Witness the growth of this plant-inspired robot as it reaches towards the light like a vine

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Robots that can grow around trees and rocks like vines could be used to construct buildings or measure pollution in hard-to-reach natural environments.

Vine-like robots are not new, but they are often designed to rely only on a single sense, such as heat or light, to grow upwards, making them less effective than others in certain environments. It doesn't work well.

Emanuela del Dottore The Italian Institute of Technology and colleagues have developed a new version called FiloBot that can use light, shadow, or gravity as a guide. It grows by wrapping a plastic filament into a cylindrical shape, adding a new layer to the body just behind the head that contains the sensor.

“Our robot has a built-in microcontroller that can process multiple stimuli and direct growth at a precise location, namely at the tip, ensuring that the structure of the body is preserved.” she says.

According to Dottore, having such fine control over the direction of the tip means the robot can easily navigate unfamiliar terrain by wrapping around trees and using shadowed areas of leaves as guideposts. This means that it can be moved.

FiloBot grows at approximately 7 millimeters per minute. Although slower than many traditional robots, this gentler progress could mean less disruption to sensitive natural environments, she says.

The researchers don't know exactly what the robot will be used for at this point, but they hope it can be deployed to collect data in areas that are difficult for humans to reach, such as the tops of trees.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Early Arrival of Humans in China Surprises Researchers by Thousands of Years

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The first members of our species to reach China may have entered this region from the north

Esteban de Armas / Alamy

Modern humans lived in what is now China by 45,000 years ago. This discovery means our species arrived in this region thousands of years earlier than commonly thought, probably via a northern route through present-day Siberia and Mongolia.

A team co-led by Francesco d'Errico Researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France reexamined an archaeological site in northern China called Shiyu. Originally, he was excavated in 1963 during the turbulent period of China's Cultural Revolution. “It couldn't have been a better time to find such an important site,” D'Errico says.

Shiyu is an outdoor site located in a river gorge. There, 30 meters deep, sand and other sediments were deposited, which the first excavators divided into four horizontal layers, from the bottom of which the second layer contained human It was found that there was evidence of residence in

Excavators discovered more than 15,000 stone artifacts and thousands of animal bones. There was also part of a hominin skull, which anthropologist Wu Lukang identified as a modern human.homo sapiens).

Some of the artifacts were later transferred to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. However, those left behind at the local facility were lost, including the hominin bones. “We own maybe 10 percent of the stone tools,” D'Errico says.

D'Errico and his colleagues re-excavated Shiyu to determine its age. They dated 15 sediment samples using a technique called photostimulated luminescence and carbon-dated 10 animal bones and teeth. The hominid layer is approximately 44,600 years old.

D'Errico believes the excavator was “knowledgeable” and correctly identified the skull.

The Shuyu tribe is probably homo sapienssay Alina Katzenovic from the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology in Novosibirsk, Russia, was not involved in the study.

The new study therefore suggests that modern humans arrived in northern China about 45,000 years ago. This would postpone the arrival of our species to China by about 5,000 years.Derico claims to be the next oldest homo sapiens China's site Tengen Cave 40,000 years ago.

Some researchers argue that our species may have arrived earlier than that, up to 260,000 years ago. However, D'Errico points out that researchers: criticized much of the evidence As for the presence of such early humans in this region.

Humans probably entered Asia from Africa and spread through multiple routes, Katzenovich said. They not only explored the tropical southern regions of Asia, but also headed further north. Katzenovich says there are signs of modern human presence in the area. Obi Rakhmat Cave Uzbekistan 48,800 years ago. Perhaps our species reached Shiyu and then China via this route. north route.

When modern humans reached new areas, they encountered hominids that were already living there, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans further east. Genetic evidence shows that we interbred with them. There may also have been cultural exchanges, and the Shiyu artifacts also include what appear to be more ancient human tools.

There is also evidence of long-distance contact. The Shiyu team identified four fragments of obsidian, a volcanic glass. They were able to track them as far as 800 and 1000 kilometers northeast of Shiyu. D'Errico said it was unlikely that the residents traveled this distance themselves, so they were probably part of the group's network. In line with this, Kazenovich said some of Shiyu's artifacts resemble items found as far east as Korea.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Detailed Image of Black Hole Unveiled in New Fiery Donut Visualization

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The image on the right is the latest and best image of a black hole.

EHT collaboration

Thanks to an update to the world’s first black hole image taken a year later, we now have the most detailed observation of a black hole to date.

In 2019, researchers released an image of the supermassive black hole known as M87*, located 55 million light-years away at the center of galaxy M87. The image, the world’s first glimpse of a black hole, was taken during the first observations in 2017 by a network of radio astronomical observatories around the world called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).

Now, the EHT collaboration has released tracking images of M87* taken during 2018 observations using additional telescopes in Greenland.

As the name suggests, these objects do not emit light, so the light in the image does not come out of the black hole. What we see instead is the silhouette of a black hole at the center of a mass of hot material, pulled inward by its powerful gravity.

“This image tells us that the black hole’s shadow is permanent and still exists,” says the EHT scientist. Eduardo Ross. “You can see that the ring is a beautiful circle. It’s very circular, not an oval or anything. We also see an enhancement on the south side in this ring, which is what we expected.”

This enhancement, visible as a slightly bright glow under the slightly displaced shadow of M87*, is due to the distortion of space-time associated with the black hole’s rotation (as explained by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity). This is due to

The additional telescopes have slightly increased the resolution of the images, greatly increasing the amount of data that can be cross-referenced with observations from other telescopes. However, less than ideal weather made viewing conditions difficult. This means the resolution is not as high as theoretically expected, Ross says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Study reveals new organizational structure of water molecules on the surface of salt water

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The distribution of ions at the air-water interface plays a decisive role in many natural processes. Some studies suggest that large ions tend to exhibit interfacial activity, suggesting that the ions sit above the water surface, thereby inducing an electric field that determines the interfacial water structure. But new research by chemists at the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research casts doubt on this view. Their results show that ions in typical electrolyte solutions are actually located in subsurface regions and that such interfaces stratify into two characteristic aqueous layers.

Littman other. They show that the ions and water molecules at the surface of most aqueous salt solutions, known as electrolyte solutions, are organized in a completely different way than previously understood.Image credit: Littmann other., doi: 10.1038/s41557-023-01416-6.

Many important reactions related to climate and environmental processes occur where water molecules come into contact with air.

For example, ocean water evaporation plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and climate science.

Understanding these responses is critical to efforts to reduce human impact on the planet.

The distribution of ions at the air-water interface can influence atmospheric processes. However, accurately understanding the microscopic reactions at these important interfaces has been hotly debated.

Dr. Yair Littman of the University of Cambridge and his colleagues set out to study how water molecules are affected by the distribution of ions at the very point where air and water meet.

Traditionally, this has been done with a technique called oscillatory sum frequency generation (VSFG).

Using this laser irradiation technique, it is possible to directly measure molecular vibrations at these key interfaces.

However, while the strength of the signal can be measured, this technique does not measure whether the signal is positive or negative, which has previously made the results difficult to interpret. Furthermore, using only experimental data can lead to ambiguous results.

The authors overcame these challenges by utilizing a more sophisticated form of VSFG, called heterodyne detection (HD)-VSFG, to study different electrolyte solutions.

We then developed sophisticated computer models to simulate the interface in various scenarios.

The combined results showed that both positively charged ions, called cations, and negatively charged ions, called anions, are depleted from the water-air interface.

The cations and anions of simple electrolytes orient water molecules both upward and downward.

This is a reversal of the textbook model that teaches that ions form an electric double layer, orienting water molecules in only one direction.

“Our study shows that the surface of a simple electrolyte solution has a different ion distribution than previously thought, and that the ion-rich subsurface determines the composition of the interface. .At the top you have a few layers of pure water, then you have the ions, the “dense layer,'' and finally the bulk salt solution,'' Dr. Littman said.

“Our paper shows that combining high-level HD-VSFG with simulation is a valuable tool that contributes to the molecular-level understanding of liquid interfaces,” said Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research researchers said Dr. Kuo-Yang Chiang. .

“These kinds of interfaces exist everywhere on Earth, and studying them not only helps our fundamental understanding, but can also lead to the development of better devices and technologies.” said Professor Misha Bonn, also of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research.

“We are applying these same methods to study solid/liquid interfaces, which could have applications in batteries and energy storage.”

of study It was published in the magazine natural chemistry.

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Y. Littman other. Surface stratification determines the structure of interfacial water in simple electrolyte solutions. nut.chemistry, published online on January 15, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41557-023-01416-6

Source: www.sci.news

Seabed trawling is a significant contributor to global CO2 emissions

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

In bottom trawling, a weighted net is dragged across the ocean floor.

NarisaFotoSS/Shutterstock

Bottom trawling releases about 340 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, according to the first study to estimate these emissions. This represents almost 1% of the world's CO2 emissions, but is a major contribution that has been overlooked until now.

Trawling involves dragging a weighted net across the ocean floor to capture bottom-dwelling fish, crustaceans, and shellfish. Although this method of fishing is widely used around the world, it is controversial because the fishing gear damages undersea environments such as cold-water reefs. Some corals are thousands of years old.

“Trawling is a highly destructive fishing method as the nets and weights dragged along the bottom destroy marine habitat, which can take years to rebuild and recover.” he says. Micah Peck from the University of Sussex, UK, was not involved in the study.

It also stirs up sediment, releasing the oxygen needed by microorganisms to break down organic matter into carbon dioxide. Otherwise, these deposits could continue to accumulate for thousands of years, with the organic matter within them preserved by low-oxygen conditions. This means that carbon is effectively trapped.

In 2021, trisha atwood Researchers at Utah State University in Logan combined a study that looked at the amount of carbon dioxide released during trawling with data on the global scale of trawling. global fishing watch.The team concluded that released in large quantities into the seawater.

But the big unanswered question was how much of the CO2 released from the sediments would be emitted into the atmosphere.

“A lot of countries and different institutions started contacting us about that research,” Atwood says. “But they basically said, as long as it just stays in the ocean, we don't really care.”

So the team teamed up with researchers who had developed computer models of ocean circulation. According to these models, about 55 percent of the CO2 released into the water by trawling will be released into the atmosphere after nine years.

“I was surprised that more than half of them came out,” Atwood said. “And it shows up very quickly.”

According to the global carbon budget, the total amount of CO is₂ emissions from human activities Increased to 40.9 billion tons Therefore, if the team's estimates are correct, trawling accounts for about 0.8 percent of global emissions. Air and maritime transport: 2.8%.

Conservationists say the discovery strengthens the case for reducing trawling. “Many marine habitats are trawled at least once a year, resuspending sediment and releasing carbon into the atmosphere,” Peck said. “Banning destructive fishing practices is key to the future of healthy marine ecosystems and the marine ecosystems that depend on them.”

“Measures to reduce the carbon impact of trawling gear are urgently needed, but they must be done as part of a just transition,” said Gareth Cunningham. marine conservation association, is calling for a ban on trawling in so-called marine reserves around the UK. “There is no one-size-fits-all model and solutions will vary by location.”

However, not all researchers are satisfied with this number. “I'm very skeptical of their estimates,” he says. Jan Gerd Hiddink At Bangor University, UK.

Hiddink believes that much of the carbon that reaches the ocean floor is in forms that are difficult to decompose, such as bones, and that carbon is not released even when sediments are disturbed.Atwood's team is probably overestimate emissions Up to 1000x, he claims.

Atwood said this estimate is based on actual measurements. “We conducted a study to measure the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from the ocean floor in areas where trawling takes place,” she says.

She says that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted could be more or less than these studies suggest, although there is a lot of uncertainty because so few such studies have been done. says.

Mr Atwood says the government needs to start calculating the carbon footprint of trawling. “This allows us to decide whether emissions should be regulated,” she says.

What is clear is that Global Fishing Watch's trawling data is based on boats sending automatic signals to satellites, and many trawlers do not have such systems, so the extent of trawling remains under-studied. That means it's bigger than expected.

“We know that we underestimate the global scale and perhaps the intensity of trawling,” Atwood says.

The trawling industry also has an opportunity to sell carbon credits in exchange for reduced emissions, she says. “If you were to put a price on it in today's independent market, it's a $100 million market.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

ATCA discovers tiny radio sources in the core of 47 Tucanae

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

used by astronomers CSIRO's Australian Telescope Compact Array captured the most detailed radio images ever seen of the 47-member Tukanae star cluster, the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky.

paduano other. identified new radio sources (white squares) at the center of 47 Tucanae (red circles).Image credit: Paduano other., doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad0e68.

Tucanae 47, also known as NGC 104, is a massive ancient globular cluster located approximately 15,300 light-years south of the constellation Tucanae.

At about 120 light-years in diameter, this cluster is so large that despite its distance, it appears to be about the same size as the full moon.

Home to millions of stars, 47 Tucanae is one of the brightest and most massive globular clusters known and is visible to the naked eye.

“Globular clusters are very old, gigantic balls of stars found around the Milky Way. They are incredibly dense, with tens to millions of stars packed together inside the ball.” said Dr. Arash Bahramian, astronomer at the Curtin University Node of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).

“Our images are of 47 Tucanae, one of the most massive globular clusters in the galaxy. It has more than a million stars and a very bright, very dense core.”

The ultra-high-sensitivity radio images of 47 species of Tucanidae were created from more than 450 hours of observations with CSIRO's Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA).

“The 47 Tukanae are visible to the naked eye and were first cataloged in the 1700s,” Dr. Bahramian said.

“By imaging in great detail, we were able to discover an incredibly faint radio signal at the center of the cluster that was previously undetectable.”

“The detection of the signal is an exciting discovery and can be attributed to one of two possibilities,” said Dr. Alessandro Paduano, also from ICRAR's Curtin University Node.

“First, the 47 Tukanae may contain black holes with masses between the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies and the stellar black holes created by collapsing stars. .”

“Intermediate-mass black holes are thought to exist within globular clusters, but they have not yet been clearly detected.”

“If this signal turns out to be a black hole, it would be a very important discovery and the first radio detection of a black hole in a star cluster.”

The second possible source is a pulsar. This is a rotating neutron star that emits radio waves.

“This is an interesting discovery scientifically, as a pulsar so close to the center of a cluster could be used to search for as yet undetected central black holes,” Paduano said.

of result Published in astrophysical journal.

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Alessandro Paduano other. 2024. Ultra-deep ATCA imaging of 47 Tucanae reveals a central, compact radio source. APJ 961, 54; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad0e68

Source: www.sci.news

New Research Shows Comet Wild 2 Contains a Large Amount of Young Solar System Dust

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

NASA’s Stardust mission returned rocky material from the coma of comet 81P/Wild 2 (pronounced “Wild-2”) to Earth on January 15, 2006. Comet Wild 2 contains volatile ice, which may have accreted beyond Neptune’s orbit. The Wild 2 sample was expected to be rich in primordial molecular cloud material, i.e., interstellar and circumstellar particles. Instead, it turns out that Wild 2’s interstellar component is very small, and nearly all of the returned particles formed in a wide and diverse region of the solar nebula. Although some features of the Wild 2 material resemble primitive chondrite meteorites, the diversity of its composition attests to a very different origin and evolutionary history from asteroids. Wild 2 has very little impact debris from asteroids, and may have accreted dust from the outer and inner Solar System before the solar nebula dispersed.

Comet 81P/Wild 2. Image courtesy of NASA.

wild 2 is a small comet in the shape of a flat sphere, approximately 1.65 x 2 x 2.75 km (1.03 x 1.24 x 1.71 miles).

Discovered by Paul Wilde on January 6, 1978, this comet has an orbital period of 6.2 years.

Wild 2 is known as a fresh periodic comet. It orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, but it did not always follow this orbit.

Originally, this comet’s orbit was between the orbits of Uranus and Jupiter. On September 9, 1974, a gravitational interaction between Wild 2 and Jupiter changed its orbital period from her 43 years to her 6.2 years.

“Eighteen years after NASA’s Stardust mission returned the first known sample from a comet to Earth, the true nature of the icy object is coming into focus,” says the new study. said author Ryan Oriol, a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis.

“When Stardust launched in 1999, many scientists predicted that the comet’s rocky material would be dominated by the primordial dust that built our solar system, the ‘stardust’ from which the mission takes its name. I was there.”

“But the actual samples told a different story: Wild 2 contained a potpourri of dust formed from various early events in the solar system’s history.”

For Dr. Oriole, the discovery that Wild 2 contained records of “local” events was exciting.

“This comet was a witness to the events that shaped the solar system into what we see today,” he said.

“Because the comet was kept in a cold storage in space for almost its entire life, it avoided the heat and water alterations seen in asteroid samples.”

“Comet Wild 2 contains things never seen before in a meteorite, including rare carbon and iron assemblages and precursors to the igneous globules that make up the most common type of meteorite. . And all of these objects are beautifully preserved within Wild 2.”

“Almost 20 years later, scientists have had enough time to analyze the tiny amounts of material returned from the Stardust mission, less than a milligram (think a grain of sand). You might see it.”

“But this material is dispersed into thousands of tiny particles on a collector the size of a pizza.”

“Almost every Wild 2 particle is unique and has a different story to tell. Extracting and analyzing these grains is a time-consuming process. But the scientific benefits are huge. .”

“Most of the Wild 2 particles have not yet been studied and certainly hold many more surprises. Over time, we will be able to study the samples using new techniques that did not exist at the start of the mission.” Masu.”

“Stardust samples, microscopic particles taken from celestial bodies less than two miles wide, contain a deep record of the past that spans billions of miles. After 18 years of studying this comet, we have We now have a better understanding of the dynamic formative period.”

study Published in Journal November 2023 issue geochemistry.

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Ryan C. Oriol. 2023. Comet 81P/Wild 2: A record of the solar system’s wild youth. geochemistry 83 (4): 126046; doi: 10.1016/j.chemer.2023.126046

Source: www.sci.news

Spain Unveils New Prehistoric Species of Cat

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists from the CSIC National Museum of Natural History have identified a new genus and species of medium-sized cat from a partial jaw found in the urban area of Madrid, Spain.

Mandible, skull, masticatory muscles, and life-like reconstruction Mageliferis Pegnai. Image credit: Jesus Gamarra.

A new breed of cat, its name is Mageliferis Pegnai lived in what is now Spain about 15.5 million years ago (mid Miocene).

belonged to felineThey have a bony hyoid bone, which allows them to purr, but not to roar.

“Mageliferis Pegnai It is a sister group of a clade consisting of. Pristiferis atticaextant species of the genus Ferris (like Feliz Margarita, felis sylvestrisand Felice Ribica), Proferis Aurataand Lynx” said the lead author. Dr. Manuel Salesa and colleagues at the National Museum of Natural Science, CSIC.

Fossilized remains are Mageliferis Pegnai They were discovered in 2007 at Principe Pio-2, a recently discovered fossil locality located in the urban limits of the city of Madrid, Spain.

The specimen is very well preserved, showing a complete hemimandible and all teeth except the incisors.

It is very complete and in very good preservation, providing very interesting information for making paleoecological inferences about this new feline.

“We recovered a nearly complete jaw with almost all teeth preserved in exceptional condition,” Dr. Siliceo said.

“What was most surprising was that underneath it was a small second molar, a tooth that does not exist in all modern and fossil cats. pro airlus”

Estimated weight is Mageliferis Pegnai It weighs 7.61 kg, which falls within the female weight range. Lynx Rufus, Reptile Lus Servaland caracal caracal.

“Compared to modern cats, the half-jaw of cats is Mageliferis Pegnai Principe's Pío-2 is felis sylvestrisindicates a similar size. caracal caracal, Reptile Lus Servaland Lynx'' said the paleontologists.

“Nevertheless, if we show the mandibles of these species with the same mandibular length for ease of comparison, the dentition of the new species is clearly smaller than that of the latter species, giving the specimen a more robust appearance; Has a relatively robust appearance; high mandibular body very similar to larger mandibular body Lynx”

According to the authors, Mageliferis Pegnai It is thought that they were able to generate a powerful bite force when hunting, which allowed them to kill relatively large prey.

“The Principe pio-2 feline may have preyed on relatively larger prey than other extant felines of similar size,” the researchers said.

their paper this month, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

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Manuel J. Salesa other. Unraveling the diversity of early cats: A new genus of cats (Carnivora, Felidae) from the mid-Miocene of Madrid (Spain). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, published online on January 9, 2024. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2023.2288924

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists Find Worsening Ice Melt in Greenland as Research Advances

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

According to a new study, Greenland’s ice sheet has lost approximately 1,965 square miles to glacier retreat since 1985, which is about the same area as the state of Delaware. The study utilized satellite images to track the retreat and discovered that iceberg collapse is accelerating in Greenland, with previous analyses potentially underestimating its impact. The authors of the study noted that the current estimates of ice sheet mass balance may underestimate recent mass loss from Greenland by up to 20%. In recent decades, nearly all of Greenland’s glaciers have thinned or retreated.

The study, published in the journal Nature, is another indication that Greenland’s ice is melting at a rapid rate. There is growing concern among scientists that global warming could trigger a major ice sheet tipping point. If Greenland’s ice completely melts, sea levels could rise by almost 7 feet and change ocean circulation patterns. Additionally, the study suggests that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change may be underestimating how much ice is being lost in Greenland.

Several studies published last year highlighted Greenland’s rapid changes, including one that found the rate of glacier retreat in the 21st century to be twice as fast as the 20th century. Another study showed that floating ice shelves in northern Greenland have lost over 35% of their total volume and are weakening, which could threaten ice sheet stability.

In November, a report by 60 leading snow and ice scientists raised concerns about the fate of the world’s ice sheets, warning that if global average temperatures rise to about 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial baselines, the planet could see sea level rise of more than 40 feet in the coming centuries. The report also indicates that by 2 degrees Celsius, most of Greenland, most of West Antarctica, and vulnerable parts of East Antarctica will have a very long-term chance of warming, leading to relentless sea level rise and decline.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Exploring Disease X: Reasons for Its Newsworthy Presence

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

looking at viruses under a microscope

Kokada/Getty Images

What is disease X?

Do not panic! Disease X doesn’t exist yet, but it might someday. Disease The term, coined in 2017, can be used to mean a newly discovered pathogen or a known pathogen with newly acquired pandemic potential. According to the latter definition, covid-19 was the first disease X. However, in the future another disease may appear.

Why are people talking about it now?

The World Health Organization is warning world leaders about the risks of future pandemics at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week. “Some people say this could cause panic,” says WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “No. It’s happened so many times in our history that it’s better to anticipate what might happen and be prepared for it.”

What will be the next disease, X?

We don’t know – that’s why it’s called Disease X. Coronaviruses, a large group of viruses, have long been seen as prime candidates for causing new pandemics, even before the COVID-19 outbreak. That’s because the new coronavirus was not the first dangerous pathogen in this group. In 2002, another coronavirus began to spread in China. It caused a type of pneumonia called SARS, which killed about one in 10 people who contracted it, before being stopped by strict infection control measures. Another more deadly coronavirus, called MERS, occasionally occurs and causes pneumonia that kills one in three people infected. However, recent research suggests that it will be more difficult for SARS and MERS to cause new pandemics. That’s because almost everyone in the world now has antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19, and these appear to offer partial protection against most other pathogens in the coronavirus family. It is.

Are there any other candidates with pandemic potential?

Many diseases, some well-known and some less well-known, can pose a global threat. Influenza strains have caused several global pandemics in the past, including the 1918 “Spanish Flu,” one of the deadliest diseases in history. A highly virulent avian influenza virus is currently sweeping the world, and birds can sometimes infect mammals. causing mass deaths. Just this week, he was named as the culprit behind the deaths of 17,000 baby elephant seals in Argentina last October. There are other sources of infection, including Ebola, which causes severe bleeding, and Zika, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes that can cause babies to have smaller heads if infected during pregnancy. WHO updated its report List of pathogens with the highest pandemic potential In 2022.

What can be done to stop disease X?

There’s some good news. The COVID-19 pandemic may have made it easier to stop future Disease X outbreaks. COVID-19 has spurred the development of new vaccine designs, including those that can be quickly repurposed to target new pathogens. For example, this has led to the emergence of mRNA-based vaccines. The formula contains a short piece of genetic material that causes the body’s immune cells to produce the coronavirus’s “spike” protein, but can be updated to allow the cells to mass-produce a different protein by simply rewriting the mRNA sequence. there is a possibility.

Is there anything else I can do to fight disease X?

Mr Tedros said countries needed better early warning systems for emerging diseases and health services needed to be more resilient to unexpected spikes in demand. “When hospitals exceed capacity, [with covid], we lost a lot of people because we couldn’t manage them. There wasn’t enough space and there wasn’t enough oxygen. ” Tedros said health services must be able to scale up response capacity on demand to avoid the same thing happening when Disease X occurs. Fortunately, they can make such preparations without knowing exactly what disease X will be. “Disease X is a placeholder,” he says. “You can prepare for any illness.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Robot explores deep sea to discover new species with dodecahedral design

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Robot dodecahedron mounted on a submersible (circled area)

brennan phillips

The robotic dodecahedron can capture fragile deep-sea animals, collect tissue samples, and build three-dimensional scans of the creatures, potentially speeding up the cataloging of deep-sea life. Up to 66% of marine species are still unknown to science.

brennan phillips RAD2 Sampler and colleagues at the University of Rhode Island have developed the RAD2 Sampler, which is designed to be mounted on any submersible to collect fresh tissue samples in situ from living animals. They hope this will reveal more about the creature than existing techniques, which are typically exposed to stress when pulled up from the depths.

RAD2 is a dodecahedron with an internal volume large enough to hold a basketball. It can be folded and unfolded on command to temporarily capture organisms for detailed examination and take small tissue samples that are stored directly on board the submarine for later genetic analysis. It is designed to.

The ultimate goal is to take a small biopsy and release the animal relatively unscathed, but RAD2's current technique (called tissue cutting) is “a little more crude,” Phillips said.

RAD2 has already been tested on two expeditions, collecting up to 14 tissue samples a day at a depth of around 1200 meters. “We could get small pieces of tissue, and sometimes we could get whole animals,” he says. “It depended on how big it was. So I can't say we've been able to release the animal unharmed after that, but we're moving towards that.”

The robot sampler is also equipped with a 4K resolution video camera to capture high-quality footage of the animal in motion, and a virtual model of the animal is constructed by various 3D scanning devices. In the future, Phillips said, he might be able to put sensors on each of his 12 sides of the dodecahedron and take different measurements of living things at once.

Phillips called other sampling methods “outdated” and said they essentially require people to manually put things into jars for later analysis, or use submersibles to do the same thing. Masu.

Preservation at the point of collection using RAD2 improves the quality of tissue samples and also allows researchers to detect which genes are expressed, further informing animal behavior and physiology. Phillips said it could shed some light. “This is a luxury item,” he says. “This is the best you can get with this animal, better than anyone we’ve ever had.”

eva stewart Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK say that while digital data on deep-sea life can be a useful tool for research, there is no substitute for capturing and preserving entire samples.

“There are thousands of type specimens here. [at the university]” says Stewart.Some of them were collected by Swedish scientists carl linnaeusShe died in 1778 and says: Once you have the specimen, you are done. Even as our science changes, we can keep coming back to it. ”

But Stewart said underwater scans are useful for gelatinous and other delicate animals that are difficult to collect intact, and for how the creatures behave in their natural environment, rather than after being hoisted onto the deck of a boat. I agree that it may be helpful to understand.

“We've been conducting research to examine gene expression in sea cucumbers because we want to understand how sea cucumbers behave when they're stressed or affected by things like climate change,” says Stewart. he says. “But when you collect them and bring them to the surface, it's stressful. So being able to harvest tissue from them in a more natural way means you know what their natural baseline is, so they can It means we may be able to see more clearly what happens when placed in different environments.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The global gender gap in life expectancy is closing.

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Over the past few decades, both men and women have benefited from improvements in medical care.

ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy

Women have historically lived longer than men, but due to lifestyle changes, men may be gradually catching up.

Worldwide, The average human lifespan has increased Over the past century, this trend is expected to continue as countries become richer.Despite this increase, disparities remain persistent. Between the average lifespan of men and women.

You can learn more about david atance del olmo Researchers from the University of Alcalá in Spain analyzed mortality data from 194 countries from 1990 to 2010. These countries can generally be classified into five groups according to longevity trends.

The group with the highest life expectancy consisted of countries with the highest incomes, including Australia, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the rest of Western Europe. Rwanda and Uganda were the only groups with the lowest life expectancy.

Comparing the average life expectancy of men and women in these countries, men in Rwanda and Uganda experienced the largest increase in life expectancy, from just 30.85 years in 1990 to 45.22 years, an increase of 14.37 years in 2010. became. Life expectancy for women in these countries increased by just 0.94 years from 50.37 years to 51.31 years during this period.

Among the group with the longest life expectancy, the average life expectancy in 1990 was 4.84 years, favoring women. This decreased slightly to 4.77 years for her in 2010, but researchers predict that the gap will narrow further, reaching 3.4 years for him by 2030.

The researchers observed the same trends for three other groups of countries.

Although the researchers only looked at data through 2010, they expect similar trends to continue into the present. However, they acknowledge that COVID-19 may have had an impact on human life expectancy, particularly for men.

In recent decades, both men and women have benefited from medical advances and increased awareness of diseases such as AIDS, Del Olmo said. Smoking and alcohol-related deaths, which particularly affect men, were also down, which may have contributed to narrowing the gap in life expectancy between men and women, he said.

“This study is consistent with epidemiological trends that suggest global life expectancy is increasing and gender disparities are narrowing over time,” he says. Brandon Yang at the University of California, San Francisco.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how tardigrades are able to survive in extreme conditions

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tardigrade observed using a fluorescence microscope.Some organs are highlighted with fluorescent markers

Smythers et al/PLoS ONE (CC-BY 4.0)

Tardigrades are known for their ability to withstand extreme environments, and we now know how they do this. Small molecular sensors inside cells can detect when harmful molecules called free radicals are produced in excess, causing a state of dormancy.

Tardigrades, also known as tardigrades, are eight-legged microscopic invertebrates found throughout the world. Under adverse conditions such as sub-zero temperatures and strong radiation, the creatures shrink into a dry ball called a tongue and enter a deep hibernation state.

“Tardigrades do not breed under extreme conditions, but they can overwinter.” Derrick Colling At Marshall University in West Virginia. “We wanted to understand how they could step in there.”

To study, Kolling and colleagues exposed tardigrades to high levels of hydrogen peroxide, sugar, salt, or temperatures of -80°C (-112°F) to induce Tun. As a result of these stresses, tardigrades produce harmful, highly reactive molecules called oxygen free radicals.

The free radicals then go on to react with other molecules, team members say. leslie hix At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Importantly, the research team discovered that free radicals oxidize an amino acid called cysteine, which is one of the building blocks of proteins in the body. These reactions change protein structure and function and signal the onset of quiescence.

In experiments where cysteine oxidation was prevented, tardigrades were unable to enter the tun state. “Cysteine acts like a kind of regulatory sensor,” Hicks says. “This allows the tardigrade to sense its environment and respond to stress.”

When conditions improved, the researchers discovered that the cysteine was no longer oxidized and instructed the tardigrades to wake up from the tongue.

“Whether this is a universally conserved protection mechanism and whether this is conserved across tardigrade species is a really important question,” Hicks says. Her answers, she says, could help us better understand the aging process and how to make long-term space travel a reality.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Rethinking Quantum Consciousness: An Intriguing Experiment

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Two weeks before the pandemic lockdown in March 2020, I flew to Tucson, Arizona, and knocked on the door of a suburban ranch-style home. I was there to visit Stuart Hameroff. He is an anesthesiologist and co-inventor with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Roger Penrose of a radical proposal for how conscious experience arises: that the origins of conscious experience lie in quantum phenomena in the brain.

Such ideas, in one form or another, have existed on the fringes of mainstream consciousness research for decades. There is no solid experimental evidence that quantum effects occur in the brain, as critics claim, and aside from a clear idea of how quantum effects produce consciousness, they come in from the cold. Not that it was. “It was very popular to bash us,” Hameroff told me.

But after a week of questioning him about the concept, I realized that at least his version of quantum consciousness is widely misunderstood. Partly, I think it’s Hameroff’s fault. He gives the impression of a single package. In fact, his ideas are a series of independent proposals, each forcing us to confront important questions about the relationship between fundamental physics, biology, and the indescribable thing called consciousness.

Furthermore, during my visit I saw several experiments that Hameroff had proposed come to fruition, and it became clear that his ideas could be applied to experimental research. Researchers have now provided preliminary evidence suggesting that fragile quantum states can persist in the brain and that anesthetics can influence those states.

Now is the time to start taking it…

Source: www.newscientist.com

DeepMind’s AI successfully tackles challenging geometry problems for Math Olympiad

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Geometric problems involve proving facts about angles and lines in complex shapes

Google Deep Mind

Google DeepMind's AI can solve some International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) problems in geometry almost as well as the best human contestants.

“AlphaGeometry's results are surprising and breathtaking,” says IMO Chairman Gregor Driner. “It looks like AI will be winning his IMO gold medal much sooner than was thought a few months ago.”

IMO is one of the most difficult math competitions in the world for middle school students. Answering questions correctly requires mathematical creativity, something AI systems have long struggled with. For example, GPT-4, who has shown remarkable reasoning ability in other areas, gets his 0% score on IMO geometry problems, and even a specialized AI can answer them just as well as an average contestant. I'm having a hard time.

This is partly due to the difficulty of the problem, but also due to the lack of training data. This contest has been held annually since 1959, and each round consists of only six questions. However, some of the most successful AI systems require millions or even billions of data points. In particular, geometry problems, which account for one or two out of six questions and require proving facts about angles or lines in complex shapes, are particularly difficult to convert into a computer-friendly format.

Thanh Luong Google's DeepMind and his colleagues got around this problem by creating a tool that can generate hundreds of millions of machine-readable geometric proofs. Using this data he trained an AI called AlphaGeometry and when he tested it on 30 of his IMO geometry questions, the IMO gold medalist's estimated score based on his score in the contest was 25.9, whereas the AI answered 25 of them correctly.

“our [current] AI systems still struggle with capabilities such as deep reasoning. There you have to plan many steps in advance and understand the big picture. That's why mathematics is such an important benchmark and test set in our explorations. to artificial general intelligence,” Luong said at a press conference.

AlphaGeometry is made up of two parts, which Luong likens to different thinking systems in the brain. One system is fast and intuitive, the other is slower and more analytical. The first intuitive part is a language model called GPT-f, similar to the technology behind ChatGPT. It is trained on millions of generated proofs and suggests which theorems and arguments to try next for your problem. Once the next step is proposed, a slower but more careful “symbolic reasoning” engine uses logical and mathematical rules to fully construct the argument proposed by GPT-f. The two systems then work together and switch between each other until the problem is resolved.

While this method has been very successful in solving IMO geometry problems, Luong says the answers it constructs tend to be longer and less “pretty” than human proofs. However, it can also find things that humans overlook. For example, a better and more general solution was discovered for the question from his IMO in 2004 than the one listed in the official answer.

I think it's great that you can solve IMO geometry problems in this way. Yang Hui He However, IMO problems must be solvable using theorems taught at undergraduate level and below, so this system inherently limits the mathematics that can be used. Expanding the amount of mathematical knowledge that AlphaGeometry can access could improve the system and even help make new mathematical discoveries, he says.

It's also interesting to see how AlphaGeometry deals with situations where you don't know what you need to prove, since mathematical insight often comes from exploring theorems that have no fixed proof. Yes, he says. “If I don't know what an endpoint is, can I find it in all sets?” [mathematical] Are there any new and interesting theorems? ”

Last year, algorithmic trading firm XTX Markets Total prize money: $10 million For AI math models, the first publicly shared AI model to earn an IMO gold medal will receive a $5 million grand prize, with small progress awards for major milestones.

“Solving the IMO geometry problem is one of the planned advancement awards supported by the $10 million AIMO Challenge Fund,” said Alex Gerko of XTX Markets. “Even before we announce all the details of this Progress Award, we are excited to see the progress we are making towards this goal, including making our models and data openly available and , which involves solving real geometry problems during a live IMO contest.”

DeepMind declined to say whether it plans to use AlphaGeometry in live IMO contests or extend the system to solve other IMO problems that are not based on geometry. However, DeepMind previously entered a public protein folding prediction competition to test the AlphaFold system.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers Are Investigating the Decline in Sperm Counts Globally

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The year was 1974. While newspaper columnists were busy talking about the development of in vitro fertilization and the possibility of “test tube babies,” the surprising discovery about male fertility completely escaped their notice.

Two doctors, Iowa State CM Kinloch Nelson and Raymond Bunge, compared semen samples from that time with historical data. Dramatic changes in a man’s sperm count Over the past 20 years. In 1951, one milliliter of semen contained 107 million sperm. By the 1970s, that number had fallen by more than 50% to just 48 million people. The average volume of semen per ejaculation also decreased.

By the 1990s, the problem began to receive considerable scientific attention, although some researchers remained skeptical. They blamed differences in technology or the fact that most of the research involved men already undergoing treatment for infertility. Those doubts are now diminishing. “There is a tremendous amount of scientific evidence showing this decline,” he says. Albert Salas-Huetos at the University of Rovira y Virgili, Spain.

For researchers like Salas-Huetos, the big question is no longer whether this so-called “Spermageddon” is really happening, but why and what to do about it. Research is beginning to uncover environmental toxins that may be the culprit, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to the problem. With a better idea of the prime suspects, we may finally be able to put the brakes on this trend, or even reverse it.

decreased sperm count

around the world 1 in 6 people have problems…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers Develop Large Quantum Vortex to Replicate Black Hole Properties

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers created tornado-like vortices in superfluid helium

Yoshigin/Shutterstock

Giant quantum vortices could allow researchers to study black holes. This vortex is a special form of liquid helium vortex that exhibits quantum effects. The result has some properties similar to a black hole and acts as a kind of simulator.

In the region around a black hole, the laws of gravity and quantum mechanics interact, producing effects that cannot be observed elsewhere in the universe. This makes these regions particularly important to study. “There are interesting physics happening around black holes, but many of them are out of our reach,” he says. Silke Weinfurtner at the University of Nottingham, UK. “Thus, we can use these quantum simulators to investigate phenomena that occur around black holes.”

To build the quantum simulator, Weinfurtner and his colleagues used superfluid helium, which flows at a very low viscosity, 500 times lower than water. Because it moves without friction, this form of helium exhibits unusual quantum effects and is known as a quantum fluid. The researchers filled a tank with helium with a rotating propeller at the bottom. As the propeller rotated, a tornado-like vortex was generated in the fluid.

“Similar vortices have been created in physical systems other than superfluid helium, but their strength is generally at least several orders of magnitude weaker,” he says. Patrick Svanchara, is also enrolled at the University of Nottingham and is part of the team. The strength and size of the vortex are critical to producing an interaction significant enough to observe between the vortex and the remaining fluid in the tank.

The vortices in this work were a few millimeters in diameter, much larger than other stable vortices created to date. quantum fluid In the past. In quantum liquids, rotation only occurs in tiny “packets” called quanta, which are essentially tiny vortices, so creating such large vortices is difficult. Many of them tend to become unstable when clustered, but the experimental setup here allows the researchers to combine about 40,000 rotating quanta to form what is called a giant quantum vortex. It's done.

“This is an experimental masterpiece,” he says Jeff Steinhauer He received his PhD from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, a pioneer in laboratory simulations of black holes. “They took a very well-established, old, classic technology called superfluid helium and did something really new with it, significantly increasing their technical capabilities compared to what had been done in the past. .”

The researchers observed how small waves in the fluid interacted with vortices. This process mimics the way the universe's cosmic field interacts with a rotating black hole. They discovered hints of a black hole phenomenon called ringdown mode. This phenomenon occurs after two black holes combine and the resulting single black hole is shaken by the residual energy of the combination.

Now that it has been established that this type of vortex exhibits behavior similar to that seen in black holes, researchers plan to use quantum vortices to study more elusive phenomena. “This is an excellent starting point for investigating some black hole physics processes, seeking new insights and potentially discovering hidden treasures along the way,” Weinfurtner says. .

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Fermi makes a puzzling discovery of gamma rays from beyond our galaxy

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Interestingly, the gamma-ray signal detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has a similar orientation to another unexplained feature produced by some of the most energetic cosmic particles ever detected. and are found to be approximately the same size.

This artist's concept shows the entire sky in gamma rays, with a magenta circle indicating the uncertainty in the direction in which more high-energy gamma rays appear to be arriving than average. In this view, the plane of the Milky Way crosses the center of the map. The circle encloses the region that contains these gamma ray sources with a probability of 68% (inside) and 95%. Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

“It was a completely serendipitous discovery. We found a much stronger signal in a different part of the sky than what we were looking for,” said the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Space. said academic Dr. Alexander Kashlinsky.

Dr. Kasilinsky and his colleagues were looking for gamma-ray signatures associated with the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the oldest light in the universe.

This light occurred when the hot, expanding universe cooled enough to form the first atoms, and this event released a burst of light that could penetrate the universe for the first time.

Stretched out by the subsequent expansion of the universe over the past 13 billion years, this light was first detected in 1965 in the form of faint microwave waves across the sky.

In the 1970s, astronomers noticed that the CMB had a so-called dipole structure, which was later measured with high precision by NASA's COBE mission.

The CMB has more microwaves than average in the direction toward Leo and is about 0.12% hotter, and in the opposite direction it is cooler by the same amount with fewer microwaves than average.

To study small temperature changes within the CMB, this signal must be removed.

Astronomers generally believe that this pattern is the result of our solar system's motion relative to the CMB at about 370 km per second (230 miles per second).

This movement causes a dipole signal in the light coming from astrophysical sources, but so far only the CMB has been accurately measured.

By looking for patterns in other forms of light, astronomers can confirm or refute the idea that the dipole is entirely due to the motion of the solar system.

“Such measurements are important because the discrepancy in the size and orientation of the CMB dipole allows us to extend the possibility of going back to the very beginning of the universe, when the universe was less than a trillionth of a second old. “Because we can get a glimpse of certain physical processes,” said Professor Fernando Atrio Barrandera from the University of Salamanca.

Astronomers reasoned this by summing up years of data from Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT).

Due to the effects of relativity, gamma-ray dipoles should be amplified five times more than currently detected CMBs.

The authors integrated 13 years of Fermi LAT observations of gamma rays above about 3 billion electron volts (GeV). For comparison, visible light has an energy of about 2 to 3 electron volts.

They removed all resolved and identified sources and removed the central plane of the Milky Way to analyze the extragalactic gamma-ray background.

“We have discovered a gamma-ray dipole, but its peak is located in the southern sky, far from the CMB, and its magnitude is 10 times larger than expected from our motion.” said astrophysicist Dr. Chris Schroeder. Catholic University of America.

“Although this is not what we were looking for, we think it may be related to similar features reported for the highest-energy cosmic rays.”

Cosmic rays are accelerated charged particles, primarily protons and atomic nuclei. The rarest and most energetic particles, called UHECRs (Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays), carry more than a billion times the energy of 3 GeV gamma rays, and their origin remains one of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics.

Since 2017, the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina has report Dipole in the direction of arrival of UHECR.

Because cosmic rays are electrically charged, they are deflected by galaxies' magnetic fields by different amounts depending on their energy, but the peak of the UHECR dipole is at a position in the sky similar to that found by researchers with gamma rays.

And both have surprisingly similar sizes. About 7% more gamma rays or particles than average come from one direction, and correspondingly less gamma rays or particles come from the opposite direction.

“The two phenomena are probably related, and an as-yet-unidentified source may be producing both gamma rays and very high-energy particles,” the scientists said.

“To solve this cosmic puzzle, we must either locate these mysterious sources or propose alternative explanations for both features.”

of findings Published in Astrophysics Journal Letter.

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A. Kashirinsky other. 2024. Exploration of dipoles in the diffuse gamma-ray background. APJL 961, L1; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/acfedd

Source: www.sci.news

Men outperform women in navigation skills, but it’s not due to evolutionary factors

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

If men were encouraged to play outside as children, they may have better navigation skills than women

Colin Hawkins/Getty Images/Image Source

In fact, men tend to have a better sense of direction than women, but this is probably due to differences in upbringing rather than improved navigational skills being an evolutionary trait.

In previous research, Men slightly outperform women on spatial navigation tasks. Some researchers believe this is due to evolution, since in prehistoric times it was common for men to travel long distances to hunt, while women often stayed close to home. It suggests that it is. This may have resulted in selection pressure on men to develop advanced navigation skills.

But if that were the case, she says, those genes would be passed on to female offspring, as long as they're not on the Y chromosome. Justin Rose At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “The really obvious alternative is culture,” he says. “It plays a huge role in what men and women experience.”

For example, boys may be encouraged to play outside more than girls, which may help hone their navigation skills, he says.

To investigate this idea, Rose and his colleagues collected data from 21 species of animals, including humans. This data includes information about their spatial navigation skills and how far they travel on average from home.

If natural selection were at work, we would expect males and females that traveled farther from home to have better navigational abilities, and this is consistent across species.

Instead, the researchers found that males of all species are slightly better at navigating than females, although in some species, such as the rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) and the little devil poison dart frog (Uofaga Silvatica), females had a wider home range.

This finding suggests that differences in navigation between men and women may be cultural. It could also be a side effect of biological differences between males and females, as well as between male and female animals. For example, hormonal differences “can affect all kinds of traits,” Rose says. As long as those traits don't prevent reproduction, “evolution doesn't matter,” he says.

In previous spatial navigation research, There were no differences in these skills between men and women from similar backgrounds.

“The authors show in a very comprehensive way that sex differences in spatial ability are likely acquired, for example through culture.” Antoine Cutolo At the French National Center for Scientific Research. “Spatial skills are much like other cognitive skills: the more you use them, the better you become at them.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Alpine ibex are becoming more nocturnal as the climate warms up

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Ibex can be at risk from wolves if they move around at night

robert andrighetto

Alpine ibex have become increasingly nocturnal to escape rising daytime temperatures, despite the increased risk of encountering predators.

Animals living in cold regions are expected to be greatly affected by rising global temperatures due to climate change. Alpine Ibex (capra ibex), usually seen grazing during the day in the European Alps, is one such animal.

To see what the impact was, Stefano Grignorio Researchers from the University of Ferrara in Italy tracked 47 individuals in Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park or Swiss National Park from May to October between 2006 and 2019. The animals were fitted with collars equipped with movement sensors.

Researchers found that warmer daytime temperatures made ibex more active at night. Grignolio said the discovery was surprising because doing so increases the chances of encountering wolves, one of their main natural enemies.

“Global warming seems to be driving their behavior changes dramatically,” he says. “Predation is just a variable.”

The ibex, a climate-sensitive animal, has probably shifted to a more nocturnal schedule to avoid the heat. Warmer daytime temperatures mean your body needs to expend more energy to cool itself compared to the energy needed to stay warm at night, Grignolio says.

However, while this response may help ibex cope with warmer climates, it may not be a viable long-term solution for ibex. “[They] may not be able to meet their demands [dietary] If they become too nocturnal or have increased predation, their requirements will not be met.” Niels Martin Schmidt At Aarhus University, Denmark.

“This study successfully quantifies some of the more subtle and often overlooked responses to climate change,” Schimdt says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Turning Stress into a Positive Force: Hacking Strategies for a Stress-Free Life

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Many of us have felt some amount of stress over the past few years. Exhibit A for me is my teeth. A recent trip to the dentist confirmed that I had been clenching my jaw for months due to the pandemic. This was the result of the normal stress of deadlines, compounded by the demands of two young children, four of whom had broken bones.

A broken tooth is a small fry. Last year, the American Psychological Association Two-thirds of people in the US report feeling more stressed due to the pandemic, found, and predicted “a mental health crisis that could have serious health and social consequences for years to come.” Increased risks of diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular disease are all associated with high stress levels. Just thinking about it makes me feel stressed.

But maybe we just need to think about stress differently. At least, that's the surprising conclusion of researchers studying the mind-body relationship. They say there are natural benefits to feeling stressed, and if we change the way we “think about stress,” we can turn things around and make stress have a positive impact on our lives. maybe. Fortunately, there are some simple hacks that can help you do this, and you can expect to see improved physical health, clarity of thought, increased mental strength, and increased productivity. Masu.

There's no denying that too much stress can have a negative impact on your body and mind. In the West, it has been linked to all six major causes of death: cancer, heart disease, liver disease, accidents, lung disease, and suicide. Your immune system may be weakened, making you more susceptible to infections and less infectious.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Porous iceberg on Saturn’s moon Titan believed to be a strange ‘magical island’

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Infrared image of Saturn’s icy moon Titan

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Stephane Le Mouelik, Virginia Pasek

Saturn’s moon Titan is home to strange “magical islands” that appear and disappear over hours to weeks. These so-called islands are actually porous, sponge-like masses of snow that can slowly fill with liquid before sinking.

Titan’s thick atmosphere is filled with complex organic molecules that can clump together and fall to the moon’s surface like snow. Sintin Yu Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio thought that snow could be the cause of the magical islands. To test their idea, they took advantage of what we know about these atmospheric compounds and how they are expected to interact with Titan’s oceans.

Titan’s liquid is methane, not water, so any solids on the surface of these oceans would normally be expected to sink quickly. Water molecules tend to stick together and displace other substances, but methane easily sticks to other molecules, so the surface tension of a pool of liquid methane is very low.

“Water molecules just love themselves by excluding certain molecules,” he says. michael marasca from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California was not involved in the study. “But if you put methane on the same surface, it’ll start crawling all over the place.” That means Titan’s methane oceans and lakes should immediately swallow up any solids that are expected to float. It means that.

But that clearly won’t happen on the magical island, which appeared as a temporary bright spot in observations from the Cassini spacecraft. “For us to see magical islands, they cannot float briefly and then immediately sink,” Yu said in the paper. statement. “You have to stay afloat for a while, but not forever.” Researchers have found a solution to this problem. When large amounts of snow accumulate on the coast, they can form sponge-like, porous ice. Once these porous “icebergs” separated from the land, they could float in Titan’s oceans for long enough to rival Cassini’s observations. The researchers calculated that this would work if the sponge-like structure contained enough free space (at least about 25 to 50 percent, depending on the exact composition of the ice).

However, this does not mean that these mysterious islands are definitely porous icebergs. “We’re narrowing down different scenarios for the magical island, but we don’t know the answer yet,” Malasca says. Other possible explanations include nitrogen gas bubbles, waves caused by wind or solid ocean deposits. However, this provides evidence that Titan’s temporary islands may actually be suspended matter from this strange world’s atmosphere.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Deep-sea Submersible Discovers Four New Species of Octopus

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A female octopus lays her eggs near a small rock outcrop, informally known as El Dorado Hill.

ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute

Four new species of deep-sea octopus have been discovered in an underwater mountain range about two miles downstream in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica, according to the Schmidt Institute of Oceanography.

During expeditions in June and December 2023, researchers on the US nonprofit research vessel Falkor also used a remote-controlled vehicle to explore two low-temperature hydrothermal springs, two octopuses, and more. found a nursery, and one skate nursery. Subastian.

Previous research has found areas where octopuses live near low-temperature springs, but these environments have been difficult to find.

Typical 350°C hot hydrothermal vents are easy to spot thanks to smoke rising from the ocean floor. However, the cold spring's water temperature is only about 10 degrees Celsius higher than the average 2 degrees Celsius at the ocean floor, and is only visible through slight diffraction of light.

“It looks like it’s sparkling,” says expedition co-leader. Beth Orcutt at the Bigelow Marine Science Institute, another nonprofit in Maine.

Finding this subtle sign in the dark required multiple dives in different locations. “It's like walking through a forest you've never been in before with a flashlight looking for hot springs,” Orcutt said. “We were kind of making a bet.”

The four new species have not yet been officially described, but one has been named the dorado octopus, after the rock where it was discovered, known as El Dorado Hill.some kind of Muusocopsfemales gather to incubate eggs in warm water.

Orcutt said researchers believe the other species are new based on their appearance. They appear to be solitary, which is common among deep-sea octopuses. “They don't like having their neighbors close,” she says.

These insights into Costa Rica's unique biodiversity could inform regional conservation policy. “It is difficult [protect deep-sea wildlife] That’s when you don’t know it’s underground,” Orcutt says.

Undersea octopus farm

ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute

These missions also help inspire and develop local scientific talent through training for early career researchers on how to lead deep-sea explorations, she says. The 310 specimens collected, which also include starfish, spider stars and sea cucumbers, will be kept at the Zoological Museum at the University of Costa Rica, rather than in the United States, where they are not easily accessible to local researchers.

More exploration is needed because the deep sea faces many threats, including mining, Orcutt said. “We're just scratching the surface.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Top 10 Multi-World Movies Chosen by a Physicist, Featuring ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Spider-Man’

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

'Groundbreaking': Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves in The Matrix

alamy stock photo

I Professor of Physics at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia He is also the author of 18 popular science books. Although my training was in theoretical physics, particularly the discovery and interpretation of unusual solutions to Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, I remained a lifelong admirer of his science fiction and fascinated by the phenomena of physics in culture. I'm here. In my latest book, The charm of the multiverse, I apply my experience and interests to the study of scientific debates and popular beliefs surrounding the concepts of parallel worlds and separate parts of reality. Here's a chronological list of my 10 favorite movies on the subject. Each one has been chosen to be thought-provoking and interesting.

It's a wonderful life (1946)

Beyond the key aspects of this issue Christmas classic There are lies worth chewing through, including the question of what the world would be like if we didn't exist. In theoretical physics, the hypothetical anthropic principle cuts off from all reality the realm of possibility that ultimately leads to the conscious observer. Sadly, unlike the film's protagonist George Bailey, we don't have guardian angels to tell us what the universe would be like without humanity. But maybe, in George's spirit, we recognize the fact that we exist as sentient beings on a fragile planet and take that responsibility seriously.

back to the future (1985)

Children dream of changing their parents. Thanks to the mysterious powers of the time-traveling DeLorean, Marty McFly inadvertently does just that. In physics, the feasibility of backward time travel is debatable. Could it be that the paradoxes caused by voyages into the past, such as acts that prevent the creation of time travelers, make them impossible? Marty's Voyage to 1955 He almost prevents his parents from falling in love until he finds a way to convince them. He returns to his 1985 present and finds himself in a parallel reality. His parents are much cooler there. Such a multiverse avoids paradox and gives hope to teenagers.

marmot day (1993)

In quantum physics, reality is a mixture of different particle histories. It's as if the inhabitants of a subatomic world need to try every possibility to make things right. Eastern philosophy similarly emphasizes that reincarnation ultimately leads to perfection. Similarly, funny movies, weatherman Phil Connors seems doomed to repeat the same terrible day over and over again until he sheds his self-centered attitude and becomes more sensitive to others. Along the way, he not only found love, but experienced enough time to master French, ice sculpting, and piano. Thanks to a kind of repeating multiverse, he contains a large number of things.

“Contains a large number of people”: Bill Murray in Groundhog Day

alamy stock photo

12 Monkees (1995)

Partly inspired by great things, La Jetée, 12 Monkees It offers plotlines like twisted knots of wire. But does it constitute a single coherent chain, or does it contain loose parts?The protagonist, James Cole, travels back in time from his imaginary 21st century to his 1990s. and tries to gather clues about the origins of a devastatingly deadly pandemic. Although his superiors stress that the past cannot be changed, he sometimes appears to be influencing reality, but only in the face of reality's resilience. His hopes that he can prevent the catastrophe eventually fade, but there are hints of an alternative even in the final scene.

“A surprising juxtaposition of fate”: Gwyneth Paltrow's “Sliding Doors”

alamy stock photo

sliding door (1998)

Have you ever missed a train by just a few seconds and cursed the time you lost? But if that delay resulted in an accident being avoided, it would seem more like a blessing. Brilliantly, through the magic of cinema, we see both parts of the many worlds in which the main character, Helen, misses and misses the subway. In the former case, the girlfriend was unable to witness her boyfriend cheating on her and continues to pretend that she didn't know. In the latter, she witnessed the incident and immediately met Mr. Right. However, both elements have something in common that ultimately points the way to a surprising juxtaposition of fate.

Run, Laura, run (1998)

If two versions of reality aren't enough, try three.in This seminal German film, fate gave Laura three chances to save her boyfriend, who had lost a huge amount of cash and needed it to carry out the mission of a crime boss. Each time, she somehow obtains her booty and takes 20 minutes to run across the city with it to her frenetic lover. Reflecting the butterfly effect of chaos theory, small discrepancies can lead to vastly different results. Her first two attempts prove fatal, but the third is the charm. This film shows that our passion for the multiverse reflects our desire for multiple opportunities in life.

matrix (1999)

Movies allow us to imagine entirely new worlds. Artificial intelligence strengthens that illusion. Imagine if an incredibly powerful and malicious electronic entity exploited our ability to be fooled and created a false world for us to experience life. All the while, it sucked energy from our bodies for its own evil purposes.of The film's groundbreaking sci-fi plot And special effects remain relevant to today's debates about AI capabilities and threats. Some thinkers speculate that the observable universe is a simulation. If that were the case, screenwriters elsewhere in the multiverse would win Academy Awards for the most original screenplays.

“The Haunting”: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Donnie Darko

alamy stock photo

donnie darko (2001)

One of the most profound mysteries in theoretical physics is the concept of wormholes. A wormhole is a hypothetical connection between disparate sectors of the universe. Theorists have derived a wormhole solution to Einstein's general theory of relativity and demonstrated how it could potentially be used as a time machine. In reality, no one knows how to assemble the extraordinary amount of mass needed to create such an object, including a special negative mass component called “exotic matter.” Nevertheless, they serve as effective plot devices. this unforgettable movie The story of a troubled teenager who

Source: www.newscientist.com

Has the successful cloning of monkeys opened the door to human cloning?

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

cloned rhesus monkey

Zhaodi Liao et al.

After many years and many attempts, a healthy rhesus monkey was finally created by cloning. The clone was born in China on July 16, 2020, but its existence has only now been revealed.

“The cloned rhesus macaque is now 3 years old,” team members say Fallon Lu at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. “So far, no health problems have been found during routine medical examinations.”

However, because the monkeys were cloned from fetal cells rather than adult cells, the embryos had to be provided with a non-cloned placenta. Therefore, despite this progress, primate cloning remains extremely difficult. As a result, apart from ethical and legal issues, it may not yet be technically possible to clone an adult.

Cloning is the creation of an individual that is genetically identical to another individual. Cloning plants is easy, but for most animals it is much more difficult.

Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, was born in 1996. Since then, researchers have attempted to clone many mammalian species, with mixed results.

In some cases, cloning works relatively well.A Korean team created a clone over 1500 dogs For example, so far, success rates remain low, with fewer than 4 percent of cloned embryos leading to live births. In many other mammalian species, cloning either fails completely or produces unhealthy animals.

The main problem is that as cells in the body develop and become specialized, various so-called epigenetic markers are added to the DNA in order to turn certain genes on or off. When adult cells are cloned into empty eggs, they usually contain the wrong epigenetic markers.

Primates (a group that includes apes such as monkeys and humans) have proven particularly difficult to treat. There have been several previous reports of monkey clones, but each case so far has come with major warnings.

For example, the rhesus macaque born in 1999 is sometimes described as the first primate clone, but this individual was created not by cloning adult cells like Dolly, but by creating identical twins. It was created by splitting the embryo, as is done.

In 2022, rhesus macaques will be born. cloned from a genetically modified adult However, this clone died shortly after birth.

The most successful attempt to date was the birth of two long-tailed macaques in 2017. The researchers behind this study used a chemical cocktail to help reset epigenetic markers, but they were still able to clone only fetal cells, not adult cells.

Lu's team tried applying the same cocktail to rhesus macaques, but the only clone produced this way did not survive. The researchers concluded that the abnormalities in the cloned placenta were partially to blame, and decided to transplant the part of the early embryo that turns into a fetus (the inner cell mass) into a non-cloned embryo, where the inner cell mass forms. Developed new technology. Cell clumps were removed.

This means that the cloned fetus develops within a non-cloned placenta that is genetically distinct from it. Theoretically, the resulting fetuses could be a mixture of clonal and non-clonal cells, but the researchers found no evidence of such chimerism.

But even with the help of this complex technique, the researchers have so far only cloned fetal cells and not adult cells. In other words, healthy primates have not yet been created by cloning adult cells.

This means that whether it is possible to clone adults remains an open question. Lu wouldn't speculate on whether his team's technique would help.

“The act of cloning humans is completely unacceptable. We don't think about this,” he says.

Shukrat Mitalipov A professor at Oregon Health & Science University, who also works on cloning but was not involved in the study, says it's unclear whether the technology will help create cloned humans. “Aside from ethical issues, it is unclear whether there is any humanity. [cloned] “The fetus has placental abnormalities,” Mitalipov said.

Lu says the purpose of primate cloning is to advance research. “Rhesus monkeys are important and commonly used non-human primate laboratory animals in cognitive and biomedical research,” he says.

Meanwhile, Mitalipov's aim is to use cloning to generate stem cells that are compatible with individual treatments. “In our case, one day doctors will be able to use non-rejection, genetically compatible embryonic stem cells to replace diseased nerve, muscle, blood and other cells, or to produce eggs for infertility treatment. I hope we can produce it,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

YouTube challenges climate change denialism

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Climate change denial has taken on a new focus, according to a recent report from the Center for Digital Action. Instead of denying that the planet is warming, scientists and activists are now questioning climate change solutions and skepticism about policy. Hate, a nonprofit organization researching digital hate speech and misinformation, has outlined this shift in their analysis. They argue that YouTube’s parent company, Google, has ineffective content policy regulations aimed at blocking ad revenue from content denying the scientific consensus of climate change.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the organization, stated, “A new front has opened in this battle. They used to say climate change wasn’t happening, and now they’re saying, ‘Climate change is happening, but there’s no hope. There are no solutions.'” This reflects the evolution of the debate from outright denial to skepticism about the severity of climate change and potential solutions.

For decades, scientists have agreed that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are causing an imbalance in the atmosphere, leading to global warming. As the Earth warms, the impacts are becoming increasingly evident, such as melting ice shelves and rising sea levels. Public perception of climate change has changed over recent decades, although it remains highly politicized, according to Pew Research Center.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate utilized artificial intelligence models to analyze YouTube videos with climate change denial content. Their analysis revealed a shift in the denial narrative from denying the existence of global warming to attacking climate change solutions.

John Cook, a senior research fellow, sees similar trends in his work, stating that the focus has shifted from questioning the existence of climate change to evaluating the seriousness of the problem and the effectiveness of proposed solutions.

The report also highlighted YouTube’s policies regarding misinformation about climate change and their failure to stop the monetization of negative narratives. They suggest that YouTube and Google should expand the types of content they can’t monetize to include climate change denial and to update their policies based on current trends.

YouTube has responded, stating that they prohibit advertising on content that violates the scientific consensus on climate change. They allow discussion and debate on the topic but will not show ads on videos that cross the line of climate change denial.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Many in the UK contracting severe coronavirus infections in summer due to lack of vaccination

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A coronavirus vaccine is being administered at Epsom Racecourse in Surrey, England.

PA Image/Alamy

Around 7,000 people in the UK would have avoided dying or being hospitalized from coronavirus in the summer of 2022 if they had been fully vaccinated against the virus, a major study has found. This is the first time that the health impact of hesitancy to get a COVID-19 vaccine has been calculated on a national basis.

Since the emergence of the Omicron variant, covid-19 vaccines are less effective at preventing people from getting infected, but they still reduce the risk of dying or needing hospitalization from the virus.

katherine sudlow Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the UK used national health service data to determine how much vaccination would reduce hospitalizations and deaths in the summer of 2022, when most COVID-19 restrictions had ended. We investigated whether it had an impact on

Sudlow's team included data from June 1 to September 30, 2022, spanning the wave of coronavirus infections that peaked in July. During this period, 40,000 people died or required hospitalization due to the virus, all of which were classified as serious health hazards.

The team then looked at people who have received the recommended number of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters (for example, four doses for people 75 and older by that point) and those who have received fewer than the recommended number of doses. They compared rates of severe outcomes among people who received the vaccine or booster immunization. Not at all.

People who have not been fully vaccinated are more likely to develop severe disease than people who are fully vaccinated, and the exact increased risk depends on age. For example, people over the age of 75 are about three times more likely to develop severe illness from COVID-19 if they have not been fully vaccinated.

The researchers calculated that if everyone in the UK had been fully vaccinated, there would have been around 7,000 fewer deaths and hospital admissions. “Fully immunizing people will reduce adverse outcomes for society as a whole,” Sudlow said.

One caveat is that this study was not a randomized trial, which is the best medical evidence, but simply observed a correlation between vaccination status and outcome, which could bias the results. The fact is that there is, he said. stephen evans At the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Nevertheless, he says the results of studies on the vaccine's effectiveness are broadly consistent with previous randomized trials. “Their approach is a reasonable one.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Exoplanet similar in size to Earth found orbiting around star HD 63433

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet passing by the young Sun-like star HD 63433.

HD 63433d is located close to its parent star HD 63433, with two neighboring mini-Neptune-sized planets HD 63433b and HD 63433c orbiting further out. Image credit: Alyssa Jankowski.

HD 63433 is a G5V star located approximately 73 light years away in the constellation Gemini.

The star, also known as TOI-1726, is a member of the 414-million-year-old Moving Star Group in the Ursa Major constellation.

The newly discovered exoplanet HD 63433d is the third planet detected in this multi-planet system.

The discovery of two other planets — HD 63433b and HD 63433c (both mini-Neptunes) report By Astronomer in 2020.

The HD 63433d is tidally locked, meaning it has a day side that is always facing the stars and a side that is always in the dark.

The planet has an orbital period of 4.2 days and is very hot on its dayside (1,257 degrees Celsius, or 2,294 degrees Fahrenheit).

“These scorching temperatures are comparable to the lava world of: Corot-7b and Kepler-10bAnd we think the dayside of this planet may be a 'lava hemisphere,''' said the University of Florida astronomer. benjamin capistrant and his colleagues.

HD 63433d is the smallest known exoplanet less than 500 million years old.

The planet is also the closest Earth-sized exoplanet to be discovered at such a young age.

“HD 63433d is the closest planet to our solar system, orbiting a young star with a radius similar to Earth,” the astronomers said.

“This is therefore an attractive target for follow-up observations and provides an opportunity to uncover insights into the physics of atmospheric mass loss in exoplanets.”

“Between HD 63433d and the two larger planets known to date, the HD 63433 system is poised to play a key role in understanding the evolution of planetary systems during the first billion years after their formation. I am.”

The discovery of HD 63433d is paper inside astronomy magazine.

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Benjamin K. Capistrant other. 2024. TESS Search for Young and Mature Exoplanets (THYME). 11. An Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby Sun-like host in the 400 million Ursa Majoris migration group. A.J. 167, 54; doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad1039

Source: www.sci.news

Homo longhi’s facial reconstruction

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Brazilian anthropologist reconstructs ancient human face Homolonghi This comes from a well-preserved skull discovered in northeastern China in the 1930s.

portrait of Homolonghi. Image credit: Cicero Moraes, doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.24648591.

Homolonghi It is an extinct species of the genus homo It lived in Asia during the Middle Pleistocene.

The species, also known as dragon man, was identified from a nearly complete skull dating back 148,000 years.

This fossil was discovered in 1933 when a bridge was being built over the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China.

Due to unsystematic recoveries and long periods of time, information about the exact location and fossil layers has been lost.

Harbin's skull is huge, larger than all other archaic humans. It is also relatively long and low, lacking the spherical shape of modern human brain cases.

It has larger, almost square eye sockets, thick eyebrow ridges, a wide mouth, and oversized teeth.

Its intracranial volume is estimated to be 1,420 ml; homo sapiens Neanderthals, and bigger than before homo seed.

This specimen, also known as the Harbin skull, probably represents a man less than 50 years old.

front view portrait of Homolonghi. Image credit: Cicero Moraes, doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.24648591.

“Uranium series dating gives the fossil a reliable date of 148,000 years ago, and its remarkable dimensions mean the skull is larger than all known archaic hominin skulls. ” he said. Cicero Moraesresearcher at the Ortogonline Treinamento em Desenvolvimento Profissional e Consultoria LTDA.

Regarding face approximation, Homo longhiMoraes used not only Harbin's skull, but also a computed tomography (CT) scan of Harbin's skull. homo erectus, homo sapiens and pan-troglodytes.

“Forensic facial reconstruction, or forensic facial approximation, is an auxiliary recognition technique that reconstructs/approximates the face in a skull, and is used when there is little information to identify an individual based on the remains. ” explained Moraes.

portrait side view Homolonghi. Image credit: Cicero Moraes, doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.24648591.

“To be able to approximate the face, the jaw and missing teeth had to be reconstructed,” he added.

“For this purpose, we need a complete skull. homo erectus Teeth that underwent some structural modifications and were precisely adjusted in the tooth area were used. ”

“The remaining molars served as parameters for aligning other teeth as well as the alveolus in the upper jaw.”

“Thanks to the wide range of information obtained in previous studies, the reconstruction of the fossil and face is now possible. HomolonghiIn addition to undertaking some measurements and comparisons in the context of other species,” concluded Moraes.

of result Published in an online journal OrtogOnLineMag.

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Cicero Moraes. 2023. Facial shortcuts Homo longhi (Harbin, China, approximately 148,000 AP). OrtogOnLineMag 4(2); doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.24648591

Source: www.sci.news

Researchers unravel enigmatic lunar geological puzzles

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

New research from the University of Bristol has revealed the origin of titanium-rich basaltic magma on the Moon.

A map of titanium abundance on the moon's surface from NASA's Clementine spacecraft. The red area shows a very high concentration compared to terrestrial rocks. Image credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute.

The presence of surprisingly high concentrations of the element titanium (Ti) on parts of the moon's surface has been known since NASA's Apollo missions back in the 1960s and 1970s. The mission successfully recovered samples of solidified ancient lava from the moon's crust.

Recent maps from orbiting satellites show that these magmas, known as titanium-rich basalts, are widespread on the moon's surface.

Professor Tim Elliott and colleagues at the University of Bristol have used advanced isotopic analysis of lunar samples in a series of high-temperature lava labs to identify key reactions that control the composition of these characteristic magmas.

This reaction occurred about 3.5 billion years ago deep inside the moon, replacing elements of iron in the magma with elements of magnesium in the surrounding rock, changing the chemical and physical properties of the melt.

“The origin of the Moon's volcanic rocks is a fascinating story involving an 'avalanche' of unstable, planetary-scale piles of crystals produced by the cooling of a primordial magma ocean,” Professor Elliott said.

“Central to this epic history is the presence of a type of magma unique to the Moon, which explains how such magma reached the surface to be sampled on space missions. It was a tricky problem to solve. I'm really glad we were able to resolve this dilemma.”

“Until now, models have not been able to reproduce magma compositions that match the essential chemical and physical properties of high-titanium basalts,” said Dr. Martin Claver, a researcher at the Institute of Mineralogy at the University of Münster.

“Explaining that low density made eruptions possible about 3.5 billion years ago has proven particularly difficult.”

“We successfully mimicked high-titanium basalts in a laboratory process using high-temperature experiments,” the researchers said.

“Measurements of the titanium-rich basalts also revealed a unique isotopic composition, a signature of reactions that were reproduced in experiments.”

“Both results clearly demonstrate how melt-solid reactions are essential to understanding the formation of these unique magmas.”

of findings Published in today's diary natural earth science.

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M. Claver other. Titanium-rich basaltic melts exist on the lunar surface, conditioned by reactive flow processes. nut.earth science, published online on January 15, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41561-023-01362-5

Source: www.sci.news

Should the Great Pacific Garbage Patch be a priority for plastic cleanup efforts?

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Fish caught in discarded nets in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Ocean Voyages Institute/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock

It was a bright sunny day in September 2023. Excitement filled the air and a rainbow appeared on the horizon as the team slowly pulled a giant net out of the glistening sea. ocean cleanup This project was trialling System 03 in the North Pacific. Basically she had two ships dragging a 2.2 kilometer long net designed to remove as much trash as possible. This time it was filmed for a promotional video, with one scoop weighing a record-breaking 18 tons.

Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2012 on the simple premise of trawling ocean plastic hotspots and mopping up floating debris. After years of testing and refining the technology, the organization says it is now ready to begin the planned cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast collection of plastic waste located between Hawaii and California. There is.

That sounds like a laudable goal. But in recent years, marine scientists have warned that efforts to mechanically remove plastic from the ocean are not only futile, but potentially harmful. It’s a waste, as we know that much of the ocean’s plastic waste is too small or out of reach to capture. And it’s probably harmful for two reasons. Firstly, new research shows that marine debris patches are home to all kinds of marine life, and secondly, cleanup efforts have removed such waste from its source. This is because efforts to stem the flow of the virus may be hindered.

So, given what we know…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Harnessing Nature: Releasing Billions of Engineered Mosquitoes into the Wild to Combat Disease

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Dengue fever is currently endemic in 100 countries, putting half of the world’s population at risk. The threat has increased dramatically, with the number of dengue fever cases increasing tenfold between 2000 and 2019, and the number of cases hitting an all-time high in 2023.

Bangladesh, Peru and Burkina Faso have all seen record outbreaks in the past 12 months, while France, Italy and Spain have also reported cases of mosquito-borne dengue fever.

What’s causing this? Scientists say global warming is making space more hospitable to insects, and that climate change is fueling the rise in this mosquito-borne viral disease. As mosquitoes become more common, we expect the time to outbreak of dengue fever to shorten and the transmission season to lengthen.

This is a worrying situation.But that’s what the sponsoring team decided world mosquito program There is a possible solution. They suggest treating mosquitoes with bacteria that can prevent the development of viruses in the body.

read more:

What are the symptoms of dengue fever?

There’s a good reason dengue fever has been labeled “breakbone fever.” 80% of cases are asymptomatic, but when symptoms develop, symptoms include high fever, muscle and joint pain, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea, and vomiting.

Symptoms begin 4 to 10 days after infection and can last from 2 days to up to a week. DHF (severe dengue fever) manifests as severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding gums or nose, blood in the stool or vomit, pale, cold skin, and fatigue. Doctors can only alleviate these symptoms because antiviral drugs are not available.

How does dengue spread?

Dengue fever is spread through the bite of an infected female mosquito. Aedes aegypti, typically found in tropical and subtropical regions. Originating from the forests of West Africa, Aedes aegypti They spread around the world during the African slave trade and have continued to hitchhike as a means of human transportation ever since.

other Aedes Other species can also transmit dengue fever, although to a lesser extent. The highly invasive Asian tiger mosquito is the likely cause of dengue infections in Europe. Unlike malaria mosquitoes, which usually bite at night and can be prevented with insecticide-treated bed nets, dengue mosquitoes bite during the day and are very difficult to control.

Mosquitoes are now highly urbanized creatures, admirably adapted to coexist with humans, their preferred blood source. In cities, stagnant water is key to survival, providing spawning grounds and habitat for aquatic larval and pupal development. Mosquitoes breed in small puddles in garbage, used tires, and man-made containers such as flower pots. Thus, humans have been the main driving force behind the success of the dengue mosquito.

How can we fight the spread of infection?

Dengue prevention requires a multipronged attack on mosquitoes, with a focus on insecticide spraying. However, insecticide resistance is developing in mosquito populations around the world, threatening their effectiveness.

what else? Control strategies also include adaptations to eliminate breeding sites or prevent reproduction. Aedes aegypti Prevent spawning in stagnant water (remove debris that could trap water and install covers on water storage containers).

Bacterial toxins are also applied to bodies of water to kill mosquito larvae. These strategies are labor intensive because it is difficult to identify, treat, and eliminate all breeding sites. Therefore, new methods of mosquito control are desperately needed.

The World Mosquito Program (WMP) has devised a non-chemical and non-GMO-based approach for dengue control. Bacteria called Wolbachia which occurs naturally in many insect species; Aedes aegypti.

WMP was found to be “infected”. Aedes aegypti and Wolbachia Prevented the onset of dengue virus in adult women. From a logistical point of view, this method is self-sustaining. Wolbachia It can spread to wild populations because it infects eggs through mating.

WMP reports a significant decrease in dengue cases. Aedes aegypti carry Wolbachia has been released.given that Aedes aegypti Since Zika and Chikungunya viruses are also transmitted, WMP has developed a potential “three-for-one” method of disease control.

It’s no exaggeration to say that mosquitoes are the most hated insects, but despite their notoriety, only a handful of the 3,500 species of mosquitoes transmit disease. They are also important to the ecosystem.

Mosquitoes are a food source for fish, frogs, reptiles, bats, and birds, and they are also pollinators, as male insects suck nectar from flowers (only females drink blood). The WMP approach is species-specific and targeted only. Aedes aegyptiThis is in contrast to the “blunt force” approach with insecticides, which can affect insects other than the target.

The climate change trajectory we are currently on is leading to rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, which will benefit this terrifying little insect and her viral cargo. Therefore, we need as many weapons as possible in our arsenal to combat the growing global dengue threat.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Hubble Space Telescope’s Focus on Galaxies with Supernovae

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken new photos of the relatively small galaxy UGC 5189A in the constellation Leo.

This Hubble image shows UGC 5189A, an irregular galaxy about 150 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Filippenko.

UGC 5189A It is located approximately 150 million light years away in the constellation Leo.

This galaxy, also known as ECO 5363 or LEDA 27776, was observed by Hubble in 2010 to study supernova explosions.

This special supernova SN2010jlwas notable for its enormous brightness.

“In fact, over a three-year period, SN 2010jl alone emitted at least 2.5 billion times more visible energy than the Sun emitted in the same time frame across all wavelengths,” Hubble astronomers said.

“Even after a supernova has dimmed to an unobservable level, it can still be interesting to study the environment in which it occurred.”

“This could provide us with valuable information. Supernovae can occur for a variety of reasons, and understanding the environment in which they occur can help us understand why supernovae are triggered. It will help you better understand the necessary conditions.”

“Furthermore, follow-up studies after a supernova explosion could improve our understanding of the immediate aftermath of a supernova explosion, from the powerful effects on the surrounding gas and dust to the stellar debris left behind by the supernova.”

“To this end, UGC 5189A has been observed by Hubble many times since 2010.”

This new image of UGC 5189A consists of observations from. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) Found in the ultraviolet and optical parts of the spectrum.

Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.

“This image is from data collected in three recent Hubble studies of UGC 5189A, which also examined several other relatively nearby galaxies that have recently gone supernova. “Relatively nearby” in this context means approximately 100 million light years away. ” said the astronomers.

Source: www.sci.news

Oldest Fossilized Skin Preserved in 289-Million-Year-Old Cave System

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Fossilized skin fragments collected from the Richards Spur Cave system in Oklahoma, US, are at least 21 million years older than any previously reported skin fossil.

Fossilized skin is captorinus aguti.Image credit: Moony other., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.008.

The newly described fossilized skin is captorinus agutia type of early reptile that lived during the Permian period about 289 million years ago.

This reptile specimen and associated skeleton were collected by long-time paleontology enthusiasts Bill and Julie May. Richards Spara limestone cave system in Oklahoma that is currently undergoing quarrying.

The skin fragments are smaller than fingernails and have a pebble-like surface, most similar to crocodile skin.

This is the earliest preserved example of the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, in terrestrial reptiles, birds, and mammals, and was an important evolutionary adaptation in the transition to terrestrial life.

“Every once in a while, we have a unique opportunity to glimpse deep into time,” said Ethan Mooney, a graduate student at the University of Toronto.

“Discoveries of this kind can really enrich our understanding and appreciation of these pioneering animals.”

Skin and other soft tissue rarely fossilize, but Mooney and colleagues say that this is possible thanks to unique features of the Richards Spur Cave system, including fine clay deposits that slow decomposition, oil seepage, and a cave environment. We believe that in this case it was possible to save the skin. It was probably an environment without oxygen.”

“Animals would have fallen into this cave system during the early Permian period and become buried in very fine clay sediments, slowing down the process of decay,” Mooney said.

“What is surprising, however, is that this cave system was also the site of an active oil seepage during the Permian, and the interaction of the hydrocarbons in the oil with the tar is likely what enabled the preservation of this surface. is.”

Analysis of the specimens revealed epidermal tissue, a characteristic of the skin of amniotes, a group of terrestrial vertebrates that includes reptiles, birds and mammals that evolved from amphibian ancestors during the Carboniferous Period.

“What we saw was completely different from what we expected, so we were in complete shock,” Mooney said.

“Finding ancient skin fossils like this is a unique opportunity to peer into the past and learn what the skin of these early animals looked like.”

The skin shares features with ancient and extant reptiles, including a pebble surface similar to crocodile skin and hinge areas between epidermal scales similar to the skin structure of snakes and earthworm lizards.

However, because the skin fossils are not associated with skeletons or other artifacts, it is not possible to determine which species or body part the skin belonged to.

The fact that this ancient skin resembles the skin of reptiles living today shows how important these structures are for survival in terrestrial environments.

“The epidermis was an important feature for vertebrates to survive on land. It is an important barrier between internal processes and the harsh external environment,” Mooney said.

“This skin may represent the skin structure of an early amniote terrestrial vertebrate ancestor that allowed for the eventual evolution of feathers in birds and hair follicles in mammals.”

of findings appear in the diary current biology.

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Ethan D. Mooney other. Paleozoic cave systems preserve the earliest known evidence of amniote skin. current biology, published online on January 11, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.008

Source: www.sci.news

Scented Traps Used for Removing Invasive Mink from Areas of England

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Mink are currently being spotted across the UK after escaping from fur farms or being released by animal activists

Roy Waller/Alamy

Wildlife conservation groups aim to eradicate the invasive American mink from all parts of the UK after removing it from parts of the country during a three-year trial. This includes a new approach that uses the odor of the mink's anal glands to lure them into clever traps, making it the first time in the world that the animals have been eradicated from a large area.

“Until about a month ago, we didn't think mink had been eradicated anywhere,” said association president Tony Martin. Waterlife Recovery Trust, organized the trial with volunteers. “Then we found reports of them being exterminated on a small island off the coast of Estonia, but nothing on this scale. This is an order of magnitude larger.”

Mink are small semi-aquatic predators related to weasels and are often farmed for their fur. Over the past century, the American mink (Neo Gale Vizon) is native to North America and has spread to many parts of Europe and South America.

There, the small European mink (Itachi Lutreola) Native to continental Europe.

Mr Martin said the idea of eradicating mink was previously considered completely unbelievable and attributed the success of the Waterlife Recovery Trust's attempt to two innovations. First, they use traps equipped with devices that detect when something is caught and alert the volunteer in charge. “This means you don't have to go to the traps every day,” Martin says.

This is especially important at the end of eradication efforts, he says, when mink may not be captured for months and volunteers are tired of checking traps every day. It is also more humane because traps are readily available and mink can be killed immediately.

The second innovation is the use of scent harvested from the anal glands of captive mink as bait. This makes the trap more attractive to mink and less likely to catch other animals.

In 2020, around 500 traps were set in an area of 6,000 square kilometers covering most of East Anglia. Currently, only traps on the border between the test area and other areas where mink still exist are capturing mink, Martin said. On January 15, the Waterlife Recovery Trust announced that its trials were successful in eradicating mink from designated areas.

The trust has already been given £500,000 by government agency Natural England to expand its eradication efforts to wider areas of the country, with the aim of eradicating mink from across the UK.

“We now know we can do this,” said Martin, who previously led a successful effort to eradicate rats from South Georgia. How long it takes depends on how many traps you can set, he says.

The same approach would work in continental Europe and South America, he says. “With proper planning, any size can work.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Porous iceberg on Saturn’s moon Titan may be a mysterious ‘magical island’

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Infrared image of Saturn’s icy moon Titan

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Stephane Le Mouelik, Virginia Pasek

“Water molecules just love themselves by excluding certain molecules,” he says. michael marasca from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California was not involved in the study. “But if you put methane on the same surface, it will start crawling all over the place.” That means Titan’s methane oceans and lakes should immediately swallow up any solids that are expected to float. It means that.

Researchers have found a solution to this problem. When large amounts of snow accumulate on the coast, they can form sponge-like, porous ice. Once these porous “icebergs” separated from the land, they could float in Titan’s oceans for long enough to rival Cassini’s observations. The researchers calculated that this would work if the sponge-like structure contained enough free space (at least about 25 to 50 percent, depending on the exact composition of the ice).

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Important Facts about Testing and Accuracy

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The United States is currently in the midst of an outbreak of the new coronavirus. JN.1 variant That's driving up hospitalizations and deaths across the country. But for most people, the new variant does not seem to cause worsening of symptoms.

That's why many people are wondering whether they should keep swabbing their nasal passages for coronavirus tests at the first sign of nasal congestion or pain. How well do rapid at-home tests work against new variants?

Here's what you need to know:

Do I still need to take a Covid test?

Influenza and some cold viruses are also circulating along with the new coronavirus. So there is good reason to know which virus you have, especially if you are at high risk of becoming seriously ill.

“It's important to know whether you have COVID-19, influenza, or a completely non-viral infection such as strep throat,” said Dr. Abrar Karan, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University. Because they have different treatments.” “There are different treatments for each, and the sooner you receive treatment, the better the results.”

If you're a healthy 25-year-old, there’s still some value in getting tested. For example, if you have someone in your household with a weakened immune system or someone who is battling cancer, it is important to isolate them to see if they have COVID-19.

“Remember that all of these viral and bacterial infections are transmissible differently and get sick differently,” Curran said.

Joseph Petrosino, a professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, said while there may not be much need for young, healthy people to get tested at home, they should be tested for the coronavirus just in case. He acknowledged that it might be helpful to know. Eventually, the symptoms will persist.

“Some people, even healthy people, runners and people who train, can get a prolonged COVID-19 infection,” he said. “We really don't know. It's difficult to predict based solely on comorbidity factors.”

Otherwise, for people at low risk, a positive coronavirus test does not change treatment much. Whether you have coronavirus, a cold or the flu, get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and stay away from others.

How will new variants impact testing?

Experts say there is no data showing the JN.1 variant affects the results of rapid home tests.

“We have not seen anything to suggest that the new variant has evaded test detection,” Curran said. “Certainly, similar things have happened in the past with other diagnostics early in the pandemic, but right now tests should be able to detect these mutations.”

Susan Butler Wu, a clinical pathologist at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, said she hasn't seen any data on this particular variant, but if it's similar to other variants, it’s not a problem. Rapid tests actually look for parts of the virus that are less likely to mutate and bypass testing.

“There's always the fear that a mutation will occur and the test won't work, but so far that hasn't really happened,” Butler-Wu said.

When is the best time to test?

An individual's viral load is highest early in a pandemic, when most people first develop symptoms, either after infection or before they have developed any immunity from vaccines.

Now, one researcher says that virus levels may actually be at their highest in the first few days of illness. study It was published last fall in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases by researchers at Harvard Medical School. They found that in people with pre-existing immunity, virus levels peaked around the fourth day after symptoms appeared.

This means that if you are tested in the early stages of the disease, it may turn out to be negative.

“Their symptoms may be caused by an immune response,” Curran said. “That means there's inflammation going on, which is causing the symptoms, and that's preventing the virus from multiplying as quickly. That's why the initial test could be negative.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends getting tested immediately if you think you have been infected with the coronavirus and have symptoms such as a stuffy nose, cough, or body aches.

The CDC says to wait five days if you are infected but have no symptoms.

Butler-Wu says there is a misconception that rapid tests are “one-and-done”.

“If you have symptoms and your first test was negative, you should test again,” she says.

Official guidance from the CDC is to get a rapid test if you have symptoms and then test again 48 hours later if you test negative.

The test result was positive. Does that mean I'm contagious?

A rapid at-home test is a good way to find out if someone is contagious.

Simply put, rapid tests require higher levels of virus to be positive, and higher virus levels usually mean you're more contagious.

However, the test has some limitations.

Curran said they can be a good surrogate for contagiousness in the early stages of the disease, but are not as reliable at the end of the disease.

Rapid tests have shown positive results, but data shows the virus could not be cultured when samples were taken from people. That means those people are less likely to be contagious, Curran said.

2022 study Researchers at Harvard Medical School suggested that only half of people who test positive after five days are actually infectious.

“Even after that period, even if you test positive on a rapid test, there is no guarantee that you are still contagious.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

2024: The Longest-Living Animal on Earth

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The concept of time

Understanding time can be challenging, as Einstein demonstrated time’s relativity and how it can be experienced differently based on an object’s speed. But what about the animals’ experience of time? Many animals around the world have lived incredibly long lives, defying the odds. So, what is the world’s longest-living animal species?

Scientists have been studying the secrets of longevity, and the species on this list may offer hints about living longer and healthier lives in the future. Let’s take a look at some of the world’s longest-living creatures.

Humans are the longest-lived land mammals

A photo of Jeanne Calment in 1995 at the age of 120. Photo courtesy: Pascal Parrot/Sygma/Getty Images

A photo depicts Jeanne Calment, recognized as the world’s oldest person, who lived an astonishing life of 122 years and 164 days. Despite smoking after every meal, she attributed her long life to her lack of stress and her sense of humor. She passed away in 1997 at the age of 117, outliving her only daughter and grandson, who both died much younger.

The longest-lived aquatic creature – glass sponge

Stalked vitreous cavernoma (hexatinerid) of Borosoma photographed at Maruru Seamount.Photo credit: National Marine Sanctuary/Wikipedia

One of the longest-lived creatures on Earth is the vitreous cavernosa, estimated to live up to 15,000 years. Found in all oceans, its unique ability to generate electrical impulses throughout its body sets it apart from other species.

The longest-living bird – Parrot Cookie

Cookie the pink parrot, photographed at Brookfield Zoo, USA, in 2008. Photo: Nimesh Madhavan/Wikipedia

Cookie, a male pink parrot recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, lived to the age of 83. He outlived the next longest-living pink parrot by 52 years.

Longest living rodent – naked mole rat

Close-up of a naked mole rat (Heterocepalus glaber) in its underground burrow.Photo courtesy: Getty Images

Naked mole rats, known for surviving 18 minutes without oxygen and resistance to cancer, are burrowing rodents with long lifespans. One male was reported to have lived 37 years, making it the longest-living rodent on the planet.

The longest-lived invertebrate – ocean quahog

The oldest marine quahog is thought to be over 500 years old and is known as “Min”.Photo courtesy of Bangor University

The ocean quahog’s age is estimated by counting its shell stripes, with one specimen found to be 507 years old. It was named “Ming” after the Ming dynasty that ruled China when it was born.

The longest-lived turtle – Aldabra giant tortoise

Adwaita, a giant Aldabra tortoise, rests in a cage at Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, India, on April 25, 2005. Photo by Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images

The Aldabra giant tortoise is the longest-living turtle, with the oldest individual reaching 255 years. It is a species native to the Seychelles’ Aldabra Atoll, known for its large population living in the world’s largest turtle habitat.

Longest living fish – Greenland shark

Greenland shark or Greenland sleeper shark (Somniosus microcepalus) swimming along the St. Lawrence River estuary in Canada.Photo credit: Alamy

The Greenland shark, estimated to live to between 252 and 512 years, is the longest-lived shark species due to its slow metabolism in cold oceans.

The longest-lived dog – Bobbi

A photo taken on February 12, 2023 shows Bobi, the world’s oldest dog according to Guinness World Records, at her home in the village of Conqueiros, near Leiria, Portugal.Photo by Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images

Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro de Alentejo, lived to the age of 31, surpassing previous records as the oldest dog in history. However, there are claims that this age may be incorrect.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

AI Discovers that Your Fingerprint is Not Actually Unique

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

New AI has revealed unexpected discoveries. Surprisingly, your fingerprints aren’t as unique as previously thought.

Well, at least when compared to each other. It has long been believed that fingerprints on different fingers of the same person are unique. In other words, the fingerprint on your index finger bears little resemblance to the fingerprint on your thumb.

This belief that “intrapersonal fingerprints” are unique has had a major impact on forensic science. For example, if a criminal leaves different finger prints at different crime scenes, it is difficult for police to link them to one person.

But a new “deep contrast network” artificial intelligence built by scientists at Columbia University could leave a big mark on future crime scenes. The researchers found that they could make predictions after training on a database of 60,000 fingerprints. Two prints are from the same person with 77% accuracy.

This number would rise even more if the AI was fed other fingerprints from the same hand. Researchers say this breakthrough could improve current forensic efficiency by more than 10 times.

“Imagine how well this would work [AI] “If it’s trained on millions of fingerprints instead of thousands, it will work,” said Anib Ray, engineering senior at Columbia.

Dr. Hod Lipson“If this information tipped the balance, I imagine there would be a resurgence of cold cases and even innocent people could be exonerated,” said the author, who oversaw the study.

So what has AI discovered that forensic scientists have missed for decades? Unlike traditional fingerprint comparisons, AI detects “minutiae,” or similarities between the branches and ends of fingerprint ridges. was not focused on. Instead, they focused on the angles and curvature of the whorls and loops at the center of the fingerprint.

Fingerprints are examined by minutiae (L) and central ridge angle (R). – Photo credit: Columbia University.

“Many people think that AI can’t actually make new discoveries, it just regurgitates knowledge,” Lipson says. “However, this study shows that even very simple AI, based on very simple datasets that the research community has had lying around for years, provides insights that have eluded experts for decades. This is an example of how we can deliver.”

After all, the fingerprints on your fingers may not be that different from each other, but it is unlikely to be shared with others. In fact, the chances that two people share the same fingerprint are estimated to be less than 1 in 64 billion. This means that probably more than 1 million years two people with identical fingerprints happen to appear in Scotland Yard’s fingerprint database.

Identical twins also have unique patterns. This is because the bumps on your fingers are determined not only by your DNA, but also by how you developed as a fetus. The length of the umbilical cord, its position in the uterus, blood pressure, nutrition, and rate of finger growth all play a role.

Gorillas, chimpanzees, and koalas are some of the animals that have been found to have unique markings.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Huge new tyrannosaurus rex found in New Mexico

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

discovery of Tyrannosaurus macraiensissister species of the famous one tyrannosaurus rexsuggests that tyrannosaurid dinosaurs originated from Laramidia, an island continent that existed between 100 million and 66 million years ago and stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico.

rebuilding the life of Tyrannosaurus McClain. Image credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.

“Tyrannosaur dinosaurs were the dominant predators of North America and Asia during the Late Cretaceous period,” said Dr. Sebastian Dalman of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and his colleagues.

“Evolved from a diminutive ancestor in the mid-Cretaceous period, became an apex predator in the late Cretaceous period, and eventually tyrannosaurus”

“tyrannosaurusWith a sturdy skeleton and powerful bone-crushing jaws, this animal was the dominant carnivore of the late Maastrichtian period in western North America. ”

“Grows up to 12 meters long and weighs 10 tons, tyrannosaurus It was the largest terrestrial predator of its time, and perhaps of all time. ”

“where and when Tyrannosaurini (tyrannosaurus and relatives) origin remains unknown. Competing hypotheses place its origin in Asia or western North America (Laramidia). ”

The newly identified species is Tyrannosaurus McClainlived in what is now the United States 71 million to 73 million years ago, or 5 million to 7 million years ago. tyrannosaurus.

The fossilized partial skull of this dinosaur was discovered in the Hall Lake Formation in New Mexico.

Although the specimens were initially assigned; tyrannosaurus and its size is tyrannosaurusPaleontologists have proposed that the specimen belongs to a new species, due to several subtle differences in the shape and joints between the specimen and the skull. tyrannosaurus.

Analysis of the relationship between Tyrannosaurus McClain and other theropod dinosaur species. Tyrannosaurus McClain It may have been a sister species of tyrannosaurusmaking it the closest known relative. tyrannosaurus.

The authors suggest that Tyrannosaurini may have originated in southern Laramidia, an island continent that existed between 100 million and 66 million years ago and stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico.

Additionally, Tyrannosaurus, along with other giant dinosaurs of southern Laramidia such as ceratopsians, hadrosaurs and titanosaurs, may have evolved to large body sizes by about 72 million years ago, the researchers say. is suggesting.

They speculate that the evolution of giant tyrannosaurines may have been driven by the enormous body size of the herbivores they preyed on in southern Laramidia.

“The evolution of giant tyrannosaurs in southern North America suggests that large dinosaurs evolved at lower latitudes in North America, along with giant ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, and titanosaurs.” said.

of study It was published in the magazine scientific report.

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SG Dalman other. 2023. Giant tyrannosaurs that lived in southern North America from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian and the evolution of giant tyrannosaurids. science officer 13, 22124; doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47011-0

Source: www.sci.news

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What can be done to stop disease X?

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Do I still need to take a Covid test?

How will new variants impact testing?

When is the best time to test?

The test result was positive. Does that mean I'm contagious?

Humans are the longest-lived land mammals

The longest-lived aquatic creature – glass sponge

The longest-living bird – Parrot Cookie

Longest living rodent – ​​naked mole rat

The longest-lived invertebrate – ocean quahog

The longest-lived turtle – Aldabra giant tortoise

Longest living fish – Greenland shark

The longest-lived dog – Bobbi

Longest living rodent – naked mole rat