
Why Hot Soaks are Beneficial
To explore the effects of hot and cold water in more detail, Tsuyuki and his team conducted a three-part study involving 10 young men. After high-intensity interval running, the men soaked in either a 104-degree or 59-degree bathtub for 20 minutes or sat in water without soaking.
The study results showed that jumping heights were higher after hot water immersion compared to cold water immersion. Muscle soreness was not significantly different between the two groups.
Although cold baths can be soothing for injuries involving heat and inflammation, they may have a negative impact on post-workout recovery for intense workouts, according to Amy Leighton, an associate professor of applied physiology at Columbia University. Hot water facilitates circulation and speeds up the recovery process after strenuous exercise.
Dr. Spencer Stein, an orthopedic and sports medicine specialist at New York University, acknowledges the benefits of cold water baths in reducing pain but notes that warm baths are preferred by professional teams before a game. David Putrino, a rehabilitation innovation director, advises athletes to experiment with different temperatures and observe how their bodies react to determine the most effective recovery strategy.
Putrino recommends soaking in hot water for 10-20 minutes at 98-104 degrees Fahrenheit and in ice water for 10-15 minutes at 50-59 degrees Fahrenheit. Start with a 5-minute soak if you are new to cold water treatment. Ultimately, the best temperature soak is the one that helps you recover the fastest, so individual experimentation is key.
Flooding is a common occurrence in the cities of Navotas and Malabon, located in densely populated areas north of Metro Manila in the Philippines.
These cities have adapted to the constant threat of floods. For example, the iconic jeepney vehicles are now made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion from seawater. Additionally, roads have been continuously elevated, reaching heights higher than people’s doors in some areas.
“They keep raising the roads higher and higher, and it’s a challenge to sustain this,” says Dr. Mahal Ragmay, Executive Director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute.
The struggle to combat floods in these cities is not just due to rising sea levels, but also to the lowering of the ground level. A study led by Lagmay and his team revealed that parts of Metro Manila sank by 10.6 centimeters (4.2 inches) per year between 2014 and 2020, significantly higher than the global average sea level rise.
This rapid decline has been a growing concern, especially in certain coastal areas around Manila Bay where floods have left half of the houses submerged, forcing rice farmers to turn to fishing for their livelihood.
Similar subsidence issues are observed in various highly urbanized regions worldwide, as highlighted by land subsidence expert Dr. Matt Way, who studies urban subsidence on a global scale.
The Impact of Land Subsidence
Subsidence measurements are now conducted using advanced technologies like satellite data, allowing researchers to make more accurate estimates of ground movement. With tools like GNSS and InSAR, scientists can track ground movement in 3D at specific points, providing detailed insights into subsidence patterns.
By analyzing subsidence data from various cities globally, researchers have found that many urban areas are experiencing significant sinking rates, posing a threat to millions of people.
Causes of Subsidence
Tighter regulations on groundwater extraction have slowed Jakarta’s sinking rate, but flooding still occurs – Credit: BAY ISMOYO
Subsidence in cities like New York and Manila has various causes, including post-glacial rebound and human activities like excessive groundwater pumping. While natural phenomena like seismic faults contribute to ground movements, human interventions play a significant role in accelerating subsidence rates.
Addressing subsidence requires a multi-faceted approach, from regulating groundwater extraction to monitoring and mitigating the impact of sinking urban areas.
Mitigating Urban Subsidence
Cities like Jakarta, Tokyo, and Houston have made strides in slowing subsidence rates by implementing stricter water regulations and alternative water supply solutions. In Manila, efforts to ban deep well drilling and reduce reliance on groundwater are underway to address subsidence issues.
While some areas may face relocation due to flooding and sinking, careful management of groundwater resources and proactive monitoring can help cities bounce back from subsidence challenges.
About our experts
Dr. Matt Way is an expert in oceanography and studies natural disasters and crustal geodesy at the University of Rhode Island.
Dr. Mahal Lagmay is the Executive Director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, focusing on projects related to flooding and groundwater management in the Philippines.
Today, the moon is a cold, dead world, but it hasn’t always been that way. Early in its history, the Moon was host to volcanic activity.
Now, the latest results from the first-ever samples returned from the far side of the moon by China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft reveal this volcanic activity. It may have happened more recently More than previously suspected. But what remains unclear is how these eruptions were able to continue for so long.
The moon is tidally locked to the Earth, meaning the same side is always facing us. Throughout human history, the dark ocean on the moon’s near side (known as Mare) has been clearly visible.
However, the far side of the Moon was hidden from our view and remained a mystery until the advent of the Space Age. In 1959, the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 satellite returned the first-ever images of the far side of the Moon, revealing a completely different surface than the familiar near side. There are only a handful of small oceans on the moon. Instead, much of the opposite side is pocked with impact craters.
Why do we know so little about the far side of the moon?
The Moon is dual-faced, and each side has a markedly different appearance. In recent years, experiments such as NASA’s GRAIL satellite have revealed that this dual personality extends underground as well.
“There is a dichotomy of the crust between the near and far sides, and the crust on the far side is much thicker,” he says. Professor Clive Neal a planetary geologist at the University of Notre Dame in the United States.
The cause of this split is one of the biggest unanswered questions about the moon. To get to the bottom of it, researchers first need to investigate what causes the two different appearances in the first place.
In the ’60s and ’70s, the Luna and Apollo missions returned vast amounts of lunar rock, confirming what geologists had long suspected: that the lunar maria was formed primarily from basalt (cooled lava). We were able to confirm that it is made of minerals.
The moon’s oceans were actually ancient volcanic floodplains that formed between 4.3 billion and 3.1 billion years ago. This conclusively proved that there was volcanic activity on the surface.
A photo of the far side of the Moon taken and transmitted to Earth by the Soviet lunar probe Luna 3 in 1959. – Photo credit: Getty
The absence of maria on the moon may suggest that there are no signs of volcanic activity on the far side, but a closer look at the craters on the far side shows that this may not be the case. Over time, the rocky world develops the patina of impact craters from meteorite impacts.
If the planet is volcanically active, lava flooding the surface will fill these craters and erase them from the surface. This means that the more craters there are on a planet’s surface, the longer it has been volcanic.
Using orbital images of the moon’s surface, scientists have been able to count craters on the moon, and it appears that the far side of the moon has actually been carved clean by volcanic activity on roughly the same time scale as seen on the near side. I discovered that it looks like.
So what did the new mission find?
The only way to confirm this theory was to test for volcanic minerals on samples from the backside. Unfortunately, all early lunar exploration aimed at the easiest place to land: the brightly lit equator in front of the moon.
Things changed on June 1, 2024, when China’s Chang’e 6 lander touched down on the far side of an area known as the Antarctic Aitken Impact Basin. This was China’s second venture into the far side, after landing a spacecraft in 2019. Chang’e 6’s main purpose was to bring samples of the far side back to Earth, ultimately revealing how geologically different this region is from the far side. .
Immediately after landing, Chang’e 6 scooped up some of the moon’s soil, known as regolith. They also used a 2-meter (6.5-foot) long drill to collect samples from underground, where moon rocks are somewhat protected from the sun’s radiation.
In all, the mission collected 1,935 g (4.2 pounds) of lunar material, which was packaged into an ascent vehicle and returned to Earth on June 6.
The return capsule of the Chang’e 6 probe will land in Xiziwangban, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, on June 25, 2024. – Photo credit: Getty
The return capsule was immediately taken to a special facility, where it was opened and subjected to preliminary tests, which revealed that the sample contained grains of basalt, proving that there was indeed a volcanic past behind it. It was done.
To learn more about what this past was like, more than 100 basalt fragments were extracted and sent to two independent teams of researchers who published their findings. science and nature November of this year.
They found that the basalt is about 2.8 billion years old, younger than the samples collected by Luna and Apollo.
How volcanic activity became possible is a “mystery”
The new sample matched a similarly young sample taken by China’s previous sample return mission, Chang’e 5.
Neither sample contained a group of metals called KREEP (potassium, rare earth metals, and phosphorus with the element symbol K) that were abundant in the previous samples. There was also a clear shortage of radioactive metals. Also a sample of Chang’e.
“The mystery is that young basalts, less than 3 billion years old, do not contain large amounts of KREEP radioactive elements either in the foreground or in the background,” said one of the few Western scientists allowed to cooperate in this research. Mr. Neil, one of the Analysis at this time.
“This is a mystery, but it matches the young basalt of Chang’e 5, which is 2 billion years old.”
Heat from the decay of radioactive metals is one of the main mechanisms that sustains volcanic activity on our planet, but their apparent disappearance does not seem to have immediately stopped volcanic activity on the Moon. As it turns out, the samples are very similar in many other ways.
“They are similar in bulk composition to previous samples, which adds to the mystery: What was the heat source that produced such magmas?” says Neal.
Getting to the bottom of the mystery will almost certainly require more samples taken from different parts of the moon, as well as a closer look at what’s happening beneath the surface.
“The absence of creep elements in the basalts on the far side suggests that the Moon’s mantle is also bipartite. To understand the nature of the Moon’s interior, we need to use global geophysical networks to You need to explore what’s inside.”
It appears the other side still wants to keep some of its secrets hidden, at least for now.
About our experts
Professor Clive Neil is an expert in civil and environmental engineering and geosciences at the University of Notre Dame in the United States. His research is natural earth science, science and advances in space research.
Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights and can sometimes be dangerous. It can result in emergency landings and even fatalities.
In May 2024, a flight from London to Singapore had to make an emergency landing after encountering severe turbulence over Myanmar. Sadly, one passenger died, and many others were hospitalized.
Shortly after this incident, another flight from Doha to Dublin experienced turbulence, leading to several passengers being hospitalized. These incidents raise concerns about the frequency and severity of turbulence.
Turbulence is typically caused by sudden changes in airflow due to various factors like storm clouds, fronts, and air movement over mountains. Pilots can often anticipate and avoid these known forms of turbulence.
However, clear-air turbulence, which occurs without warning due to speed differences between air masses, poses a more significant risk. This type of turbulence is invisible and challenging to detect, making it particularly dangerous for passengers and crew.
Experts predict that turbulence will increase with climate change, with clear-sky turbulence already on the rise. Studies show a significant increase in wind shear and severe turbulence on common flight routes, with projections indicating a further rise in turbulence incidents in the coming years.
While the risk of turbulence-related injuries remains relatively low, it is essential for passengers to always wear their seat belts during flights. This simple precaution can reduce the likelihood of injuries during turbulent conditions.
If you have any questions or concerns about turbulence or climate change’s impact on air travel, feel free to contact us via email at questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out to us on social media.
For more intriguing science facts and information, visit our website for engaging content.
This article (by Dominic Hamilton in London) addresses the impact of climate change on turbulence during flights.
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Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of the trogonophid Amphisbaenian (worm lizard) from fossil specimens discovered in Tunisia.
rebuilding the life of Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi Ready to prey on large snails of the Brimulidae family. Image credit: Jaime Chirinos.
Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi They lived in what is now Africa during the Eocene epoch, about 47 million years ago.
The new species belongs to Trogonophidae, a small family of limbless carnivorous lizard-like reptiles belonging to the clade Amphisbaenia.
“Amphibians are a group of charismatic fossil squamates with bizarre morphological features and extreme anatomical variations,” said lead author Dr. Georgios Georgalis of the Institute of Animal Systemology and Evolution, Polish Academy of Sciences and his colleagues. said a colleague.
“In particular, its unique skeletal structure has fascinated and puzzled researchers since the 19th century.”
“Before the advent and widespread acceptance of phylogenetics, amphibians were considered to be the third major group of squamates, along with Serpenta and the paraphyletic 'Lacerthilla'.”
“However, recent phylogenetic analyzes place them as a sister group to lizards in the family Caricidae, and this topology is supported by both molecular evidence and a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. The name Lacertibaenia has also been proposed for the clade Amphisbaenia + Lacertidae.
“Amphibians have a relatively rich fossil record spanning the Cenozoic era in Europe and North America, in addition to several Neogene and Quaternary occurrences from South America and some from Africa. Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary productions, very few Neogene productions from the Arabian Peninsula, and very few Neogene occurrences from southwest Asia. is. ”
“Trogonophidae is a fairly distinctive group of amphibians that is today distributed across northern and north-central Africa (including Socotra Island in Yemen) and the Middle East,” the researchers added.
“Currently, four extant genera are recognized. Agamodon, Diplometopon, Pachykaramasu, and the type genus, Trogonophis”
The most distinguishing feature of trogonophids is their hooked teeth, a feature found only among squamates in the otherwise Iguanian group Chronophytes. ”
“Trogonophids have other unique features among amphibians, including locomotion and burrowing patterns, shoulder girdle or hemipenes morphology, chromosomes, spinal arrangement, lack of caudal autodissection, and triangular cross-section. It also has features.
some specimens Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi It was discovered in a place where fossils of Jebel Chanbi Nature Park In Tunisia.
“Jebel Chambi National Park is located in the Kasserine region of central-western Tunisia,” the paleontologists said.
“Material for this study was obtained from a fossiliferous site (Chambi locus 1) consisting of fluvial-lacustrine deposits located at the base of the Chambi continental sequence.”
“These habitats support fish, amphibians, turtles, crocodiles, squamates, birds, and mammals such as bats, primates, euphorians, hyaenodonts, hyracoids, elephant shrews, marsupials, and mammals. It produces a diverse population of aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates, including rodents and sirenians.
Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi At over 90 centimeters (35 inches) long, it was the largest amphibian ever known.
“Among the extant amphibian fliers, Amphisbaena Alba is the largest species, reaching a maximum total length of 81 centimeters (32 inches) and a skull length of more than 3.1 centimeters (1.2 inches), the researchers said.
Virtually all modern amphibians are burrowing animals and rarely appear on the surface outside of underground environments.
Nevertheless, certain features Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi They seem to contradict this natural history pattern and instead suggest that ancient species likely lived on the surface of the earth.
This is further supported by the extreme size. Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi which makes underground habits less likely to occur.
“Terrastiodontosaurus Marcelo Sanchesi “This is a significant contribution to the fossil record of the hitherto little-known African Amphisbaenia, making it only the fifth species to be named extinct on the African continent,” the scientists concluded. .
“Furthermore, the new material from Chambi further adds to the extremely poor fossil record of the Trogonophidae.”
Regarding new species, paper this week, Zoological journal of the Linnean Society.
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Georgios L. Georgalis others. 2024. The world's largest earthworm lizard: a new giant trogonophid (Squamata: Amphisbaenia) with extreme dental adaptations from the Eocene of Chambi, Tunisia. Zoological journal of the Linnean Society 202 (3): zlae133;doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae133
Scientists recently performed a groundbreaking test on a baleen whale to assess its hearing abilities. This controversial step is bringing scientists closer to understanding how the largest and most intelligent creatures on Earth perceive the world.
In 2023, researchers captured two young minke whales off the coast of Norway, attached electrodes to their skin using suction cups, and measured their brain waves while playing tones at various frequencies. The young whales were both over 12 feet long and weighed around one ton each.
The findings of the research, published in Science on Thursday, surprised whale researchers by suggesting that whales have the ability to hear much higher frequencies than previously thought, exceeding the hearing capabilities of most mammals, including humans.
Dorian Hauser, the study’s lead author and director of conservation biology at the National Marine Mammal Foundation, described the discovery as “a little shocking.” He explained that whales have ultrasonic hearing, likely to detect killer whales, their primary predators, as they hunt prey using echolocation signals in a similar frequency range.
The startling revelation comes at a time of increasing concern over the impact of ocean noise from sources like naval sonar, oil and gas exploration, and shipping traffic, which can alter marine mammal behavior, cause hearing loss, and even lead to death. This new information may lead to revising regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and restricting certain activities.
Susan Parks, a biology professor at Syracuse University, stated, “High-frequency sound from ocean activities has not typically been considered a threat to baleen whales, but this may now need to be reevaluated,” as mentioned in the study.
The research concluded a longstanding disagreement in the whale research community. Previously, baleen whales were never captured for hearing tests due to safety concerns for both the whales and researchers, given their large size.
Certain scientists and activists opposed the four-year Minke Whale Hearing Project, fearing the whales could experience stress and even mortality during brief captivity. The project faced criticism, with organizations like Whale and Dolphin Conservation advocating against it in an open letter to the Norwegian government.
The hearing abilities of the largest whale species on Earth have long been a mystery due to the limitations of studying these massive creatures in captivity. However, through innovative methods like the Minke Whale Hearing Project, researchers are making strides in understanding how these animals experience the world through sound.
Brandon Southall, a scientist involved in developing standards for ocean sound exposure, believes that the research could influence future regulations to protect marine mammals from harmful underwater noise sources. He emphasized the importance of conducting such studies carefully and professionally to guide conservation efforts.
While the Minke Whale Hearing Project is currently on hold, researchers hope to continue the exploration of these fascinating creatures’ hearing abilities should further funding become available.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s false claims linking autism to childhood immunizations have led to President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of him to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. As a result, it is undergoing new scrutiny. Budget is $1.7 trillion. He oversees research into both autism and vaccines.
President Kennedy, who has espoused many health-related conspiracy theories, said the number of people diagnosed with autism has increased significantly in recent decades, from an estimated 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 36 today. Vaccines are cited as an explanation for the rapid increase in cases among humans. Research shows that many of them increase This is due to increased awareness. and screening About the condition. redefining autismThe spectrum includes milder symptoms that were not recognized in previous years. The same goes for advances in diagnostic technology.
“For far too long, the anti-vaccination movement has exploited families of autistic people, promoting a market for pseudoscientific treatments that don’t provide the answers they’re looking for and can expose autistic people to real harm.” ,” said Ari Nieman, co-founder of the nonprofit Autism Self-Advocacy Network and assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “An even less credible conspiracy theory linking autism and vaccines is not the answer.”
Timothy Caulfield, director of research at Canada’s University of Alberta Health Law Institute, who studies health misinformation, said people are more susceptible to diseases than to disabling diseases, whose causes are complex and not fully understood. He said people are often inclined to believe conspiracy theories about illnesses such as autism. obvious cause.
For example, people seem less likely to speculate about long-known alternative explanations for Down syndrome, which causes intellectual disability. Caused by extra copies of chromosome 21.
“It’s really unfortunate because there are families out there who are vulnerable.” [of people with autism] These are the people who need our help,” said Judith Miller, clinical psychologist, senior scientist and training director at the Autism Research Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Every dollar and hour spent debunking a conspiracy theory is a dollar and hour spent understanding how to help families.”
complex conditions
Manish Arora, a professor of environmental medicine and climate science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said it’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of autism because it’s not a single disorder.
“Autism is a spectrum, not one narrow disease,” Arora says. “So many things come under one umbrella.”
People diagnosed with autism often similar strengths and assignment, “There are many pathways to autism, and there are many symptoms of autism,” Miller said.
Scientists have discovered a variety of risk factors for autism – most of which are exists before birth — But there is no single cause for neurological and developmental conditions. influence the way people interact Communicate, learn, and act with others.
Many traits that are sometimes seen in people with autism (for example, sensitivity to loud noises or difficulty interpreting social cues) are also found in people who have not been diagnosed with autism. Arora, founder and CEO of a start-up company researching biomarkers for autism and other neurological disorders, said doctors can diagnose autism based on a person’s behavior and that they can detect the coronavirus. Point out that there is no simple test for autism like there is for autism or diabetes.
Finding the cause of infections such as the flu, which is caused by the influenza virus, is much easier.
Researchers continue to study factors that influence the development of autistic traits, but “one thing we know that does not cause autism is vaccines,” says the University of California, Los Angeles said Katherine Lord, a psychologist and researcher at the Center for Autism Research and Treatment. Geffen School of Medicine.
genetic vulnerability
Doctors have long known that genes play a large role in autism, just because it can run in families. For example, in identical twins who share all their DNA, if one twin is autistic, the other will usually be autistic as well. For fraternal twins who share about half of their DNA, if one fraternal twin has autism, the chance that the other will also have autism ranges from 53% to 67%. According to the analysis of research studies.
Miller said scientists have identified more than 100 genes associated with autism, and 60 to 80 percent of autism cases are thought to be genetically involved.
“The genetics of autism are better understood than ever before,” said Dr. Gregory Sejas, medical director of the Autism Clinical Center and Fragile X Clinic at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “We are making breakthrough research into the known genetic causes of autism.”
However, it is clear that genes cannot explain all cases of autism.
Autism is very different from conditions such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis, which are caused by a single gene. Scientists believe that a combination of genetic vulnerability and environmental exposure causes people to develop autistic traits, Lord said.
“People are discovering so many different genetic patterns associated with autism, but none of them are exclusively associated with autism, and none of them are always associated with autism. It is not related to,” Lord said.
For example, Fragile X syndrome (caused by a mutated gene on the X chromosome) is the most common known cause Autistic. But only a small percentage of children with the gene mutation actually develop autism, Miller said. This mutation predisposes some people to developing autistic traits, while others with the same mutation are protected by as-yet-unidentified protective factors, making them less likely to develop autism. You may not develop the characteristics.
Some people blame the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine for causing autism. This is because this condition often develops around 12 to 15 months of age, the same time infants receive vaccinations. But Miller says, “Most genetic conditions that affect our lives and health are not obvious at birth. Symptoms and characteristics may not appear until much later, but the genetic code remains with us. It is with you.”
Prenatal vulnerability
Many of the known risk factors for autistic traits occur before or during birth, Arora said. babies experience complications at birth Things like having the umbilical cord wrapped around your neck increase the risk of autism.
So is the baby born early It’s probably because something happened in the womb.
Children are more likely to be diagnosed with autism If you have an older father And if you have an older mother, that’s a possibility, Miller said. It’s unclear whether there is something biological about older parents that increases the risk of autism in their children, or whether socioeconomic issues play a role. Older parents may be more likely to have their child diagnosed with autism because they have better access to medical care.
Neiman, of the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, said she is not opposed to basic biological research into autism and its causes, but that such research is a challenge that autistic people face in their daily lives. said it does little to overcome barriers.
He points out that only 8.4% of the $419 million spent on autism research in the United States has been spent. Dedicated to support and service For people with autism.
“We need an autism research agenda that reflects the real priorities of autistic people and our families: lifelong support and community inclusion.” he said.
Crystals within a Martian meteorite suggest Mars may have had abundant hydrothermal water when the rock formed 4.45 billion years ago.
The rock, called Black Beauty, was blown into space by an impact on Mars' surface and eventually crashed into the Sahara desert.
We already know a lot about Mars from the study of a meteorite discovered in Morocco in 2011, officially known as Northwest Africa 7034.
aaron cabosy Researchers at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, have been studying the tiny fragments, which contain zircon crystals 50 micrometers in diameter, for years.
Kavosie describes Black Beauty as “a rock that looks like a trash can.” Because it was formed by hundreds of pieces smashed together. “This is a great buffet of Martian history, with a mix of very old and very young rocks,” he says. “But much of the debris it contains belongs to some of the oldest rocks on Mars.”
The fragments studied by Kavosy and his team had crystallized in magma beneath Mars' surface. When they tested the zircons, they also found, unusually, that the elements iron, aluminum, and sodium were arranged in thin, onion-like layers.
“We wondered where else could we find elements like this in zircon crystals,” Kabosie says. The answer, he says, lies in South Australia's gold ore deposits. The zircon crystals there were nearly identical to those from Mars, including the same unusual combination of additional elements.
“This type of zircon is known to form only in places where hydrothermal processes or hydrothermal systems are active during igneous activity,” Kabosie says. “The hot water facilitates the transport of iron, aluminum, and sodium into the crystals as they grow layer by layer.”
Zircon has been exposed to multiple large-scale traumas, including the impact of an ancient collision and then another meteorite that hit the surface of Mars 5 to 10 million years ago and blasted Black Beauty into space have experienced. Despite these violent events, the rock's crystal structure is still intact at the atomic scale.
The lack of radiation damage means the extra elements were part of the crystal from the beginning, rather than being contaminated later, Kavosy said.
Eva Scherer Researchers at Stanford University in California believe that if this rock really formed in the presence of hydrothermal fluid and magma beneath the surface of Mars, water vapor entered the Martian atmosphere before rivers and lakes formed. This suggests that it may have been released.
“We're at a very old time, 4.5 billion years, when Mars was formed,” Scherrer said. “So this would be the earliest evidence of water behavior on Mars.”
A new class of atomically dispersed nickel catalysts directly converts trapped carbon dioxide (CO)2 to methane (CH4), according to Tomaz Neves García, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University, and colleagues.
Direct electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide scavenging species, namely carbamates and (bi)carbonates, may be promising for carbon dioxide capture and conversion from point sources. Image credit: Neves Garcia others., doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c09744.
Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas responsible for most of global warming and is produced by power plants, factories, and various forms of transportation.
Typical carbon capture systems, aimed at reducing the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by separating carbon dioxide from other gases and converting it into useful products. .
However, the operation of these systems requires large amounts of energy, making this process difficult to implement on an industrial scale.
“Now we have found a way to save much of this precious energy by using a special nickel-based catalyst to convert the captured carbon dioxide directly into methane,” said Dr. Neves Garcia.
By using nickel atoms placed on a charged surface, Dr. Neves-Garcia and his co-authors were able to convert carbamates, a scavenging form of carbon dioxide, directly into methane.
They discovered that nickel atoms, an inexpensive and widely available catalyst, were very good at this transformation.
“We are producing high-energy fuels from low-energy molecules,” said Dr. Neves Garcia.
“What's so interesting about this is that while other companies are capturing, capturing and converting carbon in stages, we're saving energy by doing these steps simultaneously. is.”
Most importantly, streamlining the carbon capture process will help scientists reshape what they know about the carbon cycle and inform more complex strategies for faster and more efficient climate mitigation technologies. This is an important step to establish.
“We need to focus on minimizing the energy spent on carbon capture and conversion as much as possible,” said Dr. Neves García.
“So instead of performing all the capture and conversion steps separately, we can integrate it into one step and avoid wasted energy processes.”
“Many carbon capture methods are still in their infancy, but this is a promising field as researchers from a variety of disciplines are working on improvements.”
“Using renewable electricity to convert carbon dioxide into fuel has the potential to end the carbon cycle.”
“For example, when methane is burned to produce energy, it emits carbon dioxide, which can be captured and converted back into methane to support a continuous energy production cycle without adding to the planet's global warming burden. It may be possible.”
The study also represents the first time researchers have discovered that carbamates can be converted to methane using electrochemistry.
Many attempts have been made to convert the captured carbon dioxide into useful products, but so far most researchers have only shown the ability to produce carbon monoxide.
“Methane can be a very interesting product, but most importantly it opens the way to developing further processes to convert the captured carbon dioxide into other products” Neves Garcia said the doctor.
of the team work Published in Journal of the American Chemical Society.
_____
tomas neves garcia others. 2024. Integrated capture and conversion of carbon dioxide to methane with amines over single-atom nickel catalysts. J.Am. Chemistry. society 146 (46): 31633-31646;doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c09744
Hosting a conference on artificial intelligence and its impact on science before the field’s first Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm seems quite fitting. This week, Google DeepMind and the Royal Society organized the AI for Science Forum in London just after AI received the Physics Prize and Google DeepMind won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
During the conference, Google DeepMind CEO, Demis Hassabis, highlighted the potential of AI to lead to a new era of discoveries and scientific advancements. However, he cautioned that AI is not a quick fix and requires precise problem identification, data collection, algorithm development, and responsible use.
Despite the optimism surrounding AI, there are concerns about its potential negative impacts, including exacerbating inequality, triggering financial crises, and posing risks like data breaches and the misuse of AI for harmful purposes.
AI has already begun revolutionizing various industries, from healthcare to materials science. The AI program AlphaFold, developed by Hassabis and John Jumper, has been instrumental in predicting protein structures for drug design, while AI-powered technologies are accelerating drug development and streamlining clinical trials.
Fiona Marshall from Novartis emphasized the role of AI in expediting drug development and gaining regulatory approval. Meanwhile, Jennifer Doudna discussed AI’s potential in making treatments more affordable and even editing microbes to reduce methane emissions from cattle.
One major challenge facing AI researchers is the lack of transparency in decision-making processes, known as the black box problem. Yet, advancements in AI technology are expected to address this issue in the near future.
Energy consumption by large AI models is a growing concern, but Hassabis believes that the benefits of AI will outweigh the energy costs. He envisions AI driving innovations in renewable energy and contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.
As the AI industry strives towards sustainability, there is a call for transformative actions to ensure AI’s development aligns with environmental and social goals.
U.S. Navy Lt. Cameron Winslow reported that the lead-covered telegraph cable seemed to weigh multiple tons and was difficult to remove from the ocean floor and cut due to unfavorable weather conditions.
“The rough waves caused the heavy boat to collide, shattering the planks and narrowly avoiding being crushed,” he said.
Winslow’s team eventually managed to sever a 46-meter (150-foot) section of the cable using a hacksaw, disrupting enemy communications. This action took place in 1898 during the Cuban campaign of the Spanish-American War. Even over a century later, undersea communication cables remain strategic targets during times of geopolitical tension.
On November 17 and 18 of this year, two undersea fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged, possibly due to sabotage, as stated by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Swedish authorities indicated that the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3, in close proximity at the time, was of interest in the cable severing incident.
The current threats to undersea cables are influenced by geopolitical events such as Russia’s actions in Ukraine, China’s activities with Taiwan, and conflicts like the Israel-Gaza war, all of which have historically been primary targets.
These cables, comparable in thickness to a garden hose when laid deep in the ocean, handle 99% of international telecommunications traffic utilized by individuals, businesses, and governments. There are approximately 530 active undersea cable systems worldwide, covering over 850,000 miles.
A click on the World submarine cable map provides a clear visual representation of global connectivity and susceptibility to disruptions. These cables play a crucial role in facilitating financial transactions, government communications, voice calls, and data transmission over the Internet, amounting to trillions of dollars daily.
Dr. Sidharth Kaushal, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, emphasized the vital importance of undersea cables to the global economy, making them a prime target for nations seeking to cause unrest.
While deliberate damage to undersea cables can have significant consequences due to the vast amount of global data they transmit, such attacks need to be sustained and public to be truly impactful. Kaushal mentioned that one-off incidents like the Baltic episode can be denied, but the economic threat behind them can still convey a strong diplomatic message.
Leaked documents from Edward Snowden revealed that major telecom companies provided British intelligence access to undersea cables, raising concerns about surveillance. Furthermore, a report by US cybersecurity firm Recorded Future suggested that Russia was closely monitoring its undersea cable system.
In 2015, the New York Times reported aggressive Russian naval activities near an undersea cable running from the North Sea to Northeast Asia, highlighting suspicions of various countries involved in cable disruptions.
Taiwan’s National Board of Audit reported multiple instances where foreign vessels damaged cables linking Taiwan to remote islands, possibly signaling intentional disruptions. These incidents included damage caused by fishing boats, cargo ships, and sand dredgers.
Instances like the ones in Taiwan underscore the potential impact of undersea cable disruptions on daily internet connectivity and communication services, as seen in the slow internet connections and dropped calls resulting from damaged cables.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels denied targeting Red Sea cables after disruptions to major communication networks, adding to the complex landscape of undersea cable incidents.
Recorded Future data shows over 100 undersea cable failures annually, primarily due to accidental damage from activities like fishing and anchoring. Repair costs for undersea cables can be substantial, reaching up to $40,000 per mile, with transatlantic cables costing hundreds of millions to install.
There are concerns of Chinese influence over global undersea cable networks, potentially leading to increased control over data flows. As state actors continue to navigate the delicate balance of causing chaos, the future of undersea cables remains uncertain.
Bacteria on a sample of asteroid Ryugu observed using an electron microscope
Matthew J. Genge et al. 2024
Rocks brought back to Earth from the asteroid Ryugu appear to be inhabited by microorganisms. But researchers say these microbes almost certainly came from Earth, not space. The contamination is a wake-up call for future sample-return missions, such as NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance, to search for extraterrestrial life.
In 2020, the Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 returned to Earth carrying 5.4 grams of rock collected from the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Ryugu. After landing in Australia, the sample capsule was transported to a custom-built facility in Sagamihara, Japan. There, the capsule itself was first opened in a vacuum chamber inside a clean room and then moved to a room filled with pressurized nitrogen for long-term storage. From there, a portion of the sample can be placed in a container filled with nitrogen and sent to researchers.
One of these samples was sent to the UK for research. Matthew Genge Imperial College London and colleagues. Genge and his team initially scanned the samples using X-rays, but found no evidence of bacteria.
Samples from asteroid Ryugu collected by Hayabusa2
JAXA
After 3 weeks, the samples were transferred to resin and further examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after another week. When Genge and his colleagues first looked at the sample and saw what appeared to be thread-like bacteria, his students “almost fell off their chairs” at the prospect of discovering extraterrestrial life. . “It was an exciting moment, but we also had in the back of our minds from previous research that bacteria tend to colonize rocks,” Genge said.
By tracking bacterial growth with follow-up SEM measurements, they found that bacterial populations varied in a manner similar to known microorganisms. Their familiar shape, combined with their absence in the first X-ray scan, makes it very likely that they were terrestrial in origin, Genge says.
He believes the samples may have become contaminated after being embedded in the resin. The experiment was conducted at a facility on Earth that also handles space rocks. Rock specimens often contain bacteria that are adapted to live within them. “All it takes is one bacterium or one bacterial spore for this to happen,” he says. “For example, when we’re preparing meteorite samples, we don’t usually see this kind of colonization happening, and that’s because the probability of it happening is so low. In this case , one bacterium fell onto the sample and started multiplying.”
But Genge added that this should serve as a warning for future sample return missions. “Finding microbes in samples returned from space should be the gold standard for discovering extraterrestrial life. If we were to do that, we would fly to Mars, collect samples, and bring them back. “If we found microorganisms in it, we would say that was the clincher,” Genge says. “But our findings really show that we have to be very careful in interpreting the samples because they are susceptible to contamination with terrestrial bacteria.”
Javier Martin Torres Researchers at the University of Aberdeen in the UK agree that changes in the microbial filament population suggest a terrestrial origin, but this does not exclude the possibility that they came from elsewhere. . “If you want to be sure that these microorganisms are not of extraterrestrial origin, you need to do DNA sequencing,” he says.
Scientists already knew that bacteria could survive very well in meteorite samples that fell to Earth, but this raises the possibility that bacteria could also survive on materials elsewhere in the solar system. It only strengthens it. “The microorganisms can use organic matter within the meteorite to sustain themselves. They’re feeding on an extraterrestrial snack,” Genge says. “So there may be an ecosystem on Mars. It’s a fairly sparse ecosystem, but it’s an ecosystem that’s supported by manna from the sky and by meteorites that fall on the surface.”
Environmental groups are gearing up to resist the anticipated policy changes from the incoming Trump administration.
They foresee President Trump expanding oil and gas drilling and attempting to undo or scale back some of the legislation passed during Biden’s presidency.
Environmental groups are bracing for legal battles ahead and are seeking donations to support their efforts.
Environmental groups are preparing for pushback against the upcoming Trump administration, expecting swift policy changes compared to when Donald Trump took office in 2017.
Based on Trump’s past actions and recent campaign comments, experts predict that he will expand oil and gas drilling, reduce land conservation efforts, and possibly aim to reverse Biden-era legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Curbing Inflation Act.
Environmentalists are concerned about Trump’s Cabinet picks, who are likely to support increased drilling activities as per Trump’s statements. Legal battles are on the horizon, with groups like the Center for Biological Diversity gearing up for potential fights against unlawful changes.
The Brookings Institution reported that Trump’s first administration made around 74 moves that were seen as detrimental to environmental policies, a number that might rise in the next term given Trump’s promise to change regulations significantly.
Environmental groups like NRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity are readying themselves for legal disputes and are actively seeking donations to fund their fight against expected environmental policy changes.
Trump’s transition team has not provided any comments on the matter.
Both NRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity have a track record of successfully challenging Trump’s policies in court, winning a significant percentage of the cases they engaged in.
Conservation groups are anticipating conflicts over protected federal lands, particularly in the Southwest, with past battles over Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah serving as examples of potential future clashes.
The sun sets over Monument Valley in the distance, seen from Bears Ears National Monument outside Blanding, Utah, in 2021.George Fry/Getty Images File
Ministers have stated that the social media ban for under-16s is not currently being considered, despite teenagers urging a reconsideration of plans to restrict access to platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat following Australia’s example.
Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science and Technology, issued a warning to social media platforms about potential fines and prison sentences for breaching online safety laws coming into effect next year. Efforts are being made to increase prevention of online harm.
During a meeting with teenagers at NSPCC headquarters, Mr. Kyle emphasized that there are no immediate plans to ban children from using smartphones, as it is not his preferred choice.
Teenagers expressed concerns about platform addiction and difficulties in seeking help for hacked accounts or offensive content, but did not call for a ban. They highlighted the importance of social connections, support, and safety.
Mr. Kyle’s initial comments about considering a ban caused worry among teenagers, but he clarified that a ban could be a possibility depending on evidence of its effectiveness, especially in light of similar legislation in Australia.
The main focus remains on preventing child fatalities linked to social media activity, with Mr. Kyle citing instances of tragic outcomes. Efforts are ongoing to enhance age verification software to protect children from inappropriate online content.
Creatine supplements are usually available in powder form
Shutterstock/RHJPhtotos
Creatine is one of the most widely studied performance-enhancing substances in the world. Once dismissed as just a bodybuilding supplement, its popularity among the public is growing alongside the interest of scientists.
Although this supplement is commonly associated with improving strength and muscle mass, evidence suggests that it actually helps: growth of children and to the brain health of adolescents.
“After 8pm [to] After 30 years of research into physical performance, we have discovered many health benefits.” richard crider at Texas A&M University. “This is a remarkable nutrient that helps our cells in a variety of ways, not just athletic performance.”
What is creatine?
This is a compound that is naturally produced in our bodies and in the bodies of other vertebrates. It is primarily found in the muscles, but also appears in the brain, blood, testicles, and other tissues and organs.
Our bodies synthesize creatine, with 1 to 2 grams produced daily by the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and brain. People who eat protein-rich animal foods get about the same amount from their diet.
“When you consume protein, that protein is made up of amino acids. When three specific amino acids combine, they form a molecule called creatine.” scott forbes At Brandon University, Canada.
How does creatine work in the body?
According to Forbes, it plays a key role in the complex way our bodies produce energy at the cellular level. “It is converted into a molecule called phosphocreatine, stored, and then rapidly broken down into energy.”
Similar to carbohydrates, creatine is used for: Generates adenosine triphosphate (ATP)stores energy and supplies it to cells. It also seems to have the effect of protecting structures, Function of mitochondriathe energy power plant inside the cell.
Forbes says creatine is especially helpful when you're stressed or when your tissues are starved of oxygen due to conditions like asthma or anemia. “Any situation where you might need more energy,” he says.
How does it affect physical performance?
Creatine is available as a sports supplement Since the early 1990shas long been recognized for helping athletes increase strength and speed.
There are thousands of studies supporting this, Kreider says. “Athletes with higher creatine stores sprint faster, recover faster, do more total work, and have 10-15% better performance and training adaptability. That's not humbling at all. ”
By supplementing with creatine, increase in muscle masswhich is why it is popular among bodybuilders. “We know that trained athletes can gain up to 10 pounds of muscle mass within five to 10 weeks,” Kreider says. “That's deep. If you compare it to a control where someone just trains and eats normally, they could gain half a kilogram a month.”
Creatine supplements can be especially beneficial later in life. “Creatine is recommended for active aging to reduce muscle loss.” [and] to maintain muscle performance,” Kreider says.
However, researchers stress that this is not a panacea to replace a healthy lifestyle. Forbes says, “Real benefits are only achieved when combined with exercise and strength training, especially when it comes to muscle growth.”
What effect does creatine have on the brain?
Many papers have shown that creatine supplementation can improve aspects of cognitive performance. A small study published earlier this year found that after taking a single dose of creatine, improve memory Compared to a placebo, sleep-deprived people had processing speeds of less than 3 hours.
However, not all studies have yielded consistent results. In 2023, the largest randomized, placebo-controlled study of creatine's effects on cognition to date. small beneficial effectwhich corresponds to an increase of 1 to 2.5 points in intelligence quotient (IQ).
“Most studies show that it can affect the brain, but in young, healthy people, unless the brain is stressed by lack of sleep or mental fatigue, it can have a significant effect on the brain. It doesn’t seem to play a role,” Forbes said.
And although research on this is still in its early stages, it may also have protective effects against neurodegenerative diseases. For example, Alzheimer's patients low amount of creatine Brain or even physical brain damage.
“For example, when you have a concussion, you're essentially experiencing an ischemic phenomenon, meaning areas of the brain are starved of oxygen, limiting their function and causing swelling and inflammation.” Ryder says. “At least in animals given creatine, we find that concussion injuries are reduced by about half.”
How does creatine affect our overall health?
Because creatine acts at the cellular level, researchers believe its positive effects may be widespread within the body. “We found that increasing energy availability within the cell is important, especially when there are many constraints on the energy supply,” says Kreider. “For example, if you have a heart attack or stroke, [creatine] Because you are protecting the cells, the scale of the damage is reduced. ”
Analysis of data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey also suggests that creatine may have the following effects: beneficial for children. “Children who grow up with less creatine in their diets have less muscle, are shorter, and have higher body fat,” Kreider says. “Adolescent girls with higher creatine levels have fewer menstrual cycle problems.”
There is an emerging consensus among scientists that creatine supplementation is beneficial for almost everyone. Over time, Kreider predicts this will become recommended for specific groups, such as the elderly, pregnant people, and people who don't eat meat, fish, or dairy products.
He also thinks certain foods will one day be fortified with creatine. “It starts in the plant-based space, adding creatine to things like plant-based protein powders and veggie burgers,” Kreider says. “That way we can fill in the gaps in their diets.”
Does it matter when I take creatine?
Time of day may only be important for athletes who are trying to win a race or beat a personal best. “We've found that if you take this right near your workout, your results will be a little bit better,” says Forbes.
However, creatine is also stored in the body as an energy store. “Think of an endurance athlete whose pace changes during a race,” says Forbes. “All of a sudden someone runs away and you're like, 'Hey, how did they do that?'” Well, they changed the power output pretty drastically, and I think creatine plays a role in that. . ”
Although the effects of supplements are relatively long-lasting, they still need to be repeated. “Once you stop taking creatine, it takes four to six weeks to return to baseline,” says Forbes. “Some people cycle with and without creatine, but no study has ever compared consuming creatine for long periods of time on and off cycling to simply taking creatine.”
How should I take it?
Creatine is available in powder, tablet, or gummy form. In terms of effectiveness, tablets and powders tend to be the formulations tested in research because they've been around for a while, but there doesn't seem to be any difference between them.
There are also different types of creatine available, but creatine monohydrate is the most widely available and the most well-studied.
Does creatine have side effects?
According to Forbes, supplements are generally considered safe at the doses most people take (about 5 grams a day). However, some people report dehydration and muscle cramps. “We have several people with gastrointestinal disorders.” [gastrointestinal] It’s painful,” Forbes said. “They're taking creatine, but it doesn't sit well in their stomachs. For those people, we recommend lowering their creatine intake.”
You may need to consult your doctor before taking supplements
The finalists for the Close-Up Photographer of the Year have been revealed, showcasing some incredible, bizarre, and highly magnified images.
From cute baby wallabies seeking refuge in their mother’s pouch to birds feeding their offspring in unique ways, these photos capture the intricate beauty of nature up close.
Founded by Tracy and Dan Calder, Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) aims to celebrate the marvels of close-up nature photography, including macro and micro shots. The winners will be announced in January 2025, but in the meantime, we’ve picked some of our favorites from this year’s shortlist.
Insect Category
Four bees drinking water during a Texas drought. Photo by Jose Madrigal/CUPOTY
Read more:
Animal Category
Young wallabies trying to snuggle into their mother’s pouch for warmth and shelter. Photo by Pedro Jalque/CUPOTY
Butterfly and Dragonfly Category
A blue dragonfly (Enallagma civile) flying over the sea. Photo by Jose Madrigal/CUPOTY
Animal Category
A snakebird (Anhinga anhinga) parent feeding her three offspring unconventionally. Photo by Jackie Schletter/CUPOTY
Underwater Department
A basket star (Asteronychidae) holding onto an orange sponge. Photo by Ofek Liepaz/CUPOTY
Animal Category
The Malabar sliding frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus) trying to escape a Malabar pit viper (Craspedocepalus malabaricus). Photo by Pavan-Kumar/CUPOTY
Arachnids Category
A mother wolf spider hunting with her offspring. Photo by Lane Kirstein/CUPOTY
Invertebrate Portrait Department
Distinct caterpillar of the lobster moth (Stauropus fagi). Photo by Jose Manuel Royce Real/CUPOTY
Fungi and Slime Mold Division
Mushroom slime mold covered in sand particles. Photo by Jamie Spensley/CUPOTY
Animal Category
A tick on the head of a cross forest dragon (Gonocepalus klossi). Photo by Aloys Pichard/CUPOTY
Insect Category
Two male stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) competing for a mate. Photo by Ivanenko Svetlana/CUPOTY
Imagine being able to visualize every aspect of our bodies, from our genes to the smallest cells that make up our organs. Scientists are now working on creating a comprehensive directory known as the Human Cell Atlas.
Think of it as a GPS for cells in the body, containing information on how cells evolve over time. This groundbreaking study, spanning 40 research papers, could potentially unravel major scientific mysteries such as bone formation, arthritis, and Crohn’s disease development.
Researchers have already gathered data on over 100 million cells from more than 10,000 individuals, with hopes of incorporating this information in the final atlas, which could potentially include billions of cells.
Professor Sarah Teichmann, the founding co-chair of the Human Cell Atlas and a researcher at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, stated, “This new level of insight into specific genes, mechanisms, and cell types within tissues lays the foundation for more accurate diagnosis, innovative drug discovery, and advanced regenerative medicine approaches.”
One significant milestone in the project focuses on the digestive system. By compiling data from 1.6 million cells, researchers have created an intricate map of intestinal cells, detailing their types, locations, and interactions within the body – the most detailed map of its kind.
Utilizing sophisticated techniques such as computer analysis and artificial intelligence (AI), researchers isolated individual cells and identified them, demonstrating the potential for AI in disease diagnosis.
A new approach similar to a “reverse image search” is being employed by researchers to aid in disease diagnosis, potentially revolutionizing the field.
Two striking images from the study stand out:
Image credit: Nathan Richoz University of Cambridge
This captivating image displays a magnified view of lung tissue, shedding light on the body’s response to COVID-19.
While it may resemble an artistic beach scene, this image actually depicts the intricate structures of the small intestine, a crucial organ in the digestive process.
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