Webb discovers carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide found on Charon’s surface

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Using data from near infrared spectrometer (NIRSpec) Astronomers aboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have detected carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) The frozen surface of Pluto’s moon Charon. Their findings provide new insights into Charon’s chemical processes and surface composition, and could help understand the origin and evolution of icy objects in the outer solar system.

Protopapa others. Using Webb telescope observations (white), we detected spectral signatures of carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Charon. This extends the wavelength range of previous New Horizons flyby measurements (pink). Image credit: S. Protopapa / SwRI / NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / JHUAPL.

Beyond Neptune, there is a collection of fascinating small objects known as trans-solar objects (TNOs) that orbit around the Sun.

These objects act as time capsules, giving planetary scientists a glimpse of the early solar system.

“Charon is unique in that it is the only medium-sized TNO for which geological maps are available, 500 km to 1700 km in diameter, thanks to measurements returned by NASA’s New Horizons mission,” said Sylvia of the Southwest Research Institute. Dr. Protopapa said. And her colleagues.

“Unlike larger TNOs (such as Pluto, Eris, and Makemake), Charon’s surface is not covered by supervolatile ices such as methane, with possible exceptions toward the poles.”

“As a result, Charon serves as an excellent candidate to gain valuable insights into processes such as differentiation, radiation exposure, and cratering within the Kuiper belt.”

“Although Charon has been extensively studied since its discovery in 1978, previous spectral data were limited to wavelengths below 2.5 μm, leaving gaps in our understanding of its surface composition. “

“The presence of water ice, ammonia-containing species, and organic compounds had been previously noted, but the spectral range used was insufficient to detect other compounds.”

Protopapa and his co-authors used Webb’s near-infrared spectrometer to observe Charon at wavelengths between 1.0 and 5.2 μm.

They conducted four observations at different longitudes, and together with laboratory experiments and spectral modeling, they confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice and ammonia, and also identified carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide.

“Thanks to Webb’s advanced observational capabilities, our team is able to explore the light scattered from Charon’s surface at longer wavelengths than previously possible, allowing us to explore the complexities of this fascinating object. “We were able to further deepen our understanding of human health,” said Dr. Ian Wong, a scientist at the institute. Space Telescope Science Institute.

The presence of hydrogen peroxide suggests active processing of water ice by irradiation and light at Charon’s surface, while carbon dioxide is present since its formation and is due to subsurface carbon dioxide exposed to the surface by impact events. It is thought to originate from carbon reservoirs.

The detection of carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Charon represents a step forward in planetary science and provides insight into the moon’s surface chemistry.

This study could lay the foundation for future studies to investigate the dynamics of extrasolar objects, their surface compositions, and the effects of solar radiation.

“Our preferred interpretation is that the upper layer of carbon dioxide originated from within and was exposed to the surface through cratering events,” Dr Protopapa said.

“Carbon dioxide is known to exist in the region of the protoplanetary disk where the Pluto system formed.”

“New insights are made possible by the synergy of Webb observations, spectral modeling, and laboratory experiments, and may be applicable to similar medium-sized objects beyond Neptune.”

of result Posted in today’s diary nature communications.

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S. Protopapa others. 2024. Detection of carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Charon’s layered surface using JWST. Nat Commune 15, 8247; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51826-4

Source: www.sci.news

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket suspended by FAA for malfunction

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket experienced a second stage failure following Saturday’s NASA astronaut mission, leading to the rocket being grounded for the third time in three months. An investigation was deemed necessary.

After SpaceX successfully launched two astronauts to the International Space Station on behalf of NASA on Saturday, the rocket’s second stage that propelled the crew further into space failed to re-ignite properly due to “inertial combustion.” It ultimately crashed into the sea after the mission.

The astronauts safely reached the ISS and docked as planned on Sunday. The FAA confirmed that there were no injuries or property damage resulting from the booster malfunction.

The failure caused the booster to fall into the Pacific Ocean, outside the designated safety zone for the mission approved by the FAA.

SpaceX attributed the incident to a “non-nominal deorbit burn” experienced by the booster, resulting in the second stage landing safely in the ocean but outside the intended target area.

SpaceX stated, “Once we have a better understanding of the root cause, we will resume our launch activities.” This recent incident marks the third FAA grounding in the past three months, impacting SpaceX’s regular Falcon 9 rocket launches, which play a significant role in providing access to space for many nations.

Despite previous setbacks, SpaceX has swiftly resumed operations following technical issues with its Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX anticipates seeking FAA approval to resume flights soon, with ongoing technical assessments being conducted under FAA supervision.

SpaceX has emerged as a dominant force in the launch industry, launching multiple rockets per week since early 2024. While the first stage of the Falcon 9 is reusable, the second stage is not, leading to challenges during launches and re-entries that require FAA oversight for public safety.

The ongoing dispute between SpaceX and the FAA over launch license regulations has added to the challenges faced by both parties, with the FAA recently imposing fines on SpaceX for license violations related to previous launch activities.

The Falcon 9 grounding has no direct impact on SpaceX’s Starship, the company’s next-generation rocket system, which has undergone multiple tests since 2023. SpaceX has been vocal about the delays in obtaining FAA approval for the upcoming Starship test flights, highlighting the need for a smoother regulatory process.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

New discoveries made through drone footage of gray whales feeding habits

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Drone footage of a gray whale captured off the coast of Oregon over a seven-year period reveals new details about how the giant marine mammal finds and eats its food.

The findings, described in two studies published this summer, include that gray whales use different swimming techniques to gather food depending on their size and age, and that larger whales are able to swim more easily in the water. It includes a high chance of spitting out a “bubble explosion” to stay in place.

“Until this study, we thought all whales exhibited this behavior,” said Clara Byrd, lead author of both studies and a research scientist at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Research Institute. said. “No one thought there was a pattern to who behaved in what way.”

Bird's research also found that whales use different predation techniques depending on the depth at which they forage and the habitat of their prey. Such information could inform future conservation efforts, she said, as it provides insight into the types of habitats that need to be protected to maintain whales' access to food.

“While we are not currently actively seeking to protect specific habitats, future concerns include the possibility that whales of different ages may not all be using the same habitats. “It's very important to know,” Bird said. “It will help us manage them in the future.”

Drone footage of gray Wales shows them standing on their heads and exploding bubbles.
oregon state university

Some gray whale populations are designated as an endangered species Under the Endangered Species Act. The entire species was once at risk of extinction due to commercial hunting. Gray whales were once common in the Northern Hemisphere, but are now only regularly seen in the North Pacific Ocean. As of 2016, just under 27,000 of them are estimated to be in the region. According to a 2020 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Whales eat amphipod crustaceans, such as small shrimp and earthworms. These creatures suck up water and sediment from the ocean floor where they live and use their whiskers to filter and consume food. Gray whales are usually observed alone or in small groups, but large groups can sometimes be seen on feeding and breeding grounds.

Bird and her team conducted a survey off the coast of Newport. During their seven-year voyage, the group used drones to track and record individual whales. They used identification markers such as scars, spots, and tail shapes to identify specific whales.

The first study that resulted from that research was Published in Animal Behavior magazine in Julyfocused on changes in whale foraging behavior depending on size and habitat.

The research team tracked 78 gray whales in a total of 160 sightings from 2016 to 2022. In drone footage, young, small whales were observed often swimming sideways or facing forward, opening and closing their mouths in an attempt to find and ingest food. . Older, larger whales, on the other hand, tended to dive and then stay in place with their heads down, in what scientists describe as a “handstand technique.”

As whales grow larger, the probability of such headstands increases, but the probability of forward swimming tactics decreases, the study found. Water depth and habitat type, including rocky, sandy, and coral reefs, also influenced the whales' approach.

Drone images show a gray whale using a sidestroke technique to forage for food.
oregon state university

Bird believes the switch in technique is due to the maturation of the whale's muscles and its level of strength and coordination.

Her team's second study was published Published in Ecology and Evolution In August, we explained how older, larger whales emit air through their blowholes to stay underwater as they forage.

These “bubble explosions” can reduce the whale's buoyancy and help it sink. Larger whales have a greater need for this because their lungs hold more air, contain more fat, and are easier to float.

The discovery was based on observations of 75 whales. On average, the bubble explosions occurred 27 seconds after the whale dove took off in search of food, and most were observed while the whales were doing a handstand. The older and larger the whale, the more likely such an explosion will occur.

“Combining size and individual-level behavior in this way is a really interesting part of this study,” Bird said.

Susan Parks, a biology professor at Syracuse University who has published research on whale eating habits but was not involved in the new study, said documenting the diversity among whale species is important for scientists. said that it helps avoid inaccurate generalizations.

“When working on conservation efforts and protecting endangered species, it's really important to understand that there can be large variations in behavior,” Parks said. “So you can't just stop at a single observation.”

The park also highlighted the potential drones have for collecting detailed data about whales.

“There is so much we don’t know about whale behavior,” she said, adding that the study “uses drone footage to essentially monitor whale behavior to help explain how whales make a living.” “It gave us a completely different perspective on the details of what's going on,” he added.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Diet for Longevity: How Changing Your Eating Habits Can Add Decades to Your Life

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

I've seen my future and it's full of beans, both literally and figuratively. In addition to increasing the amount of beans, eat a lot of vegetables, no meat, avoid long periods of hunger and almost no alcohol. But in return for this dietary discipline, my future will also be longer and brighter. I'm 52 years old and can expect to live another 29 years with my current diet. But if I change now, I can earn another 10 years and live a healthy life until I'm 90.

This “longevity diet” is not just the latest fad, but the result of scientific research that extends beyond the human lifespan. And it's not just designed to prevent disease, it's actually designed to slow the aging process – that's the claim, anyway.

Of course, it makes sense to say that your diet can change your lifespan. Millions of people around the world still die prematurely each year due to lack of calories and nutrients. On the other hand, the estimate is 11 million people die every year from too many calories And the wrong kind of nutrients. Unnecessary ridicule inevitably leads to obesity and its obesity. cardiovascular diseasediabetes and cancer. The typical Western diet is high in sugar, refined starches, saturated fat, and low in whole foods, which can hinder your metabolism and make injuries even worse. This includes excessive release of insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels and directly affects aging. Suffice it to say that the Western diet is not pushing the longevity levers in the right direction. But is it really possible to dig yourself into a later grave?…

Article modified on June 29, 2022

Revised step 5 of longevity diet.

Article modified on July 20, 2022

Fixed the main target of amino acid restriction.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Newly Found Planet Orbiting Barnard’s Star Only 6 Light Years from Earth

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Artist’s impression of Barnard’s b, a planet orbiting around Barnard’s star

ESO/M.Kornmesser

Barnard’s star, one of the Sun’s closest neighbors, appears to have at least one planet orbiting around it, and possibly three more that require further confirmation.

Astronomers have been searching for planets around Barnard’s star, 5.96 light-years away, since the 1960s. Barnard’s star is the next closest star to us after the three stars in the Alpha Centauri star system.

In 2018, researchers claimed to have discovered a planet at least three times the size of Earth called Barnard Star B, but subsequent analysis revealed that the apparent planet’s signal was actually a larger-than-expected star. Turns out it was caused by activity. .

now, Jonay González Hernández Researchers at the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics have announced the discovery of a new Barnard star b, which has about 40 percent the mass of Earth.

The planet is much closer to its star than any other planet in our solar system, completing an orbit in just over three Earth days. This also means that its surface temperature is around 125°C (257°F), too hot for liquid water or life to exist.

Using an instrument called Espresso on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, González Hernández and his team observed tiny wobbles in Barnard’s star’s position caused by the orbiting planet’s gravity. I discovered this star.

They also found evidence of three more planets orbiting the star. However, the signal wasn’t strong enough to be certain, so more observations will be needed to confirm that.

“These detections are very tricky and always difficult because there is stellar activity, the magnetic field of the star that rotates with the star,” he says. Rodrigo Fernando Diaz at the National University of San Martin, Argentina. González Hernández and his team have thoroughly checked whether the observations are from a planet, but there could always be “unknown unknowns,” Fernando Díaz said. says. To really confirm this, he says, data from other telescopes is needed, which could take years of observations.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Alan Moore’s Epic and Blake Crouch’s Reprint Shine in This Month’s Top Sci-Fi Releases

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tim Winton's new movie 'Juice' has been compared to post-apocalyptic 'Station Eleven' and 'The Road'

Buena Vista Images/Getty Images

We science fiction fans will have to work hard to survive all the riches this month has to offer. At least four books published in October are must-reads for me. These include the new Stephen Baxter, Tim Winton's epic tale of a future ravaged by climate change, Alan Moore's time travel, and the story of J. Lincoln Fenn. A mysterious and creepy plant on a remote island. I've also included some new spooky sci-fi novels that might be interesting. After all, it's already October. Speaking of which, it's time to start our annual reread of the Shirley Jackson family…

Our science fiction columnist, Emily Wilson, tells me that her judgment is impeccable (her review will be published later this month). And I think that's true. The film is set in a future ravaged by climate change, and follows a man and a child traveling through a stony desert until they discover an abandoned mine and decide to evacuate. Comparisons are made by publishers. station eleven and road.

This is a love story. When Love was two years old, her mother cut off her hand so she wouldn't have to work in the Mercury mines. As an adult, he lives in the Mask, a gigantic structure that hides the solar system from aliens to keep it safe. But then a spaceship arrives that has been traveling for 100 years from a forgotten colony planet…I have a lot of old stuff Stephen Baxter's novel My bookshelf is full, but it seems like this latest work from Britain's top science fiction author has to have a place there.

Remember when pride and prejudice and zombies ' came out, and we liberal arts students were wondering, 'What's next?' But it was actually quite interesting, wasn't it? Now, it's time for Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy's space adventures. In this version of Jane Austen's classic story, Elizabeth lives with her sisters and parents on a small moon in the “Londinium moon system,” but their Life is greatly shaken up.

First the Bennett sisters were facing off against zombies… now they're in space

Jay Maidment/Lionsgate/Cross Creek/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Julia, a journalist, is offered a large sum of money to collect samples of strange flowers on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. That is the island where her sister, Irene, a botanical researcher, died in 1939. Julia will also delve into the island's secrets and rumors. It is said that a ghost appears from the burial ground on a moonless night. Fen's publisher compares this to the last of uswhich makes me wonder if this flower has some disturbing properties…

The novel, which podcast editor Rowan Hooper teased as “fascinating”, is the latest in a series of new novels from top literary author Knausgaard, and is set in a town in southern Norway where a bright new star has risen. Apparently, it turns out that since the appearance of this star, people no longer die. “These books deal with the meaning and reality of life in the modern world,” Rowan says in her writing.

alan moore

Kazam Media/REX/Shutterstock

In 1949, 18-year-old second-hand bookseller Dennis stumbles upon a fictional novel, an imagination from another book, which is in his hands. It turns out that Dennis has found a book known as the Great When, a version of London that transcends time and space, but this magical London must remain a secret, and Dennis has to take the book to its place where it's supposed to be. must be returned to. A time travel epic from the great Moore? Yes, please.

I've been thinking a lot about Jeff VanderMeer. extinctionand the eerie strangeness of Area X, a zone on the U.S. coastline where anyone who enters disappears since its publication ten years ago. Now we are gifted with the surprising fourth volume of the Southern Reach series. The first part begins decades before the formation of Area X, and jumps to follow the first expedition after the borders have been drawn down around the danger zone. VanderMeer can't wait to learn more about a world he thought was gone.