A group of young evangelical Christians is planning a campaign at religious universities to persuade students to think about climate change at the voting booth.
It’s part of a small movement within the evangelical community to combine Christian values with climate action.
The effort comes as President Donald Trump continues to court evangelical voters while calling climate change a “fraud.”
When an evangelical student group calls for a vote on climate change at a Christian university later this month, they plan to carry the tagline: “Love God, Love Your Neighbor, Vote for Climate Change!”
This is the first time the bipartisan group Young Evangelicals for Climate Action has organized such an in-person campaign on campus since its inception in 2012.
The volunteers, members of six Christian university chapters, are working to connect communities affected by the climate crisis with the Christian duty to “love our neighbor” and help those in need. We are aiming for
The effort is part of a larger movement led by the Evangelical Environmental Network, a faith-based organization calling for climate action.
Its members are a minority within the community. A 2022 poll from the Pew Research Center found that evangelical Christians are the largest minority. most likely Religious groups in the United States have expressed skepticism about anthropogenic climate change.
In the 2020 election, 84% of white evangelical Christians I voted for Donald Trump — I have voted for Trump in the past Climate change is a “hoax” decades of contradictions scientific consensus. Just last week, President Trump falsely claimed that “the Earth has actually gotten a little colder lately,” and at a September 29 rally called climate change “one of the biggest frauds in history.”
Cast of white evangelical voters third President Trump's 2016 vote count and Pew Research poll released last month We found that 82% said they would do so again this year.
Still, Jessica Morman, CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, says she's working to get Christians to see climate change as an issue that loves God's planet.
“As evangelicals, we have a biblical mission to care for God’s creation,” said Morman, a pastor and climate scientist. “And in the 21st century, that means taking action on the climate.”
There is a possibility that Gray Whale could become the next Olympic champion if it surpasses Simone Biles. This speculation comes from a recent study that captured animals performing impressive acrobatic movements underwater, including headstands.
The spectacular ocean gymnastics were documented as part of a seven-year research project, during which scientists utilized drones to study pods of 200 gray whales along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, northern California, and southern Canada.
The findings of the study were published in new research results in the journal animal behavior. The research revealed that whales perform handstands by pressing their mouths against the ocean floor while foraging for food. The scientists also observed the whales moving their flippers in a sweeping motion, similar to synchronized swimmers.
A particularly endearing moment captured by the drones was that of a baby whale attempting, unsuccessfully, to perform a handstand, indicating that this behavior is learned with age.
According to Clara Bird, a study author at Oregon State University, “Our findings suggest that this handstand behavior requires strength and coordination.”
Drone footage of a whale (the whale above this image) doing a headstand. – Photo credit: Oregon State University GEMM Lab.
In addition to these remarkable acrobatic displays, the drone footage also captured the gray whale performing a “bubble blast,” where the whale releases air underwater to create a large circular pattern on the water’s surface.
In a second study published in ecology and evolution, scientists discovered that the bubble blast aids whales in feeding longer, especially in shallow waters.
Bird explained, “It’s similar to when we dive underwater. Releasing air from our lungs helps us stay submerged without battling the force that pushes us back to the surface.”
The research indicates that larger, fatter whales are more likely to perform bubble blasts, particularly while doing handstands. These findings underscore the importance of whale size in feeding behavior.
For more information, check out the full articles linked above.
Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) has captured a striking new image of the grand design spiral galaxy NGC 5248.
This Hubble image shows the Grand Design spiral galaxy NGC 5248, located approximately 42 million light-years away in the constellation Bootes. The color images were created from separate exposures taken in the visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared regions of the spectrum using Hubble's WFC3 instrument. Six filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / F. Belfiore / J. Lee / PHANGS-HST team.
NGC5248 It is located in the constellation Bootes, about 42 million light years away.
This spiral galaxy, also known as Caldwell 45, LEDA 48130, UGC 8616, IRAS 13353+0908, and TC 830, has a diameter of 95,000 light years.
beginning discovered It was discovered on April 15, 1784 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel and is a member of the NGC 5248 galaxy group.
NGC 5248 has an apparent magnitude of 10, so it doesn't appear very bright, but it can be spotted with a small telescope.
The galaxy is noteworthy Because of the nuclear ring, which has “hot spots” of starburst activity.
“NGC 5248 is one of the so-called 'grand design' spirals, with prominent spiral arms extending from near the center through the disk,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“There is also a faint bar structure in the center between the inner edges of the spiral arms, which is less obvious in this visible-light portrait from Hubble.”
“Features like this that break a galaxy's rotational symmetry have profound effects on how matter moves through it and ultimately on its evolution over time.”
“They can supply gas from the outer reaches of the galaxy to the inner star-forming regions and even to the black hole at the center of the galaxy, where it can start an active galactic nucleus.”
“These gas flows have significantly shaped NGC 5248, with many bright regions of intense star formation spread throughout the disk and dominated by populations of young stars.”
“This galaxy has two very active ring-like starburst regions filled with young star clusters around its core.”
“While these 'nuclear rings' are noteworthy enough, nuclear rings usually tend to prevent gas from penetrating further into the center of the galaxy.”
“The fact that NGC 5248 has a second ring inside the first shows how powerful its flow of matter and energy is.”
“Due to its relatively close proximity and highly visible starburst region, this galaxy is a target for professional and amateur astronomers alike.”
To detect low-frequency vibrations, geckos use the saccule, a part of the inner ear traditionally associated with maintaining balance and body position, the institute’s biologist duo said. University of Marylandthis special “sixth sense” serves as a complement to the gecko’s normal sense of hearing and how it senses the world around it.
“As we know, the ear hears sounds in the air,” says Katherine Kerr, a professor at the University of Maryland.
“However, this ancient internal pathway is usually associated with balance and helps geckos sense vibrations traveling through media such as the ground or water.”
“This pathway is present in amphibians and fish, and has now been shown to be conserved in lizards.”
“Our findings reveal how the auditory system evolved from being visible in fish to being visible in land animals, including humans.”
In their research, Professor Kerr and colleague Dr. Dawei Han, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland, focused on: Tokay gecko (gecko gecko).
They discovered that the gecko’s saccule can sense weak vibrations in the 50 to 200 Hz range. This is a much lower spectrum than what geckos can normally hear.
This indicates that the saccule serves a different, but complementary, function to the gecko’s normal auditory system.
Geckos can hear sounds in the air, but many other reptiles do not have this ability.
“Discovery of the role of the saccule in gecko hearing may lead to a better understanding of communication and behavior in other animals previously thought to have limited hearing ability,” said Dawei of the University of Maryland.・Dr. Han said.
“Many snakes and lizards were thought to be ‘dumb’ or ‘deaf’ in the sense that they could not make or hear sounds very well.”
“But it turns out that animals could potentially be using this sensory pathway to communicate via vibrational signals. This has revolutionized the way scientists think about animal perception as a whole. Ta.”
The existence of this common sensory pathway in modern reptiles provides a unique window into the evolutionary history of vertebrate sensory systems, suggesting that the transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments may be more complex than previously thought. This suggests that gradual changes in auditory mechanisms are likely involved.
Although these discoveries are not directly related to human hearing, researchers believe there is always more than meets the eye – in this case, the ears.
“Think about going to a live rock concert,” Professor Kerr says.
“The sound is so loud that you can feel your whole head and body vibrating in the sound field.”
“You don’t just hear music, you can feel it. This sensation suggests that the human vestibular system may be stimulated during loud concerts, which This means that the sense of balance may also be closely related.
of findings Published in a magazine current biology.
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Dawei Han & Catherine E. Kartkay The gecko’s auditory pathway for sensing vibrations. current biologypublished online on October 4, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.016
A new study by palaeontologists from the Universities of Leicester, Birmingham, and Liverpool John Moores University shows that pterosaur limbs had an unexpectedly high degree of variation, comparable to that observed in living birds. The discovery demonstrates that pterosaurs were not limited to a life in the air but were also adapted to a wide range of terrestrial lives, from tree-climbing in early species to more terrestrial lives in later species.
Pterosaurs have adapted to a surprisingly wide range of non-aerial locomotion ecologies. Early small, long-tailed pterosaurs (not pterosaurs) showed extreme changes in hand and foot proportions, indicating a climbing lifestyle. In contrast, the hands and feet of later short-tailed pterosaurs (Pterosaurians) typically exhibit morphologies consistent with a more ground-based locomotor ecology. (A) Non-pterosaur antiquities restoration Scaphognathus crassirostris (Late Jurassic) in scansorial mode, with autosufficiency characterized by short proximal elements and elongated distal elements. (B) Restoration of Pterodactylis-type antiquities Balaenognathus maeuseri (Late Jurassic) In the terrestrial mode, the autopodia are characterized by an elongated proximal element and a shortened distal element. (C) Reconstruction of Scaphognathus (left) and Baleonognathus (Right) Rear view showing major flight surfaces. (D) Simplified pterosaur phylogeny showing the major taxa used in the study. Image credit: Smith others., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.014.
Pterosaurs, the first true flying vertebrates, played an important role in Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems.
However, our current understanding of their terrestrial locomotion abilities, and more broadly their terrestrial paleoecology, is limited.
Robert Smith, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leicester, said: “Early pterosaurs were highly specialized for climbing and had extreme modifications to their limbs, similar to those seen in today’s climbing lizards and birds such as woodpeckers. It’s the same,” he said.
“Holding on to a vertical surface with your fingertips for long periods of time is a difficult task, but it’s much easier for smaller, lighter animals.”
“These early pterosaurs were likely restricted to arboreal habitats, and as a result, their body size was small.”
“However, during the mid-Jurassic period, a major evolutionary change occurred, and pterosaurs’ hands and feet changed to more closely resemble those of land-dwelling animals.”
“These adaptations to terrestrial locomotion have opened up new ecological opportunities and given rise to a wide variety of feeding strategies.”
Freed from the size constraints imposed by vertical living, some pterosaurs were able to evolve to gigantic sizes with wingspans of up to 10 meters.
Dr David Unwin, a researcher at the University of Leicester, said: “In early pterosaurs, the hind limbs were connected by a flight membrane, which severely hindered walking and running.”
“In later, more advanced pterosaurs, this membrane separated along the midline, allowing each hindlimb to move independently.”
“This was an important innovation, and together with the changes in the hands and feet, it greatly increased the maneuverability of pterosaurs on land.”
“These later pterosaurs were freed from the constraints of climbing and were able to grow to enormous sizes, making some species the true giants of the Mesozoic Era.”
In early pterosaurs, the bones at the base of the fingers and toes were relatively short, and the parts farther from the body were very long, terminating in large, curved claws. These improvements created a strong grip, making it ideal for climbing trees.
In contrast, later, more evolved pterosaurs showed the opposite pattern. That is, the bones at the base of the fingers and toes were much longer, and those closer to the tips were shorter.
Their claws are also flatter and less curved, suggesting they are better suited for walking than climbing.
“These discoveries highlight the need to examine all aspects of pterosaur locomotion, not just flight, to fully understand pterosaur evolution. It’s just part of our history,” Smith said.
“By studying how they lived in trees and on the ground, we can begin to understand the role they played in ancient ecosystems.”
“When pterosaurs arrived on Earth, it was already inhabited by a wide range of animals, including dinosaurs and many other reptiles.”
“Pterosaurs cleverly avoided competition with these established groups by exploiting ecological niches that required both the ability to fly and walk.”
“This resulted in some strange feeding strategies, including the evolution of hundreds of thin, needle-like teeth used for filter feeding.”
“This surprising feature is similar to the feeding method of modern flamingos and appeared at least 120 million years before the first flamingos evolved.”
Robert S.H. Smith others. Morphology of limbs showing the invasion of terrestrial environments by pterosaurs in the mid-Mesozoic era. current biologypublished online on October 4, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.014
Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of long-nosed notothids from fragmentary remains found in Brazil's Adamantina Formation.
Epoidesuccus tavaresae is a new species of pyrosauridae from the Cretaceous Adamantina Formation of Brazil. Image credit: Lewis others., doi: 10.1002/ar.25559.
Epoidesuccus tavaresae They lived on the ancient supercontinent Gondwana during the late Cretaceous period, about 72 million years ago.
This ancient reptile was about 4 meters (13 feet) long, had a long, almost tubular snout, and probably lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
belongs to pyrosauridaeGondwanidae, a group of crocodilians belonging to the suborder Gondwanana. Notostia.
“Notoschia are an extremely diverse group of extinct crocodylidae found especially in the Cretaceous deposits of Gondwana, with more than 80 species described to date,” said lead author Juan of FEIS-UNESP. Dr. Lewis and colleagues said.
“Such taxonomic richness is also reflected in unexpected ecological diversity, including fully terrestrial and semi-aquatic morphologies, different feeding strategies, and perhaps occupation of many different ecological niches. It has been.”
“The Notothian fossil record is mostly confined to the Cretaceous Gondwana landmass, which included North Africa, Central Africa, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent, but the group reached its peak of diversity in South America. It was the late Cretaceous period.
Paleontologists say the pyrosauridae was first described in 1982.
“Despite the description of several species of pyrosauridae over the past 25 years and advances in our knowledge of the group's morphological and unique features, pyrosaurids have largely been excluded from broader phylogenetic studies.” said the researchers.
In the study, the researchers examined a fragment of the skull and one of the elements at the back of the skull. Epoidesuccus tavaresae.
This fossil was discovered in 2011 in an outcrop of the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group) in the city of Catanduba in northwestern São Paulo state, Brazil.
“Our results provide further evidence for the existence of a two-lineage pyrosaurinae, the oleinilostrinae Peirosaurinae and the longilostrinae Pepestinae,” the scientists said. Ta.
“Furthermore, the results of our morphospatial analysis indicate that pyrosaurids are ecomorphologically diverse, with species exhibiting more putative terrestrial ecosystems or a more semi-aquatic habit, compared to other notothids and neoscidians. This indicates that the morphospace had a wide range of morphospace occupancy, including unexplored spaces.”
“Pepeschinae was widespread in Africa and South America during the Cretaceous period,” the researchers noted.
“This lineage is notable among the notothids in that it has a longer rostra, similar to common extant crocodilians. crocodile There's also a caiman. ”
“Pepeshushiinae have been recorded from strata where semi-aquatic Neosushiinae are absent or rare.”
“In Africa, Strochrosuchus occurred simultaneously with SarcosuchusOn the other hand, in the Bauru group of Brazil, which represents the greatest extreme of pepestinid diversity, only one putative neostinid has been described so far, a large predatory quadruped with a semi-aquatic habit. There are no other records. ”
“In this scenario, pepestinids would have occupied vacant freshwater systems in western Gondwana during the Late Cretaceous.”
team's paper Published on August 29th anatomical record.
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Juan V. Ruiz others. A new pyrosauridae (Crocodiformes, Notostia) from the Adamantina Formation (Late Cretaceous, Bauru Group). The phylogenetic analysis of Sevesia has been revised. anatomical recordspublished online on August 29, 2024. doi: 10.1002/ar.25559
The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft was rocket-launched on a two-year journey to the small, harmless asteroid it crashed into. Two years ago, NASA During that day’s dress rehearsal, a killer space stone threatens Earth. The experiment, launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, is the second in a series of planetary defense tests that could one day save the planet.
Crash in 2022 NASA dart spacecraft This shortens Dimorphos’ orbit around its larger brethren, indicating that if a dangerous rock is headed in our direction, it can be thrown off course with sufficient advance notice. I did.
Scientists want to study the impact’s aftermath up close to learn exactly how effective Dart was and what changes are needed to protect the planet in the future.
“The more details we can gather, the more details we can gather because it could be important in planning future deflection missions if they are needed,” University of Maryland astronomer Derek Richardson said before the launch. It’s good enough.”
Researchers want to know whether Dart (short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test) left behind a crater or changed the shape of the 500-foot (150-meter) asteroid more dramatically. Richardson, who participates in the dart mission and supports Hera, said that before the dart was shot, it looked like a flying saucer, but now it may resemble a kidney bean.
ESA’s Hera mission lifted off at 10:52 a.m. Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. S. Korbach / ESA
The flurry of darts sent debris and even rocks flying from Dimorphos, further increasing the force of the impact. The debris trail stretched thousands of miles (more than 10,000 kilometers) into space over several months.
Flight director Ignacio Tanco said rocks and other debris may still be floating around the asteroid, posing a potential threat to Hera.
“We don’t really know what kind of environment we’re going to operate in,” Tanko says. “But the whole point of this mission is to go out there and find out.”
European officials described the $400 million (363 million euro) mission as an “investigation of the accident scene.”
Project manager Ian Carnelli said Hera was “returning to the crime scene and obtaining all the scientific and technical information”.
Hera, which is about the size of a small car and carries more than a dozen scientific instruments, needs to fly past Mars in 2025 to increase its gravity and reach Dimorphos by the end of 2026. This is a satellite of the fast-spinning asteroid Didymos, which means twins in Greek. It’s 5 times bigger. At that point, the asteroid will be 120 million miles (195 million kilometers) from Earth.
Hera, controlled by a flight team in Darmstadt, Germany, will attempt to enter orbit around the pair of rocks as its flight range gradually decreases from 18 miles (30 kilometers) to half a mile (1 kilometer). The spacecraft will study the satellite for at least six months, determining its mass, shape, composition, and orbit around Didymos.
Before impact, Dimorphos circled its larger mate from three-quarters of a mile (1,189 meters) away. Scientists believe the orbit could become tighter and more elliptical, potentially even causing the satellite to fall off.
The Milton, which is expected to make landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday evening, is sailing through unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Temperatures in much of the ocean basin were well above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with some parts of the bay up to 4 degrees warmer than normal. Data from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Rising temperatures in the Gulf also strengthened Hurricane Helen, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region less than two weeks later.
2023 study published in journal scientific report We find that Atlantic tropical cyclones are about 29% more likely to develop rapidly from 2001 to 2020 compared to 1971 to 1990.
Scientists have documented many recent examples of rapid intensification, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Hurricane Laura in 2020, Hurricane Ida in 2021, and Hurricane Idalia last year. 2019 Hurricane Dorian’s peak wind speed increased from 150 mph to 185 mph in nine hours, and 2022 Hurricane Ian experienced two rapid intensifications before making landfall in Florida.
Although this process is well documented, rapid intensification is difficult to predict. Although scientists know the ingredients needed to activate this phenomenon, it remains difficult to predict exactly how and when it will occur, and its exact triggers.
Milton is expected to weaken slightly before making landfall, but the storm’s impacts will be severe. A storm surge watch is in effect for the Florida Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area, with potentially life-threatening storm surges of up to 12 feet expected. As many as 15 million people are under flood watches across the state.
Dennis Chow
Dennis Chou is a science and space reporter for NBC News.
A shimmering sea creature known as a comb jelly exhibits incredible abilities. Despite being injured, two comb jellies can fuse into one body without experiencing tissue rejection, unlike other animals. Moreover, their nervous systems merge, and their digestive tracts combine to share food.
This discovery could assist researchers in understanding how the immune system evolved to differentiate an organism’s own tissues from those of another organism, as well as shed light on the evolution of the nervous system.
Although commonly referred to as comb jellies or ctenophores, they are distinct from jellyfish due to their unique body structures. These creatures are the most ancient beings to have branched off from the common ancestor of all animals, making them a captivating subject for scientists studying early animal evolution. Their nervous system, composed of interconnected neurons forming a continuous network, sets them apart from other animals.
While studying the vibrant combs of ctenophores, specifically Mnemiopsis leidii, at the University of Exeter in the UK, researcher Kei Shirokura noticed a unique specimen with two posterior ends and apical organs. This prompted further investigation.
Through experimentation involving cutting out pieces from unrelated individuals and pairing them together, Shirokura discovered that in most cases, the two bodies seamlessly merged into one within hours. The absence of tissue rejection suggested a lack of xenorecognition, indicating an inability to distinguish between self and non-self.
When prodded, the fused body responded collectively, demonstrating complete integration of the nervous systems. Additionally, the digestive tracts fused, allowing shared food consumption through a single entry point.
This groundbreaking discovery raises questions about when animals developed heterogeneous cognition and the mechanisms behind neural network formation and information processing. Similarly, ctenophores possess the ability to revert from adulthood to a larval-like stage under certain conditions, hinting at a common ancestral characteristic shared among animals.
The potential applications of ctenophores in understanding biological processes like tissue rejection, regeneration, and aging, which are relevant to human health, make them a valuable model for future research.
Will you live to be 100 years old? For the average person, the answer is probably no, as life expectancy growth has slowed in wealthy countries despite advances in medicine and living conditions. This suggests there may be a biological limit to our age, but some researchers believe further progress is possible.
The current slowdown is in sharp contrast to 20 years.th Over the past century, life expectancy at birth in wealthy areas has increased by three years per decade in what researchers call radical life extension. People born in the mid-1800s had a life expectancy of 20 to 50 years, but by the 1990s they had reached 50 to 70 years.
Extrapolating from this trend, some people at the time began predicting that newborns in the 21st century would typically live to be over 100 years old, but that point has now been reached and this may have been too optimistic. It seems so.
S. Jay Olshansky Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed mortality data from the 1990s to 2019 in nine wealthy countries, including the United States, Australia, South Korea, and Hong Kong. The 2019 cutoff was aimed at avoiding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers found that life expectancy at birth increased by an average of 6.5 years over the study period. In the United States, reached 78.8 While in Hong Kong in 2019 It was 85.
However, from 2010 to 2019, the growth rate slowed in most countries compared to the past 20 years. The U.S. is in the worst position, perhaps because of the ongoing opioid crisis, Olshansky said. By contrast, only Hong Kong has seen an increase in life expectancy growth since 2010, but it is unclear what is causing this, he said. That may be because people have easier access to health care than in other regions, he says.
Based on historical trends, researchers predict that life expectancy at birth will never exceed 84 years for men and 90 years for women. They also calculate that only a small number of today's newborns will live to be 100 years old.
The recent slowdown may be because the greatest advances in environmental and medical improvements were already achieved in the 1900s, and human aging is reaching its biological limits, Olshansky said. Jan Vig A professor at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine thinks similarly. “There are certain biological limits that keep us from getting older,” he says.
but jerry mccartney Researchers from the University of Glasgow in the UK say that the slowdown in growth over the past decade is mainly due to policies in many of the countries analyzed, which have led to cuts in social security and health services and increased poverty. states that it is possible. Without these, life expectancy growth might not have slowed down, so with the right policies, life expectancy could continue to rise, he says.
in fact, michael rose A professor at the University of California, Irvine, believes there is no limit to the human lifespan. With the right investments in anti-aging research, he says, we could see another radical increase in life expectancy this century, at least in wealthy countries.
Olshansky said he was positive that life expectancy is still increasing despite the recent economic slowdown. “Of course we should celebrate the fact that we can live this long,” he says.
When it comes to cuteness, it’s all subjective. Depending on the species, baby sharks can be as small as palm-sized infants like small spotted cat sharks that hatch from “mermaid's purse” egg cases or directly from their mothers as long-bodied pups with outstretched arms.
This is especially true for sand tiger sharks, although it’s surprising how these tiny creatures grow so big. Sand tiger sharks are one of the many species where fertilized eggs hatch inside the female’s body and develop in the womb.
It’s quite common for shark fetuses to feed on unfertilized eggs, a behavior seen in over a dozen species. Sandwich shark embryos are even more developed, with ultrasound scans showing them swimming between the uterus prongs, likely searching for more sustenance.
After a year of gestation, female sand tiger sharks give birth to one or two large pups, considered the survivors of a fierce intrauterine battle. While their size at birth helps protect them from many predators, they are also at risk of getting caught in fishing nets, pushing them closer to extinction.
Researchers studied shark carcasses caught in nets across South Africa to understand why unborn sand tiger sharks engage in cannibalism. They found that females carrying more advanced embryos produced fewer fetuses due to intrauterine competition.
DNA testing revealed that sand tiger shark fetuses are born to multiple fathers in a litter, showing a complex mating system where the offspring of one dominant male tend to outcompete their half-siblings.
It’s unclear why this occurs, but it could be a strategy for females to select the best mate or for the strongest sperm to produce the most viable offspring. This article dives into the intriguing world of baby sharks and their complex familial relationships.
This article addresses questions like: “How cute are baby sharks in real life?” – Jacob Barnett, Peterborough
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Approximately 50,000 collision avoidance maneuvers were performed by satellites in SpaceX’s Starlink constellation in the first half of 2024. This number reflects the growing concern about satellite collisions as the number of satellites orbiting the Earth continues to increase unchecked.
With a significant portion of our communication, navigation, and climate change observation relying on space infrastructure, the potential for a catastrophic collision that could disrupt these critical services is a valid concern.
Space debris resulting from collisions poses a significant risk to operational satellites. Previous incidents, such as the 2009 collision between the U.S. satellite Iridium 33 and the Russian spacecraft Cosmos 2251, highlight the potential dangers of high-speed collisions in orbit.
As the number of satellites in orbit continues to rise, the risk of collisions and conjunctions also increases. Flybys between satellites, like the ones observed by LeoLabs, underscore the potential for catastrophic events that could generate significant amounts of debris in space.
Efforts to prevent collisions, such as onboard software maneuvers and tracking systems, are crucial in mitigating risks. However, as more satellites are launched, concerns remain about the software’s ability to handle the increasing volume of space objects.
The rise in satellite constellations, driven by companies like Starlink aiming to provide global internet coverage, exacerbates the collision risk. The challenge now is to balance the benefits of satellite technology with the potential hazards it poses to orbital space, astronomy, and the environment.
As the debate continues on how to manage the growing number of satellites and ensure the sustainability of outer space, the need for international cooperation and responsible satellite deployment becomes increasingly evident.
Ultimately, the future of space exploration and satellite operations hinges on finding a delicate balance between technological progress and ensuring the long-term health and safety of our activities in space.
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To orbit the Earth, a satellite must travel at a minimum speed of 7.8 km/s (4.8 miles per second), highlighting the immense energy released in a potential collision. The increasing density of satellites in orbit raises concerns about the risks posed by collisions and close encounters between space objects.
As technology advances and more satellites are launched into space, the need for responsible space debris management becomes paramount in ensuring the sustainability of future space missions and satellite operations.
Satellite collisions can scatter thousands of pieces of debris into orbital space around Earth – Image courtesy of Alamy
The increasing number of satellites in orbit not only poses risks to operational spacecraft but also interferes with astronomical observations and environmental concerns. Balancing the benefits of satellite technology with the potential hazards it poses to space and the environment is crucial in the era of rapid space exploration and commercial satellite deployment.
As we navigate the complexities of space governance and responsible satellite deployment, collaboration among stakeholders, regulators, and operators will be essential in ensuring the sustainability and safety of our activities in space.
The future of satellite operations and space exploration depends on our ability to address these challenges effectively and ensure a secure and sustainable space environment for future generations.
A blend of exposures showing thousands of satellites swarming the night sky in 2022 – Photo credit: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
As we continue to expand our presence in space, it becomes increasingly important to consider the implications of our actions on the environment, astronomy, and the sustainability of future space activities. By addressing these challenges collaboratively and responsibly, we can pave the way for a safer, more sustainable future in space exploration and satellite operations.
obscure our view of the universe
The proliferation of satellites around Earth presents challenges to astronomers, with concerns about interference with observations and radio signals. Finding a balance between technological progress and preserving the integrity of astronomical research is a key concern in the evolving landscape of space exploration.
As we strive to harness the benefits of satellite technology while mitigating its potential risks, it is essential to prioritize international cooperation and sustainable practices in satellite deployment and space exploration. By working together to address these challenges, we can ensure a brighter and more sustainable future in space.
Between 10% to 15% of California’s wildfires are caused by arson annually, a trend that seems to continue in 2024. With the impact of climate change raising temperatures, prolonging fire seasons, and worsening drought conditions, intentional fires have more opportunities to ignite and spread.
Suspected arson fires have burned over 477,000 acres this year, the highest since 2014 when 98,259 acres were burned due to arson, according to Cal Fire.
Dry wood from drought or other climate change effects heightens the risk posed by arson fires, as they can rapidly spread and endanger homes. Mouchette warned of the increased danger, especially for those without access to escape vehicles.
The wildfire season in California is becoming longer, with the desert basin in the southeastern part of the state experiencing 61 additional fire weather days from 1973 to 2022, according to Climate Central.
Rising temperatures from a record-breaking October heatwave in parts of California, with temperatures forecasted to reach 105 degrees in some areas, further exacerbate the risk of arson fires spreading quickly.
Arson fires inherently cause more damage per acre compared to fires caused by lightning or other factors, making them a serious concern, noted researcher Jeffrey Prestemon from the U.S. Forest Service.
In a study conducted by Prestemon and colleagues on wildfire arson incidents in various countries, they found a significant decrease in wildfires after the arrest of a particular arsonist in Spain the following year.
Arresting arsonists can deter future incidents and prevent further damage, emphasized Prestemon.
In California, Cal Fire had apprehended 91 individuals on arson charges by August, aligning with historical trends. Typically, wildfire arsonists are young males who tend to have multiple instances of setting fires.
Investigating and prosecuting wildfire arson cases present challenges due to sparse physical evidence, making it difficult to hold perpetrators accountable, stated Daniel Fox, a prosecutor from Riverside County.
While advancements in technology like surveillance cameras and satellite tracking have aided in closing cases, victims of arson wildfires often struggle to recover fully from the damages inflicted, as insurance coverage may fall short.
Andrea Blaylock examines the charred remains of her home destroyed in the Park Fire near Forest Ranch, California, on July 30, 2024.Nick Cooley/Associated Press
A suspect, Stout, arrested for the Park fire, faces charges of arson of a residential structure or property, potentially carrying a 25 years to life sentence if convicted.
With wildfire arson posing ongoing threats in California, efforts to prevent, investigate, and prosecute these incidents remain crucial to protect lives and property from the devastation they cause.
Although we’re more connected than ever, we’re all pretty alone right now. In fact, we’re so lonely that the World Health Organization has declared a “loneliness epidemic” as global public health concerns, with approximately a quarter of the world reports feeling isolated. Young people are the ones who bear the brunt of this crisis.
In other words, we are facing a crisis. Social clubs are springing up in every city, Japan is backing support groups, and the Dutch are finding success with flat-sharing that mixes older and younger residents.
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However, while all of these measures have been shown to be helpful, they are only a drop in a much larger lonely ocean. Rates of loneliness are increasing, and finding a global solution is not easy. But technology companies are stepping in to fight loneliness with various hardware and software solutions. While they are making progress, there is still a long way to go in curing this epidemic.
How we misunderstand loneliness
In their rush to design solutions, big tech companies have oversimplified the concept of loneliness and linked it with the need for conversation. Few people fully understand the different types of loneliness, as explained by Dr. Jeremy Nobel, author of the book project unlonely. He highlights three types of loneliness: psychological, systemic exclusion, and psychological isolation.
Currently, solutions offered by the technology industry mostly focus on addressing psychological loneliness, such as AI chatbot programs like Replika and Friend. While these may provide temporary relief, they are not comprehensive solutions to the root causes of loneliness.
As technology continues to evolve, there is potential for it to play a larger role in addressing loneliness. Dr. Nobel suggests that wearables with loneliness sensors could track indicators and provide suggestions to combat loneliness in real-time.
Dealing with loneliness with technology
Credit: Oleg Breslavtsev
While current technology-based solutions are primitive, there is potential for technology to address loneliness in more impactful ways. By understanding loneliness as an emotional signal, technology can offer innovative solutions to help individuals combat loneliness and form meaningful social connections in a digital age.
About our experts, Jeremy Nobel
Jeremy is a primary care physician and public health worker. He is the founder and chairman of The Foundation for Art & Healing, which runs the Project UnLonely program, addressing the personal and public health challenges posed by loneliness.
Xibalbanus turmensisThe poisonous remipede, found in the caves of Antiarin on the Yucatan Peninsula, is the only crustacean for which a venom system has been described.
“Poisonous animals inject toxic compounds into other organisms primarily for self-defense or predation,” said Dr. Björn von Roymont, a researcher at Goethe University Frankfurt, and his colleagues.
“Many venoms are composed of proteins that have evolved to modulate various physiological functions in the target organism.”
“Studying these biological activities could lead to pharmacological or agrochemical applications.”
“The majority of thoroughly studied venoms and venomous proteins originate from iconic terrestrial groups, primarily snakes, spiders, scorpions, and insects,” the researchers said.
“Research attention to marine life has been limited, with only a few fish and invertebrates being better studied, such as sea anemones, jellyfish, cone snails, cephalopods, polychaetes, and more recently nemertes.”
“Venoms and their toxic proteins have evolved independently in different animal lineages, so the study of new lineages provides an opportunity to identify novel toxic compounds with interesting biological activities, on the one hand, and generally convergent proteins on the other hand. It provides an opportunity to improve our understanding of the evolution of functional traits.”
In their study, the researchers investigated the biological activity of peptides found in crustacean venom. Xibalbanus turmensis.
This underwater cave-dwelling crustacean belongs to the following classes: Remipediafirst described in the 1980s and currently consists of 28 extant species.
“Xibalbanus turmensis They live in cenotes, underwater caves in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula,” the scientists said.
“Cave dwellers directly inject the venom produced by their venom glands into their prey.”
“This toxin contains a variety of components, including a new type of peptide named cibalbin after the crustacean producer.”
“Some of these sibalbins contain characteristic structural elements that are well known to other toxins, especially those produced by spiders. Some amino acids (cysteine) in the peptide are tied together like a knot. are connected to each other in such a way that they form a structure.
“This makes the peptide more resistant to enzymes, heat, and extreme pH values.”
“Such knots often act as neurotoxins, interacting with ion channels to paralyze prey. This effect has also been proposed for some cibalbins.”
This study shows that all sibalbin peptides tested by the team, particularly Xib1, Xib2, and Xib13, effectively inhibit potassium channels in mammalian systems.
“This inhibition is very important when developing drugs to treat a variety of neurological diseases, including epilepsy,” Dr. von Roymont said.
“Xib1 and Xib13 also exhibit the ability to inhibit voltage-gated sodium channels, such as those found in neurons and cardiomyocytes.”
“Furthermore, in higher mammalian sensory neurons, the two peptides can activate two proteins involved in signal transduction: the kinases PKA-II and ERK1/2.”
“The latter suggests that they are involved in pain sensitization, opening the door to new approaches in pain treatment.”
of the team findings Published in a magazine BMC biology.
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EL Pinheiro – Junior others. 2024. Xibalbin mutants divergently evolved from remipede toxin inhibit potassium channels and activate PKA-II and Erk1/2 signaling. BMC biol 22, 164; doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-01955-5
A team of marine biologists led by researchers at Florida International University has described a new species of shark. Sphyrna Native to the Caribbean and Southwest Atlantic.
Svirna Arenia male collected in Riversdale, Belize. Image credit: Cindy Gonzalez.
It got its name from the unusual and unique shape of its head. hammerhead shark Belongs to the family Sphinidae.
They live all over the world and prefer to live in warm waters along coastlines and continental shelves.
“The hammerhead shark is a monophyletic lineage of hammerhead sharks that first appeared in the Miocene,” said Florida International University researchers. Cindy Gonzalez her colleagues from the United States and Canada;
“They are characterized by a laterally expanded and dorsoventrally compressed head or 'cephalic lobe' and currently include nine named species. ”
“Hammerhead sharks are one of the most endangered shark families, with all but one species present, primarily due to overfishing.Svirna Gilberti) listed worldwide as vulnerable, endangered speciesor endangered species by IUCN,” they added.
“There are four species of small hammerhead sharks (less than 1.5 meters in length at first maturity) that are endemic to the Americas. Sphyrna Tiblo, Sphyrnatitude, Sphyrna Coronaand Sphyrnamedia”
“Sphyrna Corona Occurs only in the eastern Pacific, Sphyrnatitude It occurs only in the western Atlantic Ocean and is associated with the bull shark (Sphyrnamedia) and bonito shark (Sphyrna Tiblo). ”
The newly described Sphyrna This is a small hammerhead shark, less than 1.5 meters long.
with scientific name Svirna Areni (common name is shovel shark), has a flat, shovel-shaped head with no indentation at the front end.
“Svirna Areni different from Sphyrna Tiblo “This is because in this species the leading edge of the head is more rounded and the trailing lobule is absent,” the researchers said.
“The importance of the precaudal vertebrae is as follows.” Svirna Areni Between 80 and 83 – about 10 more vertebrae than others Sphyrna Tiblo”
“Given that there is some similarity in the shape of cephalofoils, Svirna Areni and Sphyrna Vespertina They may be sister lineages; Sphyrna Tiblo It diverged from and later separated from them as it expanded into the subtropics and temperate Atlantic Ocean. Sphyrna Vespertina and early Svirna Areni By isthmus closure. ”
Svirna Areni It is found in coastal waters, estuaries, coral reefs, seaweed beds, and sandy bottoms from Belize to Brazil.
The presence of this species has been confirmed in the Caribbean in Belize, Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean of Brazil.
“Bonnet Head is currently rated as globally endangered However, the IUCN rates it as an amphibious American species,” the scientists said.
“This assessment highlights that while this species is well managed in high latitudes of the northern hemisphere Atlantic range (USA, Bahamas), it is heavily fished and poorly managed elsewhere. There is evidence of population decline in Brazil and much of the tropical eastern Pacific.
“We will re-evaluate this assessment taking into account geographic distribution.” Sphyrna Tiblo and Svirna Areni Now that is guaranteed,” they said.
“Given how fisheries and management are distributed, the IUCN status is probably Sphyrna Tiblo it will be improved, Svirna Areni Of course, it would be a very dangerous situation. ”
“Additional attention from management is needed to rebuild the population.” Svirna AreniThis could take the form of restrictions on gillnet and trawl fishing, as these types of gear account for most of the catch of this coastal species. ”
discovery of Svirna Areni is reported in paper in a diary zoo animals.
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Cindy Gonzalez others. 2024. Svirna Areni sp. In November, new hammerhead sharks (Hammellidae, Hammerheadidae) from the Caribbean Sea and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. zoo animals 5512 (4): 491-511;doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5512.4.2
Future astronauts may be able to eat a nutritionally complete meal made from bacteria grown on crushed asteroids, creating a type of milkshake or yogurt.
Astronauts on the International Space Station are experimenting with growing salad leaves, but most of the food consumed in space comes from Earth. This will not be possible for more distant and longer duration space missions. joshua pierce and his colleagues at Western University in Ontario, Canada, decided to study the use of bacteria to convert carbon-containing compounds from asteroids into edible food.
Although they have not yet performed this process using real asteroids, Pearce and his team performed a similar experiment using bacteria that breaks down plastic from leftover military ration packets. To do this, they heated the plastic in the absence of oxygen, a process called pyrolysis, and fed this to a mixture of carbon-eating bacteria.
“If you look at the pyrolysis products that bacteria are known to eat and the materials found in asteroids, there's actually a pretty reasonable match,” Pearce said. “So I think this really works.”
The bacterial aggregates end up being “something like a caramel milkshake,” Pearce said, and the team is also experimenting with drying the material to make something like yogurt or powder.
Although it may not be very appetizing, Pearce says this bacteria is highly suited for human needs. “We did a nutritional analysis and found it to be a nearly perfect food,” he says. “We found that the bacterial consortium we were using was more or less allocating a third each to protein, carbohydrates, and fat.”
If this idea is correct, a 500-meter-wide asteroid similar to Bennu, which NASA visited in 2020, could feed between 600 and 17,000 astronauts for a year, Pierce said. say. The exact amount depends on how efficiently the bacteria can digest the asteroid's carbon compounds.
A fully operational asteroid food project would require an “industrial-sized supermachine” in space, but researchers will begin testing the idea on a small scale next year, starting with coal. He says he wants to move on to meteorites next. They are currently working on the proposal. “It's very expensive, so we have to destroy it.” [the meteorites]So when we made these proposals, the stone collectors were not happy,” Pearce says.
“There's definitely potential there, but it's still a very futuristic and exploratory idea,” he says. Annemiek Wargen At the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. “It's good to think about these things, but in terms of technology, there's still quite a bit of development to be done before we can use these methods.”
The success of this process depends on how much of the carbon compounds in the asteroid are suitable food for bacteria, Wagen said. Based on the composition of meteorites on Earth, it's likely somewhere in the middle of the range the researchers calculated, she says.
Evidence of antimatter in cosmic rays has been discovered by scientists, suggesting the potential existence of a new type of particle. These particles could be a part of dark matter, a mysterious substance that makes up 85 percent of the universe’s mass but has never been directly observed.
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A recent study indicates that antihelium particles, the antimatter form of helium, detected by instruments on the International Space Station may have originated from a new class of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). It is believed that dark matter could be made up of WIMPs.
“WIMP is a theoretical particle that could potentially be a perfect candidate for dark matter,” explained lead author Pedro de la Torre Luque, a physicist supporting research at the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Madrid. “Many proposed models have been ruled out, leaving only a few surviving theories.”
The antihelium core observed during cosmic ray research on the space station’s alpha magnetic spectrometer (AMS-02) may have been the result of two WIMPs colliding and annihilating each other. This collision could have generated matter, antimatter, and energy.
Antimatter is essentially the “mirror image” of normal matter, with the same mass but opposite properties such as charge.
While some antimatter may have been created during the Big Bang, researchers believe that additional antimatter is continuously generated by specific cosmic events, although it is challenging to observe.
“The observation of antihelium was thrilling because it indicates an unusual phenomenon occurring in the interstellar medium, where the production of antiparticles is unexpected,” stated De La Torre Luque.
“Theoretical forecasts suggest that even though cosmic rays interact with interstellar gas to produce antiparticles, the presence of antinuclei, particularly antihelium, should be extremely rare.”
“We anticipated discovering an antihelium event once every few decades, but the approximately 10 antihelium events observed by AMS-02 resulted from standard cosmic ray interactions. Therefore, these antihelium occurrences provide a promising clue to WIMP annihilation.”
Play is a widespread behavior in distant species, and its social form relies on complex communication. Playful communication has been largely ignored in marine mammals. In a new study, scientists from the University of Pisa focused on playful visual communication. bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).
“We revealed that bottlenose dolphins have a unique facial expression of open mouth, and showed that dolphins can also mirror other people’s facial expressions.” Dr. Elisabetta Palagian evolutionary biologist at the University of Pisa.
“Open-mouth cues and quick imitations are repeated throughout the mammalian family tree. This shows that in many species, not just dolphins, visual communication is important for forming complex social interactions. This suggests that it has played a role.”
Dolphin play includes acrobatics, surfing, playing with objects, chasing and fighting, but it is important that these activities are not mistaken for aggression.
Other mammals use facial expressions to convey playfulness, but it has not been investigated whether marine mammals also use facial expressions to signal play.
“The mouth-opening gesture probably evolved from the chewing motion, breaking down the chewing sequence to leave only the ‘intention to bite’ without contact,” Palagi said.
“The relaxed, open mouth seen in sociable carnivores, the playful faces of monkeys, and even the laughter of humans is a universal sign of playfulness and signals enjoyment to animals, and to us. , helps avoid conflict.”
marieri others. They investigated the presence and possible functions of open-mouth displays in solitary play, interspecific (human-dolphin) play, and intraspecific free play. Image credit: Marieli others., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110966.
To investigate whether dolphins visually communicate playfulness, Dr Palagi and colleagues studied captive bottlenose dolphins when they were playing in pairs and when they were playing freely with a human handler. recorded.
They showed that dolphins frequently use the open-mouthed expression when playing with other dolphins, but do not seem to use it when playing with humans or alone. .
Although only one open-mouth incident was recorded during solitary play, the researchers recorded a total of 1,288 open-mouth incidents during social play sessions, and these 92% of the incidents occurred during dolphin-dolphin play sessions.
Dolphins were also more likely to make open-mouthed expressions when their faces were within the field of view of their playmates, with 89% of recorded open-mouthed expressions produced in this situation. When this “smile” was recognized, the playmate smiled back. With a probability of 33%.
“Given that dolphins frequently participate in the same activities and situations, some might argue that dolphins are simply copying each other’s open-mouthed facial expressions by chance, but this This does not explain why the probability of imitating another dolphin’s open-mouth expression within 1 second is 13 times higher if the recipient actually saw the original expression. ” said Dr. Palagi.
“This rate of mimicry in dolphins is consistent with what has been observed in certain carnivores, such as meerkats and sun bears.”
Centaur is a former trans-Neptunian object that has been moved within Neptune's orbit by the planet's subtle gravitational influence over the past several million years, and could eventually become a short-period comet.
29P/An artist's concept showing the gas release activity of Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 from the side. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Hustak, STScI.
Centaurs are transitional objects between primitive transsolar system objects and Jupiter-based comets.
Their composition and activity provide fundamental clues about the processes that influence the evolution of and interactions between these small celestial bodies.
“Centaurs are likely part of the remnants of the formation of our planetary system,” said Dr. Sarah Fudge, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American University.
“Because they are stored at very low temperatures, they preserve information about the volatiles of the solar system's early stages.”
“The web really opened the door for us to impressive resolution and sensitivity. When we saw the data for the first time, we were excited. We had never seen anything like this before. I've never had one before.”
29P changes in intensity every six to eight weeks, making it one of the most active objects in the outer solar system.
They discovered a new jet of carbon monoxide and a jet of carbon dioxide gas never before seen, giving new clues about the nature of the centaur's core.
No signs of water vapor were detected in 29P's “atmosphere,” but this may be related to the extremely cold temperatures present on this object.
Based on the data collected by Webb, the researchers created a 3D model of the jet to understand its direction and origin.
Through modeling efforts, they discovered that the jets were emitted from different regions of the centaur's core, even though the nucleus itself could not be resolved by the web.
The angle of the jet suggests that the core may be a collection of separate objects with different compositions. However, other scenarios cannot be ruled out yet.
fudge others. collected data for 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 using Webb's spectrophotographic capabilities. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Hustak, STScI/S. Faggi, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American University.
Dr. Jeronimo Villanueva, a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said: “The fact that there are such dramatic differences in the abundance of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide across the surface of 29P means that 29P is This suggests that it may be possible.”
“The two parts probably merged to form this centaur, which is a mixture of very different objects that went through separate formation paths.”
“This challenges our ideas about how primitive objects are created and stored in the Kuiper belt.”
The reasons for 29P's brightness outburst and the mechanisms behind its outgassing activity through carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide jets remain two major areas of interest that continue to require further investigation.
In the case of comets, scientists know that their jets are often driven by the release of water gas.
However, Centaur's location means that the nature of its outgassing activity is different from that of comets, as it is too cold for water ice to sublimate.
“We only had time to look at this object once, and it was like a snapshot in time,” said Dr. Adam McKay, a researcher at Appalachian State University.
“I would like to go back and look at 29P over a longer period of time. Is the jet always pointing in that direction? Perhaps there is another carbon monoxide jet that turns on at a different point in the rotation cycle? Is there one?”
“Looking at these jets over time will give us better insight into what is causing these explosions.”
S.Fudge others. Inhomogeneous outgassing regions were identified in active centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1. Nat Astronpublished online on July 8, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02319-3
This article is a version of a press release provided by NASA.
Previous studies have found signs of ice in permanently shadowed regions near the moon’s south pole, including areas within the Cabeus, Howarth, Shoemaker, and Faustini craters. A new analysis of data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) shows there is widespread evidence of water ice outside Antarctica, at least within a permanently shadowed region toward 77 degrees south latitude. Ta.
This figure shows the distribution of permanently shadowed regions (blue) toward the moon’s poles at 80 degrees south latitude. They are overlaid on a digital elevation map of the lunar surface (gray) from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter Instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image credit: NASA / GSFC / Timothy P. McClanahan.
Ice may have been embedded in the lunar regolith by comet or meteor impacts, emitted as steam (gas) from the moon’s interior, or formed by chemical reactions between hydrogen in the solar wind and oxygen in the regolith. there is.
Permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) typically occur in topographic depressions near the moon’s poles.
Due to the low angle of the sun, these regions have not seen sunlight for billions of years and are constantly in extremely cold conditions.
Ice molecules are thought to be repeatedly stripped from the regolith by meteorites, cosmic radiation, or sunlight, traveling across the lunar surface and landing on the PSR, where they become trapped in the extreme cold.
The PSR’s continuously cold surface could store ice molecules near the surface for perhaps billions of years, accumulating in sediments large enough for mining.
“Our models and analysis show that the largest ice concentrations are near the coldest parts of the PSR below 75 Kelvin (minus 198 degrees Celsius, or minus 325 degrees Fahrenheit) and on poleward-facing slopes of the PSR. It is expected to occur near the base of the Dr. Timothy McClanahan, researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
“It is not possible to accurately measure the volume of ice deposits in the PSR or determine whether they are buried beneath a dry layer of regolith.”
“However, we expect it to be 1 m for each surface.2 If present above these deposits, there should be at least about 5 liters of ice within the top meter of the surface compared to the surrounding area. ”
McClanahan and his colleagues used LRO’s Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) instrument to detect signs of ice deposits by measuring moderately energetic “exothermal” neutrons.
Specifically, they used LEND’s Collimating Sensor for Exothermal Neutrons (CSETN), which has a fixed field of view of 30 km (18.6 miles) in diameter.
Neutrons are produced by high-energy galactic cosmic rays that come from powerful deep space events, such as exploding stars, and impact the moon’s surface, destroying regolith atoms and scattering subatomic particles called neutrons.
Neutrons originate from depths of up to about 1 meter (3.3 feet) and ping-pong through the regolith, colliding with other atoms. Some are guided into space and detected by LEND.
Since hydrogen has approximately the same mass as a neutron, neutrons lose relatively more energy in collisions with hydrogen than in collisions with the most common regolith elements.
Therefore, if hydrogen is present in the regolith, its concentration will correspondingly reduce the number of medium-energy neutrons observed.
“We hypothesized that if all PSRs had the same hydrogen concentration, CSETN should detect hydrogen concentrations proportionally depending on their area,” Dr. McClanahan said.
“Therefore, more hydrogen should be observed towards the larger area of the PSR.”
TP McClanahan others. 2024. Evidence of widespread hydrogen sequestration within the lunar south pole cold trap. planet. Science. J 5, 217; doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ad5b55
This article has been adapted from the original release by NASA.
More than 50 heat records were broken in the western United States on Wednesday.
Daily temperature records include highs of 108 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix and 106 degrees Fahrenheit in San Jose, California.
October’s heatwave is expected to continue into the weekend, with extreme weather conditions continuing in states including California, Arizona and Nevada.
More than 50 heat records were set on Wednesday as October’s unusual heatwave continues to bake across much of the western United States.
A high temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in Phoenix, breaking the previous record of 107 degrees Fahrenheit, set in 1980. According to the National Weather Service. On Wednesday, temperatures in Yuma, Arizona, reached 112 degrees, tying the previous record, also set in 1980.
California also set several daily heat records, according to the National Weather Service. San Jose recorded a high of 106 degrees, breaking previous highs of 96 degrees in both 1980 and 2012. Napa recorded a high of 103 degrees, beating the previous record of 102 degrees set in 1980.
About 29 million people were under heat warnings on Thursday. Excessive heat warning substantially in most casesCalifornia, Arizona, and Nevada.
Dozens more records are expected from California to Colorado as extreme temperatures continue into the weekend.
More dangerously high temperatures are expected in California over the next few days, with highs reaching 112 degrees in the eastern San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and western San Fernando Valley, the National Weather Service said. High temperatures could reach 102 degrees in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Temperatures in Death Valley National Park could reach highs of 113 degrees in lower elevations this weekend, making it “dangerously hot for early October,” the NWS said in an alert.
The National Weather Service also warned Arizonans of a “significant heat risk” into the weekend, with temperatures reaching 115 degrees in some parts of the state. Temperatures in parts of neighboring Nevada could reach 110 degrees by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, on the other side, temperatures rose into the mid-90s in parts of Florida recently hit by Hurricane Helen, including Tampa, Fort Myers and St. Petersburg.
Many of us entered this so-called super-election year with a sense of foreboding. So far, not much has happened to allay these fears. Russia’s war against Ukraine has exacerbated the perception that democracy is under threat in Europe and beyond. In the United States, presidential candidate Donald Trump self-proclaimed dictatorial tendenciesfacing two assassination attempts. And more broadly, people seem to be losing faith in politics. A 2024 report from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance states that “most citizens in diverse countries around the world have no confidence in the performance of their political institutions.”
By many objective measures, democracy is not functioning as it should. The systems we call democracies tend to favor the wealthy. Political violence is on the rise, legislative gridlock is severe, and elections are becoming less free and fair around the world. Nearly 30 years have passed since pundits proclaimed the triumph of Western liberal democracy, but their predictions seem further away than ever from coming true. what happened?
According to Rex Paulson At the Mohammed VI Institute of Technology in Rabat, Morocco, we have lost sight of what democracy is. “We have created a terrible confusion between the system known as a republic, which relies on elections, political parties, and a permanent ruling class, and the system known as democracy, where the people directly participate in decisions and change power. The good news, he says, is that the original dream of government by the people and for the people can be revived. That’s what he and other researchers are trying to do…
People, humans, blush. Chickens are not entirely inhuman, either, in that they express emotions through the skin on their faces. Delphine Soulet and colleagues at the University of Tours, France explored How skin redness can be a reliable indicator of a chicken's emotional state. Reader Frédéric Darboux brought this project to the attention of his feedback.
This is the story of six hens in a grassy outdoor woodland. They had free access to the chicken house and could be given as much water and food as they wanted at any time.
This is also a story that was essentially a reality show. The chickens were not given a script to follow. However, they were placed in a situation where they were almost forced to respond in a way that would induce persuasive video viewing.
The adventure spanned three consecutive weeks of summer. The main event was the “catch test,'' in which the experimenter captured an individual hen by holding its feathers with both hands. The hens also noticed that they were participating in a “challenging test” in which a glass dish containing mealworms and wood shavings was “placed in the center of the testing area.”
The researchers filmed videos of the animals in “calm conditions,” including resting, grooming, and feeding. Other footage showed “exciting and challenging conditions” such as dust bathing and exposure to mealworms. Inevitably, the “fear-related states” that were most prominent in the catch test also occurred.
The colorful data came from a process called “extracting redness from still images of chicken profiles.” In the past, before digital technology became available to study chicken emotions, this may have been a matter of subjective artistic evaluation. 2020s methods remove human emotion from that aspect of data collection. Electronic video processing extracted the “average values of red (R), blue (B), and green (G) for each bare skin area (comb, cheek, earlobe, and wattle) on the hen's face.”
After analyzing the data from the videos, scientists came to a conclusion about when the chickens turned red most intensely. According to the final report, hens “had the highest facial skin redness in highly aroused and negative situations.”
eclectic smectic
For some reason, if your interests are eclectic and you find it esoteric (but not baffling) to explore dialectic and rhyming words, then, as the title of the study says, “smectic Please try “.Smectic and soap bubble optofluidic lasers”.
Zala Korenjak and Matjaž Humar write in a diary with an interesting name Physical Review Xthe paper explains that it doesn't take much to turn soap bubbles into lasers.
Or, if you want a bit of cheerful melancholy, go back to 1987 and read P. Oswald's paper. journal de physique,”Dynamics of smectic bubble collapse”.
The researchers write: “The principle of 'increasing entropy' is a universal law that explains the natural progression from order to disorder. This paper innovatively applies this principle to how tourism impacts human health. It was the first to adopt this as a theoretical basis for evaluating it from the perspective of sociomateriality.
Back in 2000, a collaboration between physicists in Italy, Brazil, and the United States sought to understand another and borderline intractable aspect of the concept of entropy growth. They published a paper called “.Entropy increase rate at the edge of chaos”.
Tourism experts both like and don't like tourism to happen on the edge of disruption. They do it for the excitement, but not for the danger. Risk is material and economic. Too much entropy in a short period of time can increase both types of danger.
a press release As for the new tourism study, it says, “Entropy is classified as the general tendency of the universe toward death and disorder.” But other than that, the press release highlights the positives. “For the first time, a multidisciplinary study applies entropy theory to tourism and finds that travel may have positive health effects, including slowing the signs of aging.”
In theory, this theory might lead people to believe that by cleverly introducing physical principles, they can slow down the appearance of wrinkles. Taking this to a literary dimension, the feedback is thoughtful and reminds me of reading Madeline L'Engle's science fiction novels. wrinkles in time.
The book's plot involves travel. Publication of the book was reportedly delayed because the publisher could not decide whether the story was for adults or children.
Tongari calculation
We've added a few more to Feedback's collection of conversation starter research paper titles.
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Sodium valproate is an effective drug for epilepsy, but its consumption is not recommended during pregnancy
Miljan Zivković/Shutterstock
The drug rapamycin may prevent the epilepsy drug sodium valproate from causing developmental problems during pregnancy.
Sodium valproate is used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and sometimes migraines. Although effective, it is not recommended during pregnancy as it can cause birth defects such as spina bifida and lifelong learning disabilities.
Giovanni Pietrogrande Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia wanted to understand why sodium valproate could have such an effect. So they used stem cells to create mini-spinal cords called organoids in the lab. These mimic the spine of a fetus during early pregnancy.
When organoids were exposed to sodium valproate, their cells changed in ways that may be associated with risk of congenital disease.
The researchers looked for reasons for this and found that activity in one of the cell's signaling pathways, called mTOR, indicates that cells are aging. This is a process in which cells stop growing but do not die, but instead continue to release chemicals that can cause inflammation.
Rapamycin, which was initially developed as an immunosuppressant but has some promise for anti-aging effects, also targets the mTOR pathway.
In another experiment, researchers exposed a new set of spinal cord organoids to a combination of sodium valproate and rapamycin and found that no aging occurred. They then replicated this test in zebrafish larvae and found that the cells similarly did not undergo senescence and showed no signs of the changes that occur when exposed to sodium valproate alone.
Rather than doctors discontinuing sodium valproate if an epileptic patient is pregnant or may become pregnant, someday doctors may be able to prevent the negative effects of sodium valproate by combining it with rapamycin. Pietro Grande says. Human studies are needed to make this recommendation.
Frank Vajda The University of Melbourne says sodium valproate is “a critically important drug and the single most effective treatment for generalized seizures, where abnormal electrical activity begins in both halves of the brain at the same time.”
“I think this is a very important paper that could lead to a return to the level of importance that this drug had before its side effects were discovered,” he says.
Thunderclouds include more than just rain and lightning. In addition to visible light radiation, thunderclouds can produce powerful bursts of gamma rays that last one millionth of a second. Clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time. Using a battery of detectors onboard NASA’s ER-2 research aircraft, scientists have discovered a new type of gamma-ray radiation whose duration is shorter than steady light but longer than microsecond bursts. They call it a flickering gamma ray flash.
NASA’s high-flying ER-2 plane is equipped with the Fly’s Eye Stationary Lightning Mapper Simulator, which records gamma rays (purple in the illustration) from thunderclouds, and instruments in this artist’s impression of the Airborne Lightning Observatory for the Ground Gamma Ray Flash (ALOFT) mission. is installed. Image credit: NASA/ALOFT team.
Previous studies have reported two types of gamma-ray emissions from thunderclouds. One is a high-intensity burst known as a terrestrial gamma-ray flash, and the other is a moderate-intensity, long-duration gamma-ray glow.
However, the characteristics of these emissions and how they are produced are not completely understood.
Researchers used data collected by the aircraft during 10 flights in July 2023 to investigate gamma-ray emissions that occurred during marine and coastal thunderstorms in the Caribbean and Central America.
“The ER-2 aircraft will be the ultimate platform for observing gamma rays from thunderclouds,” said Professor Nikolai Ostgaard of the University of Bergen.
“Flying at 20 km (12.4 miles) allows us to fly directly above the clouds, as close as possible to the gamma-ray source.”
“There’s a lot more going on in thunderstorms than we imagined,” added Professor Steve Comer of Duke University.
“At the end of the day, basically all large thunderstorms produce gamma rays in different forms throughout the day.”
“Several aircraft operations have attempted to determine whether these phenomena are common, but results have been mixed, and some operations over the United States have not found gamma rays at all.”
“This project was designed to answer these questions once and for all.”
Professor Ostgaard, Professor Comer and their colleagues. identified Another type of gamma-ray radiation, called flicker gamma-ray flashes, consists of pulses of longer duration than terrestrial gamma-ray flashes.
A total of 24 flickering gamma-ray flashes were observed as the spacecraft passed over gamma-ray thunderclouds on five of its 10 flights. Seventeen of these flickering gamma-ray flashes resulted in lightning.
The researchers suggested that flickering gamma-ray flashes, which can begin as the emission of gamma rays and then suddenly increase in intensity into a series of pulses, may also be involved in the formation of lightning. are.
Because flickering gamma-ray flashes share similar characteristics with gamma-ray glows and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, they propose that flickering gamma-ray flashes could provide evidence of a link between the two phenomena.
In another study, Dr. Martino Marisardi from the University of Bergen and colleagues investigated Characteristics of gamma ray glow detected by aircraft.
These included thundercloud systems covering an area of more than 9,000 km.2 Luminescence was observed for at least 3 hours.
They found that the emission was general and not uniform across the emission region.
During nine of the 10 flights, more than 500 individual gamma-ray glows were observed across the study area, each lasting between 1 and 10 seconds.
These findings contradict the results of previous studies that reported that the gamma-ray glow can last up to several hundred seconds and is emitted uniformly over a range of up to 20 km.
Taken together, these findings improve our understanding of gamma-ray emissions from thunderclouds and suggest a causal relationship between glows and flashes and the possible role of these emissions in the subsequent development of lightning.
“These two new forms of gamma rays are what I find most interesting,” Professor Comer said.
“They don’t seem to be related to the occurrence of lightning. They somehow appear naturally.”
“There are hints in the data that they may actually be related to the process that causes lightning, but it’s still a mystery to scientists.”
The results are published in two papers: journal nature.
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N. Ostgard others. 2024. Gamma ray flashing, the missing link between gamma rays and TGF. nature 634, 53-56; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07893-0
M. Marisardi others. 2024. Highly dynamic gamma-ray emissions are common in tropical thunderclouds. nature 634, 57-60; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07936-6
Researchers from the University of Tokyo and others have discovered pockets of living microorganisms in mineral-filled veins in 2 billion-year-old rocks taken from South Africa’s Bushveld Igneous Complex.
The 2-billion-year-old mafic rocks of the Bushveld Igneous Complex reveal veins filled with clay minerals colonized by indigenous microorganisms (stained green). Image provided by: Suzuki others., doi: 10.1007/s00248-024-02434-8.
“We didn’t know whether rocks from 2 billion years ago were habitable or not,” says Dr. Yohei Suzuki, a researcher at the University of Tokyo.
“This is a very interesting discovery because the oldest geological formations in which living microorganisms have been found were 100 million-year-old deposits beneath the ocean floor.”
“By studying the DNA and genomes of these microorganisms, we may be able to understand the evolution of very early life on Earth.”
Dr. Suzuki and his colleagues analyzed rock samples from the Bushveld Igneous Complex, a rock intrusion in northeastern South Africa that formed when magma slowly cooled beneath the earth’s surface.
“The Bushveld Igneous Complex covers an area of approximately 66,000 km2 (about the same size as Ireland), varies in thickness by up to 9 km, and contains approximately 70% of the platinum mined worldwide. , contains some of the richest mineral deposits on Earth,” they said.
“Due to the way it was formed and the minimal deformation and changes that have occurred since then, the BIC is thought to have provided a stable habitat for ancient microbial life that continues to this day.”
The core sample, measuring 8.5 cm in diameter and 30 cm in length, was taken from a depth of 15.28 meters with the assistance of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, a non-profit organization that funds exploration of geological sites.
By analyzing thin slices of the rock, the researchers found that the cracks in the rock were packed with live microbial cells.
The crevices near these cracks were clogged with clay, making it impossible for living things to get out of them or for anything else to get in.
The researchers built on previously developed techniques to ensure that the microbes were native to the rock samples and not due to contamination during the drilling or testing process.
By staining the DNA of microbial cells and using infrared spectroscopy to observe proteins in the microbes and the surrounding clay, they confirmed that the microbes were alive and uncontaminated.
“I am very interested in the possibility that subsurface microorganisms exist not only on Earth, but also on other planets,” said Dr. Suzuki.
“Rocks on Mars are generally much older (20 billion to 30 billion years ago), but NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently scheduled to return rocks that are similar in age to the rocks used in this study.”
“Now that we have discovered microbial life in a 2 billion-year-old Earth sample and have been able to accurately confirm its authenticity, we are excited to see what we will find in Mars samples in the future.”
of result Published in a magazine microbial ecology.
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Yuya Suzuki others. 2024. Subsurface microbial colonization of mineral-filled veins in 2 billion-year-old mafic rocks of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa. microorganism ecole 87, 116; doi: 10.1007/s00248-024-02434-8
This article is based on a press release from the University of Tokyo.
The Galapagos Islands are equatorial islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean, approximately 900 kilometers (500 miles) west of northern South America. Scientists have identified more than 1,500 native species of birds, reptiles, and other animals that live only on these islands, which are known for their biodiversity. One famous example is the Galapagos tortoise. This giant tortoise can weigh up to 400 kilograms (nearly 1,000 pounds), making it the largest cold-blooded land animal.
Scientists have speculated about the evolution of Galapagos tortoises. Charles Darwin visited this island for the first time aboard the HMS. Beagle 1835. Researchers agree These turtles originate from the South American continent, but it is still unknown how they migrated to the island and when they reached their impressive size.
Some scientists believe that Galapagos giant tortoises became large after immigrating to the islands, while others argue that the tortoises grew large before leaving the mainland. Proponents of the “then” hypothesis cite several examples in which island birds and snakes similarly grew larger than continental birds and snakes. Proponents of the “before” hypothesis argue that gigantism may have helped turtles cross oceans. They suggest that larger turtles have slower metabolisms, so they lose less body heat in the water, and have larger, more buoyant shells.
Researchers from the United States and Ecuador recently reconsidered the Galapagos tortoise debate based on new fossils collected off the coast of Ecuador. Paleontologists have previously discovered fossilized large turtles in southern South America, which they claim are ancestors of Galapagos giant tortoises. However, these fossils are located far south of the equatorial islands, and scientists have found no direct evidence that they are related to the Galapagos species. These researchers therefore wanted to test giant tortoise fossils found near the island.
The new turtle fossil was composed of shell material collected from sandstone of the Tablazo Formation on mainland Ecuador. The researchers explained that these fossils were only briefly described by researchers studying mammal fossils in the 1950s, so they may have been missed by earlier scientists. Researchers estimated that the fossil belonged to a turtle that was more than 1 meter (or 3 feet) long, and about the size of a Galapagos giant tortoise.Past researchers Researchers narrowed down the age of the Tabrazo Formation to between 780,000 and 12,000 years, making it the oldest giant tortoise fossil discovered by scientists in northern South America.
The researchers compared the new Ecuadorian giant tortoise fossils with fossils from other South American and Caribbean giant tortoises, as well as with extant Galapagos tortoises. They use features such as shape, structure, size, and age of fossilized and modern turtle shells to create a picture of how these turtles and their potential ancestors are related. Created. Phylogenetic tree. They called these trees: Tip dateThat’s because they placed different types of turtles at the ends, or “tips,” of trees and assigned each species an estimated age, or “dated.”
They used a statistical method called . Bayesian analysis Evaluate the probability that each tree is correct based on known relationships between several species and new data from Ecuadorian fossils. The research team found that Galápagos tortoises are more closely related to Ecuadorian tortoise fossils than any other species included, based on the most likely tree shape, and that the two groups have a common Confirmed that they share a common ancestry.
The researchers interpreted the phylogenetic analysis as supporting previous researchers’ claims that a population of giant tortoises lived on the coast of Ecuador more than 2 million years ago. The researchers explained that this was around the same time and place that scientists believe Galapagos tortoises hitchhiked to the islands on the Humboldt Current, which flows north along the west coast of South America. Therefore, they suggested that their findings support the “previous” hypothesis proposed by some scientists.
Researchers concluded that Galapagos tortoises were gigantic before they left mainland South America. However, researchers cautioned that South America’s fossil record is incomplete and poorly preserved, and dating the evolution of Galapagos tortoises remains difficult. They will collect more giant tortoise fossils from South America, possibly incorporating ancient DNA, to help future scientists further examine when and where the Galapagos giant tortoise species originated. Recommended to describe and analyze.
Upon entering my department’s weekly Astro Coffee Journal Club some years ago, I was immediately struck by an existential crisis regarding the future of our planet.
Let me clarify; our discussion was not centered on the planet itself. Rather, we were delving into a newly published research paper detailing intriguing features in the light spectrum of very distant stars known as white dwarfs—or dead stars.
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While this white dwarf wouldn’t directly impact Earth, nor did its spectrum pose any particular threat, the paper did offer a peek into our Sun and, in turn, our own future in a somewhat terrifying manner.
First and foremost, rest assured that our sun won’t explode, contrary to popular belief. One prevalent astronomical misconception is the notion that our sun will eventually go supernova, ending in a dramatic explosion that engulfs our solar system.
Based on our knowledge of stellar evolution, this fate does not await our Sun at all.
There are two main routes for a star to go supernova: a nuclear collapse supernova, where a massive star exhausts its fusion fuel, collapses, and bounces back in a violent explosion, or when a stellar remnant interacts catastrophically with a companion star, annihilating both. Fortunately, our Sun is safe from these outcomes as it lacks the mass for nuclear collapse and doesn’t have a companion star.
Nonetheless, immortality isn’t in the cards for the Sun.
Presently, our sun operates as a massive fusion reactor, converting hydrogen into helium at its core and emitting vast energy. Although some energy escapes as light, the rest bounces inward off the plasma, creating pressure that counteracts gravitational collapse—similar to how air pressure shapes a balloon. For the next 5 billion years, the Sun will function normally, but as hydrogen depletes, its core will compress, triggering fusion of helium into heavier elements and causing the sun to swell and grow brighter.
At this point, the sun will become potent enough to evaporate Earth’s oceans, likely wiping out life. Mercury and Venus will face a more severe fate, swallowed by the expanding sun. The future of Earth is uncertain during this phase, known as the red giant phase, when the Sun ceases nuclear fusion and sheds its outer layers, potentially birthing stunning planetary nebulae.
As the core collapses, it forms a dense white dwarf star sustained by quantum mechanical processes rather than fusion. Eventually, all Sun-like stars end as white dwarfs, cooling and fading away.
In our journal club, researchers studied a white dwarf’s spectral lines and noted unexpected elements like calcium, potassium, and sodium—fragments likely from a devoured planet, a notion hauntingly depicted as blood on a predator’s jaw. This insight into contaminated white dwarfs evoked a sense of emotional calm and reflection.
Perhaps in the distant future, alien astronomers will gaze upon us, reminiscing about the once vibrant Earth. The contemplation of these cosmic phenomena leaves one pondering the impermanence of all things.
According to some researchers, the moon may have been captured during a close encounter between young Earth and the Earth binary (a system consisting of the moon and other rocks). new paper Published in Planetary Science Journal.
Darren Williams and Michael Zugger explored the concept of collisionless binary exchange for capturing large satellites (comparable to or larger than the Moon) around Earth-mass objects inside and outside the solar system.
During six missions to the Moon from 1969 to 1972, Apollo astronauts collected more than 360 kg (800 pounds) of lunar rocks and soil.
Chemical and isotopic analysis of the material showed it to be similar to rocks and soils on Earth. It was found to be calcium-rich, basaltic, and dated to about 60 million years after the formation of the solar system.
Using that data, planetary scientists gathered at the Kona conference in Hawaii in 1984 reached a consensus that the moon formed from debris after it collided with a young Earth.
“The Kona conference set the story for 40 years,” said Darren Williams, a professor at Penn State University.
“But questions still remained. For example, a moon formed by a collision of planets, with the debris clumped together in a ring, should orbit above the planet's equator. Earth's moon should orbit above the planet's equator. It's circling around.
“The moon is more in line with the sun than the Earth's equator.”
“In an alternative binary exchange capture theory. Earth's gravity separated the binary star and latched onto one of the objects, the moon, which became a satellite orbiting its current plane.”
“There is evidence that this is happening elsewhere in the solar system.”
“The leading hypothesis in this field is that Triton, the largest of Neptune's moons, was drawn into orbit from the Kuiper belt, where one in 10 is thought to be a binary star. There is.”
“Triton orbits Neptune in a retrograde orbit, moving in the opposite direction of the planet's rotation.”
“Its orbit is also highly tilted, making an angle of 67 degrees from Neptune's equator.”
Professor Williams and Professor Michael Zager of Pennsylvania State University argue that Earth could have captured an even larger satellite than the moon, an object the size of Mercury or Mars, but the resulting orbit would not be stable. It was determined that there was a possibility that the
The problem is that the Moon's “capture” orbit started out as an elongated ellipse, not a circle.
Over time, the shape of the orbit changed under the influence of extreme tides.
“Today Earth's tides are more advanced than the Moon's,” Professor Williams said.
“The high tide accelerates the orbit. It gives it a pulsation and gives it a little bit of a boost. Over time, the moon moves away a little bit.”
When the Moon approaches the Earth, the effect is reversed, as it was immediately after capture.
By calculating tidal changes and the size and shape of the orbit, the researchers determined that the moon's initial elliptical orbit had shrunk over a timescale of several thousand years.
The orbit also became more circular, until the moon's rotation became fixed in its orbit around the Earth, as it is now.
“At that point, the tides likely reversed and the moon began to gradually move away,” Professor Williams said.
“Each year, the Moon moves 3 centimeters away from Earth. At its current distance from Earth – 385,000 km (239,000 miles) – the Moon feels a significant pull from the Sun's gravity.”
“The moon is so far away right now that both the sun and Earth are competing for your attention. They're both being pulled by it.”
Mathematically, the researchers calculated, a satellite captured in a binary exchange could behave similarly to Earth's moon. However, it is not certain whether this is the origin of the moon.
“No one knows how the moon formed,” Professor Williams says.
“For the past 40 years, we've had one possibility as to how it got there.”
“Now we have two. This opens up a treasure trove of new questions and opportunities for further research.”
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Darren M. Williams and Michael E. Zagar. 2024. Formation of large-scale terrestrial satellites through binary exchange acquisition. Planetary Science Journal 5(9):208;doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ad5a9a
In August 2024, ESA’s Jupiter ICy satellite probe (JUICE) made history with its daring Moon-to-Earth flight and double-gravity assisted maneuver. When the spacecraft passed the moon and the home planet, NASA’s Jupiter’s energetic neutrons and ions The (JENI) instrument aboard JUICE has captured the clearest images yet of Earth’s radiation belts, belts of charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetosphere.
The center of this infographic shows the clearest image yet of a cloud of charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic field, and the inset shows high-energy images detected along JUICE’s flight path. Measurements of ions and electrons are shown. Image credit: ESA / NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Josh Diaz.
“The moment we saw the clear new image, the whole room erupted in high-fives,” said Dr. Matina Goukiuridou, JENI deputy director at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
“It was clear that we had captured the giant ring of hot plasma surrounding Earth in unprecedented detail, and this result has sparked excitement about what’s to come on Jupiter.”
Unlike traditional cameras that rely on light, JENI uses special sensors to capture high-energy neutral atoms emitted by charged particles that interact with hydrogen gas in the widespread atmosphere surrounding Earth. Masu.
The JENI instrument is the latest generation of this type of camera and builds on the success of similar instruments in NASA’s Cassini mission, which revealed the magnetospheres of Saturn and Jupiter.
August 19th, JENI and its companion particle measuring instrument Jupiter’s energetic electrons (JoEE) made the most of his brief 30-minute encounter with the moon.
As JUICE zoomed just 750 km (465 miles) above the lunar surface, the instrument collected data about the space environment and its interactions with our closest celestial companion star.
Scientists expect this interaction to be magnified and observed on Jupiter’s moons as the gas giant’s radiation-rich magnetosphere passes over them.
On August 20, JUICE entered Earth’s magnetosphere, passing approximately 60,000 km (37,000 miles) over the Pacific Ocean. There, the instruments experienced for the first time the harsh environment that awaits them on Jupiter.
As JoEE and JENI raced through the magnetic tail, they encountered the dense, low-energy plasma typical of the region before plunging into the heart of the radiation belt.
There, instruments measured the millions of degrees of plasma surrounding Earth to investigate the secrets of plasma heating, which is known to drive dramatic phenomena in planetary magnetospheres.
“We couldn’t have expected a better flyby,” said Dr. Pontus Brandt, principal investigator for JoEE and JENI at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
“The wealth of data we have obtained from our deep dive into the magnetosphere is amazing. JENI’s image of the entire system that we just flew was simply the best.”
“This is a powerful combination to leverage in the Jupiter system.”
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This article has been adapted from the original release by NASA.
Silesauridae An extinct group of Triassic reptiles related to dinosaurs.
These creatures had fairly long necks and legs and probably had a quadrupedal habit.
Most commonly, they are a group of non-dinosaur dinosaurs and are considered to be the sister group of dinosaurs.
Early silesaurids were carnivorous, and later species occupied a variety of ecological niches, with specialized herbivorous adaptations.
“Most authors agree that silesaurids are a sister group to dinosaurs, forming the clade silesauridae.” Dr. Rodrigo Temp Mullera paleontologist at the Federal University of Santa Maria.
“On the other hand, some authors suggest that silesaurids form a clade within ornithischians, nesting as a sister group to typical ornithischians.”
“A more recent hypothesis is that members of the Silesauridae were recovered as ornithischians in a paraphyletic sequence leading to typical ornithischians.”
“Irrespective of their phylogenetic status, sirsaurids inhabited Triassic landscapes for more than 30 million years,” the researchers added.
“Therefore, to investigate the succession of Triassic faunas, it is important to understand their anatomy, biology, and evolution.”
“There are several aspects of sirosaurid anatomy that are unclear or poorly studied.”
“Part of this problem is a result of the lack of more complete fossils, which are usually limited to hindlimb elements.”
The newly discovered species of Cirsaurid lived in what is now Brazil during the middle to upper Triassic period, about 237 million years ago.
named Gondwanax paracensisit represents one of the oldest dinosaurs of South America and one of the oldest silesaurids in the world.
Animal skeletons were recovered from the ruins. santa maria formation Located in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
“Gondwanax paracensis “It is the oldest silesaurid with three sacral vertebrae, a feature commonly observed in more derived forms,” the paleontologist said.
“Furthermore, unlike other Triassic panbirds, this new species has an early fourth trochanter of the femur.”
“This unique combination of features indicates a high diversity of locomotor strategies in early panbirds.”
“Also, what co-occurs is Gondwanax paracensis and Gamatavus antiquus These animals, located in the same aggregation zone, represent the earliest evidence of South American silesaurid sibling. ”
“Indeed, the unique combination of sacral and hindlimb characteristics suggests different behaviors for these species, which may lead to niche differentiation within the same ecosystem.”
of study Published in the Journal on September 30, 2024 Gondwana research.
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Rodrigo Temp Muller. A new silesaurid found in South America's oldest dinomorph habitat provides insight into the early evolution of avian archosaurs. Gondwana researchpublished online on September 30, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2024.09.007
Bottlenose dolphins have an open mouth and a facial expression that resembles a smile.
Zoomarin, Italy
Dolphins seem to make open-mouthed expressions most often when being watched by playmates, suggesting that such expressions may be similar to human smiles.
Although we often recognize these as smiles, there is little research into dolphin facial communication.
Want to know more? Elisabetta Palagi Researchers from the University of Pisa in Italy analyzed the behavior of 22 captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). It takes place in two wildlife parks: Zoomarine Rome in Italy and Planete Sauvage in Port-Saint-Père, France.
Over 80 hours of footage, the team observed a total of 1,288 open-mouthed facial expressions during social play sessions. More than 90 percent of these events occurred during play between dolphins, and the rest occurred during dolphin-human interactions.
Animals were more likely to adopt an open-mouthed expression when their face was within the playmate’s field of view, 89% of the time it was displayed in this situation. When their playmate saw the smile, they smiled back 33% of the time.
“One might argue that dolphins imitate other people’s open-mouthed facial expressions purely by chance, as they are often engaged in the same activity or situation,” Paragi says. “But this does not explain why recipients are 13 times more likely to imitate another dolphin’s open-mouthed expression within one second when they actually see the original expression.”
Other animals, such as monkeys, wolves, and meerkats, may relax and open their mouths to make a “playful face,” but whether this is driven by emotion or a way to communicate intent remains unclear. There is a discussion.
“Is the dolphin’s open-mouthed expression conveying an emotional mood, or is it simply used to tell others, ‘Don’t be scared, we’re just playing!’, or both?” It’s not easy to determine whether that’s the case,” Palagi said. .
She says the study can’t say conclusively whether it’s comparable to a human smile. “We do not claim that a single study will reveal the communication strategies of dolphins during play. However, we would like to open up new areas of research that also take into account visual elements.”
Luciana Moller Researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, say that dolphin open-mouth behavior occurs in a variety of situations, including aggressive, sexual, and social interactions. This means that it can’t necessarily be interpreted as a smile, as this is a very versatile signal.
She notes that making sounds could have been a factor in the dolphins opening their mouths, but the study did not examine acoustic recordings.
Another drawback is that they studied small groups of dolphins in captivity, so their behavior may not reflect their behavior in the wild.
“Free-living dolphins have much more space to interact and chase each other while playing, and are often found in waters with poor visibility,” Moller says. . “Visual signals may to be as effective as acoustic signals in these situations.”
Can AI design chips that are more efficient than those made by humans?
Yuichiro Kayano/Getty Images
Google DeepMind says its artificial intelligence is already helping design chips used in data centers and even smartphones. But some chip design experts are skeptical of the company’s claims that these AIs can plan new chip layouts better than humans.
He said the new method, dubbed AlphaChip, can design “superhuman chip layouts” in hours, rather than relying on weeks or months of human effort. anna goldie and Azaria Mirhoseiniaccording to researchers at Google DeepMind. blog post. This AI approach uses reinforcement learning to figure out relationships between chip components and receives rewards based on the quality of the final layout. However, independent researchers say the company has yet to prove that such AI can outperform expert human chip designers or commercial software tools, and they say they are unable to demonstrate that such AI can outperform expert human chip designers or commercial software tools, and that they believe that current state-of-the-art The company hopes to test AlphaChip’s performance on public benchmarks that include cutting-edge circuit designs.
“If Google provides experimental results for these designs, we’ll be able to make a fair comparison, and we hope everyone will accept the results,” he says. patrick madden At Binghamton University in New York. “Experiments take a day or two to run at most, and Google has nearly infinite resources. The fact that these results aren’t being provided speaks volumes to me.” He declined to comment.
Google DeepMind’s blog post says: update Google for 2021 nature A journal paper about the company’s AI process. Since then, Google DeepMind says AlphaChip has helped design three generations of Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). TPUs are specialized chips used to train and run generative AI models for services such as Google’s Gemini chatbot.
The company also claims that its AI-assisted chip designs outperform those designed by human experts and are steadily improving. AI accomplishes this by reducing the overall length of wire needed to connect chip components. This could reduce the chip’s power consumption and increase processing speed. Google DeepMind also said AlphaChip created the layout for a general-purpose chip used in Google’s data centers, while also helping MediaTek develop a chip used in Samsung’s phones.
However, the code published by Google lacks support for common industry chip data formats, which suggests the AI method is currently more suited to Google’s own chips, it said. . Igor Markovchip design researcher. “We have no idea what AlphaChip is today, what it does or doesn’t do,” he says. “We know that reinforcement learning requires two to three orders of magnitude more computational resources than techniques used in commercial tools, and typically lags behind. [in terms of] result. “
Markov and Madden criticized the original paper controversial Claim that AlphaChip outperforms anonymous human experts. “Comparisons to unnamed human designers are subjective, non-reproducible, and very easily fooled. Although it is possible that the human designer is not trying hard enough or is underqualified. , there are no scientific results here,” says Markov. “Imagine if AlphaGo were reported to have won against an unknown Go player.”
In 2023, independent experts who reviewed Google’s paper revoked his nature An explanatory article that initially praised Google’s efforts. The expert is andrew kern At the University of California, San Diego, Public benchmarking efforts When we tried to replicate Google’s AI methods, we found that they could not consistently outperform human experts or traditional computer algorithms. The best approach was commercial software for chip design from companies like Cadence and NVIDIA.
“Reinforcement learning appears to lag significantly behind the state-of-the-art in every benchmark that would be considered a fair comparison,” Madden says. “I don’t think that’s a promising research direction when it comes to circuit placement.”
Many of us entered this so-called super-election year with a sense of foreboding. So far, not much has happened to allay these fears. Russia’s war against Ukraine has exacerbated the perception that democracy is under threat in Europe and beyond. In the United States, presidential candidate Donald Trump self-proclaimed dictatorial tendencies facing two assassination attempts. And more broadly, people seem to be losing faith in politics. A 2024 report from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance states that “most citizens in diverse countries around the world have no confidence in the performance of their political institutions.”
By many objective measures, democracy is not functioning as it should. The systems we call democracies tend to favor the wealthy. Political violence is on the rise, legislative gridlock is severe, and elections are becoming less free and fair around the world. Nearly 30 years have passed since pundits proclaimed the triumph of Western liberal democracy, but their predictions seem further away than ever from coming true. what happened?
According to Rex Paulson At the Mohammed VI Institute of Technology in Rabat, Morocco, we have lost sight of what democracy is. “We have created a terrible confusion between the system known as a republic, which relies on elections, political parties, and a permanent ruling class, and the system known as democracy, where the people directly participate in decisions and change power. The good news, he says, is that the original dream of government by the people and for the people can be revived. That’s what he and other researchers are trying to do…
Recent research suggests that a muscle called the levator medial oculi (LAOM) is unique to dogs (canine) and evolved through domestication. This muscle lifts the inner eyebrows, creating a “puppy eye” look. In a new study, Baylor University scientists tested whether LAOM is a derived trait in dogs by (i) examining facial muscles in closely related wild ancestors; canis seed, Coyote (canis latrans) (ii) compare your results with other results; canis and canine species. They discovered that coyotes, like dogs, have well-developed LAOMs. This is different from the modified/absent LAOM of gray wolves. Their findings cast doubt on the hypothesis that LAOM developed through domestication.
Like dogs, coyotes have a well-developed LAOM, which gives both species the ability to develop “puppy eyes.” Image credit: Cunningham others., doi: 10.1098/rsos.241046.
“Our findings suggest that the ability to produce 'puppy eyes' is not a unique product of dog domestication, but rather an ancestral trait shared by multiple species on Earth. . canis genus,” said Dr. Patrick Cunningham. student at Baylor University.
“This raises interesting questions about the role of facial expressions in communication and survival in wild canids.”
In this study, Cunningham and colleagues compared the facial muscles of coyotes, dogs, and gray wolves.
Both dogs and coyotes have well-developed LAOMs, but gray wolves' muscles are modified or absent.
This challenges the hypothesis that human-driven selection alone is responsible for the development of the inner eyebrow ridge in dogs.
Instead, this study suggests that LAOM was likely present in the common ancestor of dogs, coyotes and gray wolves, but was later lost or reduced in wolves.
The researchers also documented significant within-species variation in coyote facial muscles, particularly those related to eyebrow and lip movements.
Genetic analysis excluded significant canine ancestry in the coyote specimen, confirming that these traits were not the result of interbreeding.
“Our research shows that coyotes and dogs not only share behavioral similarities, but also an interesting evolutionary history, including the ability to make expressions that were once thought to be unique to domestic animals. “We made it clear,” Cunningham said.
“This discovery has broader implications for understanding the evolution of facial expressions in mammals.”
“LAOM may have originally evolved for functions related to vision and eye movements, rather than for human communication, as previously thought.”
“Future studies on other canid species, such as red wolves and African wild dogs, may further elucidate the role of facial expressions in survival and species communication.”
a paper The survey results were published in a magazine Royal Society Open Science.
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Patrick Cunningham others. 2024. Coyotes can also have “puppy eyes”: a comparison of interspecific variation. canis Facial muscles. R. Soc. Open Science 11(10):241046;doi: 10.1098/rsos.241046
The plant produces a juicy, sweet fruit with a secret seed inside, which entices fruit-eating mammals like toucans, flying foxes, and orangutans to take a bite.
As these animals travel and digest their meals, they pass the fruit seeds through their waste. This method has helped plants that cannot move disperse seeds over larger areas.
This process has been crucial for ecosystems for a long time, but recent research indicates that insects and invertebrates also play a significant role in seed dispersal.
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Ants are the most well-known seed-dispersing insects, spreading seeds from plants containing special oil bodies called elaiosomes. These seeds are then carried to ant nests, where the ants eat the elaiosomes and discard the seeds either on the surface or deep underground.
Other insects are also thought to aid in seed dispersal, particularly for non-green plants that parasitize other plants or consume fungi for nutrients.
For example, small woodlice distribute seeds from parasitic bell-shaped plants, helping in the growth of new plants.
In New Zealand, researchers found that wetter crickets help in the dispersal of plant seeds by feeding on them and spreading them through their waste. This phenomenon is important for areas where ground-dwelling mammals are not present.
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Research also shows that Japanese camel crickets play a role in dispersing seeds by eating and expelling them. This is significant as insects may have a broader role in seed dispersal than previously thought.
This challenges the traditional understanding of seed dispersal and highlights the importance of insects in ecosystem functioning.
About our experts
Professor Ellen Sims is a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, with published work in magazines such as BMC Ecology and Ecology Letters.
Professor Kevin Banks is a field biologist at Victoria University of Wellington, with work published in journals like Plant Ecology and Ecological Research.
Professor Kenji Suetsugu is a biologist at Kobe University, with work published in journals like Ecology and New Botanist.
According to a team of geoscientists from the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland, between 250 million and 120 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era, the ancient ocean floor was formed by the East Pacific Rise, a plate boundary at the bottom of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It is said to have sunk deep into the earth. University of Alberta.
A map of the East Pacific Ridge region where the ancient ocean floor was discovered. Image credit: Jingchuan Wang.
University of Maryland researcher Jingchuan Wang and his colleagues used innovative seismic imaging techniques to look deep into the Earth's mantle, the layer between the Earth's crust and core.
They discovered an unusually thick region in the mantle transition zone at depths of about 410 to 660 km below the Earth's surface.
This zone separates the upper and lower mantle and expands or contracts depending on temperature.
The newly discovered ocean floor may also explain the unusual structure of the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP), a huge region in Earth's lower mantle. Because LLSVP appears to be divided by slabs.
“This thickened area is like a fossil fingerprint of an ancient ocean floor that sank into the Earth about 250 million years ago,” Wang said.
“This gives us a glimpse into Earth's past that we've never seen before.”
Subduction occurs when one tectonic plate slides beneath another and surface material is recycled into the Earth's mantle.
This process often leaves behind visible evidence of movement, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and deep ocean trenches.
Geologists, on the other hand, typically study subduction by examining rock samples and sediments found at the Earth's surface.
By studying how seismic waves travel through the different layers of the Earth, researchers were able to create a detailed map of the structures hidden deep within the mantle.
“You can think of seismic imaging as similar to a CT scan. Essentially, it allows us to see a cross-section of the Earth's interior,” Dr. Wang said. .
“Typically, chunks of ocean material are completely consumed by the Earth, leaving no discernible traces on the surface.”
“But looking at ancient subducted slabs through this perspective has provided new insights into the relationship between the Earth's very deep structures and surface geology that were not previously clear.”
What the authors discovered surprised them. Matter was moving much more slowly through the Earth's interior than previously thought.
The unusual thickness of this region they found suggests the presence of cold material in this part of the mantle transition zone, where parts of the oceanic slab become stuck in the middle as they sink through the mantle. It suggests that there is.
“We found that material is sinking at about half the rate expected in this region. This may be due to the mantle transition zone acting like a barrier, slowing the movement of material through the Earth. “This suggests something,” Dr. Wang said.
“Our findings raise new questions about how the deep Earth influences what we see at the surface over vast distances and time scales.”
of result Published in a magazine scientific progress.
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Wang Jingchuan others. 2024. Intraoceanic subduction during the Mesozoic era formed the lower mantle beneath the East Pacific uplift. scientific progress 10(39);doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado1219
Nestled within the fiery petals of the Rosette Nebula is NGC 2244, a young star cluster that the Rosette Nebula nurtured. Image credits: CTIO / NOIRLab / DOE / NSF / AURA / TA University of Alaska Anchorage Chancellor and NSF's NOIRLab / D. de Martin and M. Zamani, NSF's NOIRLab.
of rosette nebula It exists in the constellation Monoceros, about 5,000 light-years from Earth.
Also known as Caldwell 49, CTB 21, SH 2-275, or W 16, the object spans 1.3 degrees in the sky, about the width of your index finger at arm's length.
The diameter of the rosette nebula is 130 light years — More than five times the size of the Orion Nebula.
The former are four times as far apart, so their apparent sizes are similar.
“As striking as the nebula's 'petals' is the striking absence of gas at its center,” NOIRLab astronomers said in a statement.
“The culprits who drilled this hollow core are the most massive stars. NGC2244 -An open star cluster nurtured by a nebula. ”
“This cluster was formed about 2 million years ago after the nebula's gases coalesced into clumps due to their mutual gravity.”
“Eventually, some of the clumps grew into giant stars, producing stellar winds powerful enough to punch a hole in the center of the nebula.”
“NGC 2244's massive star also emits ultraviolet light, which ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas and illuminates the nebula with vibrant colors,” the astronomers said.
“The undulating red cloud is a region of H-alpha radiation originating from high-energy hydrogen atoms that emit red light.”
“Along the walls of the central cavity and closer to the central giant star, the radiation has enough energy to ionize heavy atoms like oxygen, causing it to glow in shades of gold or yellow.”
“Finally, along the edges of the petals, thin tendrils of deep pink glow with light emitted from the ionized silicon.”
The bright, glowing features of the Rosette Nebula are certainly impressive. But its dark and shadowy features also attract attention.
“Surrounding the excavated core of this nebula is a series of dark clouds called 'elephant trunks', so named because of their trunk-like pillars,” the researchers said. .
“These structures are opaque because they contain invisible dust and form a boundary between the hot shell of ionized hydrogen and the cold hydrogen surrounding environment.”
“As the shell expands outward, it encounters a cold, clumpy gas that resists its push.”
“This forms an elongated trunk, the length of which extends like fingers towards the central cluster.”
“One of these dark features is the wrench trunk: its claw-like head visible in the upper right corner of the central cluster.”
“Unlike the typical Pillar of Creation trunk, which stands like a straight column, the wrench's 'handle' has an unusual spiral shape that traces the nebula's magnetic field.”
“Less obvious, but equally interesting, is the dark globlet.”
“These tiny dust clumps, sometimes round and sometimes teardrop-shaped, are smaller than the familiar globules and have a mass just a few times that of Jupiter.”
“We see a series of them near Wrench Trunk, but hundreds more are scattered throughout the Rosette Nebula.”
“These spherules could contain brown dwarfs or planets.”
“In about 10 million years, radiation from the hot, young stars in the NGC 2244 cluster will obliterate the nebula.”
“By then, the rosette will be gone and the giant stars will be left without their parent clouds.”
Mount Everest, also known as Chomolangma in Tibetan and Sagarmatha in Nepali, is about 15 to 50 meters higher than its original height due to uplift caused by erosion of nearby river canyons, and therefore continues to grow. This is revealed in a new study.
Han et al. They found that erosion from a network of rivers about 75 km from Everest had carved out a significant canyon. This landmass loss has caused mountains to rise by 2 mm per year, and their heights have already increased by 15 to 50 meters over the past 89,000 years. Image credit: truthseeker08.
The Himalayas, formed by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate beneath the Eurasian plate, are home to some of the highest mountains on Earth.
Mount Everest is 8,849 meters above sea level, about 250 meters higher than the other highest peaks in the Himalayas.
Previous analysis of GPS data suggests that Everest's recent uplift is about 2 mm per year, which exceeds the expected uplift rate for the mountain range and suggests that mechanisms other than ongoing regional tectonics are responsible. This suggests that it may contribute to this process.
“Mount Everest is a remarkable mountain of myth and legend, and it continues to grow,” said Dr. Student Adam Smith.
“Our research shows that the nearby river system is cutting deeper and the loss of material is causing the mountain to spring further upwards.”
In this study, Smith and his colleagues investigated whether changes in rivers near the mountain may have contributed to Everest's recent uplift.
They used a numerical model to simulate the evolution of the Kosi river network and compared it to existing landforms.
These models suggest that the Arun River, a major tributary of the Kosi River, was involved in the occupation of another river 89,000 years ago.
The diversion of river water accelerated river erosion as the river adapted to its new path, resulting in the formation of the deep Arun River Gorge.
“Currently, the Arun River flows east of Mount Everest and joins the larger Kosi River system downstream,” Mr Smith said.
“For thousands of years, the River Arun has carved great gorges along its banks, washing away billions of tonnes of soil and sediment.”
“There are interesting river systems in the Everest region,” said Dr. Jing Geng Dai, a researcher at the China University of Geosciences.
“The upper Arun River flows eastward through highlands with flat valleys.''
“Then it suddenly turns south as the Kosi River, dropping in elevation and becoming steeper.”
“This unique feature of instability may be related to Everest's extreme height.”
The authors conclude that although erosion would have lowered local elevations along the river channel, the formation of the canyon removed the eroded mass relatively abruptly, allowing the surrounding landforms, including Everest, to compensate with surface uplift. It is argued that there is a possibility that
Although its contribution may be small compared to tectonic deformation, fluvial capture may play a role in both erosion and uplift of high landforms.
“Everest and its neighboring mountains are growing because isotropic rebound is causing them to rise faster than erosional wear,” said Dr. Matthew Fox, a researcher at University College London. said.
“Using GPS equipment, we can see it grow by about two millimeters every year. Now we can better understand what's causing that.”
“The change in the height of Mount Everest really highlights the dynamic nature of the Earth's surface,” says Dr. Xu Han, a researcher at the China University of Geosciences.
“The interaction between the erosion of the Arun River and the upward pressure of the Earth's mantle gives Everest a boost, pushing it higher than normal.”
of study Published in a magazine natural earth science.
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X Han others. The recent uplift of Chomolungma was reinforced by river drainage piracy. nut. earth sciencepublished online on September 30, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01535-w
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