Dominant male lemurs grow more flexible testicles when other males are present, improving their position for successful mating.
In many species, dominant males have larger testes than subordinate males. Increased Testosterone Research has also shown that males of group-living, multi-male species have larger testes than males of group-living, single-male species. Larger testes mean more sperm can be produced, which increases the male’s chances of producing offspring if a female mates with multiple males.
Gabriel Bueno and Rebecca Lewis Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin tested whether this pattern held true within a single population by looking at testicle size in 23-year-old adult men. Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus beleaucii) took place outside of the mating season over a 13-year period in Kirindimitea National Park in western Madagascar.
This lemur group is made up of several groups, some with only one male and some with several. As in all lemur societies, the females hold the most social power, but the males also have their own hierarchy. Dominant lemurs have greasy brown spots on their chests from constant scent marking, while subordinate lemurs have clean white bodies.
The researchers found that the testicles of stained males in multi-male groups were on average 103 percent larger than those of clean males from the same groups and 31 percent larger than those of stained males in single-male groups. The stained lemurs in multi-male groups may be producing more testosterone than other lemurs or they may be suppressing the amount of testosterone that clean males can produce, Bueno says.
Stained males living in multi-male groups not only have larger scrotums in absolute terms, but also larger relative to their body size, which Bueno says suggests indicates that dominant males spend more energy competing for sperm when there are other males around.
“The key is that they can make that switch,” Bueno says. Because the dominant male always has the largest testicles, when a dirty male with larger testicles enters the group, the dirty male’s gonads grow. This “highlights how extraordinarily flexible they are and how they adapt to their social environment,” Bueno says.
“It is surprising that males can flexibly adjust their testis size across a range of environments throughout their lives,” he said. Peter Kappeler The researchers, from the University of Göttingen in Germany, added that their findings raise important questions about the potential costs of maintaining large testes: Enlarging them requires energy that cannot be used elsewhere, and likely requires the animal to search for more food.
This humpback whale (with its wide-open jaws and sharp teeth)Melanocetus johnsonii) looks even more terrifying when its internal complexity is revealed. Also known as Johnson’s Deep Sea Monster, this deep sea monster is Solvin Zankl.
This image shows the fish after a lengthy cleaning and staining process to reveal its internal structure. Scientists used digestive enzymes to remove the soft tissues, exposing the bones and collagen, which they then stained. Blue indicates cartilage, and red indicates bone. Not all tissues become transparent during the chemical processing; for example, the black mass (left) is the fish’s stomach.
The technique offers a glimpse inside the anglerfish, from its gills to its two fearsomely impressive pairs of jaws. It’s just one of the incredible adaptations that have evolved in this deep-sea species, Zankl says. But don’t worry: Females, like the one shown here, can grow to about 153 millimeters in length, while males are just 28 millimeters.
This fish lives at depths of about 900 metres in tropical oceans. The specimen was collected from the Benguela upwelling system, a very fertile deep water area of the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Africa and Namibia, during a research expedition to document the wildlife in the region.
Zankl says working with scientists allows him to visit places that are normally inaccessible, because photographing the deep sea is a huge challenge. Documenting these organisms can shed light on their ecology and broader ecological processes in fragile ecosystems, he says.
Skywatchers around the world should gear up for an incredible celestial event, as the binary star system T Corona (T CrB) is expected to experience a magnificent nova explosion sometime between now and September. This explosion could occur at any moment.
This remarkable outburst will change T CrB from an unseen star to one as bright as Polaris.
Novae like the one predicted for T CrB happen in binary star systems where a white dwarf orbits closely with a companion star.
“A nova is a binary system in which two stars orbit close to each other.”Dr. Darren Baskill, an Astronomy lecturer at the University of Sussex, tells BBC Science Focus, “About half of the stars in the night sky are double star systems.”
These should not be confused with supernovae, the dramatic explosions that occur when a massive star dies and can illuminate an entire galaxy momentarily.
White dwarfs accumulate material from their companion stars through a process called accretion. When this material reaches a critical temperature, it triggers powerful hydrogen fusion reactions.
The outcome? A nuclear explosion that ejects gas from the white dwarf, significantly increasing the system’s brightness.
“This sudden onset of nuclear fusion causes the surface gas layer to become even hotter, triggering more nuclear reactions and leading to a brightening of the star – a nova explosion,” Baskill explained.
This is a “fireworks nova,” captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2015. Like T CrB, it caused a stir in the astronomy community when it suddenly appeared as one of the brightest stars in the sky for a few days in 1901. – Image credit: NASA
While most novae are unpredictable and observed only once, T CrB is a recurrent nova that erupts roughly every 80 years. If you miss it this time, you’ll have to wait until around the year 2100!
T CrB is the closest star system to Earth, about 3,000 light years away, and is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye even in areas with moderate light pollution.
The nova explosion of T CrB is so distant from Earth that it has just reached us. Since then, there have been over 35-40 similar explosions, and the light signals from each one are yet to reach us.
Previous eruptions of T CrB were recorded in 1866 and 1946, with a noticeable brightness decrease before the latter eruption. A similar decline was noted earlier this year, hinting at a potential new explosion.
“Amateur astronomers around the world have observed slight brightness changes in this star every three to four months,” Baskill noted. “In 1945, when this happened, the gas on the white dwarf’s surface exploded dramatically within a year, causing a nova. Is it possible that the same scenario could repeat soon?”
How to witness a nova explosion
Although T CrB is currently too dim to be seen without help, a nova eruption would be visible without any special equipment. Amateur telescopes can observe T CrB before the eruption.
To prepare, stargazers should study Corona Borealis using a star chart or a smartphone app.
This preparation will enhance the spectacle when a nova suddenly emerges and brightens a familiar constellation.
Dr. Mark HollandsResearchers from the University of Warwick advise: “The nova will be visible to the naked eye for a few nights, reaching a brightness similar to other stars in Corona Borealis. If you miss that window, it should be visible for several weeks with binoculars.”
Though our Sun will become a white dwarf in billions of years, it will not undergo a nova explosion due to the lack of a companion star.
Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event and seize the rare chance to witness a nova explosion bright enough to see without a telescope.
About the experts
Darren Baskill is an Outreach Officer and Lecturer at the University of Sussex. She previously taught at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, where she founded the observatory’s annual ‘Astronomy Photographer of the Year’ competition.
Mark Hollands is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, focusing on white dwarfs. His work appears in journals like Natural Astronomy, Monthly Bulletin of the Royal Astronomical Society, and he has spoken at conferences worldwide.
Considered one of West Antarctica’s most infamous glaciers, the “doomsday glacier” has earned its nickname due to the potentially significant rise in sea levels it could cause, ultimately reshaping coastlines. This glacier, known as Thwaites Glacier, is massive, the size of England and spanning 120km wide. It extends from the peak of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to the Amundsen Sea, where it reaches out onto an ice shelf.
Unfortunately, Thwaites Glacier is experiencing troubling changes, with a notable increase in ice loss over recent years as a consequence of climate change. The rate of ice loss has doubled in the past 30 years due to rising ocean temperatures, which lead to the melting of the ocean floor beneath the glacier. Warm water is being transported towards Thwaites, particularly deep below the ocean surface, contributing to this rapid ice loss. The land beneath West Antarctic glaciers is below sea level, and the sloping ocean floor means warmer waters can intrude underneath, eroding the glaciers and making them less stable.
A recent study revealed that Thwaites Glacier may be more susceptible than previously believed, with seawater surging beneath it for kilometers. The melting of glaciers, including Thwaites, could result in a significant rise in sea levels, potentially impacting coastal areas worldwide. Additionally, the collapse of Thwaites could trigger nearby glaciers to follow suit, further elevating global sea levels by more than three meters. This irreversible loss on human timescales would mark a critical “tipping point.”
Scientists are concerned about the potential collapse of Thwaites Glacier, as it could have disastrous consequences for sea levels and climate. Researchers are exploring strategies to adapt to these expected changes and protect coastal regions at risk of submersion. The costs of preparing for rising sea levels are substantial, emphasizing the importance of proactive planning and adaptation. While sea level rise is inevitable, proactive measures can help mitigate its impact and protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems.
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Despite the impending challenges, scientists and experts emphasize the importance of courage and adaptation in the face of climate change. Dr. Caitlen Norton from the British Antarctic Survey stresses the need for resilience and preparedness to address the growing threat of rising sea levels. Adapting defenses, protecting coastal areas, and planning for future changes are crucial steps in mitigating the impact of climate change on coastal regions.
Music and physics are two disciplines that transcend mere study to become intertwined aspects of human creativity. This hidden harmony between music and physics has been acknowledged by luminaries such as Albert Einstein, who expressed a longing for music had he not pursued physics.
As someone who navigates both fields, I have uncovered deeper connections between them. My journey began in the Bronx, where the worlds of hip hop and science collided in unexpected ways. Later, while studying at Imperial College London, I witnessed the fusion of artistic expression and scientific inquiry in Brian Eno’s studio.
This intersection between art and science inspired me to explore further and led me to write the book “Physics Jazz.” Through this exploration, I delved into the commonalities between music and physics, from improvisation to quantum uncertainty.
My passion for sharing these discoveries prompted the creation of the course “Jazz in Modern Physics” at Brown University, bridging the gap between disciplines and offering students a new way to appreciate the symphony of the universe through mathematics and melody.
Believing in the transformative power of education, I founded the “Sound + Science” after-school program to provide underserved students with an opportunity to explore the fusion of music and physics through hands-on experimentation and collaboration.
This fusion of art and science celebrates human ingenuity and the interconnectedness of the universe. In embracing this harmonious blend, we can unlock the mysteries of the universe and delve into the depths of the human soul.
Giant viruses were first discovered in the ocean in 1981, when researchers discovered them. These viruses were specialized to infect green algae in the sea. Giant viruses were later found in soil on land and even in humans. However, this is the first time that giant viruses have been found living on the surface of ice or snow, where snow algae dominate. In Greenland, these viruses probably control the growth of snow algae by infecting them on the ice.
Giant virus species Pandoravirus Salinus Image courtesy of IGS CNRS-AMU.
“Every spring in the Arctic, the sun rises after months of darkness and life returns,” said Aarhus University researcher Laura Perini and her colleagues.
“Polar bears emerge from their winter dens, arctic terns return from their long journey south, and musk oxen trek north.”
“But animals aren’t the only life awakened by the spring sun. Algae that were dormant on the ice begin to flourish in the spring, turning large areas of the ice black.”
“As the ice darkens, it loses its ability to reflect sunlight, which accelerates its melting. More melting exacerbates global warming.”
“But we may have found a way to control the growth of snow algae, and in the long term, we may be able to reduce some of the ice melt.”
In the new study, the authors found signatures of giant viruses in snow and ice samples from the Greenland Ice Sheet.
The researchers believe that these viruses feed on snow algae and may act as a natural control mechanism against algal blooms.
“Although we still do not know much about viruses, we suspect they may be useful as a means to mitigate ice melt caused by algal blooms,” the researchers said.
“We don’t yet know how specific it will be and how efficient it will be, but we’re hopeful that further investigation will help answer some of those questions.”
“We analyzed samples of black ice, red snow, and melted pits (cryoconite),” they explained.
“We found traces of an active giant virus in both the dark ice and the red snow.”
“And this is the first time they’ve been found on ice or snow surfaces that are rich in pigmented microalgae.”
“The ecosystem surrounding the algae includes bacteria, fungi, and yeasts, as well as protozoans that eat the algae, various fungi that parasitize the algae, and giant viruses that infect the algae.”
“These last three groups need to be studied to understand the biological controls that act on algal blooms.”
“We can’t pinpoint which hosts the giant viruses will infect. Some of the viruses may infect protists, others may attack snow algae. We don’t know for sure yet,” Dr Perini said.
“We are continuing our research to learn more about giant virus interactions and their role in the ecosystem.”
of Negative Ion Laser Spectroscopy (NILS) Chinese Chang'e 6 Probe Negative ions have been detected on the surface of the moon. These ions are produced on the surface of the moon due to interactions with the solar wind.
The South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon is one of the largest and oldest impact features in the Solar System. It's easy to see in the elevation data: the low central area is dark blue and purple. The mountains on its edges, remnants of the outer ring, are red and yellow. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/University of Arizona.
The solar wind is a constant stream of radiation and particles emanating from the Sun. The Earth's magnetic field acts as a shield.
In contrast, the Moon has no magnetic field and a very thin atmosphere called the exosphere.
When the solar wind hits the Moon, it reacts with the surface, sending up secondary particles.
These particles may be positively or negatively charged, or may not be charged at all.
Positively charged particles have been measured from orbit before, but measuring negatively charged particles has been difficult.
Negative ions are short-lived and cannot reach orbit, which is why ESA scientists had to operate their instruments closer to the lunar surface.
“This is ESA's first operation on the lunar surface, a world first for science and our first lunar collaboration with China,” said Neil Melville, ESA's technical lead for the NILS experiment.
“We collected data in quantity and quality far beyond our expectations.”
“These observations on the Moon will help us to better understand the surface environment and serve as a precursor to exploring the distribution of negative ions on other atmosphere-less bodies in the Solar System, from planets to asteroids and other moons,” said NILS principal investigator Dr Martin Wieser.
Chang'e-6 is scheduled to successfully land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on June 1, 2024.
NILS began collecting science data 280 minutes after landing. The first data collection period lasted 23 minutes, after which the instruments experienced a voltage drop. Several further data collection periods followed, during which communications were interrupted and restarted.
“The equipment was getting hot, so it was alternating between short periods of running at full power and longer periods of cooling down,” Melville said.
“The fact that we managed to stay within the thermal design limits and achieve a successful recovery in extremely hot conditions is testament to the quality of the research at the Swedish Institute of Astrophysics.”
The entomologist described a new species of ant. Parapara Tretina He is from Inguk village in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.
Paraparatretina NeelaHolotype worker: (A) Head viewed from the front, (B) Body viewed from the back, (C) Body viewed from the side. Images courtesy of Sahanashree other., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168.
Parapara Tretina A genus of small ants, generally 1-2 mm in length, belonging to the subfamily. Formicidae.
They are typically found in the Afrotropical, Australasia, Indomalaya, Oceania and Palaearctic biogeographical regions.
They live in a variety of tropical environments, from rainforests to forest clearings, and can be found in a wide range of habitats, from leaf litter on the ground to high up in the tree canopy.
Currently, the genus contains 38 valid species and four valid subspecies.
Fourteen species are known from the Indomalaya biogeographic region. Parapara Tretina Acetate It was previously the only species known from the Indian subcontinent.
Specimen of a new worker ant species Parapara Tretina The specimens were collected from a secondary forest at an altitude of 803 metres (2,635 feet) in Ing village, East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India.
“One evening, while I was exploring a tree hole about three metres high on a steep cattle track in the remote village of Inku, I saw something glow in the twilight,” he said. Dr. Dharma Rajan Priyadarsanan Ashoka Foundation for Ecological and Environmental Research and colleagues.
“In the dim light, two insects were sucked into the aspirator, which, to my surprise, I later discovered were ants.”
“Arunachal Pradesh, located in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, Cyan Valley “There is a world of unparalleled diversity, much of which remains to be explored,” they said.
“But this richness, both culturally and ecologically, faces unprecedented threats.”
“Large infrastructure projects such as dams, highways and military installations, along with climate change, are rapidly transforming the valley.”
“The impacts extend beyond the valley itself, as these mountains not only sustain their own diverse ecosystems but also play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of millions of people living downstream.”
Named Paraparatretina NeelaThe newly discovered species is a tiny ant measuring less than 2mm in length.
The body is primarily metallic blue, except for the antennae, mandibles, and legs.
The head is subtriangular, with large eyes and triangular mouthparts (mandible) bearing five teeth.
This species has a distinctive metallic blue colour that distinguishes it from other species in the genus.
“With the exception of marine sponges, blue colouration in animals is a relatively rare phenomenon,” the researchers said.
“But there are also some blue species among vertebrates, such as fish, frogs and birds, and invertebrates, such as spiders.”
“Blue colors in insects are typically produced by the arrangement of biological photonic nanostructures rather than pigments, and have evolved independently in different groups.”
“This vibrant feature raises an intriguing question: Could it serve a purpose in communication, camouflage, or other ecological interactions? A closer look at the evolution of this conspicuous color and its relationship to elevation and biology could provide clues.” Paraparatretina Neela It points to exciting avenues for research.”
Discovery Paraparatretina Neela It has been reported paper In the journal Zookie.
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R. Sahanashree other2024. Amazing new species Parapara Tretina Donisthorpe (1947) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae), from the Eastern Himalayas of India. Zookie 1203: 159-172; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168
Very low-mass stars orbit rocky exoplanets more frequently than other types of stars. The composition of these planets is poorly understood, but it is thought to be related to the protoplanetary disk in which they form. In the new study, astronomers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to investigate the chemical composition of the planet-forming disk around ISO-ChaI 147, a red dwarf star just one-tenth the mass of the Sun. They identified emission from 13 carbon-containing molecules, including ethane and benzene.
This is an artist's impression of a young star surrounded by a disk of gas and dust. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL.
ISO-ChaI 147 It is a red dwarf star with a mass 0.11 times that of the Sun, located about 639 light years away in the constellation Chamaeleon.
The star was observed as part of the MIRI Mid-Infrared Disk Survey (MINDS), which aims to bridge the gap between the chemical composition of the disk and the properties of exoplanets.
These observations provide insight into the environments and fundamental elements for the formation of such planets.
Astronomers discovered that the gas in ISO-ChaI 147's planet-forming region is rich in carbon.
This could be due to carbon being removed from the solid material from which rocky planets form, which could explain why Earth is relatively carbon-poor.
“WEBB has greater sensitivity and spectral resolution than conventional infrared space telescopes,” said Dr Aditya Arabavi, an astronomer at the University of Groningen.
“These observations are not possible from Earth because the radiation is blocked by the atmosphere.”
“So far we have only been able to identify acetylene emissions from this object.”
“But Webb's high sensitivity and spectral resolution allowed us to detect faint emissions from fewer molecules.”
“Thanks to Webb, we now know that these hydrocarbon molecules are not only diverse, but abundant as well.”
The spectrum of ISO-ChaI 147 shows the richest hydrocarbon chemical composition ever observed in a protoplanetary disk, consisting of 13 carbon-containing molecules. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Ralf Crawford, STScI.
The spectrum of ISO-ChaI 147 is Webb's mid-infrared measuring instrument (MIRI) displays the richest hydrocarbon chemical composition ever observed in a protoplanetary disk, consisting of 13 carbon-containing molecules up to benzene.
This includes the first extrasolar detection of ethane, the largest fully saturated hydrocarbon detected outside the solar system.
Fully saturated hydrocarbons are expected to form from more basic molecules, so detecting them here can give researchers clues about their chemical environment.
Astronomers also detected ethylene, propyne, and methyl radicals in a protoplanetary disk for the first time.
“These molecules have already been detected in our solar system, for example in comets such as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy),” Dr. Arababi said.
“It's amazing that we can now see these molecules dancing in the cradle of the planet.”
“This is a completely different environment to how we normally think of planet formation.”
The team note that these results have significant implications for the astrochemistry within 0.1 AU and the planets that form there.
“This is very different to the composition found in disks around solar-type stars, where oxygen-containing molecules (such as carbon dioxide and water) dominate,” said Dr Inga Kamp, also from the University of Groningen.
“This object proves that these are unique classes of objects.”
“It's incredible that we can detect and quantify the amount of a molecule that's well known on Earth, such as benzene, in an object more than 600 light years away,” said Dr Agnes Perrin, an astronomer at the French National Center for Scientific Research.
The only example of life in the universe is Earth, a rocky planet with over 70% water on its surface. As far as we know, all life on Earth relies on water to survive and thrive, so scientists refer to other planets where liquid water is known to exist as “habitable.”
But scientists also know that a puddle of water alone is not enough to sustain life. Life depends on a constant flow of electrons between molecules, which Electronic GradientTo create energy, electrons move away from areas of high electron density. Reducelow density areas, so-called Oxidize.
Scientists have found several planets and moons in our solar system that have liquid water. Researchers are particularly intrigued by Jupiter's moon Europa, because remote sensing has revealed that it has a salty liquid ocean about 100 kilometers (60 miles) deep on top of a crust of iron-rich rock, with a layer of ice about 10 kilometers (6 miles) thick on top of that.
Europa has no atmosphere to protect it from the sun's radiation, which allows chemical reactions to take place that consume electrons on its surface, creating an oxidizing environment. In contrast, its iron-rich crust creates a reducing environment beneath its oceans. This means that an electron gradient naturally forms along the path from Europa's oxidizing surface to its reduced ocean floor. Scientists want to know if life could harness this electron gradient to obtain enough energy to sustain itself and survive.
Researchers studying Europa From the data Cassini and Galileo The mission found that Europa's ocean temperatures range from 0 to -13 degrees Celsius, or 32 to 9 degrees Celsius. They found that the hottest temperatures are found closest to the ocean floor, where heat is generated by reactions between water and rock, similar to Earth's hydrothermal systems. They also found that some of the most abundant molecules near Europa's surface are all oxide molecules, such as carbonates and sulfates.
Based on these temperature constraints and the amount of energy provided by oxidizing molecules on Europa's surface, a team of researchers from the University of Akron and the University of Southern California calculated the amount of energy available for life in Europa's ocean and investigated whether three types of Earth microorganisms could live beneath Europa's ocean. The microorganisms they tested generate energy using carbonates, sulfates, or iron particles. They reasoned that because all three of these oxidizing molecules are found on Europa's icy surface, if delivered to the ocean floor, the organisms could combine with reducing molecules on the ocean floor to generate energy.
The researchers calculated that in Europa's environment, molten iron near the surface layer of ice would form solid particles when exposed to penetrating radiation from the sun, and slowly fall to the ocean floor — like snow falling from the sky on Earth, except instead of water ice particles, the ocean rains down in the form of rust-like, reddish iron particles.
The scientists calculated that iron oxide snow would provide a larger electron gradient than carbonates or sulfates, ultimately generating more energy for life. They estimated that iron snow could provide up to 2.5×1026 More than 100 microbial cells are found on Europa's ocean floor per year, which represents about 0.1% of the total number of microbial cells currently living in Earth's oceans.
However, the authors caution that only around 10% of the energy produced by organisms on Earth is used to generate cells — the remaining 90% is used to maintain metabolism, meaning that the number of cells that microbial life could actually generate from Europa's underwater iron pathways would be much lower than the authors estimate.
Nevertheless, the authors suggest that these cell count calculations could be used to design missions to search for life on Europa: When future satellites orbit Europa, researchers could estimate how much cell mass we might expect from microbes living in the iron passages on the Europa ocean floor.
Two micropipettes hold the organism and extend its “neck”
Elliot Flaum and Manu Prakash/Stanford University
Imagine if your neck could stretch long enough to reach your local store while sitting on the couch. That would be a human representation of what a single-celled predator can do. And now, a long-standing mystery has been solved: how that animal can stretch its “neck” to more than 30 times the length of its “body.”
The organism’s cell membrane is folded into a series of folds that can only unfold and fold in one direction. Elliot Flaum Stanford University and her colleagues Manu Prakash They found ways to stretch and fold the paper without it getting tangled. “Most of this came from just playing with paper,” Prakash says.
Lacrimaria Aurore It is a single-celled organism, or protist, that lives in freshwater and hunts prey with a highly extensible neck-like protrusion. Its name means “swan’s tears” after its swan-like neck and teardrop-shaped body.
The cell membrane is very flexible, but it is not elastic and does not stretch. L. Aurore Why their necks stretch so far has remained a mystery since they were first observed under a microscope in the 16th century. “Compared to a lot of other organisms, the neck stretches by an order of magnitude,” Prakash says. “That’s the mystery.”
He and Flaum L. Aurore To solve this mystery, samples taken from the swamp six or seven years ago were studied. Flaum used a variety of techniques to L. Aurore And inside that cytoskeleton is made up of structures called microtubules. “We looked at it in a variety of different ways to try to understand what was going on,” she says.
This means: L. Aurore It is folded into 15 pleats, with each pleat spiralling around the cell to form a helical structure, a folding pattern Prakash calls “curved crease origami,” or “lacrigami.”
but, L. Aurore How can such a vast region of the cell membrane unfold and fold without getting tangled? What Prakash and Flaum discovered is that because the pleats are stabilized by bands of microtubules connected to them, the entire fold cannot unfold at once. Instead, only a single point of the fold can unfold or fold at any one time.
As these points move in parallel along each of the 15 wrinkles, the cell membrane unfolds in an orderly fashion, lengthening the neck. Reversing this process shortens the neck.
“Instead of folding randomly like you would when crumpling a sheet of paper, it has guide rails that help you fold it the same way every time,” Flaum says.
The folding and unfolding of cells is driven by the beating of cilia that cover the entire surface of the cell, Prakash said. Unlike springs, cilia require energy to refold and unfold, whereas cell membranes bend easily and require very little energy.
As far as he knows, no one has discovered this origami technique before. “When I discovered this, I always assumed that someone playing with paper would have discovered this origami,” Prakash says. “It’s so easy.” He says anyone with paper and tape can make it.
“The neck’s ingenious origami-like design makes the cilia effective for high-speed, long-distance hunting,” they write. Leonardo Gordillo and Enrique Cerda At the University of Santiago in Chile Accompanying Articles“The origami-like protrusion mechanism identified by Flaum and Prakash has the potential to inspire new strategies in soft-matter engineering.”
In fact, Prakash and Flaum are currently working on developing a medical robot based on Rakurigami. “If you had a tiny microrobot in a very tight space, and it could suddenly stretch, that would be very useful for microsurgery,” he says. “But we did this research because it’s just beautiful and a mystery to solve. We didn’t expect it to be useful in any way.”
Two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station on Thursday, despite issues with the spacecraft's thrusters.
NASA confirmed that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams docked with the space station at 1:34 p.m. ET.
“It's good to be connected to the great city of the sky,” Wilmore told mission controllers on the ground.
The docking attempt, originally scheduled for 12:15 p.m. ET, was postponed due to problems with five thrusters on the Starliner.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft docked with the International Space Station at 1:34 p.m. ET on June 6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The hatch between the Starliner capsule and the space station was opened about two hours after docking.
Astronaut Williams was the first to enter the space station, greeted by the ISS crew members already on board.
Wilmore and Williams expressed their gratitude to the teams that worked to get them to the ISS and said they were ready to begin work in orbit.
Their arrival brings the International Space Station to full capacity.
Wilmore and Williams are expected to spend about a week on the ISS before potentially returning to Earth on June 14.
Flight controllers will continue to monitor the capsule's reaction control thrusters for further adjustments.
The Starliner capsule is capable of autonomous docking with the space station.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft prepares to dock with the International Space Station. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is more than 24 hours away from its first crewed test flight to the space station.
The test flight aims to demonstrate the capsule's ability to safely transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
This giant pangolin was caught on camera on March 8, 2023 in Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal.
Panthera/DPN
A giant pangolin has been spotted in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park for the first time in 24 years, reviving hopes that the endangered animal still survives in the country.
“No one thought pangolins were still alive. [this park]” Muhammadu Modi Ndiaye At wildlife monitoring group Panthera.
Giant pangolin (Smutcha GiganteaThe pangolin, the only one of four African pangolin species found in Senegal, previously inhabited a wide area of forests and savannas from Senegal to western Kenya. But in recent decades, the scaly mammal's population has declined due to poaching for its meat and scales, as well as extensive deforestation. The report says: Over 8 million pangolins They were poached in West and Central Africa between 2014 and 2021, making them one of the most commonly trafficked animals in the world.
Giant pangolins are shy, solitary and nocturnal, so you probably won't see them outside their burrows. The last time a giant pangolin was captured and officially identified was in Senegal in April 1967. Thirty years later, two were found during an ecological survey. Since then, conservationists have not seen a single giant pangolin.
That was until he was photographed walking slowly across a dry riverbed at 1:37 a.m. on March 8, 2023. Snapshot was captured The image was captured by one of 217 research camera traps scattered across more than 4,000 square kilometres of Niokolo Koba National Park.
“I was so excited when I saw the baby pangolin,” Ndiaye said.
The sighting suggests that Niokolo-Koba National Park could become the last bastion for pangolin monitoring and conservation in Senegal, according to the report. Alan D.T. Muafo Researchers from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Pangolin Specialist Group have produced a report on surveying pangolin habitat and identifying its habitat, which he says is particularly important as there are many areas where “local extinction” is suspected, where pangolins are no longer active.
“This sighting is a ray of hope for pangolins' survival in West Africa and could help raise public awareness of their plight,” Muafo said, adding that he hopes it marks a “turning point for new conservation efforts.”
What exactly can dogs offer cities? The answer is coming soon.
Reader Dorothy Sheckler informed Feedback that Brad D. Lee of the University of Kentucky will be presenting his views at the Soil & Water Conservation Association conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on July 22, 2024. What will Lee’s presentation topic be?Nutritional contributions of pet dogs in urban peri-urban environments” “.
Tensions may be palpable during the talks, as the host city announced that dogs will only be allowed on beaches this summer before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m., and owners “must pick up and properly dispose of their feces.”
Mussel-bound Death
Through investigation and international cooperation, two preserved bodies that had long been forgotten were rediscovered.
Keith Moeliker, a biologist who studies surprising animal behavior (he discovered homosexual necrophilia in mallards, according to feedback on February 10, 2024), tells us what happened.
“The fate of Denmark’s black-headed gulls is dramatic.Chroicocephalus ridibundus“In 1952 a seagull stepped on a freshwater clam,” he writes, “and the clam closed its valve and refused to let go. The proof, of the seagull (now dead) with the clam still attached to its right foot, was found in an old photograph I found in the depths of the Internet.”
Mölliker learned that the photo was taken at the Hunting and Forestry Museum in Hörsholm, eastern Denmark. In 2017, the museum moved to and became part of another institution, the Green Museum in Auning, western Denmark. As is often the case with large and diverse museum collections, some treasures were safely stored but largely unnoticed. Mölliker got in touch with the Green Museum curator, who picked up the twin objects (officially named JSH 05542) from their resting place on a long shelf in a heavily refrigerated building.
“In April 2024, I was allowed to observe the black-headed gull in the museum’s collection storage facility and was able to take this photograph,” Moeliker continues (see below). “There I learned more: the gull had not died embracing the mussels, but had been shot together with the mussels near Solo on Zealand. [Denmark]Another special item from the same Danish collection is JHS 05924, the leg of a herring gull that was found trapped inside a half-open tin can in 1954.”
Mustache denial
Feedback consulted with native Iranian (or, in the ChatGPT era, human, if you prefer) translators to solve this puzzling mystery. Several recent studies published in Iranian research journals use strange wording in their titles. Here are three examples:
Each paper is written in a mixture of Persian and Arabic, and includes a synopsis written in English, which includes a reference to “Moustache” as well as each title.
Why the moustache? Feedback’s language consultant was astonished. “Because the translator of the paper is a complete idiot!! The word for “path” in Arabic is [of doing something]’ is sometimes called SavilePersian [Farsi], Sybil It means “mustache.” The translator might just be Google.
The world will now find out what impact these moustache-twirling papers will have on international diplomatic relations.
Mustache measurement
While pursuing the intricacies of mustache negation rules, Feedback stumbled upon a (possibly unrelated) study published in 1982:Survival curves and growth rates of mustache populationsThe paper, written by Cliff Frohlich and Ruth Buskirk, reports measurements of “three previously unstudied characteristics of mustaches: hair length distribution, hair growth rate, and rate of hair shedding or weathering,” all of which were measured on “unshaven mustaches of 30-year-old Caucasian men.”
Eleven years later, Frohlich cited Mustache’s paper, studyPublished in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earthdiscussed the subtle mathematical aspects of measuring earthquake strength. He noted that, like mustache growth, “earthquakes are just one of many phenomena for which a logarithmic plot of number versus magnitude is approximately a straight line.”
Marc Abrahams is the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founder of the journal Annals of Improbable Research. He previously worked on unusual uses of computers. His website is Impossible
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You can submit articles for Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week’s and past Feedback can be found on our website.
SpaceX is preparing Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, for its next test launch. Here’s everything you need to know.
What time is the launch scheduled?
The launch is expected to take place today, pending regulatory approval, and each flight must be approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration. SpaceX tweeted: The live stream begins at 12:30 p.m. UK time.
Judge Eddie Trevino of Cameron County, Texas, where SpaceX’s Starbase launch site is located, has closed nearby roads for flight testing. The closures are limited to a 14-hour period between midnight and 5pm local time.
Where is Starship going?
The fourth test flight will focus on returning Starship from orbit and conducting a mock landing of both the Starship and the Super Heavy first stage booster. Both vehicles will make a “soft splashdown” in the ocean, using their engines to slow their descent and line up for a gentle touch down on the water. The first stage booster will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, while Starship aims to splash down in the Indian Ocean.
What has happened in Starship launches so far?
All three Starship launches have ended in explosions, as part of SpaceX’s strategy to learn from failures. The second launch reached space but was destroyed before completing an orbit. The third test flight reached space and achieved important milestones, despite failing to make a soft landing.
What would happen if this launch were to fail?
The chances of Starship completing its mission perfectly are slim, so failure is expected. However, this failure will provide valuable data and experience to improve future launches. SpaceX has shown the ability to iterate quickly and make progress with each launch.
A genetic study of hundreds of ancient horses suggests that ancient breeders dramatically shortened the horse’s natural development period, starting around 4,200 years ago. This intense breeding allowed the lineage to rapidly expand across Eurasia within a few centuries, according to researchers led by Ludovic Orlando at the Centre for Human Biology and Genomics in Toulouse, France.
“In other words, they controlled horse breeding,” he says, “so this tells us something about the breeding processes behind the success of horse breeding around the world.”
Horses were first domesticated 5,500 years ago by the Botai people in what is now Kazakhstan. The Botai, however, did not spread their horse culture to other regions and eventually went extinct. Horses released back into the wild.
More than 1,000 years later, a different lineage of horse was domesticated in the Pontic-Caspian steppes of southern Russia. This lineage eventually spread worldwide, giving rise to all the domesticated horses we see today, according to Orlando.
To trace the history of horse domestication, Orlando and his team analyzed the genomes of 475 ancient horses dating back 50,000 years in Eurasia. They compared these genomes with those of 71 modern domestic horses representing 40 breeds from around the world, along with six species of the endangered mullein genus (a separate subspecies).
The research found that, except for the Botai, horses were not domesticated before the third millennium BCE, indicating that horses did not play a significant role in early human migration or cultural expansion, as previously suggested, Orlando explained.
DNA analysis showed that horses in the Pontic-Caspian steppe underwent significant inbreeding around 4,200 years ago, likely in an effort to develop specific traits for high-quality riding or chariot horses, according to Orlando.
Through a combination of genome sequencing and carbon dating, scientists estimated that the average time between two successive horse generations, called the generation time interval, was significantly shortened during the same period of inbreeding in the Pontic-Caspian steppes, halving the interval seen in the wild.
“During the domestication bottleneck around 2200 BCE, breeders were able to control horse reproduction so well that generations became faster and faster,” Orlando said.
Orlando suggests that breeders may have achieved this shortening of generation times not by breeding horses at a younger age, but by increasing survival rates. Unlike wild horses, horses in human care are less susceptible to deaths among mares and newborn foals, as they are protected from predators and disturbances that could jeopardize their survival, according to researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna led by Kristin Orlich.
SpaceX’s Starship, the largest rocket ever, successfully completed its fourth test flight, with the first and second stages completing their missions as planned and each landing in different oceans.
Following liftoff from the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 7:50 a.m. local time, one of the 33 Raptor engines on Super Heavy’s first stage failed to ignite. Despite this, the rocket continued into space and the two stages separated cleanly.
Super Heavy splashed down on schedule about seven minutes after liftoff, close to the launch site in the Gulf of Mexico. After plummeting to Earth from an altitude of more than 100 kilometers, the booster’s engines ignited normally and it slowed from more than 4,000 kilometers per hour to hover just a few meters above the sea surface, but then the live feed cut out and it plunged into the ocean.
Meanwhile, Starship reached an orbit at an altitude of more than 200 kilometers and traveled at a speed of more than 27,000 kilometers per hour. During its descent to Earth, about 60 kilometers above the surface, SpaceX’s livestream footage showed visible damage to one of its four control fins and what appeared to be a cracked camera lens. As it reached the Indian Ocean, it appeared to hover before plummeting into the water.
This fourth test flight focused on returning Starship from orbit after it had reached space for the first time in the previous test. SpaceX opted to perform a “soft splashdown” at sea, as landing on land is currently considered too risky. Instead, the craft would use its engines to slow its descent, align itself as if it were landing on a base, and then gently splash down on the water.
Eventually, the hope is that spacecraft will be able to be refurbished and reused by returning to land from space, as SpaceX already does with its Falcon 9 rocket.
Today’s launch marks the company’s fourth Starship launch and includes software and hardware upgrades, as well as changes to launch procedures based on lessons learned from previous tests. In the first test in April of last year, the first and second stages exploded before separating, and in another test in November, the second upper stage reached space but stopped transmitting data and self-destructed, and the first stage exploded shortly after separation.
SpaceX’s third Starship test flight on March 14 was at least partially successful, reaching space, conducting a fuel transfer test, and flying farther and faster than ever before, but the spacecraft lost control during the flight and failed to make a planned soft landing.
SpaceX is preparing for the next test launch of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built. Here’s everything you need to know.
What time is the launch scheduled?
The launch is expected to take place today, pending regulatory approval, and each flight must be approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration. SpaceX tweeted: The live stream begins at 12:30 p.m. UK time.
Judge Eddie Trevino of Cameron County, Texas, where SpaceX’s Starbase launch site is located, Nearby roads are closed In official documents, Treviño clarified that the closures were for “flight testing” and were limited to a 14-hour period between midnight and 5pm local time.
Where is Starship going?
The fourth test flight will focus on returning Starship from orbit and conducting a mock landing of both the Starship and the Super Heavy first stage booster. Both vehicles will make a “soft splashdown” in the ocean, using their engines to slow their descent and line up for a gentle touch down on the water. The first stage booster is scheduled to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, not far from the launch site, about seven minutes after liftoff, while Starship aims to splash down in the Indian Ocean about an hour later.
What has happened in Starship launches so far?
All three Starship launches have ended in explosions, which was expected as part of SpaceX’s “fail fast, learn fast” strategy.
During the first launch on April 20 last year, three of the first stage’s three engines (out of a total of 33) failed to ignite. Several more subsequently failed during the flight. The rocket then spun out of control and its self-destruct safety mechanism was activated. The entire flight lasted about three minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 39 kilometers.
Starship’s second launch was on November 18. This time, all 33 engines were working, and the rocket flew far enough for the first and second stages to separate. But as the first stage rotated to begin its deceleration and landing procedure, it exploded. The second stage continued on smoothly to an altitude of about 90 miles, passing the Kármán line, which marks the beginning of space. But it was destroyed by a safety device after it stopped transmitting data before completing an orbit or returning to Earth.
SpaceX’s third Starship test flight, on March 14, was at least partially successful, as it reached space, performed a fuel transfer test, and flew farther and faster than ever before. However, it lost attitude control during the flight and failed to make the planned soft landing. Nevertheless, it achieved several important milestones, including Starship’s first atmospheric reentry from space, the first opening and closing of Starship’s payload door in space, and a successful demonstration of fuel transfer, which is key for future NASA Artemis missions to the Moon.
What would happen if this launch were to fail?
The chances of Starship completing its mission perfectly are slim, so it’s likely to fail in some way. But failure will provide data and experience that can be used to improve the design and process for the fifth launch. SpaceX has shown it can iterate quickly and make great strides with each launch.
Xylitol is often marketed as a “natural” way to sweeten drinks and foods.
Pixelshot/Alamy
Xylitol, a sweetener commonly found in sugar-free drinks, chewing gum and toothpaste, has been shown to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Often marketed as “low carb,” “natural,” or “keto-friendly,” xylitol is a sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables, but at levels roughly 1,000 times lower than what’s added to commercial products. It can also be prepared artificially. Chemical reactions from plant materials.
last year, Stanley Hazen Hazen and his colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found that the sweetener erythritol was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Suspecting that xylitol might also affect heart health, Hazen surveyed 3,306 adults in the United States and Europe.
The researchers took a single blood sample from participants to measure their xylitol levels after an overnight fast, and found that over a three-year follow-up, those with the highest blood xylitol levels were one-third more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.
To better understand this trend, the researchers looked at the effects of xylitol in the lab on human blood cells called platelets, and on platelet activity in mice. Platelets crowd together at the site of an injury to prevent bleeding, but they can also clot within blood vessels. This can affect blood supply to the heart and brain, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers found that human platelets cultured in xylitol showed signs of being more likely to clot than those cultured in saline, and blood clots formed significantly more quickly in the veins of mice injected with xylitol.
Finally, the team tracked platelet activity in 10 subjects after they drank the same amount of water sweetened with xylitol. Within 30 minutes, plasma xylitol levels increased 1000-fold, and all indicators of platelet clotting readiness improved, especially in subjects with the highest levels of xylitol in their blood.
“This study highlights the urgent need to investigate sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners,” Hazen said. “While there’s no need to throw away your toothpaste just because it contains xylitol, people should be aware that consuming products high in xylitol may increase their risk of developing blood clot-related conditions.”
Combined with previous research on erythritol, the findings “emphasize the need for systematic research into the effects of artificial sweeteners on cardiovascular disease risk,” the researchers say. Silvia Radenkovic At the University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands.
A new study led by scientists at the University of New South Wales confirms that eating fruit can help ward off depression – but eating vegetables does not.
High fruit intake is associated with a reduced risk of developing depression.
Depression is a major public health concern: the global impact of depressive disorders is estimated to be over 50 million years of life lived with disability, making depression the largest contributor to non-fatal disease burden.
More than 80% of this burden is borne by low- and middle-income countries.
Compared with depression in younger adults, depression in older adults has a greater impact on physical and cognitive abilities and is associated with reduced quality of life and increased all-cause mortality.
A growing body of evidence suggests that diet, particularly increasing fruit and vegetable intake, may be important in reducing the risk of depression.
“The aim of this new study was to examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and depression in adults aged 45 and over,” said researcher Dr Annabel Mattison, from the University of New South Wales.
The study involved 7,801 non-depressed, community-dwelling adults from multiple sites across six continents, including the United States, Sweden, Brazil, Nigeria, Malaysia and Australia.
The results showed a beneficial association between higher fruit intake and a lower risk of depression over a nine-year period.
“This intriguing finding of a protective relationship between fruit consumption and risk of depression points to the need for greater emphasis on diet in healthcare,” said Dr Mattison.
The results suggested a benefit to vegetable consumption, but the benefit was not statistically significant.
“The reason we found a beneficial association with fruit consumption but not with vegetable consumption may be because fruits are typically consumed raw, whereas vegetables are typically consumed cooked, which may affect their nutritional value,” Dr Mattison said.
“Fruit and vegetable intake was self-reported via a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire, a short food questionnaire, or a dietary history.”
“Depressive symptoms were assessed using validated scales, and depression was defined by applying validated cut-offs.”
“We used Cox regression to examine the association between baseline fruit and vegetable intake and incident depression over 3- to 9-year follow-up periods.”
It has been suggested that the high antioxidant, dietary fiber, and vitamin content of fruits and vegetables may have beneficial effects on depression through a variety of mechanisms, including their role in inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota.
Because fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients, it is also possible that different types of fruits and vegetables may have different effects on depression risk.
The evidence that citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables reduce the risk of depression is particularly strong.
“Future studies that take into account consumption of different types of fruit and vegetables using standardized measures and focus on a larger number of older people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are definitely needed,” Professor Henry Brodaty, from the University of New South Wales, said.
“The expanding research currently being conducted into genes associated with dietary intake provides a promising avenue for influencing fruit and vegetable intake.”
“To better understand the association, the types of fruits and vegetables consumed also need to be taken into account, and studies need to be designed to be more comparable across cohorts.”
of study Published in Journal of Affective Disorders.
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Annabelle P. Mathison others2024. Associations between fruit and vegetable intake and incident depression in middle-aged and older adults in 10 diverse international longitudinal cohorts. Journal of Affective Disorders 359: 373-381; doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.096
Neutron stars typically spin quickly, taking just a few seconds or even a fraction of a second to complete one revolution around their axis, but one neutron star labeled ASKAP J1935+2148 bucks this rule, emitting radio signals at a relatively slow interval of 53.8 minutes.
Artist's impression of a neutron star. Image courtesy of Sci.News.
“We're used to extreme examples when studying radio-emitting neutron stars, so the discovery of such a compact star that is still emitting radio waves despite rotating slowly was unexpected,” said Professor Ben Stappers, from the University of Manchester.
“This new generation of radio telescopes demonstrates that pushing the boundaries of our search space will reveal surprises that will shake up our understanding.”
At the end of their lives, massive stars use up all their fuel and undergo a spectacular explosion called a supernova.
What remains is a stellar remnant called a neutron star, which consists of trillions of neutrons packed into an extremely dense sphere with a mass 1.4 times that of the Sun, packed into a radius of just 10 km.
Astronomers detected an unexpected radio signal from ASKAP J1935+2148 that traveled about 16,000 light-years to Earth.
The nature of its radio emission and the rate of change of its rotation period suggest that it is a neutron star, but further study is needed to confirm what this object is.
“This discovery relied on the complementary capabilities of the ASKAP and MeerKAT telescopes, combined with our ability to probe these objects on timescales of minutes, and examine how their radiation changes from second to second,” said Dr Kaustubh Rajwade, an astronomer at the University of Oxford.
“Such synergies can shed new light on how these compact objects evolve.”
ASKAP J1935+2148 was detected by CSIRO's ASKAP radio telescope in the Wadjari Yamatji region of Western Australia.
“What's interesting is that this object exhibits three different radiation states, each with completely different properties to the others,” said Dr Manisha Caleb, an astronomer at the University of Sydney.
“The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa played a key role in distinguishing between these states.”
“If the signals had not come from the same point in the sky, it would be hard to believe that it was the same object producing these different signals.”
“Until the arrival of these new telescopes, the dynamic radio sky was relatively unexplored,” said Professor Tara Murphy, from the University of Sydney.
“Now we can look deeply and frequently see a variety of unusual phenomena.”
“These events give us insight into how physics works in extreme environments.”
This discovery paper In the journal Natural Astronomy.
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M. Caleb othersA radio transient phenomenon in which the radiation state switches with a period of 54 minutes. Nat AstronPublished online June 5, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02277-w
Pachystropheus reticulum One of the last thalattosaurs, it was a large marine lizard with otter-like behaviour that could move on land, but was likely a primarily marine predator with a different ecological niche from contemporary marine reptiles (placodonts, ichthyosaurs) and carnivorous fishes (hybodont sharks, actinopterygii).
Restoration of Life Thalattosaurus alexandraePhoto courtesy of: Nobu Tamura, translation:.
Pachystropheus reticulum It is a type of thalattosaur that lived in the Late Triassic deposits of Britain and continental Europe.
Although known for a long time, this ancient reptile still remains shrouded in mystery.
For many years, is assumedPachystropheus reticulum the first chorusAnother group of marine reptiles similar to crocodiles.
In the new study, paleontologist Jacob Quinn of the University of Bristol and his colleagues Pachystropheus reticulum Since 1935.
They called this PachistropheusKnown as Annie, the cave contains hundreds of bones from several different humans.
“Thalattosaurs existed throughout the Triassic Period, some of which reached lengths of up to four metres (13 feet) and would have been terrors of the seas,” Quinn said.
“But our Pachystropheus reticulum Its body was just over a metre (3.3 feet) long, half of which was its long tail.”
“It had a long neck, a tiny head the size of a matchbox (which has yet to be found) and four paddles.”
“If it was like its relatives, it would have had lots of sharp little teeth that were ideal for catching fish and other small, mobile prey.”
“Before Pachystropheus reticulum “This dinosaur was the first to be identified as a member of the Choristoderes, another group of crocodile-like marine reptiles, and was held in great importance because it was the oldest,” said Professor Mike Benton, from the University of Bristol.
“Jacob said some of the bones were from fish and others were actually Pachystropheus reticulum “That indicates that it was in fact a small thalattosaur.”
“So what was thought to be the first of the choristoderes has now been identified as the last of the thalattosaurs.”
“Pachystropheus reticulum “It probably lived a similar lifestyle to modern otters, feeding on small fish, shrimp and other invertebrates,” said Dr David Whiteside.
“This slender reptile had a long neck, a flattened tail for swimming, and surprisingly strong forelimbs for a marine animal. Pachystropheus reticulum They may have come onto land to feed or to avoid predators.”
“At the time, the Bristol area, and much of Europe, was covered by shallow waters and these animals likely lived in large populations in the warm, shallow waters around the islands.”
of result Appears in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Jacob G. Quinn othersRelationships and paleoecology Pachystropheus reticuluman enigmatic marine reptile (diapsid: Thalattosaurinae) from the Late Triassic period. Journal of Vertebrate PaleontologyPublished online June 4, 2024; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2350408
The Alameda, California City Council decided not to permit ongoing controversial experiments related to technology that aims to brighten clouds. The project involves spraying saltwater onto a former aircraft carrier’s deck at the city’s pier to test devices that can create and measure aerosol plumes. This research could lead to marine cloud brightening, a form of climate intervention aimed at making clouds more reflective to send heat back into space and help mitigate global warming. Despite the potential long-term benefits, the council unanimously voted against continuing the experiments.
This decision placed city officials in the midst of a national debate about geoengineering and whether testing such technology should be allowed. The council’s vote does not reject the science or the concept of geoengineering but rather criticizes the lack of transparency, safety vetting, and misguided approach of the researchers. The researchers from the University of Washington had already begun the experiment on the USS Hornet in Alameda without proper public disclosure. The experiments aimed to study the effects of increasing water droplets in clouds to make them more reflective to sunlight, which could help reduce global warming.
The council’s concerns focused on potential health risks to the community surrounding the experiment site, lack of regulatory measures, and insufficient transparency from the project leaders. Despite claims of safety from the researchers, city leaders stopped the experiments, prompting a discussion on the risks and benefits of geoengineering.
While project organizers expressed disappointment with the council’s decision, outside environmental groups warned about the broader implications of geoengineering, fearing unintended consequences that could impact global climate efforts. The debate highlights the challenges of advancing geoengineering research in the face of skepticism and concerns about the potential risks associated with altering natural systems.
Earth’s Speed It’s getting warmer 2023 is the highest on record, beating last year’s astonishing 92%. Record-breaking heatwave Leading scientists have calculated that the cause is human.
A group of 57 scientists from around the world used UN-approved methods to investigate what’s behind it. Last year’s heatwaveThey said that even if the rate of warming has increased, they found no evidence of a significant acceleration of human-induced climate change beyond increased burning of fossil fuels.
Last year’s record temperatures were so extraordinary that scientists have been debating what’s behind the spike, whether climate change is accelerating or if other factors are at play.
“When we see the world accelerating or going through a major tipping point, things aren’t happening,” said Piers Forster, a climate scientist at the University of Leeds and lead author of the study. “Temperatures are rising and things are getting worse exactly as we predicted.”
A person sprays water at passersby on a hot summer day in Karachi, Pakistan on May 30, 2024. Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images
This can mostly be explained by the buildup of carbon dioxide from increased fossil fuel use, he and his co-authors said.
Last year’s warming rate was 0.26C (0.47F) per decade, up from 0.25C (0.45F) the year before. Forster said that’s not a huge difference, but this year’s rate is the highest on record.
Still, outside scientists said the report paints a more alarming picture than ever before.
“While whether or not to tackle climate is a politically contentious issue, this report should remind people that it is actually a fundamentally life-saving choice,” said Andrea Dutton, a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin who was not part of the international research team. “To me, that’s something worth fighting for.”
Ocean Beach in San Francisco during a heat wave warning in California on June 4, 2024. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The authors, who formed to provide an annual scientific update between major UN scientific assessments every seven to eight years, concluded that last year’s temperature was 1.43 degrees Celsius higher than the 1850-1900 average, of which 1.31 degrees was due to human activities. The remaining 8 percent of warming was Mainly due to El NiñoThese include natural, temporary warming in the central Pacific Ocean that changes weather around the world, as well as unusual warming along the Atlantic Ocean and other weather randomness.
Looking at longer time frames — decade-by-decade, which scientists prefer over annual periods — the world has warmed about 1.19 degrees Celsius (2.14 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, the report said. Earth System Science Data Journal found.
The report also says that if the world continues to burn coal, oil and natural gas, the planet is likely to reach a point within four and a half years where it will become unavoidable to cross internationally accepted warming thresholds. 1.5℃ (2.7℃) ).
Students experience extreme heat at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on May 7, 2024. Chaidir Mahyudin/AFP via Getty Images
This is consistent with previous studies that project that if emissions trajectory remains unchanged, the planet will reach at least 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming by early 2029. While reaching 1.5 degrees may be years away, it seems inevitable once all the carbon is used, Forster said.
Scientists say that going over 1.5 degrees won’t mean the end of the world or humanity, but it will be pretty dire. Past UN Studies Large-scale changes to Earth’s ecosystems are expected to become more likely with a warming of between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius, ultimately resulting in the loss of the planet’s coral reefs, Arctic sea ice, plant and animal species, as well as more extreme and life-threatening weather events.
Last year’s temperature rise wasn’t just a minor spike — September was particularly unusual, said study co-author Sonia Seneviratne, head of the land climate dynamics department at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
A caged howler monkey receives treatment during a heatwave in Cunduacan, Mexico, on May 24, 2024. The heat was so severe that the monkey fell from a tree and died. Jose Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images
Seneviratne said this year was at the higher end of the range but within expectations.
“If there was an acceleration, it would be even worse, perhaps a worst-case scenario, where the world would reach a tipping point,” Seneviratne said. “But what’s happening now is already very bad, and we’re already seeing big impacts. We’re in the middle of a crisis.”
Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Environmental Studies, and Zeke Hausfather, a global climate scientist at the University of Berkeley, neither of whom worked on the study, said they still see an acceleration in warming, which Hausfather noted is much faster than the 0.18 degrees Celsius (0.32 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade that occurred from 1970 to 2010.
Medical workers treat a dehydrated patient in Austin, Texas, 2023. Brandon Bell/Getty Images file
The scientists Big increase in SeptemberHausfather called that “staggering.” Wednesday’s report didn’t find enough warming from other potential causes. It said that while reduced sulfur pollution from ships had some cooling effect on the atmosphere, that was offset last year by carbon particles released into the atmosphere by Canadian wildfires.
The report also noted that undersea volcanoes, which released huge amounts of heat-trapping water vapor into the atmosphere, also spewed cooling particles, with the two forces roughly cancelling each other out.
“The future is in our hands,” said Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy. “It’s up to us, humans, not physicists, to decide how fast and how much the Earth will warm.”
Gene therapy involves administering normal copies of the mutated gene that causes a particular disease.
nobeastsofierce/Shutterstock
Five Chinese children born deaf have received gene therapy that provides them with a healthy copy of a mutated gene, allowing them to hear in both ears. Although the children have varying degrees of hearing loss, all can now hear and localize sounds at conversational volume.
Six months after treatment, the five children’s hearing was about 50 to 60 percent of normal levels, team members say. Chen Yi Chen “They get confused when we whisper, but normal conversation is fine,” he said at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. “We’re very happy.”
In the first phase of the trial, which began in 2022, the team gave another group of six children in China the gene therapy in just one ear. Five of the six children had their hearing restored in the treated ear, with continued improvement, Chen said.
The team expects to see further progress in the second group of five children. “The progress we’re seeing now isn’t the peak,” Chen says. “We expect to see even more progress.”
The trial in China is the first of several ongoing trials around the world. She lives in the UK with her two children. There have also been reports in the United States of people regaining hearing in one ear after undergoing gene therapy.
“The tests are all pretty much the same.” Manohar Bans Doctors from Cambridge University treated two children in the UK.
All of the children in these trials were born with hearing loss because they carry a mutation in both copies of the gene for a protein called otoferin, which plays a key role in synapses, or connections, between the hair cells in the ear that detect sound and the nerves that transmit signals to the brain. The mutation affects the protein, blocking the transmission of signals.
Between 2 and 8 percent of children worldwide who are born with hearing loss are thought to have this condition, known as DFNB9.
Both parents of a child with DFNB9 have normal hearing if they each have just one mutant copy of otoferlin. These couples are often unaware that they have a one in four chance of having a child that is born deaf.
Gene therapy relies on the help of a virus called AAV to deliver a working version of the otoferlin gene to hair cells. Due to the gene’s large size, it needs to be split and put into two separate viruses.
The virus cocktail is injected into the inner ear, and the complete gene is reconstituted in cells that receive both halves. The DFNB9 trial marks the first time that so-called dual AAV gene therapy has been used to treat humans.
“This is a major technological advance,” Chen says, “and we hope that this technology will be widely used to treat other genetic diseases.”
The clinical trials will begin by treating one ear at a time because half the dose of AAV is needed, reducing the chance of adverse events, he says. No serious adverse events have been reported in any of the trials.
Chen’s team now plans to treat the other ears of the first group of children. This could be difficult because an immune response to the initial AAV injection could block gene delivery, but Chen believes it is possible.
Treating other inherited hearing loss is more difficult because some of the structures inside the ear degenerate. With DFNB9, all of the structures remain intact. “You only need to repair one element,” Chen says.
“Parents and young people need to be aware of all the risks and, above all, understand that hearing loss in itself does not prevent people from living a happy and fulfilling life,” he says.
People collect water in hot weather in New Delhi, India on May 22.
Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu via Getty Images
With each new month comes new records as the planet continues to experience unprecedented, record-breaking heatwaves. Last month, global temperatures were the warmest on record for a May, marking the 12th consecutive month of such record-breaking weather, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Copernicus’ Carlo Buontempo said in a statement that while the current record will eventually end, the record set over the past year is likely to be broken in coming years as the world continues to warm due to rising greenhouse gases. “This period of the hottest months will likely be remembered as a relatively cool one,” Buontempo said.
The average Earth’s surface temperature in May 2024 was 1.52°C higher than the 1850-1900 average, considered pre-industrial levels, and 0.19°C higher than the warmest May to date, in 2020. May 2024 will mark the 11th consecutive month with average temperatures more than 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels, the threshold that countries aim to avoid exceeding under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The global average temperature over the past 12 months was 1.63°C higher than the average from 1850 to 1900, the highest on record, but climate scientists will not consider the 1.5°C limit to have been breached until the long-term average exceeds this level.
Climate scientists had predicted that 2023 and 2024 would be hotter because of an El Niño weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that dumps ocean heat into the atmosphere, temporarily warming the surface of the planet on top of the trends caused by rising greenhouse gases. But temperatures actually turned out to be even hotter than predicted, and it’s unclear why.
El Niño is now being replaced by La Niña, during which much of the Pacific Ocean absorbs more heat than usual from the atmosphere. This may temporarily cool sea surface temperatures, but because sea surface temperatures are still at record levels, 2024 is likely to be even hotter than 2023.
Unusually warm May caused extreme heat and heat waves Heat waves are occurring in parts of the world, including large swaths of India, where temperatures in the capital Delhi reached a new record of 49.9°C (121.8°F) on May 28.
Howler monkeys in Mexico Falling from a tree and dying This heat has now spread to the northern United States during a prolonged heat wave.
Last year, a study warned that if the world exceeds the 1.5°C limit, heatwaves could become so intense that they cause mass deaths in places where people are not used to such heat and buildings are not designed with it in mind.
In 1960, most of the world’s population was deficient in the micronutrient iodine, with serious implications for public health. By 2020, the number of iodine-deficient countries had decreased to 21 (down from 113 in 1990), and 90% of people were receiving sufficient amounts.
The solution? Adding iodine to table salt. Adding iodine to the salt supply is strongly supported by the salt industry and governments, and is arguably one of the most effective public health interventions in history.
In 2024, the world faces a similar public health crisis. High blood pressure is a leading cause of illness and death. A key contributor is excessive sodium intake, which raises blood pressure. But as we report in An Easy Way to Satisfy Your Salt Cravings Without Compromising Your Health, new research suggests that an equally simple solution may be at hand: potassium-fortified salt.
This could be a game changer, since efforts to reduce salt intake have failed for a variety of reasons, not least because people prefer salty foods. Governments and industry must also bear some of the blame: processed food manufacturers have been reluctant to set salt reduction targets, while the salt industry has tried to cast doubt on the efficacy and safety of salt reduction, in part by promoting the idea that too little is as harmful as too much.
Either way, new scientific findings offer a new solution: Switching to potassium-fortified salt is a win-win: reduce sodium and increase potassium intake. New research shows this has a greater impact on blood pressure than reducing sodium intake alone. Only 14% of people get enough potassium. Nearly everyone gets too much sodium.
“If industry won’t act on these findings voluntarily, governments should be forced to do so. Hypertension is an enormous cost to the health care system. Adding potassium to salt, as we have done with iodine, is a surprisingly simple way to save lives and money.”
Hydrogel-made brain sensor is small enough to be injected with a needle
Hanchuan Tang and Jianfeng Zang
Tiny sensors can be injected into the skull with a needle to monitor brain health until they dissolve within a few weeks. These sensors have been tested in animals, and in the future, they may enable minimally invasive, implantable sensors in the human body that can monitor traumatic brain injury and neurological disorders such as epilepsy.
“To my knowledge, this is the first wireless sensor that can monitor conditions inside the body without the need for surgery,” he said. Jules Magda The researcher is from the University of Utah, but was not involved in the study.
The sensor is a soft hydrogel cube about 2 millimeters wide, about the width of a grain of rice. Jiangfeng Zhan Professors from China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology created structured “metagel” sensors by creating precisely spaced air columns throughout a hydrogel. When an external ultrasound source is aimed at the sensor, the channels guide the ultrasound waves. The shape of the sensor changes subtly in response to changing conditions in the brain, such as pressure or temperature, which can be seen in the reflected ultrasound.
“No wiring or electronics are required,” Zhang says. “It’s as if the metagel acts as a tiny acoustic mirror that changes its reflection depending on the environment.”
Zhang and his colleagues showed that when metagel sensors were injected into the brains of rats and pigs, they could measure pressure, temperature, pH levels, and flow rates in nearby blood vessels. They obtained results comparable to wired probes traditionally used to monitor brain health. Their experiments also found that metagel broke down into relatively harmless components, such as water and carbon dioxide, within four to five weeks.
Injecting the sensor into the brain requires a thick needle, which could still cause pain or discomfort, Magda said, and he noted that researchers also need to make sure the dissolved metagel is non-toxic.
Zhang says that the rats in the study showed little swelling in brain tissue or buildup of immune cells after the sensors were implanted and degraded, but he says that longer-term testing in larger animals is still needed to show that the metagel works reliably and safely before clinical trials in humans can begin.
It is already known that excessive salt intake increases blood pressure.
Toufik Ahmed/iStockphoto/Getty Images
Researchers have found that people with the skin condition have higher levels of sodium in their urine, suggesting that excessive salt intake may be linked to eczema.
To see if salt plays a role, Katrina Abuaballah Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) looked at urine sample data from more than 215,800 adults who took part in the UK Biobank study, more than 10,800 of whom had eczema.
The researchers used each participant's urine sample to estimate urinary sodium excretion over a 24-hour period. About 90% of dietary sodium is excreted in the urine.This waste product therefore provides a relatively reliable way of measuring a person's salt intake.
Overall, study participants were estimated to have excreted an average of 3.01 grams of sodium in their urine over a 24-hour period. Typically around 2.5 grams per dayThis is the equivalent of 6 grams of salt, or 1 teaspoon.
The researchers found that for every gram of sodium excreted, participants were 11 percent more likely to be diagnosed with eczema, and their risk of ever developing eczema at any one time increased by 16 percent.
The team acknowledges that a single urine sample may not accurately reflect an individual's typical salt intake, but in another part of the study, the researchers looked at the daily diet of a different group of more than 13,000 U.S. adults and found further correlations between high salt intake and eczema.
In previous studies, Sodium activates immune system cells“The immune system responds to allergens and irritants in a way that triggers several inflammatory pathways,” Abuaballah said. People with eczema have an overactive immune response to allergens and irritants, which causes skin inflammation and subsequent symptoms.
Although the study suggests a link between high urinary sodium levels and eczema, team members say more research is needed to prove that the former causes the latter. Brenda Chanalso at UCSF.
“It's too early to say whether lowering sodium in the diet can reduce the severity or risk of developing eczema,” he said. Karsten Flor At King's College London.
Abuaballah said her team will soon begin enrolling participants for a National Institutes of Health-funded study that will look at the relationship between dietary sodium, sodium levels on the skin, and eczema severity.
Starliner launched on June 5th from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Joe Raedl/Getty Images
Boeing has successfully launched its Starliner spacecraft with a crew for the first time on its third attempt, a landmark launch that gives NASA two commercial options for sending astronauts into space: Boeing and SpaceX.
Starliner was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. June 5th, 10:52 AM (local time) After several years of delays, the manned launch has finally come to fruition. Initially, the manned launch was expected to take place by the end of 2017, but the plans fell behind schedule. The mission was finally scheduled to launch in May, but a valve failure forced NASA to abort the mission. The second launch on June 1 was scheduled for Discarded Due to computer problems.
But the third launch just a few days later was successful, with the capsule reaching orbit as planned. Carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, they made the 24-hour journey to the International Space Station, where they will stay for about a week to test various systems before returning to Earth aboard the same spacecraft.
The capsule was named Calypso. Reportedly Named after Jacques Cousteau's oceanographic ship, the mission's goal is to verify that Starliner is safe to transport crew to the ISS. If these tests are successful and the two astronauts return safely to Earth aboard Starliner, similar ships could begin annual crewed flights to the space station.
Each Starliner is designed to last up to 10 round trips, carrying up to seven people per flight, though a standard operational flight will likely only carry three or four astronauts.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Two contracts won Ten years ago, there were bids for a shuttle ship to transport crew to the International Space Station. One bid was for Boeing's Starliner, the other was SpaceX's Dragon capsule. Dragon outdid Starliner with its first crewed flight in 2020.
Starliner will be the sixth manned orbital spacecraft launched by the United States, following Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle and Dragon.
A device that can convert infrared light into visible light
Laura Valencia Molina et al. 2024
Glasses coated with lithium compounds may one day help us see clearly in the dark.
For more than a decade, researchers have been searching for the best lightweight materials that can convert infrared light, invisible to the human eye, into visible light in order to provide an alternative to night-vision goggles, which are often heavy and cumbersome.
Until recently, the leading candidate was gallium arsenide. Laura Valencia Molina The researchers, from the Australian National University in Canberra, and their colleagues found that a film of lithium niobate coated with a lattice of silicon dioxide performed better.
“Through improved design and material properties, we have achieved a tenfold increase in the conversion rate from infrared to visible light compared to gallium arsenide films,” the team said. Maria del Rocio Camacho MoralesAt the Australian National University.
Through a series of experiments, the team demonstrated that the lithium niobate film could convert high-resolution images from infrared light with a wavelength of 1,550 nanometers to visible light with a wavelength of 550 nanometers, exceeding the capabilities of gallium arsenide.
Night vision goggles require infrared particles called photons to pass through a lens and be converted into electrons in a device called a photocathode. These electrons then pass through a phosphor screen to be converted into visible light photons. This entire process requires cryogenic cooling to prevent distortion of the image.
Molina says the lithium niobate film is hit by infrared light emitted by an object and illuminated with a laser at the same time. The film combines the infrared light with the laser light, which then up-converts the infrared light into visible light.
Camacho Morales says that one day, lattices of lithium niobate and silicon dioxide could be made into a film thinner than plastic wrap that could be coated over regular glasses to improve night vision.
While still in the research stage, the laser was positioned so that it could be easily shone onto the film along with infrared light emitted by the object, and the team is now experimenting with creating an array of nanolasers that can be positioned on top of the lithium niobate film.
The research is an important next step toward lightweight night-vision devices, and perhaps a film that can be attached to ordinary glasses, Camacho Morales said. It could also help drones navigate in the dark, he said, because current night-vision devices are too heavy to carry in some vehicles.
During a family walk in North Dakota, a rare fossil was unexpectedly discovered buried in the soil — that of a teenage boy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
This discovery is significant as it could provide greater insight into the life of this famous dinosaur known as “Teen Rex,” who was discovered by two younger brothers, his father, and a cousin.
The fossil was found in the North Dakota wilderness, about 10 miles from the town of Marmarth, in 2022 by children aged 7, 9, and 10. While on a walk, one of the children and his father noticed a large foot bone sticking out of the ground.
Tyrannosaurus Rex was smaller than a full-grown Tyrannosaurus and had not yet fully matured – Courtesy of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The father, Sam Fisher, contacted Tyler Lyson, curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, who confirmed the discovery through research.
“This finding is particularly interesting because Tyrannosaurus Rex “All the fossils found so far have been of adults,” said Lyson. “Studying the remains of young animals will shed light on different aspects of dinosaur life, such as growth patterns.”
“Furthermore, three young scientists have embraced their passion and the excitement of discovery, making incredible dinosaur discoveries that advance science, deepen our understanding of the natural world, and inspire other explorers and scientists of the future.”
Tyrannosaurus is one of the best-known dinosaurs of all time and lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, between 90 and 66 million years ago.
In a paper published in 2023, it was initially believed that dinosaurs like T. rex were particularly clever, with brains containing about 3 billion neurons, more than a baboon’s. However, recent studies have shown intelligence comparable to that of a reptile.
It is now thought that this Teen Rex was around 13 to 15 years old, measuring 7.6 meters (25 feet) in length and weighing around 1,500 kilograms. They reach full growth at around 18-21 years of age and can weigh more than twice as much as this specimen.
After careful excavation and extraction, “Teen Rex” was airlifted by Blackhawk helicopter and is now displayed at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The fossil and its plaster encasement weigh over 2,000 kg.
A team of museum paleontologists and volunteers will now clean the skeleton and prepare it for study in the Teen Rex Discovery Preparation Lab where the progress can be followed by the public.
Geologists have analysed 4-billion-year-old zircon crystals from Jack Hills in Western Australia’s mid-west region to date the emergence of fresh water back just a few hundred million years after the Earth formed.
Artistic conception of early Earth. Image by Simone Marchi/NASA.
On the early Earth, extensive interactions between flowing (fresh) water and the emerging continental crust may have been key to the emergence of life, but when the water cycle first began is unclear.
In the new study, Curtin University scientist Hamed Gamaleldien and his colleagues used the oxygen isotope composition of zircon crystals from Jack Hills in Western Australia to determine when the water cycle began.
Their findings suggest that meteoric water appeared on Earth about 4 billion years ago, 500 million years earlier than previously thought.
“We were able to date the origins of the hydrological cycle, the ongoing process by which water moves around Earth and is essential for maintaining ecosystems and supporting life on Earth,” Dr Gamalerdien said.
“By examining the age and oxygen isotopes of microscopic crystals of the mineral zircon, we discovered an anomalously light isotopic signature that dates back 4 billion years.”
“These light oxygen isotopes typically result from hot freshwater altering rocks several kilometers below the Earth’s surface.”
“The evidence for the presence of fresh water this deep in the Earth casts doubt on existing theories that the Earth was completely covered by oceans 4 billion years ago.”
“This discovery was crucial for our understanding of how Earth formed and how life began,” said Curtin University scientist Hugo Orioluk.
“This discovery not only sheds light on the early history of Earth, but also suggests that land and freshwater systems provided the foundation for life to thrive within a relatively short time frame – less than 600 million years after Earth’s formation.”
“This discovery represents a major advance in our understanding of Earth’s early history and opens the door to further exploration of the origin of life.”
H. Gamaleldine othersThe Earth’s water cycle began 4 billion years ago or sooner. National GeographyPublished online June 3, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01450-0
Extinction of Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta Antiquitatis) This species, which lived at the beginning of the Holocene Epoch, remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting evidence as to its causes and dynamics. A team of paleontologists led by scientists from the University of Adelaide and the University of Copenhagen has used computationally intensive modelling techniques and extensive paleontological and ancient DNA information to uncover why and how this enigmatic species went extinct.
Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta Antiquitatis) was once widespread across northern and central Eurasia but became extinct about 10,000 years ago. Image by Mauricio Antón.
The woolly rhinoceros is an iconic member of the giant steppe fauna of central and northern Eurasia, originating from the Tibetan Plateau approximately 2.5 million years ago.
Based on fossil chronology, the woolly rhino is estimated to have become extinct by 13,900 years ago, despite having survived multiple glacial and interglacial cycles during the Pleistocene.
However, recent discovery of woolly rhinoceros DNA in early Holocene deposits suggests a later extinction date of 9,800 years ago. This young dating is subject to debate, but is unlikely to be due to redeposition of DNA.
“Using computer models, fossils and ancient DNA, we have traced the population history of woolly rhinoceros across Eurasia over 52,000 years, at a resolution previously thought impossible,” said Dr Damian Fordham, from the University of Adelaide.
“This suggests that a combination of decreasing temperatures beginning 30,000 years ago and small-scale but continuing hunting by humans caused the woolly rhino's range to shrink southwards, confining it to isolated and rapidly degraded habitat at the end of the last ice age.”
“As the Earth thawed and temperatures rose, woolly rhino populations were unable to colonize key new habitats in northern Eurasia, causing destabilization and collapse, ultimately leading to extinction.”
The new research contradicts previous studies that found humans were not responsible for the woolly rhino's extinction, despite the animal coexisting with humans for tens of thousands of years before its disappearance.
“The demographic responses revealed by our analysis have a much higher resolution than previously captured in genetic studies,” said Professor Eline Lorenzen from the University of Copenhagen.
“This allowed us to pinpoint key interactions between woolly rhinos and humans and document how these have changed over time and space.”
“One of these largely overlooked interactions is persistent, low-level hunting by humans, presumably for food.”
“Humans pose similar environmental threats today,” the researchers said.
“Large animal populations have been forced into fragmented and suboptimal habitats by overhunting and changes in human land use.”
“Of the 61 species of large terrestrial herbivores weighing more than one tonne that lived during the Late Pleistocene, only eight survive today, five of which are rhinos.”
“Our results show how climate change and human activities can lead to the extinction of large animals,” said Professor David Nogus Brabo from the University of Copenhagen.
“This understanding is crucial for developing conservation strategies to protect species currently at risk of extinction, such as vulnerable rhinos in Africa and Asia.”
“Studying past extinctions can provide valuable lessons for conserving Earth's remaining large animals.”
of study Appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Damien A. Fordham others2024. 52,000 years of woolly rhino population dynamics reveal mechanisms of extinction. PNAS 121(24):e2316419121; doi:10.1073/pnas.2316419121
A team of paleontologists Ctenochasmatoid pterosaur Discovered in the Kimmeridg Clay of Oxfordshire in central England, this specimen is one of the largest Jurassic pterosaur fossils, with an estimated wingspan of at least 3 metres (10 ft), and is the first pterodactyl pterosaur described from the Jurassic of Britain.
Partial wingspan profiles of large Jurassic pterosaurs: pterodactyloides (left), including the new fossil (EC K2576), and rhamphorhynchids (right). Image courtesy of Etienne others., doi: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.05.002.
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the Mesozoic era characterized by a flight membrane stretched between their forelimbs and hindlimbs and an extremely elongated fourth digit consisting of four elongated phalanges.
The largest Cretaceous form was Aramburgiana, Hatzegopteryx and QuetzalcoatlusThe combined wingspan reached a length of over 10 metres (33 ft).
However, Triassic and Jurassic forms were considerably smaller, with a typical wingspan of 0.5 to 2 metres (1.6 to 6.5 ft).
There is evidence that some Jurassic species also achieved large wingspans, but these rarely exceeded 3 metres (10 ft).
The new pterosaur fossil was discovered in the Kimmeridge Clay near Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.
This specimen is a wing bone, broken into three pieces but still well preserved.
The team said the dinosaur belonged to adult Ctenophora, a group of pterosaurs known for their elongated wings, long jaws and thin, bristle-like teeth.
“When the bones were discovered their size was certainly remarkable,” said Professor David Martill, from the University of Portsmouth.
“We performed numerical analysis and came up with a maximum wingspan of 3.75 meters (12.3 feet).”
“This is small for a Cretaceous pterosaur, but absolutely gigantic for a Jurassic one.”
“This fossil is particularly special as it is also one of the first records of this type of Jurassic pterosaur in the UK.”
“This specimen is currently the largest known Jurassic pterosaur in the world, surpassed only by a Swiss specimen, with an estimated wingspan of 5 metres (16.4 feet).”
“AbFab, as the Abingdon pterosaur is nicknamed, shows that pterodactyloides, the advanced pterosaurs that completely dominated the Cretaceous period, achieved astonishingly large sizes shortly after they first appeared in the Middle Jurassic, just as the ancestors of bird-like dinosaurs were beginning to take to the air,” said Dr Dave Unwin from the University of Leicester.
a paper The paper on the survey results is Proceedings of the Association of Geologists.
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James L. Etienne others“Giant” pterodactyloid pterosaur that lived in the Jurassic of Britain. Proceedings of the Association of GeologistsPublished online May 24, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.05.002
Japanese paleontologists have described a new species of shark-like cartilaginous fish based on fossil teeth found in the Momonoki Formation of the Late Triassic Period.
Fossilized teeth Parvodus ominechonensisScale bar – 0.5 mm. Image courtesy of Breeden III others., doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2322749.
Named Parvodus ominechonensis The newly identified shark species lived during the Late Triassic period, between 237 million and 227 million years ago.
“Hybodontiforme is an extinct lineage of sharks that is generally considered to be the sister lineage of Neoselachia (i.e. rays, rays, and modern sharks) within the chondrichthyes Euselaciidae,” he said. Dr. Benjamin T. Breedon III Researchers from the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tsukuba and his colleagues.
“The oldest clearly hybodontiform fossils are from the Mississippian, but the discovery of isolated teeth has pushed the oldest record of this group back to the Late Devonian.”
“Hybodontiform fossils have been found primarily in coastal and lagoonal deposits throughout the Late Palaeozoic, suggesting a shallow-marine palaeoecology of the clade's ancestors.”
“However, some hybodontiforms appear to have become euryhaline early in the evolution of their lineage, and since the Mississippian, hybodontiforms have repeatedly invaded freshwater environments.”
“Hybodontis were the most abundant group of sharks among marine and non-marine vertebrate groups throughout the Early Mesozoic, but their diversity declined after the Early Jurassic until their extinction at or near the end of the Cretaceous.”
Ecological reconstruction of the hybodontiform shark Strophodus rebeccae Image credit: Jorge Blanco / CC BY 4.0.
Some isolated teeth Parvodus ominechonensis It was collected from the non-marine peach tree layer in Ominecho (romanized as Ominecho) in the western part of Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
“The diversity of Triassic hybodontids is known from Japan, among which Parvodus ominechonensis It is the only species known from non-marine sediments and the first reported occurrence of this family. Ronchididae” the paleontologist said.
According to the study: Parvodus ominechonensis Filling in gaps in the geological record Parvodas Between occurrences in Middle Triassic and Middle Jurassic strata.
“The Triassic Global Record Parvodas include Parvodus physodus From the Chinese Olenekians, Parvodas Chinese Anisian sp., and Parvodus ominechonensis The Carnian period in the Japanese Archipelago Parvodus ominechonensis and Parvodus physodus “It is also known from non-marine deposits,” the authors say.
“Since the Triassic Period, Parvodas It is known to have lived in marine and non-marine strata throughout Laurasia and South America until its extinction in the Early Cretaceous.
“this is, Parvodas They may have originated in freshwater habitats in the southern Chinese region of Pangaea after the end-Permian mass extinction, diversified throughout the Triassic in what is now East Asia, and achieved a global distribution during the late Mesozoic.”
Discovery Parvodus ominechonensis It has been reported paper In Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Benjamin T. Breedon III others2023. A new species of hybodontiform shark (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchia), a freshwater shark from the Upper Triassic Momonoki Formation of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 43(5); doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2322749
The space telescope entered hibernation over a week ago due to the failure of one of its three remaining gyroscopes, which are part of its pointing system. This same gyro had been malfunctioning for months, affecting its scientific capabilities.
NASA confirmed on Tuesday that efforts to repair the gyro had been unsuccessful, leaving the spacecraft operating with just one gyroscope, limiting its scientific functions.
As a result, Hubble will be inactive until mid-June. The telescope will have reduced agility and slower target acquisition. Despite these limitations, officials believe that Hubble will still be able to make significant discoveries in the coming decade.
“We are optimistic about Hubble’s future,” said Patrick Close, NASA’s project manager.
Mark Crump, NASA’s astrophysics director, stated that there are currently no plans to launch a mission to extend Hubble’s life by raising it to a higher orbit.
A billionaire who has booked SpaceX flights for himself has offered to sponsor and perform the necessary repairs. However, Crumpen expressed concerns about the risks involved and the need for further analysis.
The Hubble Telescope was launched into orbit in 1990, initially facing challenges due to a misaligned mirror. After a successful repair mission, Hubble resumed its observations of the cosmos in remarkable detail.
During a visit in 2009, astronauts installed six new gyroscopes on Hubble. Unfortunately, three of them have stopped functioning. These gyroscopes are crucial for maintaining the telescope’s stability and orientation.
Currently, only two gyroscopes are operational, one for pointing and the other as a backup.
The Webb Space Telescope, a more advanced successor to Hubble, is set to launch in 2021.
Rivals Boeing and SpaceX are preparing for a busy week with upcoming key test flights of their rockets and spacecraft.
Boeing is set to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Starliner spacecraft for the third time on Wednesday. The liftoff is scheduled for 10:52 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Command Station in Florida.
The following day, SpaceX will conduct the fourth uncrewed test flight of its Starship megarocket. The launch will take place from SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas, with a targeted liftoff time of 8 a.m. ET.
Despite being spaceflight competitors, this week’s launch serves a unique purpose: Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, developed in collaboration with NASA, will transport astronauts to the space station – a service SpaceX has been providing commercially for NASA since 2020.
Boeing’s third attempt to launch astronauts into space
Should Boeing’s initial crewed test flight succeed, it could pave the way for regular flights of its Starliner spacecraft to the space station for NASA, challenging SpaceX’s current dominance.
The Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Barry “Batch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who will spend approximately a week aboard the space station before returning to Earth and landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams put on their Boeing space suits at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP – Getty Images
Starliner’s most recent launch attempt was halted on Saturday with less than four minutes to go due to an automatic abort triggered by a computer controlling the Atlas V rocket, created by United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
SpaceX’s Starship test flight on Thursday aims to demonstrate technologies critical for future moon missions.
Starship, the most powerful rocket ever developed and designed to be fully reusable, is expected to play a vital role in NASA’s plans to send astronauts back to the Moon. Additionally, SpaceX intends to use Starship for eventual missions to Mars.
NASA is also working on its own Space Launch System megarocket and Orion spacecraft for moon missions, part of the Artemis program which envisions establishing a base camp on the moon’s surface before exploring Mars.
SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket was deployed on the launch pad at StarBase, the company’s facility in South Texas, in June 2024 ahead of a planned test flight.
SpaceX is getting ready Starship. The most powerful rocket ever built is gearing up for its next test launch. Here’s everything you need to know.
What time is the launch scheduled?
The launch is expected to take place in the next week or so, but SpaceX has said it could take place as soon as June 5, pending regulatory approval. Each flight must be approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Other signs point to the same day. Judge Eddie Trevino of Cameron County, Texas, home to SpaceX’s Starbase launch site, said: Nearby roads are closed. It will be carried out at the beginning of June. This precautionary measure is usually taken during launches, but it may also be relevant for some of the ground tests.
However, Treviño explicitly states in official documents that these closures are for “flight testing,” and establishes a 14-hour closure period from midnight to 2 p.m. local time on June 5. The documents also state that alternative closures of the same duration could be scheduled on June 6 and 7, if the company so desires.
How can I watch the Starship launch?
SpaceX has announced that a live webcast will begin approximately 30 minutes before launch.
Where is Starship going?
The fourth test flight will focus on returning Starship from orbit and conducting a mock landing of both the Starship and the Super Heavy first stage booster. Because landings on ground are currently deemed too risky, both vehicles will make a “soft splashdown” in the ocean, using their engines to slow their descent and line up, as if they were landing on a base, to gently touch down on the water. The first stage booster is scheduled to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, not far from the launch site, about seven minutes after liftoff, while Starship aims to splash down in the Indian Ocean about an hour later.
What has happened in Starship launches so far?
All three Starship launches have ended in explosions, which was expected as part of SpaceX’s “fail fast, learn fast” strategy.
During the first launch on April 20 last year, three of the first stage’s three engines (out of a total of 33) failed to ignite. Several more subsequently failed during the flight. The rocket then spun out of control and its self-destruct safety mechanism was activated. The entire flight lasted about three minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 39 kilometers.
Starship’s second launch was on November 18. This time, all 33 engines were working, and the rocket flew far enough for the first and second stages to separate. But as the first stage rotated to begin its deceleration and landing procedure, it exploded. The second stage continued on smoothly to an altitude of about 90 miles, passing the Kármán line, which marks the beginning of the universe. But it was destroyed by a safety device after it stopped transmitting data before completing an orbit or returning to Earth.
SpaceX’s third Starship test flight, on March 14, was at least partially successful, as it reached space, performed a fuel transfer test, and flew farther and faster than ever before. However, it lost attitude control during the flight and failed to make the planned soft landing. Nevertheless, it achieved several important milestones, including Starship’s first atmospheric reentry from space, the first opening and closing of Starship’s payload door in space, and a successful demonstration of fuel transfer, which is key for future NASA Artemis missions to the Moon.
What would happen if this launch were to fail?
The chances of Starship completing its mission perfectly are slim, so it’s likely to fail in some way. But failure will provide data and experience that can be used to improve the design and process for the fifth launch. SpaceX has shown it can iterate quickly and make great strides with each launch.
Having a positive mindset can have unexpected results
DEEPOL (Plain Picture/photo by Anja Weber Dekker)
Do you suffer from low self-esteem? If so, you may have been told to repeat phrases like, “I am worthy of love, I am worthy of love, I am worthy of love.” Repeating positive statements like these is called self-affirmation, and it's said to boost a person's mood and sense of worth. Sounds incredible, right? Well, it is. When psychologists tested the effectiveness of this mantra, it backfired. Participants who started out with low self-esteem ended up feeling worse. The problem was, they simply didn't believe what they were being told.
We know that a positive attitude is good for your health, and that the right mindset can really impact your health and happiness. But it turns out that too much of a good thing can be bad. What psychologists who study self-esteem have discovered is an example of “toxic positivity” – the idea that forcing yourself to interpret your experiences in an optimistic way and suppressing negative emotions can actually do you harm. The term has become something of a buzzword in both academia and pop culture. And yet, the messages that “happiness is a choice” and “positivity is a mindset” are rampant.
What is needed is a return to balance. It is not enough to say that excessive positivity is harmful; we need to know when, why and for whom it is harmful. Fortunately, there is a growing body of research addressing these questions. …
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