Microsoft aims to leverage AI tools to assist in the creation of video games

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Muse AI was trained in video games Bleeding Edge

Microsoft

Microsoft’s artificial intelligence models can replicate realistic video game footage the company says will help designers create games, but experts are not convinced that the tool will help most game developers. yeah.

Neural networks that can generate consistent, accurate footage from video games are nothing new. A recent Google-created AI produced a fully playable version of a classic computer game destiny No access to the underlying game engine. original destiny, However, it was released in 1993. More modern games are more complex with sophisticated physics and computationally intensive graphics, and have proven difficult for AIS to faithfully replicate.

now, Katja Hofmann Microsoft Research and her colleagues developed an AI model called Muse. This allows you to recreate the complete sequence of multiplayer online battle games Bleeding edge. These sequences follow the physics that underlie the game, and appear to keep players and in-game objects consistent over time. This means that the model has a deeper understanding of the game, says Hofmann.

The Muse is trained with seven years of human gameplay data, including both controllers and video footage. Bleeding EdgeNinja Studios is a Microsoft-owned developer. It works similarly to large language models such as ChatGpt. If given input, it imposes predicting the next gameplay in the form of video game frames and their associated controller actions. “To this day, for me, it’s a very moving thing to me, purely from training models to predict what will come next. I learn a sophisticated and deep understanding of this complex 3D environment,” Hoffman said. I say it.

To understand how people use AI tools like Muse, the team researched game developers and learned which features would be useful. As a result, researchers added the ability to repeatedly adjust changes made on the spot, such as changes to player characters or new objects entering the scene. This could help you come up with new ideas and try out what-if scenarios for developers, says Hofmann.

However, the muse is still limited to generating sequences within the original boundaries Bleeding Edge Games – Can’t come up with new concepts or designs. And I say it’s unclear whether this is a model-specific limitation or something that can be overcome with more training data from other games. Mike Cook King’s College London. “This is a long way from the idea that AI systems can design their own games.”

The ability to generate consistent gameplay sequences is impressive, but developers may prefer greater control, says Cook. “If you create a tool that is actually testing the game code itself, you don’t have to worry about persistence or consistency because you’re running the actual game. So these are introduced by generative AI itself. It’s solving the problem.”

It is promised that the model is designed with developers in mind, he says Georgios Yannakakis The Digital Games Institute at the University of Malta may not be feasible for most developers who don’t have that much training data. “Does that come down to the question of it being worth it?” says Yannakakis. “Microsoft has been collecting data for seven years and training these models to demonstrate what they can actually do. But real game studios can afford it. [to do] this? “

Even Microsoft itself is vague about whether AI-designed games could be on the horizon. When asked if there was a possibility that developers in the Xbox gaming division would use the tool, the company declined to comment.

Hofmann and her team hope that future versions of Muse can generalize beyond training data, but they can create new scenarios and levels for the games they are trained to work in a variety of games. I hope that I can do it. Challenge is because modern games are very complicated.

“One way games distinguish themselves is by changing the system and introducing new concept-level ideas. So machine learning systems go outside of their training data and go beyond what they see. It’s extremely difficult to innovate and invent,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

New Evidence Uncovers Startling Truths: When Did Life Begin on Earth?

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The Earth is about 4.5 billion years ago. When it was formed from rocks colliding around the dim young sun, it was probably not lively, and for a long time geologists thought life would not appear for more than a decade. The idea came from the analysis of Moonlock, brought back from Apollo Landings. This indicated that the Earth was hampered by space rocks from 4 billion to 3.8 billion years ago. The meaning was that, as we know, it must have started after that, since the previous creatures were getting faster.

“There are two problems with that.” Philip Donohue At the University of Bristol, UK. First, the model suggests that some life could have survived deep within the ocean. Even worse, it appears that the heavy late artillery fires did not actually occur now. The Apollo mission produced the impression of a large artillery over a short period of time, as all gathered rocks of similar age.

Early in the history of the Earth, we found that major effects had sporadically occurred over hundreds of millions of years. However, it is also known that a Mars-sized body collides shortly after the formation of Earth, evaporating the planet's surface. “If life had been born earlier, it would have been wiped out,” Donohue said.

The oldest rock on the earth

Life began when inerts were self-organised into a living system, but despite decades of research, how it happened remains a mystery. As the fossil record gets worse, it's also a big challenge to understand that it happened when it happened…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Is Google’s new research assistant AI capable of giving scientists a “superpower”?

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Google’s AI “co-scientists” is based on the company’s Gemini major language model

Raa/Nurphoto/Shutterstock

Google has announced an experimental artificial intelligence system that uses advanced reasoning to help scientists integrate vast amounts of literature, generate new hypotheses, and propose detailed research plans. “Idea with [the] “AI co-scientists” is about giving scientists a superpower,” says Alan Karthikesalingam of Google.

The tool, which has not yet been officially named, is based on Google’s Gemini major language model. When researchers ask questions or specify goals, they come up with their first idea within 15 minutes, for example, to find a new drug. According to Google’s Vivek Natarajan, several Gemini agents “discuss” these hypotheses with each other, ranking them over the next hours and days, and improving them.

During this process, agents can search the scientific literature, access databases, and use tools such as Google’s AlphaFold system to predict protein structure. “They constantly refine ideas, discuss ideas, criticize ideas,” says Natarajan.

Google has already made the system available to several research groups and has released a short paper explaining its use. The teams who tried it were keen on the possibilities, and these examples suggest that AI co-scientists can help integrate their findings. However, whether the example supports the claim that AI can generate new hypotheses is debatable.

For example, Google says a team used the system to find a “new” method of potentially treating liver fibrosis. However, drugs proposed by AI have been previously studied for this purpose. “It is well established that all identified drugs are anti-fibrotic.” Stephen O’Reilly at the UK biotechnology company Alcyomics. “There’s nothing new here.”

The potential use of this treatment is not new, but team members Gary Peltz at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, two of the three drugs selected by AI co-scientists showed promise in testing for human liver organoids, while the two he selected were both his. There is no growing evidence supporting a choice. Peltz says Google gave him a small amount of money to cover the costs of the test.

In another paper, Jose Penades Imperial College London and his colleagues explain how co-scientists proposed hypotheses that matched unpublished findings. He and his team are studying mobile genetic elements that can move between bacteria – bits of DNA that can move between bacteria – mobile gene elements. Some mobile genetic elements hijack the bacteriophage virus. These viruses consist of a DNA-containing shell and a tail that binds to specific bacteria and injects DNA into IT. Therefore, if the element can enter the shell of a phage virus, you can ride another bacteria for free.

One mobile genetic element creates its own shell. This type was particularly popular and confused Penade and his team. The answer they discovered recently is that these shells can connect with different phage tails, allowing mobile elements to enter a wide range of bacteria.

The discovery was still unpublished, but the team asked AI co-scientists to explain the puzzle. The number one suggestion was to steal a different phage tail.

“We were shocked,” Penades says. “I sent an email to Google. I can access the computer. Is that right? Otherwise, I can’t believe what I’m reading here.”

However, the team released a paper supplied to the system in 2023 – how this family of mobile genetic elements “It steals the tail of a bacteriophage and spreads naturally.” at the time, researchers thought that the elements were limited to obtaining tails from phages that infect the same cell. Only later they discovered that elements can pick up tails floating outside the cell.

So one explanation of how AI co-scientists came up with the correct answer is that they missed the obvious limitation that stopped humans from getting it.

What’s clear is that instead of coming up with a whole new idea, you’re given everything you need to find the answer. “Everything was already public, but it was publicly available on different bits,” Penades says. “The system was able to put it all together.”

The team tried other AI systems already on the market, but none of them came up with an answer, he says. In fact, some people didn’t manage it even when they gave the answer to a paper explaining it. “This system suggests something you’ve never thought of,” says Penades, who hasn’t received funding from Google. “I think it’s going to change the game.”

It becomes clearer over time whether it really changes the game. There’s a mix of Google’s track record when it comes to claiming AI tools to help scientists. Its Alphafold system withstands hype and won the team behind it a Nobel Prize last year.

However, in 2023, the company announced it. Approximately 40 “new materials” It was synthesized with the help of GNOME AI. However, according to the 2024 analysis Robert Palgrave University College London One of the synthesized materials was not actually new.

Despite his discoveries, Palgrave believes that AI can help scientists. “In general, I think AI has a huge amount of contributions to science when implemented in collaboration with experts in their respective fields,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Dark Algae Accelerates Greenland Ice Sheet Melting

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Greenland ice sheet algae absorb light and accelerate melting

Laura Halbach

Dark algae growing on the surface of the Arctic ice sheet are likely to expand future coverage, and tend to exacerbate melting, sea level rise and warming.

“These algae are not a new phenomenon.” James Bradley At the Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France. “But if they bloom more intensely or the flowers bloom more widely, this is an important thing to consider in future projections of sea level rise.”

Greenland's ice sheets, which cover most of the island, are rapidly melting due to rising temperatures, making them the biggest contributor to sea level rise worldwide.

*ancylonema* Algae under a microscope

Natural Communication

ancylonema Algae species bloom in patches of ice called ablation zones, which are exposed as snow lines recede to the ice sheet every summer. Flowers darken the ice, reduce its reflectivity, absorbing more heat, thereby increasing melting in these regions by an estimated 10-13%.

To better understand this feedback loop, Bradley and his colleagues gathered ancylonema Samples from the southwest tip of the ice sheet were examined for cells using advanced imaging techniques.

The results reveal that algae are highly adapted to malnutritional conditions and suggest that they can invade ice at high elevations with low nutrients.

Global warming already causes snow lines to increase altitude over time, exposing more ice. Ice algae should add yet another layer to these interactions and explain it in future climate forecasts.

“We have been studying glacial algae flowers for several years, and one of the biggest questions that remains is that we can grow to such high numbers in such undernourished ice.” I say that. Christopher Williamson At the University of Bristol, UK, where he was not involved in the project. “A big part of understanding this puzzle is the amount of nutrients needed for glacial algae cells and whether it can efficiently take and store rare nutrients available in the system. This research is cutting edge. They do an amazing job of demonstrating these things using the methodology of

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Source: www.newscientist.com

VST documents the unique history of an elliptical galaxy

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A huge elliptical galaxy called the NGC 3640 has interacted with several small galaxies in the past, as revealed by data analysis from ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at a fictional observatory in Chile.

This VST image shows two elliptical galaxies, the NGC 3640 and the NGC 3641. Image credits: ESO/INAF/MIRABILE et al. /Ragusa et al.

NGC 3640 is located approximately 88 million light years away from Earth in the constellation of Leo.

Also known as Leda 34778 and UGC 6368, the galaxies have diameters of 90,000 light years.

It was first discovered on February 23, 1784, by the German-British astronomer William Herschel.

The NGC 3640 is part of a relatively young group consisting of at least eight galaxies.

It also forms a pair that interacts with an elliptical galaxy known as NGC 3641.

“Throughout their extensive lifetimes, galaxies undergo changes,” said Dr. Marco Miraville, a colleague from the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics, in a statement.

“As they traverse space, they may either acquire gas or stars from other galaxies, or even merge with them.”

“Following these events, the galaxy will exhibit distortions, as demonstrated by the compact NGC 3640 and the diffuse light surrounding it.”

“This galaxy has left behind a ‘scar’ that hints at a tumultuous history, which astronomers can use to uncover its past and present.”

To unravel the history of the NGC 3640-NGC 3641 pair, Dr. Mirabile and co-authors used VST to study spheroidal, compact clusters of gravitationally bound stars.

These clusters typically contain some of the oldest stars formed within the galaxy, serving as fossil records that reveal the galaxy’s history even after significant events.

“The results affirm that NGC 3640 has indeed interacted with other galaxies in the past, showing signs of previous involvement with the smaller NGC 3641,” noted the astronomer.

“However, the smaller galaxy displays a noticeable lack of distortion in its shape or spheroidal clusters.”

“This suggests that, although their interaction has been significant, NGC 3640 is not currently in close proximity to pose a threat. NGC 3641 may be safe – at least for now.”

Survey results will be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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Marco Mirabire et al. 2024. Vegas-SSS: Tracing the stellar cluster population of the interacting NGC 3640 Galaxy Group. A&A 691, A104; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202451273

Source: www.sci.news

Study: Animals Serve as Both Residents and Builders in Their Environments.

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New research reveals how hundreds of species affect Earth’s surface processes, from vast termite mounds visible from space to beavers that produce whole wetlands.

Termites mounds in the bangle bangle range in Western Australia. Image credit: ouderkraal/cc by-sa 3.0.

“This study shows that the role of animals in shaping the Earth’s landscape is far more important than previously recognized,” says Professor Gemma Harvey, a researcher at Queen Mary University in London.

“From beavers that create wetlands to ants that build soil mounds, these diverse natural processes are extremely important, but there is a risk of losing them as biodiversity decreases.”

“From small ants moving through soil to salmon remodeling riverbeds, this study highlights the diversity and scale of animal impacts across all freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.”

“By estimating the collective energy of these natural engineers, this study shows that their topographical contributions are comparable to those of hundreds of thousands of major floods.”

In this study, Professor Harvey and colleagues identified 603 species, genera, or families, including insects, mammals, fish, birds, and reptiles to create landscapes in a surprising way.

Despite covering only 2.4% of the planet’s surface, freshwater habitats take on a third of these astonishing species.

Animals collectively contribute at least 76,000 gigare energy each year to shape the surface of the earth. This is a number that rivals hundreds of thousands of extreme floods.

This estimate is likely to be conservative, especially in tropical and subtropical regions where biodiversity is the highest but research is limited.

“Terrates build a huge network of Brazilian mounds. Some cover thousands of kilometers, but salmon spawning can alter as much sediment as annual floods.” The researcher said.

“Even ants change soil structure and drainage through their small but countless actions.”

Almost 30% of identified species are rare and endemic or threatened, and can cease to cease before a critical topographical process is completely important.

This loss can have great consequences for the ecosystem and the landscapes they support.

“This study provides new insights into biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration,” Professor Harvey said.

“How can rewild and species reintroduction projects, such as the reintroduction of beavers to restore wetlands, help combat environmental challenges such as erosion and flooding by leveraging these natural processes? It shows that.

study It was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Gemma L. Harvey et al. 2025. The global diversity and energy of animals that shape the surface of the earth. pnas 122 (8): E2415104122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2415104122

Source: www.sci.news

New theories suggest that the likelihood of intelligent life existing beyond Earth is higher

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In 1983, theoretical physicist Brandon Carter said that the time it took for humans to evolve on Earth compared to the total lifespan of the Sun was essentially unlikely to have been our evolutionary origin. We concluded that observers like humans who are comparable to the above are very rare. . In a new study, scientists from Pennsylvania, the University of Munich and the University of Rochester have critically reevaluated the core assumptions of Carter's “hard step” theory through the lens of historical geologics. Specifically, they propose alternative theories with no harsh steps, and the evolutionary specificity required for human origin can be explained through mechanisms other than essentially non-performance. Furthermore, if the surface environment of the Earth initially did not reach the specific important intermediate steps necessary for human existence, as well as human life, the timing of human origin would be a habitability surrounding the history of the Earth. Controlled by continuous openings in the new global environment window.

The new theory proposes that humans may represent potential consequences of biological and planetary evolution. Image credit: Fernando Ribas.

“This is a huge change in how we think about life history,” said Professor Jennifer McCalady of Pennsylvania.

“It suggests that the evolution of complex life may be less about the interaction between luck and its environment, and I am to understand our origins and our place in the universe. paves the path for exciting new research in our quest.”

“The 'hard step' model, originally developed by Brandon Carter in 1983, took humans to evolve on Earth compared to the total lifespan of the sun, so our evolutionary origins are largely due to the fact that He claims it is unlikely. Human beings are extremely low across the globe. ”

In a new study, Professor Makaradi and her colleagues say that the Earth's environment is initially incapable of parasitic life in many forms, and only important evolutionary steps when the Earth's environment reaches a state of “tolerant” claimed that it was possible.

“For example, because complex animal life requires a certain level of oxygen in the atmosphere, oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere through photosynthesis is the oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere through microorganisms and bacteria, and oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere through planets. It was a natural evolutionary step, said Dr. Dan Mills, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Munich.

“We argue that intelligent life may not need a series of lucky breaks.”

“Humans did not evolve “early” or “slowly” in the history of the Earth, but when conditions were right, they “on time.” ”

“It's probably just a matter of time, and while other planets can probably achieve these conditions more quickly than Earth, other planets may take even longer.”

The central prediction of the “hard step” theory is that, based on Carter's, steps such as the origin of life, the development of complex cells, and the emergence of human intelligence, if there are no other civilizations, then the other civilizations are He says there is little that exists in the universe. The interpretation of the total lifespan of the Sun is 10 billion years, and the age of the Earth is about 5 billion years old.

In a new study, the authors have the ability to originate human origin by continuous openings in the window of habitability to the history of the Earth, driven by changes in nutritional availability, sea surface temperature, ocean salinity levels, and oxygen levels. I suggested that the timing could be explained. atmosphere.

Given all the interaction factors, the Earth has only just become kind to humanity recently. It is simply a natural result of workplace conditions.

“We believe we need to use geological time scales rather than predicting based on the lifespan of the sun, because it takes time for the atmosphere and landscape to change,” Penn State said. said Professor Jason Wright.

“These are the normal timescales on Earth. When life evolves with planets, they evolve at the planet's pace on the planet's timescale.”

Team's paper It was published in the journal this month Advances in science.

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Daniel B. Mills et al. 2025. A reevaluation of the “hard step” model for the evolution of intellectual life. Advances in science 11(7); doi:10.1126/sciadv.ads5698

Source: www.sci.news

Mapping the Three-Dimensional Structure of the Atmosphere of WASP-121B by Astronomers

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

An extreme class of planets not found in our solar system, Ultrahot Jupiters offers a unique window into atmospheric processes. Using four telescope units in ESO’s extremely large telescopes, astronomers are currently being investigated deep into the atmosphere of the Ultra Hot Jupiter ExoPlanet WASP-121B, revealing separate powerful winds in separate layers, We have formed a map of the 3D structure of the atmosphere.

This diagram shows the atmospheric structure and movement of the WASP-121B. Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser.

The WASP-121B is a gas giant exoplanet 1.87 times larger than Jupiter and 1.18 times larger.

First discovered in 2016, this alien world takes just 1.3 days to traverse the parent F6 star WASP-121 (TYC 7630-352-1).

The WASP-121 system is approximately 881 light years away from the puppy’s constellations.

The WASP-121B is what is called “Ultra Hot Jupiter” and takes only 1.3 days to get the WASP-121 into orbit. It’s so close to the parent star, that when it gets closer, the star’s gravity begins to tear it apart.

Astronomers estimate the planet’s temperature is about 2,500 degrees Celsius (4,600 degrees Fahrenheit), high enough to boil some metals.

“The WASP-121B atmosphere behaves in a way that challenges understanding of how the weather works not only on Earth, but on all planets,” says the astronomer at Lagrange Laboratory, an astronomer at ESO. said Dr. Julia Victoria Seidel. Cote d’Azur.

“It feels like something from science fiction.”

“What we found was amazing. The Jet River rotates material around the planet’s equator, and another flow at a lower level in the atmosphere moves the gas from the hot side to the cool side. “

“We’ve never seen this kind of climate on any planet.”

“The observed jet stream spans half the planet, gaining speed and thrusts the air in the sky hard as it crosses the hot side of the WASP-121B.”

“Even the strongest hurricanes in the solar system seem milder in comparison.”

Dr. Seidel and colleagues to reveal the 3D structure of the atmosphere of the WASP-121B Used Espresso equipment located in ESO’s extremely large telescopes (VLTs) combines the light from four large telescope units into a single signal.

This combination mode of VLT collects 4 times the light of an individual telescope unit and reveals the details of the feinder.

Espresso was able to detect signatures of multiple chemical elements by observing the planet’s complete passage in front of the host star, resulting in different layers of the atmosphere.

“The VLT has led to three different layers of the Exoplanet atmosphere falling on one side,” said Dr. Leonardo A. dos Santos, an astronomer at the Institute of Space Telescope Science.

Astronomers were able to track the movement of iron, sodium and hydrogen, and track winds in the deep, central and shallow layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, respectively.

“It’s a very challenging observation for space telescopes and highlights the importance of ground-based observations on exoplanets,” Dr. Dos Santos said.

Interestingly, observations are also It was revealed Titanium is present just below the jet stream.

This was another surprise, as previous observations of the planet showed that this element was absent, and perhaps hidden deep within the atmosphere.

“It’s truly amazing to be able to study the details of such vast distances such as the chemical composition and weather patterns,” said PhD Viviana Prinos. A student at Lund University.

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JV Seidel et al. Vertical structure of the atmospheric jet stream of the exporanet. NaturePublished online on February 18th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08664-1

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers unveil the atmospheric composition of Topsitterby on a faraway planet

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Three layers of the atmosphere of a giant tyro gas

ESO/m. Cone Messer

The atmosphere of a distant world is mapped in detail for the first time, revealing a strange, dizzy weather system, and the fastest winds ever blew inexplicably around the Earth's stratosphere.

Astronomers have been studying the WASP-121B, also known as Tylos, since 2015. A planet 900 light years away is a vast ball of gas twice the size of Jupiter, and the stars orbit very closely and complete their perfect orbit. Only 30 Earth Time. This close orbit heats the planet's atmosphere to a temperature of 2500°C, and is hot enough to boil iron.

now, Julia Seidel Chile and her colleagues' observatory in southern Europe use a very large telescope at the observatory to see in the burnt, hot atmosphere of Tyros, with at least three different layers of gas in different directions around the planet. I found out there. I've seen it before. “It's absolutely crazy, it's a science fiction-like pattern and behavior,” Seidel says.

The atmosphere of our solar system planets is driven by the internal temperature difference, whereas the winds in the upper layers are more affected by the temperature difference, and the strong wind flows are more affected by the temperature difference. shares a similar structure to Created by the heat of the sun, it warms the daylight side of the planet, while the other warms.

However, in the atmosphere of Tyros, it is driven by heat from the planetary stars, and it is the lower wind that moves away from the warm surface, but the jetstream is primarily in the middle layer of the atmosphere, surrounding the equator of Tyros. It looks like it's moving. In the direction of the planet's rotation. The upper layer also exhibits jetstream-like characteristics, but hydrogen gas floats outward from the planet. This is difficult to explain using current models, Seidel says. “What we're looking at now is actually the opposite of what comes out of theory.”

Furthermore, Tylos' jetstream is the most powerful ever, blasting at about 70,000 km/h on half the planet. This is almost twice as much as the previous record holder. It is unknown what exactly drives this velocity, but researchers believe it is caused by the planet's strong magnetic field or by ultraviolet rays from the stars. “This could change the flow pattern, but this is all very speculative,” Seidel says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The seven pivotal moments that shaped history

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

If there is one word related to scientific curiosity, it is “why”. Why is the universe expanding? Why are the rise in cancer cases among young people? Why is the sky blue?

In contrast, it is rare to pay much attention to questions that begin with “when.” Certainly, the universe began 13.8 billion years ago, our planet began 4.5 billion years ago, or Homo sapiens It evolved 300,000 years ago. However, these confident statements hide a lot of scientific conspiracy, mystery, and uncertainty. That may all be strange, well, why? Why not focus on “when” a little more?

Ask when we force us to sharpen our thinking, carefully define our terminology, and think about what the beginnings really look like. In this spirit, addressing seven of the most important “when” questions in a special package that begins here is “When did time begin? Tip: It wasn’t a big bang.” Each piece indicates “When?” It could be one of the most interesting questions you can ask.

Ask when we have already taught us so much about the epic sweep of universe history

To give an example, I’ve recently begun to see that the first galaxy appeared much earlier than you could imagine. The “when” here dramatically changes not only the early universe but also how the chemical elements that took place in order to create life were born. Without “when,” there is no “way,” and certainly no “why.”

Science is increasingly well equipped to investigate when things happened. Distant past dates can be inferred using evidence from radioisotopes or by extrapolating from known points in history. Our special feature reminds us that we have already asked what we have told you about the epic sweep of space and earthly history, from the switch on the first star to the first life of this planet. It’s something.

Of course, why is a key part of scientific curiosity, and asking what we do frequently, but let us not give it all the glory. If not now…

This article is part of a special series that explores seven of the biggest chronological challenges of all time. To read other stories in this series, come back today later:

When did the time begin? Tip: It wasn’t a big bang

Why it’s so difficult to know why Homo sapiens became a clear species

When did the first galaxy form? Much faster than we thought

tomorrow:

When did life begin on Earth? New evidence reveals shocking stories

When did plate tectonics begin? Problems are very important for childhood

We reveal a fundamentally different view of the origins of civilization.

Why geologists cannot agree when the Anthropocene era began

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Hubble captures UGC 5460: A dazzling view of a face-on spiral galaxy

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced an excellent image of the Spiral Galaxy UGC 5460.

This Hubble image shows the UGC 5460, a spiral galaxy about 60 million light years away in the URSA major constellations. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/W. Jacobson-Galán/A. Filippenko/J. Mauerhan.

UGC 5460 is It was located His major in Ursa is about 60 million light years.

Otherwise known as IRAS F10048+5205, Leda 29469, or TC 132, the galaxy is seen to be very close to face.

Two supernova explosions, named in 2011 and 2015 SN 2011ht and SN 2015ASwere observed with UGC 5460, respectively.

“Hubble targeted this galaxy because of the explosion of these two stars, collecting data from three observational programs aimed at studying different types of supernova,” says Hubble astronomers. said in a statement.

“SN 2015as was what is known as the Core Collapse Supernova. The intense events occur when the solar nucleus collapses under its own gravity, and begins to rebound material outside the core. It's an explosion.”

“The Hubble observations in SN 2015A help researchers understand what happens when the supernova's expanding shock wave collides with the gas surrounding the exploded star.”

“SN 2011HT may have been a Core Collapse Supernova, but it could also be a con man called the Luminous Blue variable.”

“The bright blue variable is a rare star that experiences eruptions so large that it can mimic a supernova.”

“Crucially, while these eruptions are intact, bright blue variables appear, but stars going to supernovae are not.”

“Hubble searches for stellar survivors at the location of SN 2011HT and it is possible that the explosion's identity will finally be revealed.”

The color image of the UGC 5460 is Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) UV, near-infrared, and optical parts of the spectrum.

“The image combines light of four different wavelengths to reveal the central bar of the star, a winding spiral arm, and a bright blue star cluster on the UGC 5460,” the astronomer said.

“In the upper left corner of this image there is an object much closer to it. It's a star just 577 light years away in our own galaxy.”

Source: www.sci.news

The Terrifying Hyena-Like Creature Roamed Africa 30 Million Years Ago.

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists at American universities in Cairo and elsewhere say they found the almost perfect skull of Hyaenodont Bust Don Siltos in the lower part of the Ebel Catrani Formation in Egypt.

Bust Don Siltos. Image credit: Ahmad Morsi.

Bust Don Siltos lived in Egypt’s lush forests around 30 million years ago during the Oligocene era. Egypt is now home to the desert.

It is also known as Pterodon syrtos, the ancient species had the weight of hyenas or leopards (27 kg).

The animal had sharp teeth and strong jaw muscles, suggesting a strong bite.

It had a highly carnivorous diet that likely preyed on primates, early hippos, early elephants, and other large mammals.

“Bust Don Siltos belongs to a species of extinct group of carnivorous mammals known as hyaenodonts,” Dr. Shoruk al Ashkar, a paleontologist at Mansora University, American University in Cairo and colleagues, said.

“Hyenodons evolved before modern carnivorous animals such as cats, dogs and hyenas.”

“After the extinction of dinosaurs, these predators with hyena-like teeth hunted in African ecosystems.”

The skull of Bust Don Siltos was excavated in the Jebel Catlany Formation in the Faium depression.

“For several days, our team excavated a densely packed layer of rock dating back about 30 million years,” said Dr. Al Ashkar.

“As we were about to wrap up, our team members found something amazing. A large set of teeth sticking out from the ground.”

“His excited cry united the team and marked the beginning of an extraordinary discovery. The almost complete skull of an ancient apex carnivorous animal – a dream for a vertebrate paleontologist.”

“Faium is one of Africa’s most important fossil regions,” added Dr. Matt Bose, fossil curator at the Duke University Museum of Natural History.

“Without it, we would know little about the origins of African ecosystems and the evolution of African mammals like elephants, primates, and hyenodon.”

“Discovering Bustodon is an important achievement in understanding the diversity and evolution of Hyaenodonts and its global distribution,” said Dr. Al-Ashqar.

“We want to continue our research to unravel the complex relationships between these ancient predators and their environments across time and the continent.”

In their study, the authors also reevaluated a group of lion-sized hyanodons discovered in the rocks of Faium over 120 years ago.

They established a new genus of hyaenodont, sekhmetops, and reanalyzed materials from 33.8 million years ago.

They demonstrated that both Bustodon and sekhmetops actually belonged to the Hyaenodont group, which originated in Africa.

“Relatives of Bustodon and sekhmetops spread across multiple waves from Africa and eventually reached Asia, Europe, India, and North America,” they said.

“18 million years ago, some relatives of these Hyaenodonts were among the largest mammalian meat eaters to walk the planet.”

“However, radical changes in Africa’s global climate and geological shifts opened the continent to modern cats, dogs, and hyena ancestors.”

“As the environment and prey changed, the specialized and carnivorous hyaenodonts became less diverse and eventually became extinct, bringing primate relatives face to face with new adversaries.”

Survey results will be published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

____

Shorouq F. al-ashqar et al. Cranial anatomy of hypercarnivore Bust Don Siltos Gen. November. (hyaenodonta, hyainailourinae) and reevaluation of Pterodon in Africa. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Published online on February 16th, 2025. doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2442472

Source: www.sci.news

Space Flower Spotted by Gemini Telescope in Large Magellan Cloud

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Using Gemini South Telescope, NSF's Noirlab astronomers imaged a beautiful nebula around the young open cluster NGC 2040.

The nebula, including the NGC 2040, resembles the vivid roses in this image taken by a Gemini Southeres scope. Image credits: International Gemini Observatory / Neur Love / NSF / Aura / J. Miller & M. Rodriguez, International Gemini Observatory & NSF No Arab/TA Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF No Arab/NSF No Arab/NSF No Arab, NSF No Arab.

NGC 2040 It is about 160,000 light years away from Earth, the constellation of Dorado.

This cluster, also known as the Cal 60 or ESO 56-164, resides within the large Magellan cloud, a satellite d-star galaxy of the Milky Way.

NGC 2040 is a so-called OB association, usually a stellar group containing stars between 10 and 100 stars O and B.

“O- and B-spectral types of stars live a short life of just millions of years, burning very hot before they explode like supernovae during that time,” Noirlab astronomers said in a statement.

“The energy released by these massive star explosions will be fed into the formation of NGC structures in the 2040s, while the material emitted sowing the growth of the next generation of stars.”

Most of our galaxy stars are thought to have been born in the OB Association, as well as NGC 2040.

“NGC 2040 is part of a large structure of interstellar gas known as LH 88, one of the largest active star-forming regions within the large Magellan cloud,” the astronomer said. Ta.

“Thousands of new stars will be born in the region over the millions of years to come.”

“When stars O and B end their supernovae life, they enrich the clusters with elements like carbon, oxygen and iron,” they said.

“Along with the rich hydrogen in the cluster, these elements provide the components necessary for the formation of new stars, planets, and perhaps life.”

“The bright stars seen in the image are widely separated, but their movements through space are similar, indicating that they have a common origin.”

“The layered ambiguous structure of LH 88 is the remains of an already dead star.”

“The delicate leaves of the rose were formed by both the shock waves of the supernova and the stellar winds of the stars of O and B.”

Source: www.sci.news

Identification of a newly discovered species of long-necked marine reptiles from the Triassic era in China.

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of small dinophalosaurid archosauromorph from a fossilized skeleton found in China’s Yunnan province.

Holotype of Austronaga Minuta Most of the caudal vertebrae, which were found in looping in Yunnan Province, China, were found, and preserved in the skull, anterior cervical spine, and blocks. Image credit: Wang et al. , doi: 10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.231013.

Austronaga Minuta lived in the Thetis Sea during the Middle Triassic period around 244 million years ago.

This new species is an Archosauromorph, a member of a group that contains all forms more closely related to it (such as Crocodilians and dinosaurs, etc.) than Lepidosaurs.

Ancient reptiles are sister species Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, another amazing marine reptile from the Triassic period in central China.

“The Medium Triassic in southern China has produced a prominent marine vertebrate assembly that dramatically alters the understanding of the Tethys Sea and its coastline biota,” says Vertebrate paleontology and paleontology. A colleague and colleague at the institute said. National Geopark.

“The Triassic non-quadrilateral alxaulmorph group holds an important position in these findings.”

“They were traditionally called prototrosauria or prototrosaurs, but are now considered paraphrasing groups.”

“One species belonging to this group of reptiles, Dinocephalosaurus orientalis one of the most interesting reptiles discovered in recent years from the Triassic period in southern China,” they added.

“Its very elongated neck reminds me of a similar condition as seen in the ausauromorph, another aquatic creature. Tanistrophius. ”

“Both species have more than twice the necks as the trunk.”

“Yunnan’s new non-crocodile Archosauromorph shares many features Dinocephalosaurus And along with the latter, it can be distinguished from other long-necked Archosauromorphs. ”

“However, this new species also exhibits many different anatomical features. Dinocephalosaurus therefore, new genus and species have been proposed. ”

A small but mature skeletal specimen of Austronaga Minuta was recovered from the Guanling Formation in Waina village in Yunnan Province, southwestern China.

“The specimen is very compacted, but contains almost completely completely complete, with the anterior part of the skull joint with the skull, and most of the caudal tail of about 60.” The paleontologist said.

Their phylogenetic analysis shows that Austronaga Minuta With Dinocephalosaurus and Pektden It forms a clade representing the Dinocephalosauridae of the Archosauromorph family.

New marine reptiles probably had an aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyle.

“The dentition Austronaga It's less specialized than that Tanistrophius and Dinocephalosaurus yet they have enlarged teeth like these species. This corresponds to the food possibilities of small aquatic animals, such as fish and cephalopods,” the researchers said.

“Other potential indicators for aquatic movement are Austronaga. ”

“The elaborate structure of the caudal neural spines and chevrons is only observed in Austronaga and Dinocephalosaurus Among these non-crocopodan alxaulmorphs. ”

“These structures of the tail are not essential for aquatic propulsion, taking into account the absence of other aquatic reptiles and even some aquatic lines.”

“Nevertheless, similar morphology converges in many aquatic reptiles: caudal neural spines like plates have been developed in basal fishy disease. Sclerocormus and Chaohusaurus. ”

“The T-shaped chevron is found in the mysterious Zauroptari horn Atopodentatus and with primitive placedonts Paraplacodos and Placodus. ”

“Therefore, we consider the morphology of the caudal vertebrae. Austronaga Suitable for aquatic or at least semi-aquatic animals. ”

Findings are reported in a paper In the journal Palasiatica spine.

____

W. Wang et al. 2024. A small dinophalosaurid archosauromorph from the Triassic period in central Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Palasiatica spine 62(1):13-32; doi:10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.231013

Source: www.sci.news

Is it possible for bacteria to inherit memories? – Sciworthy

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Bacteria resistance to antibiotics is a global health concern as once easily curable infections have become more difficult to treat. Many bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli It can generate resilient forms with additional survival mechanisms. For example, they can form a shield like a mat called Biofilmto keep yourself safe. Or they can move as a group known as Flockfind new resources. Researchers are studying antibiotic-resistant bacteria They have not studied how nutrients affect protective bacterial behavior across generations. Multi-generational memory.

Researchers at the University of Texas recently tested whether iron in the environment contributes to multi-generational memories of bacteria. Iron is an important nutrient for bacteria, just like humans. Metabolism and respiration. However, the amount of iron bacteria varies greatly depending on environmental conditions. If there is too little iron, bacteria cannot flourish. in the case of E. colidifferent iron levels may change their behavior.

The researchers created two groups E. coli. They gave the first group sufficient iron levels to inhibit growth. They gave the other groups 1,000 times more iron, making it extremely abundant. after that, Y removed nutrients from both groups of bacteria and raised the temperature so high that it caused them to stress. To see how their behavior has changed.

They found that bacteria tend to move towards different defensive behaviors depending on the iron level. Bacteria with less iron tended to crowd more frequently, whereas bacteria that formed more iron formed more frequently biofilms. Iron levels also influenced the ability of bacteria to form biofilms. This is because bacteria containing excess iron better protected biofilms, which form biofilms. However, they also found that for tracking exposure to two antibiotics, bacteria given to less iron become harder and better. Kanamycin and Chloramphenicol.

Scientists observed five generations e . E. coliCheck for each group to see if this behavior persists. They discovered that bacteria have tailored their herds and biofilms to their preferences for up to four generations. In other words, I remembered the iron level of my ancestors. But this Iron memoryas researchers called it, disappeared by the fifth generation. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that bacterial colonies can convey information about their environment, but only for a short time.

Researchers also found that bacterial memory itself is associated with iron levels. By observing behavioural and genetic changes in bacteria, they identified two proteins that regulate the amount of bacteria absorbed. Fepa and fur. These were observed that all affected bacteria tend to be herd when iron levels were lower and these proteins worked more vigorously. They interpret this result and show that iron levels leave permanent physical changes in bacteria, affecting the bacterial environment memory, leading to behavioral changes.

The researchers also suggested that their findings could help scientists improve antibiotics. They explained that antibiotics produce harmful chemicals that damage bacterial cells. Reactive oxygen species Or ROS. They found that high iron levels within the environment promote this ROS production. Therefore, bacteria with low iron levels survived the treatment better as antibiotics generate less productive ROS. They suggested that the findings suggest that low iron levels also support bacteria in responding to antibiotics, as they adapt quickly to environmental stresses.

Researchers say learning how bacteria use iron memories can help scientists fight antibiotic resistance through multi-generational adaptations. Bacteria that remember previous antibiotic exposures are much more difficult to kill and are constantly concerned about antibiotic resistance. Researchers concluded that antibiotics could potentially provide benefits in the future by breaking the memory of such bacteria. Still, they acknowledged that further research is needed to determine the limitations of this mechanism and whether it works in other bacteria.

Post view: 538

Source: sciworthy.com

CAR T cells achieve an unprecedented 18-year remission in neurocarcinoma

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Microscopic images of neuroblastoma tumors

Simon Belcher/Aramie

Cancer therapy using genetically modified immune cells called CAR T cells has maintained people without potentially fatal neurotumors for a record 18 years.

“This is, to my knowledge, the longest lasting complete remission among patients who have received T-cell therapy in their car,” he says. Karin Stratoff At University College London, where he was not involved in treatment. “This patient will be cured,” she says.

Doctors use CAR T-cell therapy to treat certain blood cancers, such as leukemia. To do this, they collect samples of T cells that form part of the immune system from the patient's blood and genetically manipulate them to target and kill cancer cells. The modified cells are then returned to the body. In 2022, a follow-up study found that this approach was in remission for two people with leukemia for about 11 years.

However, CAR T-cell therapy usually fails against solid tumors such as neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma occurs when developing neurons in children and usually becomes cancerous before the age of five. Such tumors often resist being attacked by the immune system, reducing the effectiveness of the modified T-cell.

This is the reason Cliona Rooney At Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and her colleagues were surprised that people with neuroblastoma in childhood treated with CAR T cell therapy as part of their 2005 trial remained in control of cancer. . 18 years later. “These results were amazing. It's very rare to get a complete response from neuroblastoma with this approach,” says Rooney.

The person was treated at age 4 after several chemotherapy and radiation therapy failed to completely eradicate the cancer. At the time, the team also treated 10 other people who were in the same condition that the cancer had recurred after standard treatment, and they all had virtually no side effects, says Rooney. One of these participants showed no signs of cancer before dropping out of the study nearly nine years later, making follow-up impossible. The remaining nine participants eventually died from cancer. This was mainly killed within a few years of receiving treatment.

It is unclear why some people responded much better than others. “That's a million dollar question. I really don't know why,” Rooney says.

One reason is that each individual's T-cell behaves slightly differently depending on a variety of lifestyle factors, such as their genetics, prior exposure to infections, and diet, Rooney says. In fact, the team found that CAR T cells last longer in the blood among longer surviving participants.

Another explanation is that some participants' tumors were more immunosuppressive and strongly resisted T cells in the car, Rooney says.

The Rooney team is now looking for new ways to design cells so that it can benefit more people. “We have to improve them and make them stronger without increasing toxicity,” she says.

Such efforts are likely to lead to even greater success, Straathof says. “Now we have a glimpse of what is possible.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Blizzards in the north and floods in the south wreak havoc in the eastern US

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The eastern half of the US is bracing for severe weather this weekend, with “life-threatening” flash floods expected in parts of the southeast and heavy snowfall as the storm progresses from the Midwest to New England.

The heaviest snow is predicted in Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine, with double-digit totals projected by the National Weather Service.

Workers removing snow from sidewalks during a winter storm in Chicago on February 12, 2025.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The National Weather Service issued an early warning on Saturday highlighting the potential for severe flash floods in Ohio and Tennessee valleys, especially in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Approximately 21 million people from Arkansas to Pennsylvania have been placed under various flood warnings.

A broad range of severe thunderstorms is anticipated across the region, bringing rainfall of up to 6 inches and isolated higher totals of 8 inches in certain areas.

The Weather Bureau stated, “The heavy rainfall poses the greatest risk of life-threatening flash floods, notably in northwest Tennessee and western Kentucky, where there is a high risk of excessive rainfall (level 4/4) in effect.” Read more in the Short-Range Forecast Discussion.

Apart from flooding, there is also a potential for thunderstorms and strong tornadoes in parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

A large area of rain and thunderstorms is expected to persist along the mid-Atlantic and southeastern coasts through the weekend, increasing the risk of heavy precipitation and flash flooding.

Further north, medium to heavy snowfall is forecasted from the upper Midwest through the Great Lakes to New England, affecting around 70 million people with winter weather warnings from Nebraska to Maine.

A mix of sleet and freezing rain is expected in much of the northeast, creating hazardous driving conditions.

The NWS Weather Prediction Center warned, “The greatest risk for ice accumulation due to freezing rain is in the northeast.” They also cautioned that in some areas, icing could lead to power outages. Read the advisory on x website.

The storm is expected to intensify in the northeast from late Saturday through Sunday, with strong gusty winds and periods of snow creating extremely difficult travel conditions, as per the Weather Service.

Early next week, forecasts indicate that rain and snow will move away from the east coast, but breezy winds will maintain cooler temperatures across much of the eastern US.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Research suggests that having a fixed bedtime is more important than sleep time for combating fatigue

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Quality of sleep is often judged by the number of hours we sleep, but recent research suggests that the timing of sleep may be more crucial than the duration.

A study published in the journal Sleep indicates that the consistency of your sleep schedule, rather than just the number of hours slept, is a strong predictor of your risk of mortality. Even individuals who consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep but have irregular sleep patterns were found to be at a higher risk of stroke, heart attacks, and cancer. On the other hand, those with a consistent sleep routine had up to a 48% lower risk of death from all causes.

It’s important to note that simply sticking to an erratic sleep pattern with minimal hours of sleep is not advised. The study found that individuals who slept less than six hours or more than nine hours per night had a higher risk of mortality. While sleep duration is significant, the link between mortality and consistent sleep patterns was stronger.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 61,000 individuals in the UK Biobank, totaling over 10 million recorded sleep hours. By studying sleep patterns and mortality rates, they identified the factors associated with an increased risk of early death.

These findings may lead to updated public health guidelines on sleep recommendations, emphasizing the importance of not only getting sufficient sleep but also maintaining a consistent sleep schedule for overall health improvement.

Further research is needed to determine if these findings are applicable to a broader population beyond the UK.

For more information:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Researchers organize the genetic information of Chinese and Malay pangolins

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers and colleagues from the Northeast Forestry University and the Northeast Forestry Academy are assembled chromosomal scale genomes of two highly endangered pangolin species. Chinese pangolin (Manis Pentadactyla) and Malayan Pangolin (Manis Javanica).

Distribution area and sampling site for pangolins in China and Malay. Image credit: LAN et al. , doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giaf003.

Pangolins are living fossils with many unique biological properties, including the body-covering keratin scale, a special diet, a long, muscular tongue, a sensitive olfactory system, and the ability to dig holes.

Locals in that distribution area have traditionally used their scales and meat for medicine and food.

An excess excerpt of pangolin, driven by rising demand for luxurious foods and traditional Chinese herbal medicines, has pushed the animal to the edge of extinction.

Currently, pangolins are the most trafficked wildlife in the world, with over 900,000 individuals poaching 67 countries from six continents involved in illegal poaching and trade.

Poaching is more rampant for Asian pangolins compared to African pangolins, particularly Malayan pangolins and Chinese pangolins.

These two species are listed as Critical at risk On the IUCN Red List for the first time since 2014.

“World Pangolin Day is celebrated on February 15th, so a new study presenting high-quality genomic data for these pangolin species is the genetic vulnerability and risk of extinction in Malayan and China's pangolin species. It's fitting that he is in the spotlight on the subject,” Yang Hua and colleagues.

The starting point for their analysis was to generate genome sequences of Chinese and Malay pangolins at significantly higher resolutions than those currently available.

Having such high quality data in the form of near-gap chromosomal scale sequences will capture important information, which is a key indicator of genetic health, and important information, which is the risk of extinction in any population. It's very valuable for it.

Therefore, the analysis included estimates of genetic diversity. This shows how many genetic variations exist between individuals in the population.

Scientists then used high-quality data as reference points and used previously published genomic data from 37 Chinese pangolins and 72 Malayan pangolin individuals to conservation inheritance of five pangolin populations. The condition has been reassessed.

They found the overall genetic diversity was surprisingly high. This is a positive indication of the genetic health of the population.

However, their detailed analysis showed that some of these populations were at higher risk of extinction than others.

Specifically, based on genetic data from one pangolin population, the authors have shown that this population has significantly faster and more sharper population declines within the last 10,000 years compared to the other populations in the study. I confirmed that it was over.

Furthermore, other genetic parameters in their studies indicate that this population, particularly in particular, is at a very high risk of extinction.

In addition to this, analysis of pangolin specimens from Taiwan revealed equally painful data.

Severe survival pressures require future work to solidify certain pangolin populations to some extent at the risk of extinction.

The data also show that further research into regional differences in these populations should be more careful as it has the capacity to help guide the already ongoing genetic rescue efforts.

“In addition to supporting the management of illegal poaching and human trafficking, the Chinese government has built breeding centres for the conservation of pangolins in both China and Malay and developed artificial breeding and breeding programs.” Academy and Northeast Forestry University.

“With the support of these data, we can better assess the genetic rescue strategies of wild populations by reconstructing and releasing these prisoner individuals in the future.”

a paper The findings were published in the journal gigascience.

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TIANMING LAN et al. 2025. Enhanced inbreeding estimation and global conservation insights through chromosomal-level gatherings of pangolins in China and Malay. gigascience 14: GIAF003; doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giaf003

Source: www.sci.news

New Archeopteryx specimens discovered in Germany

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists explain new specimens of the genus Archeopteryx From the Mercim Formation in Franconia Albus in Bavaria, Germany.

Karlsruhe specimen: (a) Original condition of the slab before preparation. (b) Slab containing the remains of the left arm and fragments of the right arm after initial preparation. Image credit: foth et al. , doi: 10.3897/fr.28.131671.

Archeopteryx It is a genus of dinosaurs, like feathered birds, that lived during the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago.

3 species and over 10 specimens Archeopteryx It is now all known from Bavaria, Germany.

It is considered the first known bird, Archeopteryx It had primitive properties like teeth and long bone tails, and was similar in size to Eurasian magpies.

“Archeopteryx Dr. Christian Foss, a paleontologist at Friborg and Rostock University, and his colleagues, said:

“To date, this taxa is known only from the lower Titonians of Bavaria in Germany. Nine of the 11 specimens currently known as this genus have been excavated from the Altmühltal Formation.”

“Morphological variation, such as dentition and limb proportions – suggestions within the genus Archeopteryx They may experience evolutionary changes and be divided into different species during this period. ”

“For over 150 years, the genus Archeopteryx “It was the only Jurassic representative that could be introduced to the Pareve, the theropod clade, which includes the bird and its closest parents, Doromaosaurid and Trudontid,” they added.

“Discovering diverse communities of Pallavia packaging from slightly older rocks in northeastern China over the past decades, identification of fragmented harem specimens. Archeopteryx As another taxa, Ostromia Classicesand discovery Alcmonavis Poeschlielucidated the previously unexpected complexity of the evolution, diversity and distribution of Pallavia in the late Jurassic period. ”

Reconstruction of Archeopteryx albersdoerferi. Image credit: Zhao Chuang/Martin Kundrát.

new Archeopteryx The specimen – a fragmentary skeleton – was discovered in May 2019 in the Mörnsheim Formation in Mörnsheim, Baibaria, Southern Germany.

“The skeleton is the third Aviala specimen found in the Mörnsheim formation,” the paleontologist said.

“It consists of fragments of both the right forelimb and shoulder, left forelimb and both the hind limb.”

Unofficially called Karlsruhe specimen, the new fossil is about 149 million years old, and is the 12th specimen representing it Archeopteryx Genus.

“The specimens are within the size range of specimens for Dating, Munich, Thermopolis and feather wings and therefore represent one of the medium sizes. Archeopteryx Samples,” the researchers said.

Their paper It was published in the journal in January 2025 Fossil Record.

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C. foth et al. 2025. new Archeopteryx From the Mercim Formation in lower Titonia at Mullheim (Jurassic Evening). Fossil Record 28(1):17-43; doi:10.3897/fr.28.131671

Source: www.sci.news

Study suggests fixed bedtime more important than total sleep time in preventing tiredness

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

When it comes to a good night’s sleep, the quality of your sleep may be more important than the number of hours you get. A new study published in the journal sleep suggests that the regularity of your sleep schedule is a strong predictor of your overall risk of death. In fact, research shows that even those who consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep but have irregular sleep schedules are at a higher risk of stroke, heart attacks, and even cancer compared to those with a consistent sleep-wake routine.

Individuals with the most consistent sleep-wake times have been found to have up to a 48% lower risk of all-cause death compared to those with inconsistent routines. However, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule doesn’t mean you can skimp on sleep. Those who slept less than six hours or more than nine hours each night were also at a higher risk of death. Overall, the link between mortality and consistent sleep patterns was found to be stronger than the link between mortality and sleep duration.

Researchers analyzed sleep data from nearly 61,000 people in the UK biobank, totaling over 10 million hours of recorded sleep. Using advanced algorithms, they tracked mortality rates over an average of 6.3 years to identify factors associated with early death. The hope is that these findings will inform updated public health guidelines and sleep recommendations, emphasizing the importance of not only getting enough sleep but also maintaining a consistent sleep schedule for improved overall health.

Further research is needed to determine if these findings apply to populations outside the UK and to a more diverse range of individuals.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Photographs that encapsulate humanity’s eternal fascination with the moon

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Close-up photo of astronaut shoes and shoe marks in lunar soil taken by Buzz Aldrin in July 1969

NASA/Johnson Space Center

We say don’t stop thinking about or talking about the moon Matthew CindelCurator of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

“In cities with lots of artificial light that tend to make it difficult to see stars, the moon is still very bright above us. We have been obscuring the stars, but where do we go? And yet, the moon is this extremely constant presence during our nighttime,” he says.

in Ring: The history of the moon in myths, maps and matterCompiled by Sindel, 19 authors tell the story of this coexistence between humanity and celestial bodies through a series of insightful essays, impressive images, and detailed maps of the geological features of the moon.

“It’s a story of how people’s views across the universe have changed, how physics works, how they see their position in the universe, what their views are about,” says Sindel.

Geological Maps – Almost 4 dozen of them – Location month Changing readers’ understanding of the reality of the moon. They are part of the lunar atlas produced by NASA and the US Geological Survey between 1962 and 1974, and are based on telescope observations, images, and samples taken by Robotlanders and astronauts.

In these maps, the moon is divided into 144 sections called Quadrangles, some of which were named in the 1600s and began sketching what cartographers saw through newly developed telescopes (hereinafter referred to as).

Three portrayals of the moon by Claude Melan (1637) are considered to be the most detailed and realistic portrayal of the moon surface.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Beyond being a scientific document, the maps revealed the culture of their time. Part of the moon was named after modern monarchs, such as the Oceanu Philip IV of Spain. The dark plains of the moon were often labeled “sea.” Because early observers imagined they were like the oceans of Earth. Even today, looking at the moon maps can make you think about sailing through the Serenity seas or taking a dip in the Rainbow Bay.

Cindel says the more powerful telescopes came into being, the deeper the moon’s imagination became. One notable example is the 1835 Great Moon Hoax in New York solar The newspaper has released a series of false reports of the discovery of moon life, accompanied by flying and other sculptures of fantastic creatures. In the same era, we see the beginning and surge in science fiction stories about visiting the moon, folding into modern writers and scientifically advanced visions of the future, with ancient people worshipping it as a god. It was linked.

Published by the Great Moon Hoax (1835) solar It depicts a human-like moon valley and a flying bat-like creature

Library of Congress Prints and Photography Division Washington, DC

Sindel says that with scientific advances, many researchers have continued to cherish a very direct and personal approach to the moon. In the 1840s, it was possible to combine cameras and telescopes to photograph the moon, but due to technical challenges, many moon cartographers still have the eyes of being the best cartographer instrument. got it.

The map below shows the Petavius square, named after the 17th-century theologian Dennis Petau, and features a crater of the same name, about 200 kilometers in diameter.

www.newscientist.com

KM3NET continues to observe the highest energy cosmic neutrinos

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The newly detected neutrino, called KM3-230213A, has an incredible energy of 220 peta-electronic (PEV), making it one of the most powerful basic particles ever detected. Its energy was about 100 million times more energy than visible photons, and about 30 times the highest neutrino energy previously detected.

Visual impressions of ultra-high energy neutrino events observed in KM3NET/ARCA. Image credit: km3net.

Cosmic neutrinos are generated near or along cosmic ray propagation pathways, leading to the generation of secondary unstable particles, which then collapse into neutrinos.

Cosmic rays interacting in the Earth's atmosphere generate atmospheric neutrinos that form the experimental background of cosmic neutrinos.

Monitor a huge amount of neutrino observatory to detect space neutrinos. Cherenkov Light It is induced by the passage of charged particles due to neutrino interactions within or near the detector.

“This high-energy neutrino is extremely rare and makes it a monumental discovery,” says Professor Miroslav Filipovich of Western Sydney University.

“This finding represents the most energetic neutrinos ever observed, providing evidence that such high energy neutrinos are being produced in the universe.”

“Detecting such extraordinary particles brings us closer to understanding the most powerful forces that shape our universe.”

Detection of KM3-230213a is KM3NET Telescopephotoelectron-filled tubes are used to capture light from charged particles generated when neutrinos interact with the detector.

“KM3NET's research infrastructure consists of two detector arrays of optical sensors deep in the Mediterranean,” the physicist said.

“The ARCA detector is located approximately 3,450 m deep off the coast of Portopalo Di Capo Passero in Sicily, Sicily, Italy, and is connected to the INFN coastal station, Nazionali Del Sud using electro-optic cables.”

“ARCA's geometry is optimized for research into high-energy cosmic neutrinos.”

“The ORCA detector is located at a depth of approximately 2,450 m in France's offshore Toulon and is optimized for studying neutrino oscillations.”

“Both detectors are under construction, but they are already working.”

The KM3-230213A event recorded light of over 28,000 photons, providing clear trajectories and compelling evidence suggesting the cosmic origin of the particles.

“KM3NET can reconstruct neutrino trajectories and energy,” says Dr. Luke Burns of Western Sydney University.

“To create neutrinos like these, like explosive stars and super-large black holes, requires extreme cosmic conditions.”

“The work of following up on the radiotelescope, like the Australia Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder, helps unlock their secrets.”

The researchers concluded that it is difficult to clearly determine its origin based on a single neutrino.

Future observations will focus on constructing clearer images of such events in order to construct clearer images of such events.

“The energy of the KM3-230213A event is much greater than the energy of neutrinos detected so far,” the scientists said.

“This suggests that neutrinos may be derived from a different cosmic accelerator than low-energy neutrinos, or this could be the first detection of cosmicogenic neutrinos. Universe.”

Team's paper Published in the February 12th issue of the journal Nature.

____

KM3NET collaboration. 2025. Observation of ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos using KM3NET. Nature 638, 376-382; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08543-1

Source: www.sci.news

The Tarantula Nebula is captured in the deepest X-ray images ever by Chandra

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The Tarantula Nebula is the most important star-forming complex in local galaxy groups, including the Milky Way, the large Magellan cloud and the Andromeda galaxy. At its heart is the highly rich young star cluster R136, which contains the most huge known stars. The stellar wind and supernova carved the tarantula nebula into an astonishing display of arcs, pillars and bubbles.

This image of Chandra shows the Tarantula Nebula. Image credits: NASA/CXC/Penn State/Townsley et al.

The Tarantula Nebula is approximately 170,000 light years away from the southern constellation of Dorado.

The nebula, also known as the NGC 2070 or 30 Dorados, is part of the large Magellan cloud.

“The Tarantula Nebula is the most powerful and large star-forming region in the local galaxy group,” says Matthew Povich, astronomers at Polytechnic University in California, and Pennsylvania State University astronomers Raysa Townsley and Patrick Brose. I said that.

“The nebulae differ from the massive star-forming regions of the Milky Way galaxy. There is no different galactic rotation to tear the complex, so it provides fuel for at least 25 million years to supply large star-forming. It lasts and grows at the confluence of two super-huge shells, reaching a starburst percentage.”

“Today, it is dominated by a central large cluster R136, 1-2 million years ago, and includes the wealthiest young star population of the local group, and the largest star included It's here.”

“In contrast to the large star-forming regions of the galaxy, the location of the large Magellan tarantula nebula provides a low metallic starburst laboratory with low absorption and well-known distances. I'll do that.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivd_gmu9p8c

New X-ray images of the tarantula nebula contain data from the large Chandra program, including observation times of approximately 23 days, with Chandra previously performed in the nebula for over 1.3 days.

The 3,615 x-ray sources detected by Chandra include large stars, double star systems, bright stars still in the process of formation, and much smaller clusters of young stars.

The authors also identified the oldest X-ray pulsar candidate ever detected in Tarantula Nebula, PSR J0538-6902.

“There are a ton of diffuse hot gases found in x-rays that come from various sources that arise from the giant star winds and gases expelled by supernova explosions,” the astronomer said.

“This dataset is ideal for the near future to study diffuse X-ray emissions in star-forming regions.”

Team's paper It will be published in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

____

Raysa K. Townsley et al. 2025. TARANTULA – Revealed by X-ray (T-REX). APJin press; Arxiv: 2403.16944

Source: www.sci.news

Vista achieves unprecedented detail in capturing images of the RCW 38

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The astronomer using it Telescope for ESO visible infrared investigation telescopes (Vista) created something amazing 80 million pixel images Star cluster RCW 38.

This Vista/Vircam Image shows the Superstar Cluster RCW 38. Image credit: ESO/VVVX survey.

RCW 38 is an approximately superstar cluster 5,500 light years They are separated by Vera's constellation.

It is the youngest of the 13 superstar clusters in the Milky Way (less than one million years) and is the dense stellar system in 13,000 light years from the Sun.

Includes hundreds of young, hot, giant stars and brown dwarfs.

RCW 38 is a “embedded” cluster in that new clouds of dust and gas still envelop the stars.

The intense radiation poured from the newly born stars makes the surrounding gas bright and bright.

This is in stark contrast to the cool, cosmic dust streams that engulf the region.

“Compared to our Sun, which is at a stable stage in that life about 4.6 billion years ago, the RCW 38 star is still very young,” the ESO astronomer said in a statement.

“In less than a million years, RCW 38 contains around 2,000 stars, creating this psychedelic landscape.”

“The cluster of stars is like a giant pressure cooker, and contains all the ingredients for star formation: dense gas clouds and opaque masses of cosmic dust. This mixture of gas and dust itself If it collapses under the gravity of the 'stars','

“The strong radiation from these newborn stars creates the gas that brightens up the glow of the star cluster, creating the pink tint you see here.”

“It's a truly spectacular sight! But in visible light, many of the stars in the RCW 38 cluster remain hidden from us, and dust blocks those views.”

That's where the Vista telescope appears. Its Vircam camera observes infrared rays that can pass through almost unobstructed dust, unlike visible light, and reveals the true richness of the RCW 38.

“We also see a cold “failed” star known as a young star, or a brown dwarf, in a dusty coco,” the astronomer said.

“This infrared image was taken during that time. Vista variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) surveycreated the most detailed infrared map of Home Galaxy ever made. ”

“Studies like this either reveal unknown astronomical objects, or give us a new perspective on known objects.”

Source: www.sci.news

Curiosity Rover Discovers Noctilucent Clouds in Mars Atmosphere

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New images and shows taken over 16 minutes by the Mastcam Instrument of NASA’s Curiosity Rover on January 17, 2025 Night or in twilight cloudsin the atmosphere of Mars. Sometimes these clouds create rainbows of color, creating rainbow clouds and mother clouds. If it is too faint to be visible in the daytime, the clouds will be particularly high and only visible when the evening falls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnaqwu1wzm4

Mars clouds are made of either water ice or carbon dioxide ice at higher altitudes and lower temperatures.

The latter is the only kind of cloud observed on the red planet, producing rainbow colors, and can be seen near the top of the new image at an altitude of 60-80 km (37-50 miles).

It also appears that white feathers fall into the atmosphere on a low ride 50 km (31 miles) from the surface before evaporating due to rising temperatures.

Temporarily visible at the bottom of the image are water ice clouds moving in the opposite direction about 50 km of the curiosity rover.

This Curiosity/Mastcam image shows simultaneous clouds in the atmosphere of Mars. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/SSI.

“When I first saw these rainbow clouds, I always remember, but at first I was sure it was a few colour artifacts,” said the Atmospheric Scientist at the Institute of Space Science. said one Dr. Mark Lemon.

“It’s now predictable, so you can plan your shots ahead of time. Clouds appear at the exact same time.”

“Each sighting is an opportunity to learn more about the particle size and growth rates of Mars clouds, which will provide you with more information about the planet’s atmosphere.”

“The potential source of clouds can be gravitational waves, which can cool the atmosphere.”

“We weren’t expecting carbon dioxide to condense into ice here, so we’re cooling until something is likely to happen.”

“However, the gravitational waves on Mars are not fully understood, and we are not entirely aware of what the Twilight clouds are formed in one place and not elsewhere. “

Source: www.sci.news

New study uncovers the potential for Earth-like life to exist near a white dwarf star

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

According to a new study from the University of California, Irvine University, white dwarfs are the life of planets that have produced a warmer surface environment than a warmer surface environment formed within a habitable zone or within a habitable zone. It may provide a suitable environment.

The drainage ability to orbit the habitable zone of the white dwarf may have more Clement states to compensate for the cooling and dimming of the host star over time. Image credit: David A. Aguilar/CFA.

This study included the University of California Irvine Astronomer. Aokawa Shield Coworkers compared the climate of the water world with an Earth-like atmosphere composition orbiting in habitable zones of two different types of stars: the white d star and the main sequence K-Dwarf star Kepler-62.

Using a 3D global climate computer model, normally used to study the Earth's environment, they say that despite similar stellar energy distributions, the explanet of the white d star is far more than the Kepler-62 deplanet I discovered it was warm.

“White dwarf stars may emit some heat from residual nuclear activity into the outer layer, but they no longer exhibit fusion at their core,” Dr. Shields said.

“For this reason, we don't take into account much of the ability of these stars to host habitable exoplanets.”

“Our computer simulations suggest that if rocky planets exist in orbit, these planets may have more habitable real estate on their surface than previously thought. ”

The White Dwarf habitable zone is much closer to the stars compared to other star settlements, such as Kepler-62.

The authors emphasized that this would result in a much faster rotation period (10 hours) for the white dwarf exoplanet, and that Kepler 62's exoplanet has a 155-day rotation period.

Both planets can be trapped in synchronous orbits with permanent daysides and permanent nightsides, but the rotation of the super-fast white dwarf planets extends the circulation of clouds around the planet.

The much slower 155-day orbital period of the Kepler-62 planet contributes to large dayside liquid cloud masses.

“Synchronous rotation of exoplanets in habitable zones of normal stars like Kepler 62 creates more cloud covers on Earth's dayside, reflecting incoming radiation away from the Earth's surface. I expect that,'' Dr. Shields said.

“That's usually good for planets orbiting near the inner edge of the star's habitable zone, where you can cool off a bit, rather than losing the ocean in a runaway greenhouse.”

“But for a planet orbiting straight in the middle of a habitable zone, that's not a very good idea.”

“The planet orbiting Kepler-62 has so many clouds that it is covered in clouds, sacrificeing valuable habitable surface area in the process.”

“On the other hand, planets orbiting the white dwarf spin so fast that they hardly have cloudy time during the day, so they retain more heat and work in their advantage.”

Less liquid clouds and the strong greenhouse effect on the Nightside creates a warmer state on the white dwar planet compared to the Kepler-62 planet.

“These results suggest that the once thought to be lifeless, white d star stellar environment could present a new pathway for exoplanet and astrobiology researchers to pursue. I'm doing that,” Dr. Shields said.

“With powerful observational capabilities online to assess exoplanet atmospheres and astrobiology, such as those related to the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, we are now studying a whole new class of whole new classes. You can enter a new stage of being. The world around the stars that was previously not announced.”

study It was published in Astrophysical Journal.

____

Aokawa L. Seals et al. 2025. Increased surface temperature of the habitable white dwarf world compared to the main sequence exoplanet. APJ 979, 45; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/AD9827

Source: www.sci.news

Las Vegas Ends 214-Day Dry Spell with 0.01 Inch of Rainfall

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Las Vegas – After a staggering 214 days without any measurable rainfall, the Las Vegas Valley finally saw some drizzle.

On Thursday, the National Weather Service recorded 0.01 inch of rain at Harry Reed International Airport, ending one of the longest dry spells in the city’s history.

This marks the first time in 88 years that Las Vegas has gone more than 200 days without rain, according to the National Weather Service. The last significant rainfall in the area was seven months ago, before July 13th, 2024.

While this dry spell broke records, the city’s longest stretch without measurable rain remains at 240 days, a drought that occurred in 2020.

The current winter season is uncharacteristically warm and dry in the region.

Almost all of southern Nevada is currently facing “extreme” drought conditions. The US drought monitors release color-coded maps weekly to show the severity of drought conditions nationally.

The most recent drought monitor map shows that over 88% of the state is experiencing some level of drought, with around 21% facing “extreme” or “exceptional” dryness.

Thursday’s rain extended across desert areas in the southwest, affecting much of southern Nevada, as well as parts of California and Arizona.

The Las Vegas branch of the Meteorological Bureau stated that due to months of dry weather, the exact amount of rainfall from this event remains uncertain. According to x.

Higher elevations are expecting snow, with winter storm warnings in place for Nevada’s Spring Mountain area until Friday afternoon. Weather services predict 12-24 inches of snow in the mountains, with snowfall potentially reaching above 8,000 feet.

The precipitation is part of a storm system moving through southern Nevada on Thursday and Friday.

The Weather Service forecasts Las Vegas could receive 0.5-0.9 inches of rain over the two days.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Why We Crave Dessert Even After a Full Dinner

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

You always have room for sweet treats

Marioguti/Istockphoto/Getty Images

Even after eating a large meal, most people still find room for sweets. Currently, mouse studies show that neurons that cause fulfillment are also responsible for sugar cravings. In other words, there appears to be a neurological basis for our love for dessert.

Previous studies have shown that naturally occurring opioids in the brain play an important role in sugar cravings. The main producers of these opioids are neurons located in the brain region that regulates appetite, metabolism and hormones called the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. These cells, known as proopiomeranocortin (POMC) neurons, also control the feeling of fullness after eating.

To understand whether cells play a role in sugar cravings, Henning Fencerau The Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Germany and his colleagues tracked the opioid signals POMC cells send to the brain. They did so by bathing brain slices from three mice with a fluorescent solution that binds to the receptors of these opioids.

The brain regions with the highest density of these receptors were the paraventricular nuclei of the thalamus (PVT), known to regulate breastfeeding and other behaviors. It suggested that sugar craving was associated with communication between these two brain regions – arcuate nuclei and PVT of the hypothalamus.

Therefore, researchers monitored the activity of neurons in these regions when mice were eating regular food. After 90 minutes the animals looked full – they only bite into additional food. At that point, the team gave them a sugar-like butterfly dessert.

On average, neuronal activity between brain regions was nearly quadrupled during the time of dessert, compared to when eating a normal diet. Spikes begin before they start eating sweets, suggesting that this brain pathway determines sugar cravings.

Researchers confirmed this using a technique called optogenetics, which turns cells on and off with light. Inhibiting the signal from POMC neurons to PVTs led to mice consumed 40% less dessert.

“Cell types that are very well known for driving satiety also emit signals that cause sugar appetite, especially when they are full,” says Fencelau. “This would explain why animals-humans over-impose sugar when they actually fill up.”

I don’t know why this pathway evolved in animals. It may be because sugar is more likely to be more energy than other sources such as fat and protein, says Fencelau. So eating dessert is like refilling a gas tank.

He hopes that the study could lead to new treatments for obesity, but he acknowledges that hunger and craving are complicated in everyday life. “There are so many other pathways in the brain that of course you can disable this. We found this pathway, but how it plays with many others. That’s something we don’t know at this point.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Acidic storms forecasted to increase aquifer levels

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Have you ever visited a cave? Most caves are formed from rocks made of calcium and carbonates, Limestoneand includes vast passages beautifully decorated with unique minerals in columnar formation. for example, Mammoth Cave Kentucky has 426 miles (or 686 kilometers) of corridors, with over 100 rooms lined with giant titro stones and stalagies.

Where the caves are located there are often underground reservoirs. Aquifer. Aquifers are also commonly formed from limestone, conserving enormous amounts of water in cracks and other pore spaces in the rock. The population harvests billions of gallons of water from the aquifer every day.

Chemical reactions between limestone and acid dissolve the limestone, resulting in caves and aquifers being formed in limestone. The most common acids that react with limestone to form caves and aquifers are Carbonated. Carbonated acids are weak acids that naturally form when carbon is indicated as CO.₂dissolves in water. However, other naturally occurring acids such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid can also dissolve limestone.

Scientists have shown that limestone melting affects the world's climate. Carboxylic acids dissolve limestone and consume Co₂this is a powerful greenhouse gas. However, when other acids dissolve the limestone, Co is released₂ For the atmosphere. In particular, sulfuric acid and nitric acid are produced during human activities such as agriculture and other industrial processes. Scientists want to know if these acids dissolve a significant amount of limestone in aquifers and other underground areas.

Recently, a team of researchers in Florida used chemical analysis and mathematical models to measure the amount of limestone dissolution caused by acids other than carbonic acid in large aquifers known as the Floridan aquifer. Researchers explained that the Suwanee River is above the Floridan Aquifer and that there is water from the Suwanee River refill. charging Aquifer. They wanted to determine how much dissolution would occur in the aquifer with this charged water.

First, they measured the co₂ and the concentration of acid in water samples from various surfaces and underground locations of the Suwanee River Basin, collected over five years. This data was then used to create a mathematical model that calculates the amount of limestone dissolved within the aquifer if all molecules of acid in the aquifer react with the limestone molecule.

Using this model, the researchers estimated that acid input to the aquifer could dissolve 100-10,000 kilograms (or 220-220,000 pounds) of limestone in six months. This corresponds to the weight of melting at least two humans or three or more rocks! Based on the model output, they also found that only carboxylic acids cannot drive the dissolution of all estimated limestones. Researchers concluded that other acids, such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid, must contribute to the dissolution of limestone.

The team also explained that water can flow through the aquifer in just a few hours or years. They reported that several storms had occurred while sampling the river. It increased charging and produced a surge that pushed water through the aquifer faster than usual. They calculated that the most limestone dissolved during these storm surges, suggesting that the storm could exacerbate aquifer growth.

For many Florida people, the Florida aquifer is the main source of clean water. Therefore, the researchers emphasized that how this aquifer interacts with the environment affects millions of livelihoods. The researchers concluded that acids released from human activity could affect the dissolution of all limestones from the aquifers we rely on from the caves we visited. They suggested that future researchers would consider weathering rocks when studying carbon dioxide dynamics in other limestone-dominated regions.

Post view: 173

Source: sciworthy.com

Experience the Virgin Money Flaster Chatbot in the heart of Scunthorpe

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Feedback is the latest science and technology news of new scientists, the sidelines of the latest science and technology news. You can email Feedback@newscientist.com to send items you believe readers can be fascinated by feedback.

NDCS TBC

In the fun world of international climate negotiations at this point, everything is a bit quieter. The final big news was the COP29 conference in Azerbaijan in November. This was a huge success for a fossil fuel company promoting bystanders' products. Donald Trump then returned to the White House as President of the United States. He immediately ordered the country to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which governs international climate action. Negotiators can make excuses that they are a bit shell shocked.

Nevertheless, the wheels of the climatic bureaucracy are crushed. This year, signers of the Paris contract must submit renewals Nationally determined contributions (NDC). This is essentially a list of promises to take action to address climate change. The deadline is February 10th, and most countries missed it. Climate strategist Ed King He's getting attention Newsletter “Three small hill countries with many sheep” (UK, New Zealand and Switzerland) managed to submit theirs, but “we will have to wait until the second half of 2025 for China, India and the EU ”.

No one is in a hurry. It will take time. It's not like half of Los Angeles got burned to the ground. Drink tea, lift your legs and live your best life. It will be done when it is complete.

V-word

Reporter Matthew Spark draws our attention to one experience David Burchwho discussed savings accounts online with virgin money and asked the chatbot: The chatbot responded: “Don't use such words. If you use that language, I won't be able to continue chatting.”

Online assistants appear to have been programmed to avoid certain words and phrases that were considered discriminatory or offensive, including “virgin.” After Birch I posted it angrily There were a few things about this on LinkedIn Media reporting and virgin money I apologized I've taken down the chatbot (it was an outdated model anyway).

This was yet another example of a recurring problem with online discussions. Context is important. It is certainly possible to use it to insult the string virgin, but it is also the name of a multinational corporation. Tools that simply filter specific strings are obligated to block many harmless messages, but also lack the obvious slur-independent abuse.

The issue dates back at least to 1996 when AOL refused to allow residents of Scunthorpe, UK, to create accounts. The town's name contains a string that many people find offensive.Scunthorpe problem“For such a technical disaster.

The “virgin” incident is just the latest example. The Wikipedia page for Scunthorpe questions is a treasure trove of careless toilet humor and, more importantly, surprises. Perhaps we can speculate on the problems faced by certain mushroom promoters with Japanese names, but why is the New Zealand town of Facatane, a similar context-blinded foul, similar? Ignore the reader to predict whether the situation has become blinded. control.

Readers are welcome to submit their stories, but feedback cannot guarantee that email filters will pass through them.

Is it finally happening?

January 26th, website Daily Express The newspaper issued a big warning:Yellowstone warning as Survercano “preparing for an explosion”“. Good gravy, we thought. Will the Super Orcano under Yellowstone stop that perennial rumble and eventually tear it and cover North America with ashes and suck the sun?

In a thorough examination, the story merely reported the existence of a short YouTube document. What happens if the Yellowstone volcano erupts tomorrow? It was released in March 2020 on a channel called What. Feedback may be felt and readers may agree. ExpressHeadline.

Still, I’ll fill out the page. Found Feedback a Half a dozen article This theme has been featured in early January with headlines like “”.Yellowstone Crater movements create fear of boss explosion as scientists assess the risk“This noted that some scientists discovered “movement deep within the crater” and that this was on alert. paper in Nature It used new imaging techniques to determine that the volcano was not contained close to the magma sufficient to erupt. Others said this study:New debate about when and where it will spurt“This is certainly one way to interpret research that an eruption is not imminent.

Going back further back in time: On July 23rd last year, there was a small hydrothermal explosion in the Biscuit Basin area of Yellowstone, essentially trapped steam escaped the ground and escaped. Queue the headlines”Is Yellowstone going to erupt?“This was answered to an affordable answer by geophysicists. Geophysicists only say that the volcano erupts when there is “enough magma and pressure that can be erupted,” and that “either state is in yellowstone He explained that it will only erupt if it is not present.

We tried to go back further, but after the 50th post with almost the same headline, the feedback brain broke. At this point there were so many stories that declared the Yellowstone eruption imminent. When we see it off on live TV, we don't know if we believe it or not.

Have you talked about feedback?

You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Chinese Jurassic bird fossils challenge traditional theories of bird evolution.

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Excavated in southeastern China, fossils of Jurassic birds are said to have a significant impact on the history of bird evolution, according to researchers.

The recently discovered Baminolis Zengensis, a bird the size of a quail, flew in the skies approximately 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period. A study about it was published on Wednesday in the Nature Journal. In essence, it is one of the oldest known birds to humanity, alongside the iconic Archeopteryx found in Germany in 1862 and of a similar age.

“For over 150 years, Archeopteryx has stood alone,” said Steve Bursatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh. Further explanation on the research accompanied this statement.

“All this time, it has remained as the sole unsuspecting bird fossil from the Jurassic era,” he mentioned to NBC News via email.

While other bird-like Jurassic fossils were found, there was a “significant mystery and frustrating gap” in the fossil record, according to Bursatte. So, where were their fossils?

The 2023 discovery of Baminornis in Zhenghe County, Fujian Province, China, filled that gap and became one of the most important discoveries since Archeopteryx, labeling it as “the second unsuspecting bird from the Jurassic era.”

Unlike the half-bird, half-reptile that had a long, thin tail resembling a velociraptor, Baminonis had a short tail where some vertebrae fused into short, sturdy nubins pushing the body center towards the wings, similar to modern birds for better flying.

Until the discovery of Baminoris, short tails were only found in birds known to have lived around 20 million years later, such as Eoconfuciusornis and Protopteryx.

Brusatte expressed excitement that Baminoris was more advanced than Archeopteryx and could fly much better.

Baminornis was more anatomically complex than Archeopteryx, being a “primitive” bird with claws and sharp teeth resembling dinosaur ancestors.

The discovery of two similarly aged birds about 5,500 miles apart led the nature research team to believe that bird evolution took place millions of years earlier than previously thought.

In addition to dozens of fossils of aquatic or semi-aquatic animals, the Zhenghe Fauna collection included at least three Aviaran fossils, enriching the understanding of early diversification and filling important gaps in the evolutionary history of terrestrial ecosystems towards the end of the Jurassic era according to researchers.

Baminornis fossils preserved most of the skeleton, but the wings were not preserved, leaving questions about their size and wing structure. The lack of a skull also limits clues regarding their diet.

Nevertheless, Baminornis suggests that various birds lived during the Jurassic period and flew in different ways,” Brusatte said.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Discovery of new bird fossils from China sheds light on early evolution of avian species

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have excavated fossilized remains of two Jurassic bird species in the area of Zenge County, Fujian Province, southeastern China. These 149 million-year-old fossils exhibit early appearances of highly derived bird characteristics, and together with fossils of another bird from the same region, they have the early origins of the birds and the early Jurassic. It suggests bird radiation.

Baminornis Zhenghensis. Image credit: Chuang Zhao.

“Birds are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates,” says Professor Min Wang. Paleontology and Paleontology of Vertebrates The Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues said in a statement.

“Specific macroevolutionary studies suggest that their early diversification dates back to the Jurassic period.”

“However, the earliest evolutionary history of birds has long been obscure by highly fragmented fossil records. Archeopteryx Being the only widely accepted Jurassic bird. ”

“nevertheless Archeopteryx It was closely similar, especially due to its distinctive long reptile tail, as it had feathered wings. This is in stark contrast to the short-tailed morphology of modern and Cretaceous birds. ”

“Recent research questions about Aviaran's status. Archeopteryx classifies it as a deinonychosaurian dinosaur, a sister group of birds. ”

“This raises the question of whether there is a clear record of Jurassic birds.”

In their new study, Professor Wang and co-authors discovered and investigated two early bird fossils that were part of the so-called Zhenghe Biota.

One of these birds named Baminornis Zhenghensis the earliest known short-tailed bird.

“Baminornis Zhenghensis The end of the short tail in a complex bone called Pygostyle is a characteristic that can also be observed in living birds,” the paleontologist said.

“Previously, the oldest record of short-tailed birds was from the early Cretaceous period.”

“Baminornis Zhenghensis It is the only Jurassic and the oldest short-tailed bird ever discovered, pushing back the appearance of this derivative bird's distinctive features for nearly 20 million years. ”

According to the team, Baminornis Zhenghensis It also represents one of the oldest known birds.

“A step back and reconsidering the uncertainty of the phylogenetics Archeopteryx we don’t doubt it Baminornis Zhenghensis said Dr. Zhonghe Zhou of the Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The second unnamed bird is represented by a single fossilized fullcula (wishbone).

“Our results support this introduction to Furcula ornithuromorpha a diverse group of Cretaceous birds,” the researchers said.

Team's work It was published in the journal today Nature.

____

R. Chen et al. 2025. The first short-tailed bird from the late late Jurassic period in China. Nature 638, 441-448; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08410-z

Source: www.sci.news

A new realm of tiny creatures shakes up conventional notions of existence

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Theodor Diener had a problem. It was in 1967, and he and his colleagues successfully isolated an infectious agent that caused spindle tuber disease in potatoes that destroy crops. But it wasn’t like what they realised. They called it a virus, but it didn’t act like one thing.

It took Diener four years to demonstrate that mystical beings are even simpler than viruses. It is a single “naked” molecule that can infect potato cells and thus reproduce. He suggested calling it a wild. It was the smallest replicating agent ever identified. With a stroke, dinner expanded my understanding of living in the microscope world.

You might think that such a dramatic discovery would, uh, go viral. Almost no one noticed it yet. Apart from several other plant pathologists, the world of science has forgotten much about wilds for half a century. They had never even heard of him in 2020 when Benjamin Lee of the National Center for Biotechnology Information in Bethesda, Maryland, was encouraged to look into Wild.

Since then, there has been an explosion of discovery thanks to Lee and others. Now we know thousands of wilds and violids-like entities, with exotic names such as obelisks, ribojunctions, satellites and more. They appear to be found everywhere in a vast range of organisms and microorganisms. I don’t know what most of them are doing, whether most of them are benign or dangerous. However, these simplest replicators raise basic questions about the meaning of being alive. They can even go back to the origins of…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Neutrinos shatter records as they tear through the Mediterranean Ocean

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Part of the undersea KM3NET neutrino detector

km3net

The incredibly powerful neutrinos that tore through a new Mediterranean particle detector have amazed physicists, offering a first glimpse into some of the universe’s most intense events, such as the collision of ultrafine black holes.

Neutrinos, sometimes known as “ghost particles,” interact minimally with matter due to their small mass and lack of charge. By placing detectors in dense mediums like water or ice, researchers hope to detect the subtle signals of neutrinos interacting with atoms and producing showers of particles. This, in turn, helps in understanding their properties.

Damian Dornick from the Centre for Particle Physics in Marseille, France, along with his team, discovered the most energetic neutrino ever recorded. Using the Cubic Kilometer Neutrino Telescope (km3net) at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, they detected this extraordinary neutrino on February 13, 2023. The discovery left the researchers astonished.

“Initially, we were puzzled,” he says. “As we delved deeper, we realized that this event was truly exceptional, and our excitement grew.”

The signal observed appeared as a bright, almost horizontal line on the detector, believed to be created by muons – small electron-like particles produced by neutrinos interacting with km3net’s detectors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpuargix2u4

When the researchers tentatively published their results in 2024, they were still in the process of calculating the exact energy of the particles. “The high energy levels surprised us, as our neutrino simulations had not yet reached such levels,” says Morgan Wasco from Oxford University.

To validate their findings, researchers meticulously considered the impact of other sources of illumination on the detector, such as neutrinos generated by cosmic rays – charged particles from space. These signals are believed to surpass higher-energy neutrinos originating from more distant cosmic sources by 1 to 100 million times.

The energy of the detected neutrino was calculated to be 120 peta electron volts (PEV), about 10 times higher than the previous record set by the IceCube neutrino observatory in Antarctica. Such high-energy neutrino detections offer unique insights into the events producing them, like black hole mergers and supernova explosions.

“While cosmic rays get deflected and lose their original direction as they pass through interstellar space, neutrinos travel straight,” explains Wascko. The relatively large spatial spread of the neutrino’s trail in this case makes pinpointing the exact source challenging, but future enhancements to the telescope could potentially identify similarly powerful neutrinos and their sources.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Common Painkillers During Pregnancy Linked to Increased Risk of ADHD in Children

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Microscopic view of paracetamol crystals

Henri Koskinen/Shutterstock

Children who used paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, during their mother’s pregnancy, are more likely to develop ADHD than those whose mothers do not, suggesting small studies. Although inconclusive, this finding gives weight to the contested idea that widely used painkillers can affect fetal brain development.

Previous studies on paracetamol and neurodevelopmental conditions provide conflicting findings. For example, a 2019 study linking over 4,700 children and their mothers with their mothers to use painkillers during pregnancy There is a 20% higher risk Children developing ADHD. However, the analysis presented by nearly 2.5 million children last year There is no such connection When comparing siblings who were exposed or not to paracetamol before birth.

One problem is that most of these studies rely on self-reported medication use. This is a serious limitation as you may not remember taking paracetamol during pregnancy. For example, only 7% of participants in the 2019 study reported using paracetamol during pregnancy. It's well below the 50% seen in other studies. “A lot of people take it [paracetamol] Without knowing that” Brennan Baker At Washington University in Seattle. “It could be the active ingredient in some of the cold medicines you're using, and you don't necessarily know.”

So Baker and his colleagues used more accurate metrics instead. They looked for medication markers in blood samples collected from 307 women. They were all black and lived in Tennessee in the late pregnancy. None of them were taking medication due to chronic illnesses and were unaware of the complications of pregnancy. The researchers then followed up with participants when the child was 8 to 10 years old. In the US, Approximately 8% of children I have ADHD between the ages of 5 and 11.

On average, children whose mothers had a marker of paracetamol in their blood were three times more likely than children born to mothers, even after adjusting for factors such as mother's age and body mass index before pregnancy. There was a possibility (BMI), mental health status among close relatives of socioeconomic status and mental health. This suggests that using paracetamol during pregnancy may increase the risk of developing ADHD in children.

However, it is also possible that the actual factor that increases your risk of ADHD is not the drug itself, but the first thing you will be taking paracetamol. “They couldn't explain anything like the reason why their mother took it. [paracetamol]”It has been found to be risk factors for adverse development in children, such as headaches, fever, pain and infectious diseases.” Viktor Ahlqvist At the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

But Baker believes that it is the drugs that are responsible. Subsequent analysis of tissue samples from 174 of participants' placenta showed that people using paracetamol have different metabolic and immune system changes. These changes are similar to those seen in studies testing the effects of paracetamol in pregnant animals without infection or underlying health conditions.

“I think the fact that we see immune upregulation in animal models also really strengthens the causal case,” Baker says. “There are many previous studies showing that elevated immune activation during pregnancy is linked to adverse neurodevelopment.”

Yet these findings are far from conclusive. For one thing, the study included a small number of participants, all black and lived in the same city, limiting the generalization of the findings. Another case, it measured only the blood markers of paracetamol at one moment. These markers have stuck for about three days, so the study probably captured more frequent users, and may have a dose-dependent effect, says Baker.

“[Paracetamol] Now is the first-line treatment option for pain and fever during pregnancy,” says Baker. “But I think I'm an agency [US Food and Drug Administration] In addition, various obstetric and gynecological associations should continuously review all available research and update their guidance. ”

Meanwhile, if it's unclear whether to take paracetamol during pregnancy, people should talk to their doctor, Baker says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Strong evidence of Ozempic and Wegoby reducing alcohol consumption

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

People report lower alcohol cravings when using semaglutide

ShutterStock/David MG

According to the first randomized clinical trials of drugs for this purpose, semaglutide appears to help people who are truly obsessed with alcohol reduce their intake.

Semaglutide, sold under brand names including Wegovy and Ozempic, uses the work by mimicking the intestinal hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), so the technical term is GLP-1 receptor It's an agonist. This drug was first used to treat type 2 diabetes, but to reduce appetite, Wegovy is also approved for weight loss 8 countries. Semaglutide also offers tips to help with an extraordinary number of medical conditions.

Regarding alcohol use, there was a 2024 survey that 84,000 people injected Ozempic or Wegovy because of a lower risk of alcoholism. The results were promising and showed correlation rather than causality.

But now, Christian Hendershot The University of Southern California and his colleagues completed the first randomized clinical trial of the effects of semaglutide on alcohol use disorders.

Their trial involved 48 US people diagnosed with the condition, of which 34 were women and 14 were male. Half received a weekly low-dose injection of semaglutide for 9 weeks, and the rest received a placebo injection.

Semaglutide patients no longer consumed drinks per drinking session, reducing their weekly alcohol cravings compared to placebo drinks.

“There was no evidence of any significant adverse effects or safety concerns for drugs in this population. Overall, we found that it reduces the amount of alcohol people consume across several different drinking outcomes,” Hender said. Shot says.

“The results are promising.” Long Xu at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Ohio. “Despite the small sample size, this randomized clinical trial highlights the therapeutic potential of semaglutide in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.”

ziyad al-aly At Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the study added ” yet another evidence of GLP-1RAS . [GLP-1 receptor agonists] It could help with addiction disorders.”

He needs greater research to answer questions about whether people will increase their drinking, especially when they leave semaglutide, particularly what the long-term impact is, and whether people will increase their drinking. He says. Bone and muscle mass.

The study should be treated as a promising first evidence, says Hendershot, but more research is needed. People should not start taking semaglutide due to alcohol problems, he says.

“This is the first study like this and people are excited about it, but we have approved effective drugs for alcohol use disorders, so more research has been conducted. Until now, people are encouraged to pursue and approve the existing medicines there right now,” says Hendershot.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Sexually Transmitted Microorganisms in Forensic Investigations: A Potential Tool

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The male and female genitals provide a clear environment for microorganisms

Artur Plawgo/Getty Images

Sexual partners transfer their unique genital microbiota to one another during sexual intercourse. This can affect forensic investigations of sexual assault.

Brendan Chapman Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia and his colleagues collected swabs from the genitals of 12 monogamous heterosexual couples and used RNA gene sequences to identify microbial signatures for each participant. Researchers asked couples to refrain from sex for two days to two weeks, and took follow-up samples several hours after sex.

“We found that these genetic signatures from female bacteria can be detected in male partners and vice versa,” Chapman says. As the team infused it, this change in a person's “sexome” could prove useful in criminal investigations, he says.

The amount of transfers varies from couple to couple, and the team found that even the use of condoms completely prevented the movement of the Sensomem from one partner to another. However, one major limitation of the outcome was the significant changes in female sexsomes during the period.

Chapman says there may be long-term homogenization of the microbiota of monogamous couples, but the bacterial population clearly differs between genders.

“The big advantage we have in our penis and vaginal microbiota is that we observe very different types of bacteria in each because there are huge differences in the two environments,” says Chapman. “For example, the penis is primarily a skin-like surface and therefore reflects similarity to the skin microbiota. There are a variety of anaerobic bacteria in the vagina, and the aerobic type in the penis. .”

So many of these bacteria cannot last indefinitely in the opposite environment, he says. “It's like comparing land to sea animals. Some live exclusively in one or the other and die if removed, but they willingly move and last.”

After establishing bacterial movement during sex, the team wants to prove that individual sexsomes are unique, like fingerprints and DNA. “I think every person's Sensomem contains enough diversity and uniqueness, but there's still something to do to demonstrate it with robust enough techniques to meet the forensic challenges. There is,” says Chapman.

If researchers can prove this, it can help investigate sexual assaults, particularly those in which male suspects do not ejaculate, have had vascular resections, or use condoms. “The genetic profile of a bacterial may be able to support or oppose propositions or testimony about what happened in the allegations of sexual assault,” he says. Dennis McNevin At Sydney Institute of Technology, Australia.

In such cases, the standard profile of human DNA is always preferred due to the great power of distinguishing individuals, he says, but sexomes may offer useful alternatives. “Bacterial genetic profiles may one day complement DNA evidence, or may help refer to the perpetrator of a rare sexual assault where DNA profiles are not available,” McNevin says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The importance of AI companies adopting the practices of quantum computing research

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

David Parker/Science Photo Library

What is the difference between artificial intelligence and quantum computing? One is sci-fi sound technology that has long been committed to revolutionizing our world, providing researchers can sort out some technical wrinkles, such as the tendency to cause errors. In fact, the other one is too.

Still, AI seems breathless and inevitably inevitable, but the average person has no experience with quantum computing. Is this important?

Practitioners in both fields certainly commit the crime of hyping their products, but part of the problem with quantum advocates is that the current generation of quantum computers are essentially useless. With a special report on the state of the industry (see “Quantum Computers Finally Arrived, Will They Be Useful?”), races are intended to build machines that can actually do useful calculations. Currently underway. This is not possible on a regular computer.

There is no clear use case to prevent high-tech giants from forcing AI into the software they use every day, but the subtle nature of this hardware makes quantum computing the masses more difficult. It is much more difficult to bring in the same way. You probably won’t own a personal quantum computer. Instead, the industry is targeting businesses and governments.

Practitioners in both AI and quantum computing fields are guilty of hyping their products

Perhaps that’s why quantum computer builders seem to keep their feet on science, drumming business while publishing peer-reviewed research. It appears that the major AI companies have all those who have given up on publishing. Why are you troubled when you can simply charge a monthly fee to use your technology, whether it actually works or not?

The quantum approach is correct. When you are committed to technology that transforms research, industry and society, explaining how it works in the most open way possible is the only way to persuade people to believe in the hype. .

It may not be flashy, but in the long run it’s not style, it’s substance. So, I will definitely aim to revolutionize the world, but please show me your work.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

XMM-Newton discovers two supernova remnants near the Milky Way satellite galaxy’s edge

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Named SNR J0614-7251 and SNR J0624-6948, the newly discovered supernova remains are located on the outskirts of the large Magelanic Cloud, the largest milky white satellite galaxy.

In the center of the image, stars cluster into a large Magellan cloud, a bright, dark green candy floss colored haze. Scattered in the center of the image are about 50 small yellow crosses, some of which are almost overlapping as they are very close to each other. SNR J0624-6948 (orange, high image) and SNR J0614-7251 (blue, bottom image) are seen in the lower left quarter of the image. Image credits: Eckhard Slawik/ESA/Xmm-Newton/Sasaki et al. / F. Zangrandi.

“Supranovae are stellar explosions, caused by massive star core collapse, neutron stars or black holes (core collapsing supernovae), or by thermonuclear destruction of white nuclei in binary systems. Friedrich- “We are a scientist at the same time,” said Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and colleague Dr. Manami Sasaki.

“Supranovae are important for galaxy material cycles and the formation of next-generation stars. Shockwave produces supernova debris that heats environmental or interstellar media to ionize, sweeping and compressing the environment, and making the environment more environmentally friendly and compressing. Enrich it. With chemical elements.”

use ESA's XMM-Newton Spaceshipastronomers discovered two supernova remnants, SNR J0614-7251 and SNR J0624-6948, in the large Magellan cloud.

“The big and small Magellan clouds are the largest satellite galaxies in the Milky Way and the closest ones,” they said.

“The Magellan Cloud is also the only satellite galaxy in the Milky Way with current active star formation.”

“A large Magellan cloud at a small distance (49,600 Parsec), its morphology is almost a hassle disk, and its low foreground absorption provides a detailed laboratory ideal for the study of large samples of the remaining supernovae. Masu.”

“Proximity allows for spatially resolved spectroscopic studies of supernova debris, and precisely known distances allow for the analysis of the energetics of each supernova debris.”

“In addition, the rich data of wide-field multi-wavelength data available provides information about the environment in which these supernova debris evolves.”

XMM-Newton observed SNR J0614-7251 and SNR J0624-6948 with three different types of X-ray light.

They show the most common chemical elements in various parts of the debris.

The center of SNR J0614-7251 is primarily made up of iron, according to the team.

This clue allowed researchers to classify this remnant for the first time as a result of a type IA supernova.

“The discovery of supernova remnants on the outskirts of the large Magellan cloud confirms that stellar explosions occur outside the galaxy and allows us to study their shocks, stellar ejectors and environment,” they said. I said that.

“It will help us to better understand the evolution of the Magellan cloud and the history of interacting galaxies and their surrounding star formation.”

“We hope that new multi-wavelength investigations will reveal more supernova remnants around the Magellan cloud.”

“This new supernova remnants allows us to study the supernova explosions and the rest of the supernova evolution in low density and low metallic environments, and better serve to better the effects of metallicity on star formation and star evolution. I can understand it.”

result It will be displayed in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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Manamisasaki et al. 2025. The remains of a supernova on the outskirts of the large Magellan cloud. A&A 693, L15; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202452178

Source: www.sci.news

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