Throughout history, it was believed that only the elite were buried in the pyramids. Recent discoveries of ancient skeletons, however, have challenged this notion.
New research has revealed insights from analyzing the remains found in Tombos, an archaeological site in Sudan near Egypt.
About 3,500 years ago, Tombos, located in Nubia along the Nile River, was captured by Egyptian Pharaoh Tutmose I. Archaeologists studied the skeletons from various burial sites to identify muscle and ligament attachment marks, known as Entele’s Changes, discerning levels of physical activity.
“These changes don’t provide specific details of the individuals’ activities, but they indicate if they were more active or sedentary,” stated Dr. Sarah Schroeder, an Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leiden University, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
Some skeletons exhibited minimal marks, suggesting a sedentary lifestyle typical of wealthy nobles, while others showed signs of physical activity, indicating a working-class background.
This research challenges previous assumptions about the purpose of pyramids, indicating that not all occupants were elites. The study revisits an earlier discovery from 2012 and encourages reevaluation of other pyramid burial sites.
The Mystery of Active Skeletons
Active individuals in these graves may have been workers, servants, or individuals linked to high-status persons, possibly buried to sustain their masters in the afterlife. Alternatively, some speculate they were nobles assuming physical roles to solidify their status.
Dr. Roland Enmark of the University of Liverpool, not involved in the study, posits that non-royals were tomb occupants during that period, including pyramids in their structures.
Unveiling a Complex History
Tombos, a confluence of Egyptian and Nubian cultures, offered a unique setting for archaeological exploration. Discoveries challenge prior beliefs about the residents’ health and life expectancy, presenting a more nuanced social landscape.
The study raises questions for future research, prompting a reevaluation of existing knowledge about pyramid occupants.
About our Experts:
Dr. Sarah Schroeder is an Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leiden University, focusing on human bone archaeology and various aspects of ancient life, such as health, diet, and mobility.
Dr. Roland Enmark, an Egyptologist at the University of Liverpool, specializes in ancient Egyptian and Accadian studies, particularly literary lament.
Fossil feathers are usually preserved or embedded in mber as impressions of carbonaceous membranes and lake sediments and marine sediments, but are rarely mineralized. In a new study, paleontologists have examined the mineralised feathers of 30,000 years old Griffon vultures preserved in ash-rich volcanic deposits of the Koli-Albani Volcanic Complex in Rome, Italy. Bird feathers were conserved in three dimensions, conserving tissue ultrastructures such as melanosomes. These ultrastructures are mineralized with nanocrystalline zeolites, a preservation mode that has not been previously reported in fossil soft tissue.
Fossil feathers from the 30,000-year-old Griffon vulture preserved in volcanic rocks at the Koli-Albani Volcanic Complex in Rome, Italy. Image credit: Edoardo Terranova.
The fossil vulture was discovered in 1889 near Rome by a local landowner who recognized its incredible preservation.
The entire body was preserved as a three-dimensional impression, with fine details such as the lid of the eye and wing wings.
The new study, led by University College Cork paleontologist Valentina Rossi, shows that feather preservation extends to the pigmented structure of small microscopic feathers.
“Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudstones laid in lakes and lagoons,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Fossil vultures are preserved in ash deposits, which is very unusual.”
“When analyzing the feathers of fossil vultures, we found ourselves in unknown territory.”
“These feathers are different from what we normally see in other fossils.”
The authors discovered that feathers are preserved in mineral zeolites by analyzing small samples of fossil feathers using electron microscopy and chemical testing.
“Zeolites are silicon and aluminum rich minerals and are common in volcanic and hydrothermal geological environments,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Zeolites can be formed as primary minerals (using clean crystals) or secondary during the natural changes in volcanic glass and ash, giving rocks a mudlock-like side.”
“The changes in ashes due to the passage of water induced precipitation of zeolite nanocrystals, replicating feathers to the details of the smallest cells.”
“Fine preservation of feather structures indicates that vulture corpses were buried in cold thermal clastic matter.”
“We are used to think that volcanic deposits are associated with high temperature, fast-moving thermal breaking flows that destroy soft tissue,” says Professor Dawid Iurino of the University of Milan.
“However, these geological environments are complex and can include cold deposits that can store soft tissue at the cellular level.”
“The fossil record is constantly amazed us with new fossil species, strange new body shapes, in this case a new style of fossil preservation,” said Professor Maria McNamara, a professor of Cork at the University.
“We never found any delicate tissues, such as feathers, preserved in volcanic rocks.”
“Discoveries like these broaden the range of potential rock types that can be found in fossils.
Read more. The findings were published in the journal Geological.
____
Valentina Rossi et al. Fossil feathers from the Coralbani Volcanic Complex (central Italy, late Pleistocene) preserved in zeolites. GeologicalPublished online on March 18th, 2025. doi: 10.1130/g52971.1
Astronomers using Atacama’s Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA) detected oxygen in the most perilous confirmed galaxy ever discovered. This detection, made by two different teams, suggests that the galaxy is much more chemically mature than expected.
This is the impression of the artist Jades-GS-Z14-0. Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser.
Discovered in 2024, the Jades-GS-Z14-0 (GS-Z14 for short) is far apart, and its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us. This means that the universe was under 300 million years old, about 2% of its current age.
“It’s like finding adolescence you only expect from a baby,” said PhD Thunder Shues. Leiden Observatory Candidate and First Author of a paper Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal.
“The results show that galaxies are forming very rapidly, mature rapidly, and there is growing evidence that galaxies form much faster than expected.”
Galaxies usually begin life filled with young stars. This is mainly made of light elements such as hydrogen and helium.
As the stars evolve, they create heavier elements like oxygen, which will disperse into the host galaxy after exploding in supernova events.
Researchers thought 300 million years ago that the universe was too young to ripen galaxies with heavy elements.
However, two ALMA studies show that GS-Z14 has about 10 times more heavy elements than expected.
The inset of this image shows Jades-GS-Z14-0 seen in Alma. The two spectra arise from independent analysis of ALMA data by two teams of astronomers. Both discover oxygen radiation, making the universe the most distant detection of oxygen just 300 million years ago. Image credits: alma/eso/naoj/nrao/carniani et al. /schouws et al. /NASA/ESA/CSA/WEBB/STSCI/BRANT ROBERTSON… etc.
“They opened up a new perspective on the first stages of Galaxy’s evolution and were surprised by the unexpected results,” said Dr. Stefano Carniani, an astronomer at the Scola Normal Superore in Pisa and lead author. paper Published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
“Evidence that galaxies are already matured in the infantile universe raises questions about when and how they formed.”
Oxygen detection allowed astronomers to make distance measurements on the GS-Z14 more accurate.
“ALMA detection measures galaxy distances very accurately to just 0.005% uncertainty,” says PhD Eleonora Parlanti. A student at the Scola Normal Supers in Pisa.
“This level of accuracy is similar to being accurate within 5 cm at a distance of 1 km, but it helps to improve our understanding of distant galactic properties.”
“The galaxy was originally discovered by NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb’s space telescope, but Alma took it to see and accurately determine its huge distance,” said Dr. Leichard Boowens, an astronomer at the Leiden Observatory.
“This shows an incredible synergy between Alma and Webb, revealing the formation and evolution of the first galaxy.”
____
Thunder Shues et al. 2025. Detecting [OIII]88μm with Jades-GS-Z14-0 at Z = 14.1793. APJin press; Arxiv: 2409.20549
Stefano Carniani et al. 2025. The eventful life of a bright galaxy at Z = 14: metal enrichment, feedback, and low-gas fractions? A&Ain press; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202452451
The key underlying mechanisms may include the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, according to new systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Increased consumption of fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products and caffeine may be associated with a lower risk of tinnitus. Image credit: SERP PAE.
Tinnitus is characterized by perceived sounds such as buzz, cicada, and currents, and occurs without external auditory stimuli.
It is associated with pain, depression, anxiety, stress, and in severe cases suicide, which has a major impact on the overall quality of life.
Recent epidemiological data suggest a globally pooled prevalence of approximately 14.4% in adults and 13.6% in children and adolescents.
The prominent prevalence of tinnitus and its major impact on life and mental well-being is becoming increasingly important medical and social concerns.
The origin of tinnitus remains elusive and involves a variety of factors.
Some researchers suggest neurological dysfunction or circulation problems in the inner ear, abnormal neural activity in the central auditory pathways, and irregular activity in nonauditory brain regions such as the anterior edge, anterior cingulate cortex, and thalamus.
Dieting can have a major impact on tinnitus, but it remains unclear which specific foods will aggravate or alleviate tinnitus symptoms.
In their review and meta-analysis, Dr. Menni Chang and his colleagues at the traditional Chinese Medical University University University searched a research database looking for research linking tinnitus and diet in adults published by May 2024.
They found eight observational studies, including 301,533 individuals who evaluated 15 dietary factors using a quality questionnaire suitable for inclusion in the analysis.
Dietary factors include carbohydrates, caffeine, eggs, fruits, fiber, fat, meat, protein, sugar, fish, vegetables, and dairy products.
The combined findings revealed that increased consumption of fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products and caffeine is associated with a decrease in the incidence of tinnitus.
These reductions were 35% for fruit intake, 9% for dietary fiber, 17% for dairy products, and 10% for caffeine intake.
Although no association was found between other dietary factors and tinnitus, the results were inconsistent after further analysis, the authors point out that the association between caffeine intake and tinnitus is controversial.
The authors acknowledge that the observational design of the included studies did not establish causal relationships, and that a relatively small number of included studies may have led to certain traditional beneficial dietary factors (such as vegetables and eggs) not showing significant differences.
“The major underlying mechanisms may include the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,” they said.
“A further extensive research is needed to complement and verify the relationship between dietary intake and tinnitus.”
Their paper It will be displayed in the journal BMJ Open.
____
M.Chan et al. 2025. 15 common dietary factors and tinnitus relationships: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ Open 15: E091507; doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091507
The movement to ban synthetic dyes in food across the US is gaining momentum, driven by critics who argue that these dyes pose a problem that should not be ignored.
States like West Virginia are referencing the Make America Healthy Movement, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as a key driving force. There is no established monitoring for this issue.
In the first three months of the year, 20 states, including Oklahoma, West Virginia, and New York, have introduced nearly 40 bills aimed at restricting artificial dyes and other food additives, the highest number in any year according to the Environmental Working Group, a food safety advocacy group.
Advocate Brandon Cowd, who with his wife Whitney created the film “Documentary” cited by West Virginia lawmakers, expressed optimism about the progress being made. “We have bills on the table in states like Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida, New York, Texas, and Arizona. There is a strong showing from all these states,” Cowd said.
The FDA has approved 36 color additives, including nine synthetic dyes used in food and beverages. Despite their approval, concerns have led to bans on certain dyes like Red No. 3 in January due to potential cancer risks.
These synthetic dyes are commonly found in products marketed to children such as candies, breakfast cereals, and soda, due to their bright and eye-catching colors.
Recently, West Virginia lawmakers passed a bill to ban seven dyes, including Red 40 and Green 3, effective 2028 upon the governor’s signature. This follows a previous ban on six dyes from foods served in public schools, similar to actions taken in California.
Lawmakers in Arizona also discussed a bill to ban certain chemicals, including synthetic dyes, from foods served in public schools.
Kennedy advocates for the elimination of artificial dyes
While the FDA has not established direct links, some government officials and groups claim a connection between these dyes and health issues.
Harvard nutrition professor Jerrold Mande noted the increasing attention to this issue and credited grassroots movements for the shift in focus. Studies have suggested possible links between dye consumption and behavioral issues in children.
Kennedy has been a vocal advocate for the elimination of artificial dyes, citing reports that indicate these dyes could disrupt normal behavior in children. He also plans to address major food company executives on this issue.
While scientific evidence regarding the effects of artificial dyes on health is inconclusive, many state lawmakers have taken action based on precautionary principles, pointing to stricter regulations in European countries.
Consumers like Wendy Bacos and Liz Dent have taken the initiative to avoid foods containing artificial dyes for their children, citing health concerns and seeking out alternatives to these additives.
Researcher of University of California, Davis We generated the chromosomal scale reference genome of the most widely grown pistachio variety, “Kerman.”
pistachio(Pistasia Bella) A sustainable nut crop with exceptional climate resilience and nutritional value. Image credit: NONAME_13.
pistachio(Pistasia Bella)) Along with cashews and mangoes, it belongs to the family of the Anacardia family and is the only species of the genus. Pistasia It is grown for edible fruits.
Although commonly known as nuts, pistachio fruit is a plant-based heat-deficient collision consisting of leathery exomesocarps, inner stone inner membrane (shell), and edible seeds (kanel).
Pistachios are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins.
Given the highly resilient resilience to abiotic stress, particularly drought and salt, pistachio trees are predicted to be an important source of sustainable nutrition in the face of next-generation climate change, with global production of pistachios more than doubled in the past 20 years.
“Scientists have previously sequenced pistachio DNA, but the new genetic maps are very detailed and accurate,” says Dr. J. Greymonroe, a researcher at the University of California, Davis.
“Improved accuracy of the new reference genome is like moving from hand-drawn maps of the landscape to satellite images from Google Earth.”
The authors also identified four important stages of nut growth from flower to harvest, providing a complete physiological assessment, including shell hardening and kernel growth.
“Knowing how nuts change through development will help farmers make better decisions, such as when to water the trees, leading to more sustainable pistachio production,” said Dr. Bárbara Blanco-lute, University of California, Davis.
“A more accurate assessment of its development will also provide growers with a better strategy for harvesting and help avoid problems such as insect damage and fungal infections.
“It was important to detail not only the physical changes in pistachios, but also the genetic and molecular drivers of those properties.”
“Genome sequencing contains precedent configuration information on how different genes behave in nuts over the growing season.”
Researchers also identified genes and pathways that affect the nutritional value of pistachios.
This includes insight into how proteins and unsaturated fatty acids accumulate. This is important for both shelf life and dietary benefits.
“We get information on how all of these nutritional properties can be obtained with pistachios and how they can be improved from a management perspective,” Dr. Blanco Raul said.
Jaclyn A. Adaskaveg et al. In short, the development of the pistachio genome and kernel. New BotanistPublished online on March 19, 2025. doi: 10.1111/nph.70060
Paleontologists discovered and described the new ctenochasmatid pterosaurian mandible from the late Jurassic Portland limestone formations in southern England.
Reconstruction of the life of ctenochasmatid pterosaur Gladocephaloideus jingangshanensis. Image credit: Zhao Chuang.
“In the Upper Jurassic Formation of England, poverty is rare and consists primarily of isolated bones and bone fragments,” said Roy Smith and David Martill, paleontologists at Portsmouth.
“Many records of the late Jurassic Palace in England are merely historical interests, and now contain species named. Nomina Dubeer. ”
“Nevertheless, some materials are diagnostic and some species stand the test of time.”
“Most of the Upper Jurassic palaces in England come from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in southern England, with events from the Oxford portion of Oxford clay formation in southern and eastern England, and one event from the Kinmeridge Clay Formation in Scotland.”
“In spite of this lack of material, there was a near-complete skull with some of the associated materials. Cuspicephalus scarfi In areas of the Kimmeridgian stage type. ”
The new Pterosaurus specimen is the mandible with at least two, perhaps three teeth.
The fossils date back to the Titonian period, in the late Jurassic period, about 147 million years ago.
It represents the youngest geologically in the UK Jurassic palace.
“The specimen is an isolated mandible that lacks most of the post-Simfisil section of the lam,” the paleontologist said.
“Because of the mandible, which is very thin and compact and elongated, it has been identified as Pterosaurus.”
This represents the first pterocortic material documented, described and proposed from this layer.
“The specimens are likely first discovered when the stones were divided using a standard “feather and wedge” procedure,” the researchers said.
“This caused damage to the central part of the specimen, but the jaw split along its length also damaged the specimen. It appears that the counterpart has not been recovered.”
The lack of diagnostic function prevents introduction to known or new species of fossils, but it can be confidently assigned to the Pterosaur clade Ctenochasmatoidea.
“The ctenochasmatoids are a diverse group of pterosaurs with prominent, most genus, as they are prominent in long, sometimes dorsal curved jaws and elongated, thin teeth,” the scientist said.
“It’s true, one form, South America Pterodaustrois in the longest teeth in terms of the diameter length ratio of the tetrapod. ”
“Basal anthelminthus bacterium” Pterodactylus antiquus and ctenochasmatoid Ardeadactylus longicolumBoth have short conical teeth with wider alveolar spacing than the Titonian period. ”
“The elongated, thin mandible bone and numerous closely spaced alveoli suggest that it is a member of Ctenochasmatidae.”
“The faint central ridge of the occlusal surface between the two grooves converges to the anterior groove, and the lack of a distinct anterior chamber suggests that the specimen is part of the mandibular intermembranes.”
“This is the first documented record of the wing glands from the Portland group in England.”
Survey results It was released this month Proceedings of the Geologists Association.
____
Roy E. Smith and David M. Martill. ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Portland Limestone Formation (Late Jurassic, Titonian) in southern England. Proceedings of the Geologists Associationpublished online 20255l doi: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2025.101100
According to the French government, the opinion he expressed about the Trump administration’s policies on academic research prevented French scientists from entering the United States this month.
French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philip Baptist explained that the move is worried.
“Freedom of opinion, free research and academic freedom are values that we continue to proudly support,” Baptist said in a statement. “I defend the possibility that all French researchers can be faithful to them in compliance with the law, wherever they are in the world.”
Baptist did not identify the scientist whose backs were turned away, but said the academic works at the publicly funded National Science Research Center in France, where he was traveling to a conference near Houston when border officials stopped him.
US authorities refused to enter the scientist and later deported him as his phone included exchanging messages with colleagues and friends.
It was not immediately clear why border authorities forced the scientists to stop, why they looked up the contents of his phone, or why they found the conversation undesirable.
Customs officials are permitted to search for mobile phones, computers, cameras or other electronic devices from travelers across the border. According to US Customs and Border Protectionthough agents say such cases are rare. In 2024, less than 0.01% of international travelers who arrived searched for electronics, according to the agency.
Baptist’s office declined to provide further details regarding the incident. A spokesman for the US Embassy in Paris also declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the National Center for Science and Research said the scientists who were turned away did not want to talk to the media and declined to comment further.
Agence France-Presse News Agency Reported previously The scientist refused to enter the United States.
Minister Baptist has been particularly vocal over the past few weeks by denounceing the threat to academic freedom in the United States. There, the Trump administration’s funding cuts and layoffs target higher education, scientific research and the federal government’s own scientific workforce.
Baptist urges French universities and research institutions to welcome researchers looking to leave the United States.
“Europe must be there to protect research and welcome talent that can contribute to its success,” Baptist said. I wrote it on social media After meeting with his European counterparts in Warsaw on Wednesday, he dealt with the “threat to free research in the United States.”
Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the American advocacy group, the Union of Concern Scientists, said he was worried that incidents involving French scientists would have a calm effect on cross-border research cooperation.
“My fear is that these are more and more early cases,” Dr. Jones said. “I’ve heard from my network that people are very concerned about all sorts of international travel in either direction.”
“It should be worrying for all of us,” she added. When scientists restrict movement to conferences and other events designed to advance research, she said “it’s the masses that suffer.”
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday Requirements are delayed by 30 months Its food companies and grocery stores quickly track and pull contaminated food through their supply chains and pull them off the shelf.
The rule, which aimed to “limit food-borne illness and death,” required businesses and individuals to maintain a better record to identify where food was cultivated, packed, processed and produced. It is expected to come into effect in January 2026 as part of the groundbreaking food safety law passed in 2011, and progressed during President Trump’s first term.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shown interest in food chemical safety, moving to ban food dyes and making public debuts that people can move to ban food dyes. Track toxins in food. However, other actions in the Trump administration’s first months have undermined efforts to tackle the bacteria and other contaminants of diseased food. The administration cut its way through the company closed down jobs for major food safety commissions, frozen scientists’ credit card spending, and routine testing was conducted to detect food pathogens.
In recent years, there have been several well-known outbreaks, including cases related to last year’s fatal listeria of wild boar headmeat and E. coli in the onion of MacDonald’s quarter pounders.
The postponement issued an alarm among several advocacy groups on Thursday.
“The decision is extremely disappointing and consumers are at risk of getting sick with unsafe foods as small segments of the industry are seeking delays despite their 15 years of preparation,” said Brian Ronholm, Food Policy Director for the Advocacy Group’s Consumer Report.
Many retailers have already taken steps to adhere to the rules. Still, food industry trade groups lobbyed to delay the implementation of the December regulations. To the Los Angeles Times.
In a letter to President Trump in December, food manufacturers and other corporate trade groups cited many regulations that they said were “strangled our economy.” They asked Food traceability rules stored and delayed.
“This is a huge step towards food safety,” said Sarah Sosher, director of regulatory affairs at the advocacy group, Science Center for the Public Interest. “The surprising thing about that is that this was a bipartisan rule.”
Sosher said there is widespread support for the measure to protect consumers and businesses.
During a flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump, significant changes were made affecting the content on government web pages and public access to data related to climate change, the environment, energy, and public health.
In the past two months, hundreds of terabytes of data have been removed from government websites, raising concerns about potential deletions. While the underlying data still exists, tools for public and researcher access have been taken down.
Now, hundreds of volunteers are actively recreating digital tools to gather and download as much government data as possible, making it readily available to the public.
Volunteers working on the project Public Environment Data Partner have already recovered over 100 datasets that were removed from government sites and aim to store a growing number of 300 datasets.
Efforts to download climate, environmental, energy, and public health data began in 2017 amidst fears about its future under a president who dismissed climate change as a hoax. Federal information has since disappeared, prompting a new response.
Environmental scientist Gretchen Gerke emphasized the importance of resilient public information in the digital age, expressing concern over the removal of vital data access tools. The need for data like climate measurements collected by NOAA is crucial for various parties, yet efforts to restrict public access continue.
The technology director at the Center for Environmental Policy Innovation highlighted the removal of public access and emphasized the taxpayer-funded nature of these tools.
Requests for two essential data tools, Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (EJScreen), have been frequent. These tools, crucial for addressing environmental justice and climate change issues, were removed from access.
The removal of these tools has hindered efforts to address structural racism and disproportionate impacts on communities of color, as highlighted by Dr. Geke.
National Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Saturday instructed leaders of the nonprofit organization he founded to mimic the design of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site, but to remove web pages that mimic cases where the vaccine causes autism.
The page was published on a site that is clearly registered in the Child Health Defense of the nonprofit Anti-Vaccination Group. Kennedy’s actions came after the New York Times asked about the page and then it bouncing off all over social media.
The page was taken offline on a Saturday night.
“Committee Kennedy has directed the Advisory Bureau to send formal demand to children’s health defenses requesting the removal of their website,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.
“At HHS, we are dedicated to restoring the institutions to a tradition that supports science based on gold standard evidence,” the statement said.
It was not clear why the anti-vaccine group released a page mimicking the CDC. The organization did not respond to requests for comment, and Kennedy said it cut ties with the presidential election in 2023.
The fake vaccine safety page was virtually indistinguishable from what is available on CDC’s own site. The layout, typeface and logo were the same, and probably violated federal copyright laws.
The CDC’s own website refutes the relationship between vaccines and autism, but fraudsters leave the possibility of existence open. The bottom included a link to video testimony from parents who believed their child was harmed by the vaccine.
The page was first published Reported on Substack by E. Rosalie LiFounder of Information Epidemiology Lab. The nonprofit did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For many years, Kennedy has argued that there is a link between vaccines and autism. He held that stance during the Senate confirmation hearing despite extensive research exposing the theory.
Under his direction, the CDC recently announced plans to review the evidence. This is a waste of money from Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chairman of the Senate Health Committee.
Online at Mock Web Pages is the familiar blue banner from CDC above, featuring the agency’s blue and white logo and the term “vaccine safety.” The headline read “Vaccinations and autism.”
The text supported the link between vaccines and autism, laid out both the exposed research, but left it announced the possibility that it had been countered by scientists.
This included citations to research by Brian S. Hooker, chief science officer for child health defense, as well as other studies critical of vaccination.
“This is a mix of legally peer-reviewed and fake,” said Dr. Bruce Guerin, who oversaw HHS’ vaccine programs for the Bush and Obama administrations.
“Footnotes give the impression that it’s a legitimate scientific work,” he added.
The series of testimonies at the bottom of the page featured videos with titles such as “Mother of 3: I Will Will Will Wild Again” and “We Signed His Life.”
This is in stark contrast to CDC officials. Autism and Vaccine Websitewhich is primarily devoted to exposing connection ideas, clearly saying, “study shows no links.”
Recently, Children’s Health Defense has faced the outbreak of measles in West Texas.
The organization’s CHD.TV channel posted an on-camera interview with the parents of a six-year-old girl who was declared dead from measles by the state health department.
The child was not vaccinated and had no underlying medical conditions. According to the health organization. However, they claimed that children’s health defenses had obtained hospital records that conflict with the cause of death.
The organization also handled the girl’s siblings and interviewed Dr. Ben Edwards, one of two Texas doctors.
In response to the video, Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas issued a statement this week that “recent videos are circulating online and contain misleading inaccurate claims,” saying the confidentiality law does not prevent hospitals from providing information specifically relating to cases.
As containment efforts weaken, Texas health officials say the outbreak of measles in West Texas is likely to last a year, possibly even retreating the country’s fierce battle against the virus.
As of Friday, more than 300 outbreaks have become ill in Texas since January. 40 people are hospitalized. One child died of illness, and this was his first death in 10 years. Related cases have been reported in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Chihuahuas in Mexico.
“This is going to be a big outbreak,” said Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas, in a recent news briefing. “And we’re still on the side that’s increasing the number of cases.”
“I really think this will be a year,” she added.
Some doctors in West Texas said in an interview that they had given up hope that vaccination campaigns could end the outbreak.
Dr. Ron Cook, who is also a state health official in Lubbock, said he resigned to the fact that the outbreak could infect more children and kill more children again.
“You just have to burn the community,’ Dr. Cook said. “That’s where we are.”
So far, cases have been concentrated in the large Mennonite community in Gaines County, which has historically had low vaccination rates. But experts fear that the longer the outbreak will last, the more likely it will spread to other unvaccinated communities around the country.
In New Mexico, authorities have reported 42 cases and one death. In Oklahoma, there were four cases of measles.
There is a particular concern that potentially infected children in West Texas will begin traveling for spring break, according to Dr. Phil Fan, director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Measles has been considered “excluded” in the United States since 2000. Cases are generally linked to international travel, and if the virus attacks unvaccinated communities, the outbreak cannot last for more than a year.
The US almost lost its exclusion status in 2019, when a major outbreak spread across parts of New York for nearly 12 months. It was essentially useful as mostly due to aggressive vaccine orders. Increased vaccination rates in childhood In the community.
In Texas, where the obligation is deeply unpopular, vaccination efforts are “fighting,” Wells said. Public health officials have set up vaccination clinics in the area and are encouraging attendance in flyers and signs. It’s hardly succeeded.
In Seminole, Texas, it is the epicenter of the outbreak, with about 230 residents receiving shots at vaccination clinics.
“They’ve given out some vaccines in their community, but certainly not many,” Dr. Cook said.
“It doesn’t help that HHS secretaries aren’t actually continuing to intensify their vaccinations,” he added.
Local efforts to encourage shots were bumped into by a confused message from the country’s top health authorities, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In his first official statement on the outbreak, Kennedy faced a fierce backlash to minimize the threat, saying the outbreak was not “unusual” and falsely claimed that many hospitalized people were there “mainly due to quarantine.”
He later changed his approach, offering calm recommendations for vaccines to Western Texas, while also raising horrific concerns about vaccine safety.
To the frustration of local doctors and health officials, he also promoted unproven treatments such as cod liver oil and vitamins, and promoted a “nearly miraculous and instantaneous” recovery with steroids or antibiotics.
There is no treatment for measles, only medications that help manage symptoms. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection.
Texas health officials say measles patients rely on these unproven treatments and are worried that they will delay serious medical care as a result.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Kilmer S. McCurry, a pathologist at Harvard Medical School, was controversially expelled into the basement. He claimed that the amino acid homocysteine had been overlooked as a potential risk factor for heart disease.
His daughter, Martha McCurry, later revealed that he passed away due to metastatic prostate cancer. His death was not widely reported at the time.
Dr. McCurry’s theory, which is still debated, suggested that inadequate vitamin intake could lead to high homocysteine levels in the blood, causing plaque buildup and artery stiffening. This challenged the prevailing cholesterol-centric view supported by the pharmaceutical industry.
Although Dr. McCurry acknowledged the importance of cholesterol, he believed homocysteine should not be ignored. However, his superiors at Harvard disagreed, leading to his lab being moved underground and eventually being told to leave.
In a 1995 interview, Dr. McCurry described his experience as “very traumatic.” He felt isolated and misunderstood by his peers.
At a medical conference in Boston, Dr. McCurry learned about Homocystinuria, a genetic disorder linked to high homocysteine levels. This discovery sparked his interest in the role of homocysteine in disease.
One case involving a young girl with homocystinuria who had a family history of the disease stood out to Dr. McCurry. This prompted him to further investigate the connection between homocysteine and artery stiffness.
“How did an 8-year-old die in the way an elderly man?” Dr. McCurry wrote in The Heart Revolution, recalling the incident that led to his controversial research. credit…HarperCollins
After studying tissue samples, Dr. McCurry found evidence that homocysteine could lead to artery stiffening without cholesterol or fat buildup. This discovery further fueled his research into homocysteine’s role in heart disease.
The rejection of Dr. McCurry’s theory in the 1960s and 1970s took a toll on his career. He struggled to find employment for years after leaving Harvard.
Despite facing resistance, Dr. McCurry continued his research on homocysteine and its impact on heart health. His persistence ultimately paid off, as studies in the 1990s confirmed his earlier findings.
Dr. McCurry’s work shed light on the importance of homocysteine as a marker for cardiovascular disease risk. His perseverance and dedication to his research have since been acknowledged by the medical community.
Dr. McCurry’s early research laid the foundation for later studies linking homocysteine levels to heart disease risk. Subsequent investigations have supported his initial claims, validating his work and legacy in the field of cardiology.
Despite initial skepticism, Dr. McCurry’s contributions to the understanding of homocysteine have been recognized by the medical community. His insights have paved the way for further research into the role of this amino acid in cardiovascular health.
Dr. McCurry’s groundbreaking work continues to inspire researchers and clinicians to explore the complex relationship between homocysteine and heart disease. His legacy lives on in the ongoing pursuit of innovative approaches to cardiovascular care.
Refineries in New Mexico are blaming the federal government for severe air pollution issues.
A chemical plant in Louisiana is under investigation for gas leaks from storage tanks.
An Idaho rancher is accused of polluting wetlands.
Under President Biden, the Environmental Protection Agency took a strong stance on environmental enforcement against pollution and waste violations. On the other hand, the Trump administration aims to shift the EPA’s focus from environmental protection to reducing costs related to transportation, heating, and business operations. The stability of long-term research initiatives is now uncertain due to recent EPA policy changes.
A memo from March 12 states that EPA enforcement actions will not intervene in energy production unless there is an immediate health risk. The memo also undermines President Biden’s efforts to address pollution disparities affecting low-income communities. It emphasizes that no consideration should be given to the affected individuals’ minority or economic status.
EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, believes these changes enable agents to focus on their core mission and contribute to a successful American resurgence.
David Ullman, who oversaw enforcement at the EPA during the Biden administration, criticized the recent memo for absolving corporations, especially in the oil and gas industry, of responsibility for breaking the law.
He expressed concern that these changes harm communities across the United States.
EPA spokesperson, Molly Vaseliou, refrained from commenting on ongoing investigations. The Justice Department, facing internal issues and budget cuts, also chose not to comment.
Conservatives argue that EPA regulations hinder economic growth and investment, while supporters believe that deregulation efforts will boost American energy and reduce costs for families.
Despite ongoing enforcement cases initiated by the Biden administration, the direction of the EPA’s objectives is shifting under the Trump administration, including the removal of key environmental regulations.
When you’re about to have a nice meal, nothing worse than a noisy neighbor. Even if the meal is made up before it liquefies the inside of the prey.
New research shows that some spiders living in cities somehow weave soundproofing designs into the web structure to manage unnecessary noise.
“The University of Nebraska Lincoln” has announced that Irene Hebetz, author of the paper led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln biologist and university postdoctoral researcher Brandi Pessman.
Funnel web spiders are becoming more common in North America. These quarter-sized spiders, with their legs stretched, attach nets to everything, whether they are rocks, grass or human objects. They weave a kind of funnel into a web that usually hides from predators. Their silk is not sticky, so they rely on speed and ambush. After detecting prey into their nets, they burst and attacked, injected the victim with venom, then liquefying the inside for easy digestion.
Spiders don’t have human ears, so they don’t necessarily listen to things in the traditional way. However, sound produces vibrations that travel through the ground into the net through the chains of silk.
“They really rely on those exact vibrations to determine where their prey is, what their prey is, and whether they’re going to attack,” Dr. Pessman said.
“The sense of vibration tends to be forgotten in nature,” added Beth Mortimer, a biologist who studied noise pollution and was not involved in the study at Oxford University. This species builds both urban and rural nets at home. And Dr. Pessman began to wonder whether noise pollution might plague spiders enough to change their web weaving strategies.
in study Presented in the Journal Current Biology last week, Dr. Pessman and Dr. Hebets rounded up Arachnid City Slickers and Country Bumbkins and took them to the lab. They placed each spider in a container with the speakers on the bottom and played loud or quiet white noise for four days.
The researchers then analyzed the webs constructed by each spider by transmitting measured vibrations at different points.
Dr. Hebbets and Dr. Pessmann could not find any major differences in the way urban spiders and farm spiders communicate vibrations when they play quiet noises.
When they played loud noises on urban spiders, they discovered that their web was less sensitive and less vibrations to the funnel. “Their web was inherently quiet,” Dr. Pessman said. Researchers didn’t know how the web differed structurally, but Dr. Pessman said it was clear that “it reduces the constant noise approaching where they sit.”
Conversely, when the country’s spiders heard a loud noise, they created a more sensitive web. Researchers speculated that they were not used to such rackets and were desperately trying to feel the incoming prey. It’s like turning up a TV as the lawnmower passes by the window.
Meanwhile, city spiders essentially filled the wall because everything was boring. This is an adaptation that puts you at a disadvantage to hear your prey and potential companions, using vibrations to communicate availability. But it may help animals save their energy and not respond to all the city sounds they detect.
“If you have masking noise, that means you’re less likely to detect small items coming into your web,” said Dr. Mortimer, who said the study “doesn’t really well.”
The study highlights the refinement of spiders, Hebbets said, because despite the problems with big cities, he came up with solutions to find food and companions.
“Animal sensory systems can certainly adapt to changes in environmental conditions over time, but this takes time,” Dr. Hebbets said. “However, behavioral changes can be immediate.”
In late February, as the Trump administration stepped up its quest to transform the federal government, the psychiatrist treating veterans was turned to her new workstation, which was incredible.
She had to perform virtual psychotherapy with patients from any of the 13 cubicles of large open office spaces used for call centres under the Return Office Policy from the New Office. Other staff could overhear the session, appear on patient screens, or be handed over to the toilet or break room.
The psychiatrist was unsure. Her patient suffered from disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It took months to get their trust by dealing with them from her home office. She said the new arrangement violated a central ethical doctrine of mental health care: guarantees of privacy.
When doctors asked how they would expect to protect the privacy of their patients, the supervisor suggested buying a privacy screen and a white noise machine. “I’m ready to leave once it comes,” she wrote to her manager in a text message shared with the New York Times. “I got it,” replied the manager. “Many of us are ready to leave.”
These scenes have been unfolding at veteran affairs facilities nationwide in recent weeks as treatment and other mental health services have been disrupted amid the dramatic changes ordered by President Trump and driven by Elon Musk’s government efficiency.
Among the most consequential orders is the requirement that thousands of mental health providers, including many who have been hired for completely remote positions, currently work full-time from the federal government.space. This is the reversal of the VA’s harsh policy that pioneered virtual medicine practices as a way to reach isolated veterans 20 years ago, long before the pandemic made telehealth a favorable treatment for many Americans.
As the first wave of providers report to offices simply lacking room for them, many have found no way to ensure patient privacy, healthcare workers said. Some have filed complaints and warn that the arrangement violates ethical regulations and the Health Privacy Act. At the same time, layoffs of at least 1,900 probation employees are diluting the already stressful services that support homeless or suicides.
…
said Matthew Hunnikat, 62, a social worker who retired in late February nearly 15 years later at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.
When staff were ordered to close the diversity initiative, Honeycutt decided to speed up his retirement. He said care at the VA was improved during that time with community outreach, shorter waiting times and same-day mental health appointments.
“It’s extreme to just destroy this kind of thing,” he said.
Alain Delacheriere and Kirsten Neus Contributed research.
Saturn’s iconic ring appears to “disappear” for several days starting this weekend, at least from a vantage point on Earth.
The ring does not actually disappear, but for a while the angle between Earth and Saturn creates something like an illusion of the universe, making it seem impossible to see the planetary ring from our perspective.
The reason this happens is related to the specific tilt of both planets. Saturn’s axis tilts 26.73 degrees from vertical to orbit the Sun. This is similar to the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth. According to NASA. Therefore, as each planet rotates on its axis and orbits the Sun, the appearance of Saturn, including the ring, differs from what you see through a telescope or a powerful observatory on Earth.
Occasionally, Saturn’s tilt angle to Earth makes the ring accurately edge-on and appear to have no thin bands.
“They literally almost disappear,” said Sean Walker, associate editor of Sky & Telescope, a monthly magazine on science and amateur astronomy. “You can usually see the ring around Saturn, but with an edge-on view, your hair looks like a thin line of light lying around.”
A Saturn ring photographed by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on May 15, 2017.Cassini-Huygens / NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute
Over the last few months, Saturn’s vast rings have gradually appeared thinner when viewed through a ground-based telescope. By Sunday, the ring will reach its exact edge-on angle.
The illusion is temporary and lasts only a day or two before the ring slowly appears in vision again.
Events are relatively rare. Ring plane crossing – as the phenomenon is known – usually occurs twice during 29.4 years. This means that it can be seen from the Earth once every 13-15 years.
But unfortunately, Saturn is too close to the sun to see what Skywatcher looks like without the ring this weekend. However, another opportunity this year will be the ring will almost be edge-on on November 23rd later this year (not exactly).
Walker said he used a backyard telescope to witness the intersection of the ring plane in 1995.
“It was great,” he said. “It looked like another planet. I spent most of the night just drinking in that view.”
He said at the time he had only just begun to become interested in astronomy.
A Saturn ring photographed by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on November 28, 2016.Cassini-Huygens / NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute
In addition to being a quirky product of geometry, the ring plane crossing occurs due to the structure of Saturn’s ring rings. The iconic accessory consists of billions of swirling rocks and ice blocks, but is relatively flat, making it appear that the ring disappears into thin lines when tilted to the earth.
Edge-on views also make Saturn’s moon more visible, Walker said.
“When there is an intersection of these ring planes, the light that normally reflects the ring of Saturn is no longer glancing towards Earth,” he said. “That means we can detect more small moons.”
Walker said that with a regular backyard telescope, people often can find four to six months around Saturn. People may be able to detect almost 12 people during the ring plane traversing the dark sky.
“The really faint things are on the near perfect line, so it becomes clear,” he said.
After this weekend’s Ring Plain intersection, the next complete will take place in 2038. The event, according to Walker, should be visible to Earth.
“I want to see it again,” he said. “I’ll wait a little bit.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. focused on school mobile phones as part of his “American Health Again Again” agenda this week.
In an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, Kennedy praised the restrictions on mobile phones in schools, citing health risks associated with phone use among children and teenagers supported by scientific research.
Kennedy pointed out the link between social media use and depression and poor school performance, as well as the potential neurological damage caused by electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones that could lead to cancer.
Despite most studies finding no direct link between cell phone use and cancer or DNA damage, Kennedy’s statements have mixed misinformation with scientific facts. The issue of limiting school cell phone use has bipartisan support, with nine states already implementing restrictions and 15 states and Washington, DC considering legislation to do the same.
While concerns about the health effects of cell phone radiation exist, there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to definitively link cell phone use to cancer. Kennedy’s claims about the physical harms of cell phones have been met with skepticism from many experts.
Despite the pros of mobile phones, such as being able to call 911 in emergencies, concerns about mental health risks and distractions in classrooms have led to debates over appropriate school policies regarding cell phone use.
Kennedy’s support for limiting school cell phone use aligns with efforts in some states to create a healthier learning environment by reducing phone distractions among students.
Before his role as HHS secretary, Kennedy emphasized the importance of parents and teachers making their own decisions regarding communication strategies without government interference.
Relief from the palace of Ashbanipal showing him in a tank
British Museum/Odey Hussein
It is one of the oldest and greatest stores of knowledge. This is a huge library of texts accumulated by Assyrian king Ashrbanipal, who ruled ancient Mesopotamia around 2,700 years ago. However, after his death it was plundered and burned to the ground. Luckily, the text was written on clay tablets, so it was burned and preserved by heat.
Fragments of Gilgamesh’s Epic
British Museum/Cumringed
When the library ruins were discovered in today’s Iraq during the Victorian period, the incredible wealth of this lost world became apparent. New book, Ancient Wisdom Library Serena Wysnom of the University of Leicester in the UK can create vivid portraits of Mesopotamian life from the shattered remains of around 30,000 tablets in the library in Ashbanipal.
Royal Board Games
Camlin is good
Written in Cuneiform, the world’s oldest form of writing, the tablet not only brings back the kings and queens to life, but also brings to the lament of priests, traders and professionals. It also includes magic spells and letters of complaints. Our lives are influenced by ripples of this ancient world, with 60 minutes of time, mathematical discoveries and the invention of constellations.
Clay Prism with an account for Ashurbanipal’s military campaign
Anthony Huan/CC by-sa 2.0
Photo from above: Relief from the palace of Ashrbanipal shows him in a tank. Fragments of Gilgamesh’s Epictells the story of the Great Flood. According to a letter by his brother, the royal game of Urboard games that Ashrbanipal enjoyed as a boy. Clay prisms containing descriptions of Ashurbanipal’s military campaign. And a letter in which his sister blames his wife for her poor mucus.
A letter in which his sister criticizes his wife for poor mucus.
Odey Hussein
Ancient Wisdom Library It is currently being released in the UK and will be released in the US on May 12th.
Human Origin: Neolithic and Bronze Age Turkeys
embark on a fascinating journey through Türkiye. Turkey is a land rich in historical treasures that illuminate stories of human origin.
Thunderstorms in Indonesia seen from the International Space Station
NASA EARTH OBSERVATORATORY / INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS)
Its creators claim that AI weather programs running for a second on the desktop can match the accuracy of traditional predictions that take hours or days on a powerful supercomputer.
Weather forecasts rely on physics-based models that extrapolate from observations made using satellites, balloons and weather stations since the 1950s. However, these calculations, known as numerical weather forecasts (NWPs), are highly concentrated and rely on vast, expensive, energy-hungry supercomputers.
In recent years, researchers have tried to streamline this process by applying AI. Last year, Google Scientists created an AI tool that could replace a small chunk of complex code in each cell of a weather model, dramatically reducing computer power. DeepMind later went further by doing this, using AI to replace the entire prediction. This approach is adopted by European Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). The tool has been launched Last month it was called the Artificial Intelligence Prediction System.
However, this gradual expansion of the role of AI in weather forecasting has not replaced the calculation of all traditional figures – the new model created by Richard Turner Cambridge University and his colleagues are looking for change.
Turner says that previous work was limited to prediction and passed a step called initialization. There, data from satellites, balloons and weather stations around the world is collated, washed, manipulated and integrated into an organized grid where predictions can begin. “It’s actually half the computational resource,” Turner says.
The researchers created a model called Aardvark Weather. This replaces both the prediction and initialization stages for the first time. It uses only 10% of the input data that existing systems make, but achieves results comparable to the latest NWP predictions. Turner and his colleagues report in a study assessing the method.
Generating a perfect prediction that takes hours or days on a powerful NWP prediction supercomputer can be done in about a second on a single desktop computer using Aardvark.
However, Aardvark uses a grid model of the Earth’s surface with a square cell of 1.5 degrees, while ECMWF’s ERA5 model uses a grid with cells. 0.3 degrees smaller. This means that Aardvark’s model is too rough to pick up complex and unexpected weather patterns, David Schultz At the University of Manchester, UK.
“There are a lot of unresolved things that could blow up predictions,” Schultz says. “They don’t represent any extremes at all. They can’t solve it on this scale.”
Turner argues that Aardvark can actually beat some existing models. However, he acknowledges that AI models like him also rely entirely on these physics-based models. “It’s absolutely not working just to steal training data and train with observational data,” he says. “We tried to do that and did a complete modelless physics, but it didn’t work.”
He believes the future of weather forecasting could be scientists working on more accurate physics-based models. This is used to train AI models that replicate output faster and with less hardware. Some are even more optimistic about the AI outlook.
Nikita Gouryanov At Oxford University, we believe that AI will eventually be able to produce weather forecasts that actually exceed NWP. They are trained solely on observational and historical weather data, and produce accurate predictions that are completely independent of the NWP, he says. “It’s a matter of scale, but also a matter of smartness. You have to be smart about how you deliver data and how you build the structure of a neural network.”
Spectrum rocket on the launch pad of Norway’s Andea Space Centre
Wingmen-Media
Preparations for rocket test flights in Norway are underway, making history and could bring Europe to greater independence from market leaders in US orbital launches.
Who is behind the rocket launch?
The company that developed the new rocket called Spectrum is ISAR Aerospace based in Germany. The spectrum is 28 meters high and consists of two stages, using oxygen and propane as propellants. ISAR Aerospace states that the purpose of a test flight without payload is to “collect as much data and experience as possible.” The company said New Scientist That the staff were busy preparing for the test flight for an interview.
When and where will the release be made?
The launch will take place at the Andea Space Centre in Norway, and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been granted permission to move forward. ISAR Aerospace says it will be released on March 24th between 12:30pm and 3:30pm, when the weather is permitted.
If successful, it will be the first flight of orbital launch vehicles from the European continent except Russia.
Are there any other launch companies already in Europe?
That’s true, and some are pretty well established. Arianespace, a European market leader, was founded 45 years ago and will be launching it in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the French National Space Agency CNES. However, these launches take place in Guiana, France, a French territory in South America, with the rocket itself (Vega C and Arian 6) being built by other companies.
In addition to ISAR aerospace, there are clutches from European startups looking to start competing, including Spain. Zero 2 Infinity And Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg and Highpurs.
Why does Europe need its own launcher?
Davide Amato At Imperial College, London says there are many reasons why there is a demand for small European launch providers. For one thing, the logistics of creating satellites in Europe and then launching them in Europe will be simpler and cheaper, rather than shipping them all over the world.
It’s also easier to have a small, inexpensive launch vehicle that can bring a single satellite into orbit, rather than having to share the ride with several other missions.
Then there is the current political situation. Given the link between unpredictable CEO Elon Musk and the Trump administration, businesses and countries may not want to rely on US launch providers, particularly SpaceX.
These concerns were hinted at by Daniel Metzler, CEO of ISAR Aerospace. Recent Statements“In today’s geopolitical climate, the first test flight is more than a rocket launch.”
Is Norway a good place to start?
A rocket launched near the equator gives it a boost. Thanks to the planet’s spin, they begin to travel much faster than the rockets launched near the poles compared to the centre of the Earth.
The Andea Space Center is 69° north, so the Earth’s rotation speed is much weaker than in the French Guiana. However, this is not important for high incolination trajectories. It is a trajectory that creates a larger angle at the equator.
ISAR Aerospace says it can orbit 1,500 kilogram payloads can be orbited up to 30 times a year, with orbit trends of 90° to 110.6°. This includes sunlight orbits that always pass through a certain point at the same local location, ideal for spies and weather satellites. ISAR has already signed a contract for Norwegian space agencies to bring the Arctic Ocean Surveillance Satellite into exactly that orbit.
Launch sites benefit from all the infrastructure required for small launch vehicles, as they lack considerable air or marine traffic. “It’ll be more limited in terms of what you can achieve, but I think that’s still reasonable,” says Amato.
Will ISAR be successful?
Amato says Isar Aerospace may be chasing SpaceX from a traditional space approach of broader design and careful testing to Silicon Valley’s “test, fail, improve” strategy. “I expect a failure,” says Amato. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Now, the question is, can you reach a design that survives? He says. “That’s the race. You’re basically competing for your investors.”
Illustration of Duonychus Tsogtbaatari, a Cretaceous theropod dinosaur
Masato Hatri
A new species of dinosaur found on the Mongolian building site has the largest fully preserved claws ever discovered. The bipedal herbivores only had two fingers in each hand, so they may have been used to grab a branch and pull it towards their mouth.
The 90 million-year-old fossil containing parts of the pelvis, arms and hands, and parts of numerous vertebrae was discovered in 2012 near Kambogd in the Gobi Desert, but is now properly studied and given a scientific name. Duonychus tsogtbaatari. The genus name means “two claws” and the species name honors Mongolian paleontologists Kishigjav tsogtbaatar.
Duonychus It's a small relative of Tericinosaurusthe features of the movie Jurassic World Dominion. Yoshitug Kobayashi In Hokkaido, Japan, his colleague estimates that the dinosaurs were about 3 meters long and weighed about 270 kilograms.
“Discovery Duonychus tsogtbaatari It's a big deal because it's the first known tericinosaurus with only two fingers,” says Kobayashi.
Overall, five groups of theropods have evolved to have only two fingers. Tyrannosaurus.
DuonychusThe nails are nearly 30 centimeters. Unusually, the nail sheath is made of keratin, the same material as the nail – is preserved.
“Keratin usually doesn't become fossilized. It fades long before bones do it,” says Kobayashi. “Most of the time, when we find dinosaur claws, we just look at the nucleus of the bone. But in life, the actual claws are covered in thick keratin sheaths, which are longer and curved.”
Team Members Darla Zelenitsky At the University of Calgary, Canada, finding a two-fingered Tericinosaurus was very surprising.
Duonychus Tsogtbaatari nails
Kobayashi et al.
“This is the largest 3D dinosaur claw that is completely preserved. “This claw is not preserved as the outline of the rock surrounding the bone. This is quite typical for fossils where the true claw is preserved. This claw is actually three-dimensional and forms a sheath around the underlying phalanx, similar to what is found on dog and cat's paws.”
Researchers believe that the nails are adaptations for grabbing and pulling down vegetation. Less fingers can make each one stronger, more flexible, narrower, and more controlled grips possible, Kobayashi says.
“The curved claws and extreme flexion suggest that they can be more easily connected to leaf branches and clusters,” he says. “Three fingers may have just got in the way, but two provided a more accurate and efficient grasp.”
Infinite power from nuclear fusion can be brought one step closer following the accidental discovery of a new process to supply isotope lithium-6, essential to providing fuel to sustainable fusion reactors.
The most challenging fusion process combines two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium to produce helium, neutrons and many more energy. Tritium, a rare radioisotope of hydrogen, is difficult to procure and expensive. The “Breeder” reactor aims to produce tritium by bombarding lithium with neutrons.
Lithium atoms exist as two stable isotopes. Lithium-7 accounts for 92.5% of natural elements, with the remainder being lithium 6. The more rare isotopes react with neutrons much more efficiently and produce tritium in fusion reactions.
However, separating the two lithium isotopes is extremely difficult. Until now, this has been achieved on a large scale using highly toxic processes that depend on mercury. Environmental impacts have forced the process to be unemployed in Western countries since the 1960s, forcing researchers to rely on a decline in the stockpile of lithium-6 produced before the ban.
Sarbajit Banerjee Eth Zurich and his colleagues in Switzerland happened to discover alternatives while considering ways to clean water contaminated by oil drilling.
Researchers noticed that cement membranes containing lab-made compounds called Zeta vanadium oxide collect large quantities of lithium and appear to separate lithium-6 disproportionately.
Zetavanadium oxide contains tunnels surrounded by oxygen atoms, Banerjee says. “Lithium ions pass through these tunnels, which just happens to be the right size. [to bind lithium-6]”We found that lithium-6 ions bond more strongly and are retained within the tunnel.”
Researchers don’t fully understand why lithium-6 is preferentially retained, but based on simulations they believe it is related to the interaction between ions and atoms at the edge of the tunnel, says Banerjee.
He says he has not separated less than six grams of lithium to date, but he wants to expand the process to produce tens of kilograms of isotopes. Commercial fusion reactors are expected to require large amounts of elements every day.
“But these challenges become pale compared to the major challenges with laser ignition for plasma reactors and fusion,” says Banerjee.
Visualize this scenario: it’s 1976 at Camden’s electric ballroom. The Sex Pistols are on stage, bringing “British anarchy” to a pogo mosh pit filled with punk rockers. The floor is sticky with lager, the air heavy with attitude, and in the midst of it all, a Tenrek with a striped lowland pattern blending in…
Imagine an animal perfectly fitting into a Sex Pistols concert – that would be the lowland striped Tenrec. This small mammal from Madagascar’s rainforest sports a yellow quill crown reminiscent of John Lydon.
With stripes running along its black body, the Tenrec can raise its spines as a defense mechanism. For instance, non-receptive females may use these sharp spines to ward off unwanted advances. Even predators like snakes and fossas are cautious around these punk rockers of the animal kingdom.
Similar to Lydon, the lowland striped Tenrec is a bit of a musician itself. It has quills on its back that vibrate when the muscles contract, producing high-pitched sounds for communication. This makes them unique among mammals.
There are 36 varieties of Tenrecs, all part of the family Tenecidae. They vary in size, with the lowland striped Tenrec being breakfast sausage-sized. Despite their appearance, they are closely related to elephants and sea cows due to their evolutionary history.
Living in large family groups, lowland striped Tenrecs are social animals that use their long noses to forage for earthworms and invertebrates. This behavior helps make earthworms more active and easier to detect.
Explore more fun facts and amazing science pages with us!
Feedback is the latest science and technology news of new scientists, the sidelines of the latest science and technology news. You can email Feedback@newscientist.com to send items you believe readers can be fascinated by feedback.
Toy trouble
Feedback may be middle-aged, but while it makes the dotage persist, we are not ashamed to admit that we enjoy playing with Lego. So we were naturally intrigued to learn about the “set” released on March 1st.Stem evolution” (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).
Builds are a treasure trove of stem-related objects. An apple tree with a DNA double helix, a space shuttle and an Isaac Newton stood nervously beneath it. They all erupt from the pages of a public book, accompanied by minifigures of chemist Marie Scowdowska Curie and agricultural scientist George Washington Carver.
It has a slightly confusing appearance, but it has deeper issues, Reddit thread Flagged us by news editor Jacob Aron; At least one reviewer. It’s very simple: DNA is the wrong way. Many biological chemicals are either left or right-handed, and in terrestrial life, DNA is always right-handed, while LEGO’s DNA molecules are left-handed.
Feedback suggested that despite what experts say, we should go ahead and build a mirror organism where important molecules have a dominant hand that is opposite to existing lives. But then we saw it Jay’s Brick Blog He had already made that statement in their reviews.
Instead, we invite paleontologists around the world to find something wrong Meter long T. Rex Skeleton Kit Lego was released on March 15th. We need to stop buying it.
The thoughts that took part?
The specific tired inevitability has led many large energy companies to rewind their commitment to renewable energy, which prefers to chase immediate profits from fossil fuels.
In late February, BP announced it Boost Oil and gas investments increased by around 20%, cutting renewable energy funds by more than $5 billion. It says this is to maximize shareholder returns. Alas, the company’s net profit was only $8.9 billion in 2024. Ah, how their hands were tied up.
On the day this announcement was made, the story was presented in the UK BBC News Homepage – One headline: “Half of Homes will need a heat pump by 2040,” the government said. Feedback briefly joined some points in our added mind. It reminds me that it’s okay. People in suits know what they’re doing.
In RephraseFuturamaPhilip J. Fry: The feedback is shocking. shock! Well, I wasn’t so shocked.
The whole saga begins to wonder whether “corporate strategy” is an equal contradiction with “military information.” In the early 2000s, BP reformed from “British oil” to “beyond oil” and began to show its intention to embrace renewable energy. Then, after the cost of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it abandoned everything and brought its focus back to fossil fuels. Fast forward to 2020 and to the company announcement A new target raft for renewable energy – many of them are now I’m getting far away Due to this recent decline in funding.
If the feedback is indecisive, it will be hard to decide how to wrap this around.
Crunch the numbers
Reporter Michael Le Page draws our attention Journal of Geek Studies. Despite its (somewhat) formal sound name, it is not peer-reviewed, but it publishes “an original contribution that combines academic topics with nerds.”
For readers unfamiliar with what a rancor is, it is a large reptile-like monster located underground in Jabba, the Palace of Hat Jedi ReturnLuke Skywalker fights. Another Lancer appeared in the 2021 series Boba Fett’s bookBut the less said about it, the better.
Authors Thomas Clements and Stephan Lautenschlager are trying to understand one key moment Jedi Return. To avoid eating, Luke picks up the long bones, lodges vertically to Lancer’s mouth, and opens his jaw. However, Luke’s reprieve is temporary, and Lancer is biting so hard that he smashes his bones into two.
Is this viable? The pair simulates the muscles and bones of Rancor’s jaw, and estimates that they could bite with the force of around 44,000 Newtons. “It allows you to snap large, long bones vertically.” Reassuring, “The bite power of living vertebrates does not approach rancor,” the great white shark and salted crocodile show off 16,000 to 18,000 Newtons.
During his journalistic career, feedback was repeatedly told by his editors, and repeatedly told to write stories that led to practical advice and “news that can be used.” Well, it’s here. Reader: Every time you challenge the crocodile territory, have one or two femurs just in case.
Have you talked about feedback?
You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.
The Euclidean Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) has just released its first significant batch of research data, offering a fascinating glimpse into the vast cosmos.
This newly revealed image, covering a 63-square patch of the sky (over 300 times the size of a full moon), showcases millions of galaxies in intricate detail.
But this is just the beginning. The Euclidean mission, aimed at mapping the universe and unraveling the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, which constitute 95% of the universe, has only just begun.
Launched in February 2024 and released in July 2023, Euclid is designed to survey a third of the sky, eventually capturing images of 1.5 billion galaxies. In just a week of observations, the mission has already spotted 26 million galaxies, some located an astounding 10.5 billion light years away.
Professor Carole Mandel, ESA’s director of science, described the release as “a treasure trove of information for scientists to delve into.” In an official statement, she highlighted Euclid’s role as the “ultimate discovery machine,” enabling astronomers to explore the grand structure of the universe with unparalleled precision.
The initial observations of the mission showcase Euclid’s capability to map the large-scale structures of the universe using high-resolution visible instruments (VIS) and near-infrared spectrometers (NISPs), capturing galaxies across vast distances and helping scientists track the intricate web-like structure of space.
This image shows not only light, gravity lenses within the cluster, but also a variety of huge galaxy clusters. The cluster near the center is called J041110.98-481939.3 and is almost 6 billion light years away. -ESA/EUCLID/EUCLID Image processing by CONSORTIUM/NASA, J.-C, Cuillandre, E. Bertin, G. Anselmi
“Euclid’s potential to unveil more about dark matter and dark energy from the massive structure of the Cosmic Web can only be realized once the entire survey is completed,” stated Dr. Clotilde Laigle, a scientist from the Euclidean Consortium.
“Nevertheless, this first data release offers a unique view into the vast organization of galaxies, providing insights into the formation of galaxies over time.”
With an immense data stream – sending back 100 GB of data to Earth per day – scientists are challenged with cataloging and analyzing an unprecedented number of galaxies. To tackle this, AI algorithms, in collaboration with thousands of citizen scientists, have categorized over 380,000 galaxies in their initial dataset.
The AI model known as “Zoobot” was trained over a month on the Galaxy Zoo platform with the help of nearly 10,000 volunteers to enhance their galaxy classification skills.
Dr. Mike Walmsley, an expert in astronomical deep learning at the University of Toronto, highlighted the significance of AI in processing Euclid’s vast datasets.
While scientists are still grappling with this first data release, many are already envisioning the future.
“Euclid will truly revolutionize our understanding of the universe,” stated Professor Christopher Conselice from the University of Manchester. He depicted the results as just “the tip of the iceberg,” foreseeing Euclid’s revelations about dark energy and a complete picture of galactic evolution throughout the ages.
The mission is still in its nascent stages, with the released data accounting for only 0.4% of Euclid’s final investigation scope. Setting the stage for even more profound discoveries, the initial data release indicates that Euclid is poised to offer a remarkable new perspective on the universe. In October 2026, ESA is expected to release Euclid’s first major cosmological dataset, covering larger research areas and multiple deep field paths.
If this initial glimpse is any indication, the coming years promise a deluge of data and discoveries that could redefine our understanding of the universe.
Early risers catch worms, but night owls are more susceptible to depression. A recent study suggests that individuals who prefer staying up late are more likely to experience depressive symptoms.
Research conducted by the University of Surrey reveals that this could be due to the fact that night owls often struggle with poor sleep, exhibit lower levels of mindfulness, and tend to consume more alcohol compared to early birds.
“Late chronotype, also known as ‘eveningness’ or ‘night owl,’ refers to a biological inclination to be active in the evenings and have a later sleep-wake pattern,” explained Cognitive Neuroscience Lecturer Dr. Simon Evans, who led the study, as reported by BBC Science Focus. “Since chronotypes have a genetic basis, being a night owl is a natural biological predisposition.”
Evans and his team surveyed 564 university students on their sleep habits, mindfulness levels, alcohol consumption, as well as their levels of depression and anxiety, which reflect tendencies towards negative thinking about situations and events.
“Late chronotypes are particularly prevalent among young adults, with up to 50% of young adults falling into this category,” noted Evans. “This is concerning as delayed chronotypes are associated with a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and substance use.”
The study confirmed that night owls were significantly more prone to developing depression than early birds and reported higher levels of anxiety.
Students with later chronotypes reported poorer sleep quality compared to early risers, which researchers attributed to “social jet lag.”
“Being a night owl is common among young adults,” said Evans. “Given the importance of mental health in youth, work and educational schedules should accommodate night owls for improved sleep.”
Our preference for morning or evening routines is largely influenced by genetics, with younger adults more likely to prefer later schedules, while older adults tend to be early risers. – Credit: rawpixel via Getty
Furthermore, individuals with a delayed chronotype tended to consume more alcohol, a known risk factor for depression. However, the study did not find a direct association between alcohol consumption and depression among the students involved.
In fact, night owls who consumed alcohol were less likely to experience depression than non-drinkers, although most students consumed alcohol in moderation. Researchers suggest that the social connections formed during drinking may offset the negative effects.
Evans also recommended strategies for night owls to protect themselves from depression, including promoting mindfulness through practices like guided meditation, focusing on improving sleep quality, and reducing alcohol consumption.
This study was recently published in the scientific journal PLOS 1.
Read more:
About our experts:
Dr. Simon Evans is a senior lecturer in cognitive neuroscience at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Surrey. He obtained his PhD from the Institute of Neurology, University College London in 2011 and conducted postdoctoral training at the University of Sussex, where he used MRI techniques to study how genetic factors impact brain activity patterns and cognitive performance. Evans’ primary research interest lies in utilizing brain imaging techniques to explore cognitive changes across the lifespan.
Exciting news for pecan enthusiasts: these tasty nuts may be even more beneficial for your health than previously thought. Swapping out your usual snacks for pecans could be a smart move for your overall well-being.
A recent study revealed that incorporating pecans into your daily snack routine can lead to improvements in cholesterol levels and enhance the quality of your diet. The research, as featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on adults dealing with or at risk for metabolic syndrome—a condition that raises the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes or heart-related issues.
Participants in a 12-week study were split into two groups: one replaced their usual snacks with 57g of pecans daily, while the other maintained their regular diet. The outcome? Those snacking on pecans experienced a reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (commonly known as “bad” cholesterol), and non-HDL cholesterol.
Lowering LDL levels and improving the HDL to total cholesterol ratio are crucial steps in reducing the risk of heart disease. Dr. Christina Petersen, an associate professor of nutrition science from Pennsylvania, highlighted the benefits of substituting typical snacks with pecans for heart health.
Participants who replaced regular snacks with 57g of pecans per day saw improvements in their cholesterol levels and overall diet quality. – Getty
The study involved 138 adults aged 25 to 70, all meeting criteria for metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, low HDL, and hypertension. Results showed enhanced adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and a higher consumption of plant protein and seafood among those who opted for pecans as snacks.
While weight gain was observed in the pecan group compared to the non-pecan group, the cholesterol-lowering benefits of pecans remained unaffected. According to the researchers, additional guidance on calorie intake could help achieve a balance between energy consumption and pecan nutrition.
In conclusion, making the switch to pecans from less nutritious snacks can have a positive impact on heart health and overall dietary patterns. It’s important to be mindful of calorie intake while enjoying the benefits of these nutritious nuts.
Fossil feathers are usually preserved or embedded in amber as impressions of carbonaceous membranes and lake sediments and marine sediments, but are rarely mineralized. In a new study, paleontologists have examined the mineralised feathers of 30,000 years old Griffon vultures preserved in ash-rich volcanic deposits of the Koli-Albani Volcanic Complex in Rome, Italy. Bird feathers were conserved in three dimensions, conserving tissue ultrastructures such as melanosomes. These ultrastructures are mineralized with nanocrystalline zeolites, a preservation mode that has not been previously reported in fossil soft tissue.
A 30,000-year-old fossil feather of a Griffon vulture preserved in volcanic rocks at the Koli-Albani Volcanic Complex in Rome, Italy. Image credit: Edoardo Terranova.
The fossil vulture was discovered in 1889 near Rome by a local landowner who recognized its incredible preservation.
The entire body was preserved as a three-dimensional impression, with fine details such as the lid of the eye and wing wings.
The new study, led by University College Cork paleontologist Valentina Rossi, shows that feather preservation extends to the pigmented structure of small microscopic feathers.
“Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudstones laid in lakes and lagoons,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Fossil vultures are preserved in ash deposits, which is very unusual.”
“When analyzing the feathers of fossil vultures, we found ourselves in unknown territory.”
“These feathers are different from what we normally see in other fossils.”
The authors discovered that feathers are preserved in mineral zeolites by analyzing small samples of fossil feathers using electron microscopy and chemical testing.
“Zeolites are silicon and aluminum rich minerals and are common in volcanic and hydrothermal geological environments,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Zeolites can be formed as primary minerals (using clean crystals) or secondary during the natural changes in volcanic glass and ash, giving rocks a mudlock-like side.”
“The changes in ashes due to the passage of water induced precipitation of zeolite nanocrystals, replicating feathers to the details of the smallest cells.”
“Fine preservation of feather structures indicates that vulture corpses were buried in cold thermal clastic matter.”
“We are used to think that volcanic deposits are associated with high temperature, fast-moving thermal breaking flows that destroy soft tissue,” says Professor Dawid Iurino of the University of Milan.
“However, these geological environments are complex and can include cold deposits that can store soft tissue at the cellular level.”
“The fossil record is constantly amazed us with new fossil species, strange new body shapes, in this case a new style of fossil preservation,” said Professor Maria McNamara, a professor of Cork at the University.
“We never found any delicate tissues, such as feathers, preserved in volcanic rocks.”
“Discoveries like these broaden the range of potential rock types that can be found in fossils.
a paper The findings were published in the journal Geological.
____
Valentina Rossi et al. Fossil feathers from the Coralbani Volcanic Complex (central Italy, late Pleistocene) preserved in zeolites. GeologicalPublished online on March 18th, 2025. doi: 10.1130/g52971.1
Astronomers from SETI Institute, NASA’s Ames Research Center, and Curtin University have tracked the impact orbits of 75 observed metstone waterfalls to previously unidentified source regions of several of the main asteroid belt.
Impressions of an artist on a rocky asteroid. Image credits: Mark A. Garlick, Space-Art.co.uk / Warwick University / Cambridge University.
“This is a 10-year detective story, with each recorded metstone waterfall providing new clues,” said Dr. Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer at Seti Institute and NASA’s Ames Research Center.
“We currently have the first overview of the asteroid belt geological map.”
Ten years ago, Dr. Jenniskens and his colleagues were aiming to build a network of all ski cameras in California and Nevada.
“Others built similar networks that spanned the world, and together formed a fireball observatory around the world,” said Hadrian Devillepova, an astronomer at Curtin University.
“For many years, we have tracked the routes of 17 recovered metstone waterfalls.”
“More fireballs have been tracked by doorbells and dashcam video cameras from citizen scientists and other dedicated networks around the world.”
“Overall, this quest produced 75 laboratory classified metstones with impact trajectories tracked by video cameras and photo cameras,” Dr. Jennis Kens said.
“It has proven sufficient to start seeing some patterns in the direction of metstones approaching the Earth.”
Most metstones come from the asteroid belt, the region between Mars and Jupiter.
These rocks come from a few larger asteroids that have been broken in the collision.
Even today, asteroids collide and create remnant fields within these asteroid families known as clusters.
“We can see that the 12 metstones (h-cartilage) of ordinary chondrites, which are now rich in iron, come from a debris field called low colonies on the pristine main belt,” Dr. Jennis Kens said.
“These metstones arrived from low-coupled orbital periods that match this debris field.”
“By measuring the age of cosmic ray exposure in metstones, we can determine that three of these 12 metstones originate from kalin clasters of dynamic ages of 5.8 million years, and two come from Koronis2 clusters of dynamic ages of 100-15 million years.”
“Another metstone can measure the age of Koronis3 clusters, about 83 million years.”
The authors also discovered a group of H-chondrites on steep orbits that appear to originate from the Nere Asteroididae in the central main belt, with a dynamic age of approximately 6 million years.
The mean motion resonance with nearby 3:1 Jupiter can raise the slope to the observed people.
A third group of H cartilage with an exposure age of approximately 35 million years of age emerged from the medial main belt.
“In our opinion, these H-cartilages came from the low masalia asteroids on the inner main belt, as their families have clusters of that same dynamic era,” Dr. Jennis Kens said.
“Asteroid (20) Masalia, the asteroid that created the cluster, is a parent body of the H-chondrite type.”
Researchers have discovered that low iron (l cartilage) and very low iron (LL chondrite) metstones mainly come from the inner main belt.
“I propose that L cartilage comes from the Hertha Asteroid family, just above the Masalia family,” Dr. Jennis Kens said.
“The asteroid Elsa doesn’t look like its fragments. Hertha is covered in dark rocks of shock black, which exhibits unusually violent collisions. The L-chondrites experienced a very violent origin 468 million years ago, when these metstones bombarded the Earth with numbers found in geological records.”
Knowing from the remains of the asteroid belt, the birth of our metstones is important for our planetary defense efforts against asteroids on the near Earth.
The orbits of approaching asteroids can provide clues to the origin of the asteroid belt, just like the metstone orbit.
“Asteroids near Earth do not arrive in the same orbit as Metstones because it takes time for them to evolve into Earth,” Dr. Jennis Kens said.
“But they come from some of the same Astide family.”
Team’s paper Published in the journal Weather and Planetary Science.
____
Peter Jenniskens & Hadrien ar Devillepoix. Asteroids, meteors, and meteor-shaped link reviews. Weather and Planetary SciencePublished online on March 17th, 2025. doi:10.1111/maps.14321
The Mayall Telescope Star Trail in Arizona houses dark energy spectroscopy equipment
Luke Tyas/Berkeley Lab
Dark energy is one of the most mysterious features of our universe. We don’t know what it is, but it controls how the universe is expanding and its ultimate destiny. Now, the study of millions of heavenly objects reveals that they may have been thinking about all the wrong things that could potentially have dramatic consequences in the universe.
“This is the biggest hint we have about the nature of dark energy in the roughly 25 years since we discovered it,” he says. Adam Reese at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
The results come from three years of data collected by Arizona’s Dark Energy Spectroscopy (DESI). By combining this data with other measurements such as background radiation in cosmic microwaves and maps of supernovas, the DESI team concluded that dark energy may have changed over time.
“This is the cutting edge of human knowledge,” says a member of the DigiTeam. It’ll be Percival At the University of Waterloo, Canada. “We see amazing things throughout the universe.”
Desi is attached to a telescope and works by measuring the “redshift” of light emitted from a distant galaxy, or how that wavelength of light extends as it travels through space. From now on, researchers can determine how much the universe has expanded during the journey of light and calculate how this expansion is changing. So far, the team has analyzed light from nearly 15 million galaxies and other bright objects in the sky.
For decades, physicists have agreed that the universe is expanding at a fixed acceleration. This is a cosmological constant known as the lambda, interpreted as the driving force of dark energy. However, in April 2024, Desi’s measurements provide the first hint that the universe may actually be decreasing faster over time, with the cosmological constants not so constant.
Riess, who is not part of the Desi team, says at the time they were not sure if the discovery would last with more data. In fact, it’s just getting stronger. “It’s very exciting for me to see that. [the team] After another year and after they added more data, no issues were found in the analysis. If anything, the outcome is more important,” he says.
That being said, this discovery still does not meet the “5-sigma” statistical levels traditionally used by physicists to discover it as authentic, rather than as a statistical fluke. Current analysis reaches a maximum of 4.2 sigma, but team members Mustafa Ishak Bouzaki At the University of Texas and Dallas, the team says they believe the results will reach five sigma within two years as Digi continues to acquire the data. “This outcome with dark energy is something we never thought it would happen in our lifetime,” he says.
One of the relief, according to Ishak-Boushaki, is that the discovery relies on Desi’s data as well as several other investigations in the universe. Riess compares the situa…To read more, visit Example Website.
New results from the collaboration of Digi (dark energy spectroscopy) reveal signs of time-varying dark energy.
Two “fans” corresponding to the two main areas were observed by Desi on top and bottom of the plane of the Milkyway Galaxy. Image credits: Desi Collaboration/DOE/KPNO/NOIRLAB/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor.
“The universe will never surprise us and will never surprise us,” said Dr Arjun Dei, a digiproject scientist at Noir Love and associate director of the Central Scale Observatory for Strategic Initiatives.
“By unprecedentedly revealing the evolving textures of our universe's fabrics, Digi and Mayall telescopes are changing our understanding of the future of our universe and nature itself.”
The DESI data, which is employed alone, is consistent with the standard model of the universe. In Lambda CDM, CDM is cold dark matter, and Lambda represents the simplest case of dark energy that acts as a cosmological constant.
However, when combined with other measurements, the effect of dark energy may be weaker over time, increasing indications that other models may be more appropriate.
Other measurements of them include light leftovers from the dawn of space (cosmic microwave background, or CMB), distance measurements of supernovae, and observations of how light from distant galaxies are distorted by the effects of dark matter gravity (weak lenses).
So far, the evolving dark energy preference has not risen to 5 sigma. This is the gold standard in physics that represents a commonly accepted threshold of discovery.
However, the various combinations of DESI data and CMB, weak lenses, and supernova sets range from 2.8 to 4.2 sigma.
This analysis used techniques to hide results from scientists to the end to reduce unconscious biases about data.
This approach sets new criteria for how data is analyzed from large-scale spectroscopic studies.
The Desi is a cutting-edge instrument mounted on the NSF Nicholas U. Mayall 4-M telescope of the NSF Noirlab program, Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Light from 5,000 galaxies can be captured simultaneously, allowing you to carry out one of the most extensive research to date.
The experiment is currently investigating the fourth sky in five years, with plans to measure around 50 million galaxies and quasars (very far but bright objects with black holes in their cores) and more than 10 million stars by the time the project is finished.
The new analysis uses data from the first three years of observations and includes nearly 15 million best measured galaxies and quasars.
This is a major leap, with the one used in Desi's initial analysis improving the accuracy of the experiment with more than twice as much data set, suggesting evolving dark energy.
Digi tracks the effects of dark energy by studying how matter spreads throughout the universe.
Very early cosmic events left subtle patterns in the way matter was distributed. This is a function called Barion Acoustic Vibration (BAO).
Its Bao pattern acts as a standard ruler, and its size is directly influenced by how the universe is expanding at different times.
Measuring rulers at different distances has shown the strength of dark energy throughout history by researchers.
DESI Collaboration begins work with additional analysis to extract more information from the current dataset, and Desi continues to collect the data.
Other experiments offered online over the next few years will also provide complementary data sets for future analysis.
“Our results are a fertile foundation for our theory colleagues looking at new and existing models, and we look forward to what they came up with,” says Dr. Michael Levi, Desi Director and Scientist.
“Whatever the nature of dark energy, it shapes the future of our universe. It is very noteworthy that we look up at the sky with a telescope and try to answer one of the biggest questions humanity has ever asked.”
“These are prominent results from very successful projects,” said Dr. Chris Davis, NSF Program Director at NSF Neil Love.
“The powerful combination of NSF Mayall Telescope and DOE's dark energy spectroscopy instruments demonstrates the benefits of federal agencies collaborating with fundamental science to improve our understanding of the universe.”
Physicists shared their findings in a A series of papers It will be posted above arxiv.org.
The Lambda-CDM (λCDM) model has been the basis of modern cosmology for some time, and it successfully explains the large-scale structure of the universe. It proposes that 95% of cosmos consists of dark matter (25%) and dark energy (70%). Dark energy, represented by the cosmic constant (λ), is thought to promote accelerated expansion of the universe, and maintains a constant energy density over time. However, new results from the dark energy research suggest a departure from this assumption, suggesting that dark energy may evolve over time.
This artist's impression shows the evolution of the universe, beginning with the Big Bang on the left. After that, you will see the microwave background of the universe. The formation of the first stars ends the dark ages of the universe, followed by the formation of galaxies. Image credit: M. Weiss/Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
The Dark Energy Survey (DES) was carried out using a 570 megapixel energy-enhanced dark energy camera (decam) mounted on the NSF Víctor M. Blanco 4-M telescope from the NSF Neuroab program, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.
By obtaining data of 758 nights over six years, DES scientists mapped almost one-eighth area of the sky.
The project employs multiple observation techniques, including supernova measurement, galaxy clustering analysis, and weak gravity lenses, to study dark energy.
Two important DES measurements, baryon acoustic vibration (BAO) and explosive star distance measurements (type IA supernova) track the enlarged history of the universe.
Bao refers to a standard cosmic ruler formed by early universe sound waves, with peaks spanning approximately 500 million light years.
Astronomers can measure these peaks over several periods of universe history to see how dark energy has expanded the scale over time.
“By analyzing 16 million galaxies, DES discovered that the measured BAO scale is actually 4% smaller than predicted by λCDM,” says Dr. Santiago Avila, an astronomer at the Center for Energy and Environmental Technology Research (CIEMAT).
Type IA supernova acts as a standard candle. In other words, the essential brightness is known.
Therefore, its apparent brightness is combined with information about the host's galaxy to allow scientists to perform accurate distance calculations.
In 2024, the DES team released the most extensive and detailed supernova dataset to date, providing highly accurate measurements of space distance.
New discoveries from the combined supernova data and BAO data independently confirm the anomalies seen in the 2024 supernova data.
By integrating DES measurements with cosmic microwave background data, researchers infer the properties of dark energy, and the results suggest that they evolve time.
When verified, this implies a dynamic phenomenon in which the cosmological constant, dark energy, is not ultimately constant and requires a new theoretical framework.
“The results are interesting as they suggest physics beyond the standard models of cosmology,” says Dr. Juan Mena Fernandez, a researcher at the Institute of Subatomic Physics and Cosmology.
“If more data supports these findings, we may be on the brink of a scientific revolution.”
Although current results are still inconclusive, future analyses incorporating additional DES probes such as Galaxy Clustering and weak lenses could enhance the evidence.
Similar trends have emerged from other major cosmological projects, such as Dark Energy Spectroscopy (DESI).
“We've seen a lot of experience in our research,” said Jesse Muir, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati.
“There's still a lot to learn and it's exciting to see how understanding evolves as new measurements become available.”
TMC Abbott et al. (DES collaboration). 2025. Dark Energy Survey: Final Devalion Acoustic Vibrations and Impact on Cosmological Expansion Models from Supernova Data. Physical Review din press; Arxiv: 2503.06712
More than half of the claims made in the popular Tiktok video regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not in line with clinical guidelines.
ADHD affects Approximately 1% According to the global burden of disease research, people all over the world. There is a positive debate about whether ADHD is underdiagnosed. Some psychologists say there can be a substantial proportion of people who have it.
To understand the impact of social media on ADHD perceptions, Vasileia Karasavva The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, and her colleagues watched the 100 most viewed videos on Tiktok on January 10, 2023 using the hashtag #ADHD.
The average video included three claims about ADHD. The researchers presented their own claims to two psychologists. He was asked if it accurately reflected the symptoms of ADHD from DSM-5, a popular textbook used to diagnose mental disorders. Only 48.7% of the claims met that requirement. More than two-thirds of the video attributed ADHD to the problems that psychologists said were reflecting “normal human experiences.”
“We asked two experts to watch the top 100 most popular videos, and we found that they didn't really match the empirical literature,” says Karasavva. “We're like, 'OK, this is the problem.' ”
The researchers asked psychologists to rate the video on a scale of 0-5. We then asked 843 UBC students to describe the videos evaluated by psychologists as five best and five worst ADHDs, and then rated them before rating them. Psychologists earned a more clinically accurate video on an average of 3.6, while students rated it at 2.8. In the least-savvy video, students gave an average score of 2.3 compared to 1.1 from psychologists.
Students were also asked whether they would recommend video and their perception of the prevalence of ADHD in society. “The amount of time you watched ADHD-related content on Tiktok has increased your chances of recommending videos and identifying them as useful and accurate,” says Karasavva.
“They are the ones who wonder how common the outcomes are for Tiktok or all the health content on the internet.” David Ellis At the University of Bath, UK. “We live in a world where we know a lot about health, but the online world is still full of misinformation. Tiktok only reflects that reality to us.”
Ellis says that medical misinformation is likely to be even higher given mental health issues, as diagnosis is based on observation rather than more objective testing.
However, banning ADHD videos on Tiktok is “no use.” Even if it's misinformation, Karasavva says. “Maybe more experts should put out more videos, or maybe it's just that they're doing it for themselves because they're a little more discernible and critical of the content they consume,” she says.
Thichtok declined to comment on the details of the study, New Scientist Anyone who takes action against medical misinformation and seeks advice on neurological conditions should contact a medical professional.
String theory is the best candidate we have for all theories. Bends to that rule, various entangled theories of traditional physics emerge as part of a sublime, higher-dimensional tapestry. It can unify all four of nature, including the most troublesome gravity of all. If you're lucky, you might even tame big bangs and black holes without losing threads.
There's only one catch. String theory cannot explain the universe like ours. That mathematics can explain billions of different possible universes, but not expanding at speeds of acceleration, it's exactly what we see. Certainly, no one knows that this acceleration is driving. Mystical “dark energy” is the usual placeholder. According to theory, it probably shouldn't happen at all.
For 25 years, this was a big problem, but now I may have found a way past it. On the surface, the answer does not shock anyone who is used to the luxury of modern physics. We need to rethink the universe as part of a much larger company. Doing this can bloat into the content of your mind. In fact, the acceleration of expansion seems to come naturally. However, this new scheme could be the wildest scheme ever. Our familiar spaces are delicately settled between high-dimensional hyperspace and total meaninglessness. “Our proposal says that our existence is like a shadow: a projection onto a wall at the end of the world.” Antonio Padillaa physicist at the University of Nottingham in the UK.
A rocket carrying satellites explodes from China's commercial aerospace zone
VCG/Getty Images
The small quantum satellite created a secure link between China and South African terrestrial stations, sharing quantum encrypted data over a record distance of 12,900 kilometers. Similar microsatellites could become part of the quantum internet of things in the future.
The record-breaking feat that took place in October 2024 was also notable for the use of satellites with small, light payloads. The miniaturized equipment on the Jinan-1 microsatellite weighed only 23 kilograms, about 10 times the payload of previous experiments.
Petite quantum satellites like Jinan-1 say “like what SpareX does with StarLink for the Internet, it could launch many satellites in one shot with the same space launcher.” Laurent de Forge de Panney at Thales Alenia Space, a space technology company headquartered in France.
In this experiment, the researchers used the quantum state of photons to generate a secret key for encrypting and decrypting the data. This key was used to encode photographs of the Great Wall in China and Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and was then transmitted between the Zinan-1 satellite and various ground stations using lasers and telescopes. Research team led by Jianwei Pan The University of Science and Technology in China has performed this quantum key distribution process 20 times, including a test of 12,900 km set record.
There are limits to this showcase of quantum technology. Jinan-1 satellites “apparently optimized for quantum key distributions and do not perform common quantum communication tasks such as teleportation or entanglement distributions.” Alexander Lynn At the National University of Singapore. Nevertheless, Lynn, who praises the demonstration, says it could become part of the actual communications network within the next decade.
Quantum Key Distribution can be “are considered the first practical quantum communication use case,” and “the first step into a quantum information network,” says De Forges de Parny. “China's activities will definitely help develop a second-generation small satellite for the quantum internet,” he says.
The Jinan-1 was originally launched in 2022, and PAN says China will send two or three more quantum satellites in 2025. Other countries are expecting to release their own quantum satellites by 2026. projectfunded by the European Space Agency. Boeing, a US aerospace company, is working on it Another.
The Budgerigars are some of the most fashionable birds, and it is reflected in their brains. The Budgie Brains contain maps of voice sounds similar to those found in the human brain, not seen in other birds.
Budgerigars (Melopstitacus undulatus), also known as a paraquiet, is a small parrot native to Australia. They are epic vocal learners and can mimic a variety of sounds, including human speech. The boudgie, known as the pack, had a vocabulary of about 1,728 words. According to the Guinness World Records. “The ability to mimic phonetically is very rare in the animal kingdom,” Long says.
and Zetian Yang, Additionally, NYU medical schools used silicon probes for a long time to record electrical activity in the Budgies' brains. They focused on a part of the forebrain, the central nucleus of the forebrain horn, which was known to be involved in motor control of vocalization. When Budgies made the call, Long and Yang tracked how their electrical activity had changed.
“Our research was the first to measure parrot brain activity during vocalization,” Long says.
The pair discovered neurons in the central nucleus of the anterior horn thyroid. “There are cells that are active because of consonants,” Long says. Others make vowels, but some are active for high-pitched sounds, others for low pitch.
This brain structure is compared to a keyboard. “There's this kind of key, or in this case, a set of brain cells, and you can represent each of these vocal outcomes and play whatever it wants,” he says. “What the parrot presented is this beautiful and elegant solution to creating vocal sounds.” The human brain has a similar vocal map.
Long and Yang repeated the experiment with a zebra finch (taeniopygia guttata), not vocal mimic. “They have one song they learn,” Long says. “It's about two seconds, sometimes less.” It takes several months to perfect.
Unlike the Budgerigars, the Zebra Finch showed no signs of a “map” of the sound of the brain's voice. Instead, “A Zebra Finch develops chords that are almost almost inexplicable for this song,” says Long. He says that Budgie's brain uses a simple, intuitive system to generate complex calls, while Zebra Finch Brain uses a complex system to make something simple.
“It shows that neural activity and associated vocal behavior are closer to parrots and humans than songbirds and parrots.” Erich Jarvis At Rockefeller University in New York.
“Almost everything we know about the detailed mechanistic basis of learned vocalization comes from several species of songbirds singing relatively simple songs.” Jesse Goldberg At Cornell University in New York. “The parrot therefore offers an incredible opportunity to study both the mechanisms and evolution of complex vocal learning and production.”
I say there are several reasons why I evolved imitation. Zhilei Zhao At Cornell University. One is courtship. “Women actually prefer men with the ability to copy,” he says, and if a man loses his ability, “they are more likely to fool him.” Also, the Budgies have a very dynamic social life. “Form small groups for several days.” Once the group is established, members begin to create unique “contact calls.” “People think it might be something like a password for this group,” says Zhao.
Other skilled mimics may have similar vocal maps in their brains. “My very strong speculation is that other parrots have the same functionality, but they are simply not explored.” He also doubts something similar, the Lyrebirds, a phenomenal mimic that can even mimic artificial sounds like camera shutters.
In the long run, I hope that studying how boudgies produce sounds for a long time will help people understand language disorders. People with strokes often experience aphasia. I can't call the correct words in my head. “You reach for those words and it’s not there,” Long says. “Now we have the opportunity to fight to understand what we think is at the root of many communication disorders that affect people in devastating ways.”
Taking small repeated doses of the psychedelic drug LSD does not reduce ADHD symptoms more than placebo.
Microdosing psychedelic drugs involve taking them several times a week in small amounts, sufficient to avoid experiencing hallucinations. There is little evidence to support this, but there is a broad view that this can increase happiness, creativity and focus. Additionally, some studies have reported that people who microdose as a way to treat ADHD have improved symptoms, but these studies have been observed and rely on self-reported data.
To more rigorously test the effects of drugs on ADHD, Matthias Liechti The University of Basel, Switzerland and his colleagues conducted the first randomized controlled trial of LSD microdoshing for ADHD. They recruited 53 adults living in the Netherlands or Switzerland who had been diagnosed with ADHD and experienced moderate to severe symptoms. Twenty-seven participants received 20 mirogram doses of LSD twice a week at the upper microodour limit, yet only a fifth of the standard dose, while the rest were given a placebo.
Symptoms of ADHD were assessed at the start of the study and were assessed 6 weeks later using a 54-point scale. On average, participants receiving the placebo had an average score reduction of approximately 7 percentage points. This is not a major difference, suggesting that LSD is better than a placebo for improving ADHD symptoms, says Liechti.
However, he says the dosage may have been unsuitable for treating ADHD. LSD, similar to how ADHD medications currently work, may need to be taken daily to experience a reduction in symptoms, he says Conor Murray At the University of California, Los Angeles.
“We still need to check if there is an acute dose while the drug is in your body – does it alleviate the symptoms?” Murray says. “It's kind of the first step, if not, you rarely even have to ask if there's a permanent change.”
This week, workers at the National Marine and Atmospheric Administration faced a sudden change as the federal government attempted to reinstate probationary workers who were previously fired.
Over 600 NOAA workers, including important public safety roles like scientists issuing tsunami alerts, hurricane hunting flight directors, and local forecast office meteorologists, were let go over two weeks ago.
However, a US district judge in Maryland issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, halting the firing of tens of thousands of workers within the agency and ordering their reinstatement. The Trump administration informed the court on Monday that they were working to reinstate about 24,000 probationary workers affected by widespread layoffs in the federal workforce. (Probationary workers are typically those in their first or second year of federal service, but this status also applies to some promoted employees or former contractors who were hired as full-time employees.)
The Commerce Department confirmed in a court filing that 791 workers, including NOAA employees, had been reinstated across the agency.
The reinstatement process has caused further confusion at NOAA, which had already halted some services due to staffing issues post-layoffs. This included significant disruptions like weather balloon launches in Albany, New York and Cotzevieu, Alaska, which are crucial for accurate weather predictions. Several offices were also closed by the agency.
The reinstatement news came just as a massive storm system swept across the nation, spawning tornadoes and claiming the lives of at least 42 people. NOAA’s National Weather Service division plays a key role in predicting and warning the public about dangerous weather events.
While probation workers at NOAA have technically been reinstated, they are currently on administrative leave and not being asked to return to work. It remains uncertain whether the services previously provided by these workers will be fully restored.
NOAA news agency has directed inquiries to the Department of Commerce, which has not responded to requests for comment.
A Hurricane Modeling Specialist named Andy Hazelton, who was fired last month despite having a PhD, received an email on Monday confirming his reinstatement following the court order.
The email stated, “You will be reinstated to federal service with your previous status, retroactive to the termination date, and placed on paid administrative leave until further action is taken by the court or department.”
Should the court’s order be overturned or the Commerce Department prevail in court, details about potentially reverting to the termination date are unclear.
Hazelton mentioned that he had not received further communication as of Monday and remained hopeful about receiving back pay or eventually resuming his duties.
While the email provided temporary relief, uncertainty remains as rumors persist about further reductions in the NOAA workforce through workforce reduction or Reduction in Force (RIF) measures.
Jaszka, 49, who previously worked as an investigative assistance technician for NOAA law enforcement before being fired, shared similar sentiments.
She expressed frustration at the perception of government workers as a drain on taxpayer resources, fueled by the notion that they are not performing their duties effectively.
Jaszka highlighted the irony of the situation, where government employees were being paid not to work despite their passion for fulfilling NOAA’s mission.
In a court filing, the Commerce Department stated that employees would not be required to return to full duty obligations immediately.
The department is prepared to reinstate all necessary administrative procedures if needed, such as training completion, personnel documentation, badge reissuance, benefit enrollment, and salary restoration.
Galactic sea photographed by the Euclidean Space Telescope
ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, J.-C. Image processing by Cuillandre, E. Bertin, G. Anselmi
The extraordinary image from the Euclidean Space Telescope has acquired 26 million galaxies.
Euclid was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in July 2023, and in November of that year it sent its first image back. The six-year mission will image about a third of the sky and build the most detailed 3D map of Cosmos ever created. Once completed, this investigation will help to lighten how dark matter and dark energy behave on a cosmic scale.
ESA is currently being released The first large data on this missionstarts with three “deep fields.” This is an area where the telescope becomes a more detailed peer than the rest of the study area. These three spots represent 63 squares of sky, which corresponds to an area where the full moon is covered 300 times. Over the next few years, Euclide will pass these regions 30-52 times to build more detailed images.
It'll be Percival The University of Waterloo in Canada says that current batches of images are less than 50% of what gather on missions, but there is already plenty of researchers to collaborate. “There's so much you can do about many individual galaxies and their properties because it's not something that's done in space-based research with nearby infrared light or optics like this,” he says. “It's not exactly the same quality as HST [the Hubble Space Telescope]but it's so close that it doesn't just point to individual objects and shoot. We are conducting an investigation. ”
Researchers have already used Euclidean data to find hundreds of powerful gravity lenses. These phenomena are formed when the gravity of an object in the foreground distorts light from a distant galaxy, creating an arc shape or a complete ring. Previously, scientists had to hunt these individually, point them to the HST, and collect more images. Currently, astronomers can search for survey data from Euclidean and find more at once. This helps to gather insights into the evolution of galaxies and the universe.
Using AI models, researchers were able to find and catalog 500 galaxies with powerful gravity lenses with this first data alone, doubling the total seen to date. “The statistics are incredible,” Percival says. “Euclidean ultimately gets this amount of data 200 times.”
The data released so far represents only one week of images from Euclidean, but up to 35 terabytes. This is equivalent to 200 days of high quality video streaming. The next batch of data is expected to be released later next year, and will be a year's worth of images covering 2,000 square degrees and over 2,000 terabytes of storage space.
It can take over 100 years to view each galaxy manually, so AI is used to dramatically speed up the process, he says. Mike Walmsley At the University of Toronto. “We can ask new questions in weeks, not years, but in weeks,” he says.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
