Burning buildings, collapsing tunnels, sinking ships… wherever you're trapped and in danger, there's a robot designed to come to your rescue. Here are nine of the best.
trail blazers
Firefighting robot, Anshan Hengye Special Vehicle Manufacturing Co.
Photo credit: Getty
Firefighters are testing a fire extinguishing robot here at Bajiao Fire Station in Yantai, northeast China. The Chinese government has been promoting the technology for several years, allowing human firefighters to control robotic fire extinguishers while remaining safely outside fire danger zones.
Back in 2020, the city of Tongliao in northern China announced a firefighting mechanical unit. This 10-strong unit of his, known as the “Blade Formation”, includes robots, drones, and transport units. In other regions, ground-based robotic firefighters are being employed to fight fires in chemical plants and subways.
One of the big advantages of this approach is fire resistance. The robot can operate at temperatures of 1,000°C (1,800°F) for more than 30 minutes. Sensors can also be used to detect heat sources, difficult terrain, and flammable gases.
In the future, it may be possible to replace residential fire alarms and fire extinguishers. In 2022, Chinese researchers published the following paper: Compact and lightweight “home firefighting robot”.
go underground
Team Explorer, Carnegie Mellon University, Oregon State University
Photo courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University
Searching for people trapped in dark underground tunnels and cave complexes isn't fun for most people, but in 2017 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) turned it into a game. There may not have been any survivors, but there was a huge underground space.
Players are tasked with developing and using an autonomous robot system to search for mannequins and other objects to earn points. DARPA designed this competition to foster innovation in autonomous subsurface mapping and navigation. This could benefit rescue workers working after mine collapses or in cave rescue operations.
Are hearing aids really worth the investment? Recent research suggests that they may be more beneficial than previously thought. In fact, a new study indicates that using hearing aids can decrease the risk of premature death by about 25%. Despite this, a large portion of adults with hearing loss in the US and UK do not use hearing aids, even though they could greatly benefit from them.
Researchers at the University of South Carolina conducted the study and are hoping that their findings will encourage more people with hearing loss to utilize hearing aids. Dr. Janet Choi, the study’s principal investigator, stated that the results are particularly interesting as they point to the possibility that hearing aids can contribute to overall health and longevity.
The study, which was published in the Lancet Health and Longevity journal and involved 10,000 participants, found that regular users of hearing aids had a considerably lower risk of death compared to non-users. The research also suggested that consistent use of hearing aids, rather than occasional use, was key to reaping the benefits for longevity.
This research indicates that hearing aids can lead to improved mental health and cognitive function, ultimately contributing to a longer and healthier life. Interestingly, the study found that factors such as degree of hearing loss, age, ethnicity, and income did not impact the benefits of hearing aids on lifespan.
These findings suggest that the benefits of using hearing aids go beyond improved hearing and may actually play a crucial role in promoting overall health and well-being.
Oldest known evidence of photosynthetic structures identified in a collection of mysterious cylindrical microfossils Nabyfusa magensis It was discovered in the 1.75 billion year old McDermott Formation in Australia.
Nabyfusa magensis Microfossil: (a) Nabyfusa magensis From the McDermott Formation of the Tawala Supergroup, northern Australia. (b) Nabyfusa magensis From the Grassy Bay Formation of the Shaler Supergroup in the Canadian Arctic. (c) Nabyfusa magensis From the Mbujimai supergroup BIIc6 formation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Scale bar – 50 μm. Image credit: Demoulin other., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06896-7.
Oxygenic photosynthesis, in which sunlight catalyzes the conversion of water and carbon dioxide to glucose and oxygen, is unique to cyanobacteria and related organelles within eukaryotes.
Cyanobacteria played an important role in the evolution of early life and were active before the B.C. big oxidation event Approximately 2.4 billion years ago, the timing of the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis is debated due to limited evidence.
“Today, oxygenic photosynthesis is unique to cyanobacteria and their plastid relatives within eukaryotes,” said the paleontologist at the University of Liege. Catherine Dumoulin And her colleagues.
“Although its origins before the Great Oxidation Event are still debated, the accumulation of oxygen profoundly altered Earth's redox chemistry and the evolution of the biosphere, which contains complex life.”
“Understanding the diversification of cyanobacteria is therefore critical to understanding the coevolution of our planet and life, but their early fossil record remains equivocal.”
In their research, Demoulin and his co-authors discovered fossilized photosynthetic structures. Nabyfusa magensis Microfossil.
The microstructure is thylakoid. A membrane-bound structure found inside the chloroplasts of plants and some modern cyanobacteria.
Researchers identified them from fossils taken from three different locations, the oldest of which is from Australia's McDermott Formation and dates to 1.75 billion years ago (Paleoproterozoic era).
Nabyfusa magensis It is thought to be a cyanobacterium. The discovery of thylakoids in specimens from this period suggests that photosynthesis may have evolved at some point 1.75 billion years ago.
However, the mystery of whether photosynthesis evolved before or after the Great Oxidation Event remains unsolved.
Similar ultrastructural analyzes of older microfossils could help answer this question and determine whether the evolution of thylakoids contributed to elevated oxygen levels during the Great Oxidation Event.
“This discovery extends the thylakoid fossil record by at least 1.2 billion years and establishes a minimum age for the divergence of thylakoid cyanobacteria to be about 1.75 billion years ago,” the authors said. .
“This allows for the unambiguous identification of early oxygenic photosynthetic substances and new redox substances for investigating early Earth ecosystems, and for deciphering the paleontology and early evolution of fossil cells. This highlights the importance of examining the ultrastructure of cells.”
team's paper Published in today's magazine Nature.
_____
CF Dumoulin other. The oldest known fossil cells, thylakoids, provide direct evidence of oxygenic photosynthesis. Nature, published online on January 3, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06896-7
Tyrannosaurus is one of the most intensively studied and best known dinosaurs. Nevertheless, their relationship and system are highly controversial. The ongoing discussion is Nanotyrannus lansensisinterpreted as either a separate genus of small-bodied tyrannosaurs, or a juvenile tyrannosaurus. tyrannosaurus rex. In a new study, paleontologists from the University of Bath and the University of Chicago examined multiple lines of evidence that Nanotyrannus lansensis as a separate species.
Nanotyrannus attack a boy tyrannosaurus. Image credit: Raul Martin.
first skull Nanotyrannus It was discovered in Montana in 1942, but paleontologists have debated for decades whether it was a separate species or just a juvenile of a much larger species. tyrannosaurus.
In the new study, paleontologist Nick Longlich of the University of Bath and paleontologist Evan Saitta of the University of Chicago reanalyzed the fossil and looked at its growth rings and body structure. Nanotyrannusand hitherto unrecognized fossils of youth tyrannosaurus.
Measuring tree rings Nanotyrannus They found that the bone was more densely packed toward the outside, indicating that bone growth was slowing down. That suggests these animals were nearly life-sized. It is not a young body that grows quickly.
Fossil growth modeling shows that the animal could have weighed between 900 and 1,500 kg and reached a maximum length of 5 meters, about 15% of the size of a giant. . tyrannosaurus8,000 kg and grew to over 9 m.
“I was quite surprised when I saw these results. I didn't expect to see such conclusive results,” said Dr. Longlich.
“If they were young tyrannosaurus They're supposed to grow like crazy and gain hundreds of pounds a year, but we don't see it that way. ”
“We tried modeling the data in different ways, but still got low growth rates. This seems to put an end to the hypothesis that these animals are young.” tyrannosaurus”
Researchers found no fossil evidence that combined both traits to support the existence of different species Nanotyrannus and tyrannosaurus —If one turns into the other, it will exist.
Every fossil they examined could be confidently identified as one or the other species.
The growth patterns of other tyrannosaurs were also inconsistent with the hypothesis that these tyrannosaurs were young. tyrannosaurus.
“If you look at other juvenile tyrannosaurs, you'll see a lot of characteristics that are typical of adults. Very young. tarbosaurus — next of kin of tyrannosaurus — exhibiting unique characteristics of adults,” Dr. Longrich said.
“Just as kittens look like cats and puppies look like dogs, the various juvenile tyrannosaurs are also unique. And Nanotyrannus nothing similar tyrannosaurus”
“It may have grown in a completely different way than other tyrannosaurs or other dinosaurs, but it's more likely that it simply wasn't a dinosaur. tyrannosaurus”
But it poses a mystery. Nanotyrannus not a boy tyrannosaurusSo why didn't anyone find the young man? tyrannosaurus?
“That was always one of the big questions. Well, it turns out we actually found it,” Dr. Longrich said.
“However, this fossil was collected many years ago, put away in a box of unidentified bones in a museum drawer, and then forgotten.”
Nanotyrannus They were lighter in build and had longer limbs than their stouter relatives. It also had larger arms, unlike those known for their short arms. tyrannosaurus.
“Actually, my arms are longer than people's.” tyrannosaurus.Even the biggest one tyrannosaurushave shorter arms and smaller claws than these smaller animals. Nanotyrannus. This was an animal whose arms were actually pretty scary weapons. It's actually a completely different animal, smaller, faster and more agile,” Dr. Longrich said.
“tyrannosaurus While animals relied on size and strength, this animal relied on speed. ”
“The long arms and other features suggest it was only a distant relative.” tyrannosaurus — and may have been sitting outside the family TyrannosauridaeWhich tyrannosaurus Part of the predatory dinosaur family. ”
a paper The survey results were published in a magazine fossil research.
_____
Nicholas R. Longrich and Evan T. Saitta. 2024. Taxonomic status of Nanotyrannus lansensis (Dinosaur: Tyrannosauridae) – A different taxon of small tyrannosaurs. Phos.stud 2 (1): 1-65; doi: 10.3390/fossils2010001
The vast majority of the world's industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked. Three-quarters of the world's large fishing vessels and one-quarter of transport and energy vessels are “dark vessels” that do not share their location publicly. The discovery comes from analyzing satellite imagery using artificial intelligence, an approach that could help better track human activities that impact the ocean.
“We had this idea that we were missing a large part of the activity that was happening in the ocean, but we didn't know how much we were missing,” he says. Fernando Paolo At Global Fishing Watch, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. “And it turned out to be so much more than we had imagined.”
Paolo et al. used satellite images taken between 2017 and 2021 covering coastal areas where large-scale fishing and other industrial activities occur most often, revealing objects regardless of clouds or darkness. (including radar images that can be used). The researchers trained several AIs to detect and classify boats and marine structures in this dataset.
Researchers compared the ship's global map with a database of ships that publicly broadcast their locations and found that the vast majority did not have automatic identification systems turned on. Such identification is not always required, but if it is not used, it may indicate illegal fishing or other activity.
An AI learned to distinguish fishing boats from other types of boats based on their movement patterns and location. It found that 42 to 49 percent of approximately 63,000 ships fell into this category.
Other AI has identified 28,000 offshore structures related to wind power and oil production, with rapidly growing swarms of offshore wind turbines outnumbering oil infrastructure such as oil rigs. Although such activities other than offshore development and fishing boats are expanding, fishing activity is almost “at its limit,” he said. david kurzma At Global Fishing Watch.
“We have to plan for all non-fishing activities because we are encroaching on fishing grounds,” Krusma said. “The ocean is becoming increasingly crowded, so we need to consider how everything fits together.”
Publicly available satellite images do not have the resolution to detect small fishing boats less than 20 meters in length. Konstantin Kremer with microsoft Esther Rolfe at Harvard University Nature Articles commenting on research. But they said such efforts could improve monitoring of human activity near protected areas and unregulated parts of the ocean.
Microscopic image of a modern cyanobacterium called Oscillatoria
Shutterstock / Ekki Ilham
Researchers have identified photosynthetic structures inside a 1.75 billion-year-old cyanobacteria fossil. This discovery is the oldest evidence yet of these structures and provides clues to how photosynthesis evolved.
Emmanuel Javeau Researchers from the University of Liège in Belgium analyzed fossils collected from rocks at three locations. The oldest site is the approximately 1.75 billion-year-old McDermott Formation in Australia, the other two are the billion-year-old Grassy Bay Formation in Canada and the Bllc6 Formation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. was.
From these rocks, the researchers extracted fossilized cyanobacteria that produce energy through photosynthesis. “They're so small, less than a millimeter, that you can't see them with the eye,” Java says. She and her colleagues placed the fossils in resin, sliced them into sections 60 to 70 nanometers thick using a diamond-bladed knife, and analyzed their internal structures using an electron microscope.
They discovered that cyanobacteria in Australia and Canada contain thylakoids, membrane-enclosed sacs in which photosynthesis occurs. “These are the oldest fossilized thylakoids that we know of today,” Java says. Previously, the oldest thylakoid fossils were around 550 million years old. “So we delayed the fossil record by 1.2 billion years,” she says.
This is important because not all cyanobacteria have thylakoids and it is unclear when these structures, which make photosynthesis more efficient, first evolved, they said. Kevin Boyce at Stanford University in California. The origins of this diversification can now be traced back at least 1.75 billion years, he says. The oldest fossils of cyanobacteria are about 2 billion years old, but other evidence, such as geochemical signatures, indicate that photosynthesis has been around even longer than that.
It is widely believed that cyanobacteria helped build up oxygen in Earth's atmosphere 2.4 billion years ago. “The idea is that perhaps during this time they invented thylakoids, which increased the amount of oxygen on Earth,” Java says. “Now that we have discovered very old thylakoids and found them preserved in very old rocks, we think we might be able to test this hypothesis even further back in time,” she says. .
Chinese researchers have mapped the entire genome. chiridotaheheva a type of sea cucumber collected at a depth of 2,428 m during a submarine trip to a hydrothermal vent.
Chirodotaheheba In the Gulf of Mexico. Image credit: Aquapix and Expedition to the Deep Slope 2007.
The sea cucumber is echinoderm and as such are related to sea urchins and starfish, a group of animals with a very unusual body design.
They are found on the ocean floor around the world, where they devour detritus and use their tentacles to explore sediments.
Although other high-quality sea cucumber genomes are available, this study provides the first genome of a sea cucumber specimen. chiridotaheheva — collected at a hydrothermal vent.
beginning explained In 2004, chiridotaheheva It is known from the deep waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, but has an international distribution.
It is one of the few echinoderms. occupy All three types of chemosynthetic ecosystems are included: hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and organic fallouts. This suggests that this species is well adapted to the reducing environment of the deep sea.
Unlike most species that live in cold or hydrothermal vents; chiridotaheheva It does not host chemosynthetic bacteria.
It obtains nutrients from a variety of sources and extracts organic components from sediment debris, suspended solids, and wood debris when available.
“The organisms found in hydrothermal vents are among the most unique life forms on Earth, having evolved special adaptations to survive and reproduce in these harsh conditions,” said the lead author. Dr. Eugene Pu by Sanya Institute of Deep Sea Science and Technology and colleagues.
“For example, many microorganisms employ special metabolic functions to cope with the abundance of sulfur and iron and to withstand the enormous heat near the vent.”
“In addition to microorganisms, there are also multicellular and higher-order organisms that have adapted to the conditions of hydrothermal vents, such as various types of nematodes, snails, crabs, and shrimp.”
In the study, the authors sequenced the genome of an individual. chiridotaheheva collected from the ocean floor of the Indian Ocean Kairei Bent Field (2,428 meters deep).
“The water around the Kailey vent is particularly rich in dissolved iron, compounded by the harsh conditions of high hydrostatic pressure, darkness, and temperature fluctuations,” the researchers said.
“Initial comparative genomic analyzes showed that several gene families are expanded in this sea cucumber, meaning that this species has a higher repertoire of certain gene sets than closely related species. To do.”
“These expanded and unique genes are involved in DNA repair and iron metabolism, among other processes. It shows for the first time that it is reflected.”
“The genomic data will provide a valuable resource for further research on both sea cucumbers and unique spout animals.”
Y Pooh other. 2023. High-quality chromosome genome assembly of sea cucumber chiridotaheheva and its hydrothermal adaptation. Giga Science, in press. doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giad107
Iceland is one of the most boring countries in the world. That’s a compliment, not an insult. The island nation is dotted with thousands of boreholes dug deep into the bedrock to extract geothermal energy. You’ll soon be joined by another team, but it’s never boring. “We are planning to drill into the magma chamber,” says Hjalti Pár Ingolsson from Reykjavík’s Geothermal Research Cluster (GEORG). “This is our first trip to the center of the Earth,” says his colleague Björn Sor Gudmundsson.
Well, not in the center. Some magma chambers (underground reservoirs of molten rock) lie just a few kilometers below the earth’s surface and are within reach of modern excavators. Sometimes magma leaks to the surface and erupts as lava. At the time this story went to press, that’s exactly what was beginning to have spectacular and devastating effects around the town of Grindavik in southern Iceland. The problem is that we usually don’t know where the magma chamber is. “No geophysical method has yet been proven to satisfactorily locate magma chambers,” he says. John Eichelberger At the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
But now Ingolfsson and his colleagues are in luck. They accidentally discover a magma chamber and are planning to do the unthinkable: to intentionally drill into it. This project is nothing short of making scientific history by providing the first direct opportunity to study the hidden liquid rock that Earth used to build its continents. On the way, it could also be…
Quadrantid meteor shower “Fireball” in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, January 2020
Mike Lewinsky CC BY 2.0 DEED
The first major meteor shower of the year will begin tonight and tomorrow, peaking in the early morning hours of January 4th, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This meteor shower, known as the “Subungid meteor shower,'' is one of the most active meteor showers of the year.
At its peak, up to 110 meteors can be observed per hour, and the phenomenon is often associated with particularly bright meteors called bolides.
This year's waxing moon means you might be able to see as many as 110 meteors due to the moonlight getting in the way, but if the skies are clear, it's still worth seeing.
When is the Quadrant Meteor Shower?
The current Shibungid meteor shower began on December 28th, but was visible to some people on January 3rd and peaked just before 1 a.m. Japan time on January 4th, making this phenomenon a small phenomenon. It is expected to last 6 hours.
Where can I observe the Squirrel meteor shower?
The Quadriids meteor shower is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. If the sky is clear, try to go outside after midnight to avoid light pollution.
From the Southern Hemisphere, you are less likely to see the Quadriids meteor shower. Because its peak occurs after sunrise. But lucky viewers might be able to spot some photos in the hours before sunrise on January 4th.
How to observe the Shibungid meteor shower
You don't need any special equipment to view the meteor shower. Be sure to pack something to keep yourself warm, lie down, look at the sky, and wait for the meteors to appear.
Like all meteor showers, the Cybungid meteor shower is named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to come from the sky. In this case, it is an old constellation called “Quadrans Muralis” in his 1800s, when the shower was discovered. Now, this part of the sky is part of the constellation Boes.
You don't need to be able to find the constellation Boes to see the meteor shower, but if you want to know where it is, you can find it at its brightest star called Arcturus. First, find the Plow or Big Dipper and look at the row of stars that form its handle.
Continuing along the arc of this curve, you will reach a bright star visible near the eastern horizon around midnight. Remember this technique by thinking of “Ark to Arcturus”.
What is a meteor shower?
Meteors are flashes of light that move quickly across the night sky, sometimes with a trail behind them. They are produced when pieces of dust and debris enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up.
Although this happens all the time, meteor showers are the peak in the number of visible meteors. They occur when Earth's orbit brings it into large chunks of debris left behind by comets and asteroids. In particular, the origin of the quadrant basin is 2003 Asteroid called EH1.
Illustration of Nanotyrannus fighting a young Tyrannosaurus Rex
raul martin
tyrannosaurus rex After all, it may not have been the only large carnivore that ruled North America during the Late Cretaceous. Reinterpretation of some fossils of small dinosaurs sometimes classified as young dinosaurs tyrannosaurus This adds weight to the controversial idea that it is a separate small species called . Nanotyrannus lansensislived with the dinosaur king.
“This is the most famous fossil animal in the world,” he says Nicholas Longrich At the University of Bath, UK. “A lot of people are watching. And we can't agree.”
This debate has divided paleontologists for decades. A paper from the 1960s revealed that a skull excavated 20 years earlier in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana was tyrannosaurus that died before reaching full maturity. However, in the 1980s, others argued that the differences between the skull and known skulls were: tyrannosaurus The specimen showed that this fossil was actually an adult of another species, and they named it Nanotyrannus lansensis.
Recent studies based on additional fossils dispute this, arguing that the differences between miniature and full-sized fossils are: tyrannosaurus The fossils were not of different species, but of different times. This discussion has implications for understanding the ecology and diversity of dinosaurs in the period just before their extinction.
Now, with Longrich Evan Saitta Researchers at the University of Chicago have compiled six pieces of evidence that support identifying the smaller fossils as: Nanotyrannus. This includes cataloging more than 150 individual features that differ between the fossil in question and the known fossils. tyrannosaurus Fossils include things like a narrower snout and smoother teeth. They argue that all this cannot change between boys and adults. tyrannosaurus.
The researchers also analyzed the patterns of bone growth rings, which form when bones stop growing each year. As the animal grows slower, the distance between the growth rings decreases. Researchers say they found these rings to be tightened, suggesting that the smaller fossils represent young adults. Nanotyrannus Rather than a boy tyrannosaurus They rate these adults Nanotyrannus Their weight would be between 1,000 kg and 2,000 kg, equivalent to a quarter of an adult. tyrannosaurus 8000 kg. “No matter how you graph the data, you can’t turn it into an animal. tyrannosaurus” Longrich says.
The latest evidence is a fossilized frontal bone (located between the eye and skull) that Longrich unearthed from the archives of the University of California Museum of Paleontology, which researchers interpret as a juvenile fossil. tyrannosaurus Because it is definitely different from the hypothesis, Nanotyrannus fossil. “It's an animal smaller than a human.” Nanotyrannus But it is tyrannosaurus Morphology,” Longrich says.
Some outside researchers say they remain unsure that the tiny fossil is actually a separate species. “No problem Nanotyrannus If science proves it, it’s real.” holly woodward At Oklahoma State University written Juvenile species were identified in a tree ring survey conducted in 2020. tyrannosaurus explanation. “We’re not convinced that their interpretation is any more accurate than ours,” she said, adding that the fully grown animal specimens were “unusual.” Nanotyrannus It will be necessary to resolve different interpretations.
thomas carr A professor at Carthage College in Wisconsin has long argued that the fossil is a juvenile. tyrannosaurus, adding that the front bone found at Berkeley was too incomplete to sway him. “I don’t take this seriously at all,” he says.
scott parsons Professors at the College of Charleston in South Carolina are more welcoming of what he says is a new perspective on a long-stalled rift among paleontologists. “This new paper doesn’t settle this debate, but I’m optimistic that it will be a game-changer,” he says.
Infected wounds pose a significant mortality risk to animals. Injuries are common in Matabeleari (Megaponera analis), raiding warlike prey. New research shows that these predatory ants can tell when a wound has become infected and treat it accordingly. Workers apply various antimicrobial compounds and proteins secreted from the retropleura to infected wounds, reducing mortality rates in infected individuals by 90%.
Matabeleari (Megaponera analis) He cares for the wound of a fellow ant whose leg was bitten off during a fight with termites. Image credit: Erik Frank / University of Würzburg.
Infectious diseases are a major mortality risk for animals, and animals that live in groups are particularly at risk of contracting life-threatening contagious pathogens.
This has led to a series of pathogen-induced changes in social interactions, including social distancing, disease signaling, and medical care.
Injured people are an easy entry point for life-threatening infections because their primary barrier to infection, the epidermis, or epidermis, is damaged.
Recently, some mammals have been shown to lick wounds to apply antiseptic saliva. However, the effectiveness of these actions remains largely unknown and occurs regardless of wound status.
In social insects, interactions to combat pathogens range from preventive measures such as nest disinfection and conspecific grooming, to dying individuals leaving the nest and dying in isolation, to destructive disinfection of infected mates. It's wide-ranging.
However, whether and how social insect colonies care for injured individuals exposed to pathogens is still poorly understood.
Predatory Matabele ant workers have been known to treat injuries to their nestmates, a common occurrence since the ants only feed on belligerent termites. As many as 22% of collectors engaged in termite raids lose one or two of their legs.
Injured workers are carried to the nest, and for the first three hours after injury, other workers treat the wound by licking and grooming the wound.
If the wounds of injured workers are not treated by nestmates, 90% of the injured workers die within 24 hours after injury, but the mechanisms of these treatments are unknown.
“The aim of our study was to identify the causes of death in injured individuals and the potential mechanisms involved in the detection and treatment of injuries,” said first author Eric, a researcher at the University of Lausanne and the University of Würzburg.・Dr. Frank said. , and his colleagues.
they discovered gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa It caused a fatal infection in injured Matabele ant workers.
They showed that wound infections were associated with specific changes in the epidermal hydrocarbon profile, allowing nestmates to diagnose the infected status of the injured and apply appropriate antimicrobial treatment. .
They also identified 112 chemical compounds and 41 proteins in secretions from the ants' posterior thymus, half of which were found to have antibacterial or wound-healing properties.
“Chemical analysis showed that the hydrocarbon profile of the ant's epidermis changes as a result of wound infection,” Dr. Frank said.
“It is precisely this change that allows the ants to recognize and diagnose the infection status of injured nestmates.”
“For treatment, they apply antibacterial compounds and proteins to the infected wound. They ingest these antibiotics through the retropleura, which is located on the side of the thorax.”
“The secretion contains 112 components, half of which have antibacterial and wound healing effects.”
“And this treatment is highly effective, reducing the mortality rate of infected people by 90%.”
“Aside from humans, I don't know of any other creature capable of such sophisticated wound healing.”
“These findings have medical implications because the main pathogens in ant wounds are Pseudomonas aeruginosait is also a major cause of human infections, and some strains are resistant to antibiotics,” said the study's senior author, Dr. Laurent Keller from the University of Lausanne.
of result appear in the diary nature communications.
_____
ET Frank other. 2023. Targeted treatment of injured nestmates with antimicrobial compounds in an ant community. Nat Commune 14, 8446; doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43885-w
Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of small polycotyledonous plesiosaur from two specimens discovered in the US states of Wyoming and South Dakota.
rebuilding the life of Untahira Specta The proposed habitat is a sunlit body of water just below the earth's surface, and the eyes are covered by bulges above the orbits.Image credit: Clark other., doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105812.
Untahira Specta lived in the waters of Western Inland Sea Route Late Cretaceous period, approximately 80.5 million years ago.
This marine reptile is polycotyledonous plantsa family of plesiosaurs that evolved in the Early Cretaceous and radiated into multiple genera in the Late Cretaceous.
“Polycotyledons were a marine herpeta superfamily of the Cretaceous period. plesiosaurinae” said the lead author. Dr. Robert Clark and colleagues at Marshall University.
“The earliest polysperms are known from the Aptians of Australia, but they reached North America by the Albians and achieved an international distribution before dying out along with the rest of the polysperms. plesiosaur At the end of the Maastrichtian. ”
“Polysosaurs had short tails, limbs transformed into large paddles, and plesiosaur-like bowplans of broad, hydrodynamic bodies with extended pectoral and pelvic girdle, but short It also had a derivative condition: a large head with a neck and an elongated snout.”
“It has converged, but Pliosauridae In these traits, the small clefts and teeth of most polycots indicate that they occupied different ecological niches. ”
holotype of Untahira Specta.Image credit: Clark other., doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105812.
Two fossilized skulls (holotype and paratype) Untahira Specta Recovered from the Baculites obtusus zone of the Sharon Springs Formation in the United States.
“The holotype is a skull and mandible with an almost complete cervical, sacral, caudal series, partial dorsal series, ribs, part of the pelvic and pectoral girdle, both iliac bones, both anterior paddles, both It has a rear paddle,” the paleontologists said. Said.
“The paratype is a complete cranium, a three-part lower jaw, and five small, fragmentary, unidentified postcranial elements.”
Untahira Specta It was a small polycotyledonous plant, 2.3–2.6 m (7.5–8.5 ft) long, with a broad skull and distinctive paddle.
The large eyes had flat protuberances that probably blocked sunlight. It is possible that they were visually chasing prey just below the water surface.
“Comparisons with extant quadrupeds suggest several characteristics of quadrupeds. Untahira Specta “This may be an adaptation to predation by visual tracking in sunny environments, an interpretation with ecological implications for other aquatic reptiles,” the researchers said.
their findings It was published in the magazine Cretaceous research.
_____
Robert O. Clark other.Elucidation of a new genus of small polycotyledonous plesiosaurs that lived in the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior Seaway and its genus doricorinchops. Cretaceous research, published online on December 24, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105812
A giant naked figure called Sarn Giant It was carved into the Dorset hillside not in prehistory or early modern times, as many think, but in the early Middle Ages, particularly in the 9th or 10th century, when there was much interest in the classical hero Hercules. It is said that it was at the beginning.to new paper in diary Speculum. He was probably created to mark the meeting place for West Saxon military meetings on the lands of the chieftains of the western provinces. By the mid-11th century, he was repurposed by monasteries founded or re-founded at his feet. St. Eadwolda convenient way to erase Hercules and declare the monastery's rights to the saint's relics.
Sarn Abbas Giant, Sarn Abbas, Dorset, England. Image credit: Ray Gaffney.
The Sarne Giant is a gigantic statue of a naked man carved into chalk rock on a hillside above the village of Sarne Abbas in Dorset, England.
He is approximately 55 meters (180 feet) tall, wielding a club in his right hand and extending his left arm.
The feet are turned to the right as if walking. His bald head is teardrop shaped with his eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth.
His naked torso shows an erect penis, nipples, ribs, belt, and belly button. The latter appears to have been incorporated into his phallus in 1908, and is now more prominent than originally.
When the Cerne Giant was first carved has been debated for centuries.
Dr Helen Gittos, a researcher at the University of Oxford, said: “It turns out that the Sarne Giant is just the most prominent of a whole group of early medieval features in the landscape.”
“While Hercules was well known in the Middle Ages as a flawed hero who was both admired and criticized, interest in Hercules in particular increased in the 9th century.”
“By at least the 10th century, Cern was in the hands of the elders of the western provinces, the leading lords of the kings of the south-west.”
“The Tern Giant's topographical location, on a spur projecting from a ridge, makes it a unique type of Anglo-Saxon meeting place in that it has spectacular views and is close to major highways.”
“Nearby Viking attacks, access to abundant fresh water, and local land supplies made this an ideal location to muster a West Saxon army against the backdrop of Hercules.”
In the 11th century, the monks worshiping at the monastery at the foot of Giant Hill reimagined the Giant of Sarne as a statue of their saint Eadwald, implicit in the lessons they read on that feast day. I mentioned this person.
This is one of the many ways the Cologne giants have been reinterpreted over the centuries, from Hercules to the Hermit.
“The identity of the Cern giant was already open to reinterpretation,” said Dr. Tom Morkom, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo.
“The monks of Cern would not have depicted their patron saint as a naked saint if they had carved their patron saint from scratch, but they gladly adopted him as a statue of Eadwald for their own purposes. .”
“Giant has long been loved and cherished, and that rediscovery continues today.”
_____
Thomas Morcombe and Helen Gittos. 2024. Giant of Cologne in the early Middle Ages. Speculum 99 (1): 1-38; doi: 10.1086/727992
The Great Lakes, known for ice fishing and winter's frozen waves, rang out a nearly bare New Year's bell.
Less than 0.4% of ice covered the Great Lakes on New Year's Day, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Institute, which uses satellite data to measure ice concentrations.
“There's basically nothing,” said James Kessler, a physical scientist at the institute, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We have about 50 years of data. Today's average for January 1st is about 9%.”
Kessler said that although ice coverage is well below normal, it is not unheard of for ice concentrations to fall below 1% on January 1, still early in the season.
The amount of ice on the Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario) determines when and how raw materials and cargo are shipped from ports in the Midwest. Fish species such as whitefish are covered in ice to protect their eggs for reproduction. Lower ice levels could increase erosion and contribute to changes in weather patterns in the region.
Kessler said temperatures have been unseasonably high this season, making it difficult for ice to form on the lake's surface. According to his research, the Great Lakes' annual ice area varies greatly from year to year, but tends to decline at a rate of about 5% every decade.
“This is certainly a sign of climate change,” he says.
Ice typically reaches its maximum extent from mid-February to early March. In a typical year, about 40% of the Great Lakes are covered in ice at peak times.
Last year, ice coverage reached about 23% and by mid-February the ice had diminished. just covered 7% of the lake.
In 2023, Earth experienced its hottest year on record, largely due to human-induced climate change. Researchers expect temperatures to rise further this year due to El Niño, a natural climate pattern that releases ocean heat into the atmosphere.El Niño winter Warmer trends across the Great Lakes region.
This image of Io was taken by the Juno spacecraft.
NASA/SwRI/MSSS
Thanks to NASA's Juno spacecraft, which passed the moon on December 30, we had the closest look at Jupiter's volcanic moon Io in decades.
Juno, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, has increasingly taken images of Io's vicinity in recent months as its orbit around Jupiter changes.
This latest image was taken just 1500 kilometers above the moon's surface. In it, you can see some of Io's hundreds of towering mountains, some of which can exceed 10 kilometers in height, and their long, sharp shadows.
Io is thought to be the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with hundreds of active volcanoes. These volcanoes tend to be smaller than the largest mountains, averaging only 1 to 2 kilometers in height, and are difficult to see in images.
But by comparing the data with images from Juno's previous 56 lunar passes, astronomers are starting to understand how these volcanoes have changed over time and why they are so active. You can know.
Juno has also been exploring Jupiter's other moons, including Europa and Ganymede, collecting data and taking the closest images. NASA's Galileo spacecraft In February, Juno will again fly very close, about 1,500 kilometers above Io's surface.
Juno will fly close to Io seven more times before leaving orbit for Jupiter at the end of 2025, but that won't be the end of learning about Jupiter's moons. NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, scheduled to launch in October this year, is designed to fly just 25 kilometers above the surface of Europa, considered one of the most promising sites for life on Earth. This will provide important information about the mysterious inland sea. Solar system. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Europa in 2030.
The classical understanding of brain organization is that the brain's perceptual areas represent the world 'as it is', and the brain's visual cortex represents the external world 'retinolocally', based on how light hits the retina. That's what it means. In contrast, the brain's memory areas are thought to represent information in an abstract form, stripped of details about physical properties. Now, a team of neuroscientists from Dartmouth College and the University of Edinburgh have identified the neural coding mechanisms that allow information to move back and forth between the brain's sensory and memory regions.
Traditional views of brain organization suggest that regions at the top of the cortical hierarchy process internally directed information using abstract, amodal neural codes. Nevertheless, recent reports have described the presence of retinotopic coding at cortical vertices, including the default mode network.What is the functional role of retinal local coding at the apex of the cortical hierarchy? Steel other. We report that retinotopic coding structures interactions between internally oriented (memory) and externally oriented (perception) brain regions. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.
“We now know that brain regions associated with memory encode the world, like a 'photo negative' of the universe,” said Dr. Adam Steele, a researcher at Dartmouth College.
“And that 'negativity' is part of the mechanism that moves information in and out of memory, and between perceptual and memory systems.”
In a series of experiments, participants were tested on perception and memory while their brain activity was recorded using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner.
Dr. Steele and his colleagues identified a contralateral push-pull-like coding mechanism that governs the interaction between perceptual and memory areas in the brain.
The results showed that when light hits the retina, the brain's visual cortex responds by increasing activity that represents the pattern of light.
Memory areas of the brain also respond to visual stimuli, but unlike visual areas, processing the same visual pattern reduces neural activity.
“There are three unusual findings in this study,” the researchers said.
“The first is the discovery that visual coding principles are stored in the memory system.”
“The second thing is that this visual code is upside down in our memory system.”
“When you see something in your visual field, neurons in your visual cortex become active and neurons in your memory system quiet down.”
“Third, this relationship is reversed during memory recall.”
“If you close your eyes and recall that visual stimulus in the same space, the relationship is reversed. Your memory system kicks in and suppresses the neurons in your sensory area.”
Dr Ed Shilson, a neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Our findings demonstrate how shared visual information is used by the memory system to bring recalled memories into and out of focus. “This provides a clear example of how this can be done.”
of study Published in today's magazine natural neuroscience.
_____
A. Steel other. Retinotopic codes structure interactions between perceptual and memory systems. nut neurosi, published online on January 2, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41593-023-01512-3
The blue and pink areas indicate vast habitable areas that were once connected to northwestern Australia, but are now underwater.
Kasi Norman
As many as 500,000 people may have once lived on land in what is now northern Australia, which was submerged by rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age.
Kasi Norman Professors at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, have reconstructed the topography of the approximately 400,000 square kilometers of land currently covered by the Indian Ocean, known as the North-West Shelf. The researchers say this is not an uninhabitable place as previously thought, but rather a place where people have thrived for tens of thousands of years.
The study revealed features such as inland seas as large as the Sea of Marmara in Turkey and vast freshwater lakes with gorges, rivers and cliffs, such as those currently found in Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. became.
Mr Norman said this large area of flooded land had long been known from oil and gas exploration, but the Australian Institute of Geosciences recently released detailed sonar data with pixels down to 30 x 30 metres. It is said that he did. “This is high enough resolution to tell us about landscape features that are important to people,” she says.
Research has revealed that the inland sea existed in a stable form from 27,000 to 17,000 years ago. A nearby 2,000 square kilometer freshwater lake remained stable from 30,000 to 14,000 years ago. The lake is thought to have been an important refuge for people fleeing south from the arid Australian continent during the Ice Age.
By modeling these geographic features, the researchers estimate that the area could have supported a population of 50,000 to 500,000 people.
“This vast landscape that no longer exists would have been very different from what we see in Australia today,” Norman said. “It's incredible to have a freshwater lake of this size next to an inland sea, and people would have lived on the other side of that lake. This is a lost landscape that people were using. is.”
However, at the end of the last ice age, sea levels began to rise dramatically. Initially, sea levels rose at about 1 meter per 100 years, Norman said, but from 14,500 to 14,100 years ago, the rate increased to 400 to 500 meters per 100 years.
If things had continued, people would have seen sea levels rise and be forced to move inland to escape flooding.
He said the region had never before modeled how many people it supported. peter bess The research, from the University of Western Australia, was made possible thanks to new detailed paleogeographical data available to the team.
Alastair Reynolds and Esmee Zikiemi-Pearson are two authors who set their novels in space in January this year.
alamy stock photo
There won’t be a lot of new science fiction this January, but there are some gems to look forward to, including a new release from science fiction guru Alastair Reynolds, who wrote our masterpiece. new scientist This year’s Christmas short story is Lottie and the river. I’m also really looking forward to Esmee Zikiemi-Pearson’s debut feature, a space opera with epic ambitions, and Alice McIlroy’s creepy psychological thriller. glass woman, a scientist is implanted with technology that results in him losing his memory. If I have the courage, I will read Toro Toro Tsamase’s book. City of wombs. If this isn’t enough and you’re looking for more tips for the year ahead, be sure to check out science fiction columnist Sally Addy’s tips for reading in 2024.
machine vendetta Written by Alastair Reynolds. I’ll take a new Alastair Reynolds any day. This latest information is in him Governor Dreyfus The series sees Dreyfus investigate the death of Invar Tench, a police officer who worked to maintain democracy in the 10,000 city-states orbiting the planet Yellowstone.
principle of the moment Written by Esme Jikiemi Pearson. This space opera is Zikiemi-Pearson’s first novel and follows Obi, who time-travels from the planet Garrahan in 6066, where humans are indentured laborers for the Emperor’s war machine, to London in 1812, where he meets a young girl. , sounds great. From the British Museum at another time. It’s said to be for fans of Becky Chambers, VE Schwab, and NK Jemisin, but all are must-reads for me. Seems like the perfect antidote to the January blues.
glass woman Written by Alice McIlroy.This is a psychological thriller like “BThere’s no mirror meet before going to bed as Severance pay: The story follows Iris, a scientist who volunteers to become a test subject for an experimental treatment that inserts technology into her brain. However, she no longer has her memory and wonders why she volunteered for the treatment in the first place. I don’t know if I did it or even what it is. It’s eerily awesome, and I’m sure I’ll be spending my commute and nights in January with it.
In Alice McIlroy’s The Glass Girl, strange technology is implanted in the brain of a scientist.
Shutterstock / MDV Edwards
city of womb Written by Toro Toro Tsamaase.The Handmaid’s Tale meet Get out? That’s quite a tall order, but this African-futuristic horror novel looks like it’ll be both fun and scary.? A cruel surveillance regime is in place, with Nella trapped in her loveless marriage, her every move monitored by microchip by her police officer husband. When she buries the body of a car accident, the ghosts of the victims begin to haunt her loved ones. Our science fiction columnist Sally Addy suggests this as something to be aware of.
13 Ways to Defeat Lulabel Rock Written by Maud Wolfe. This looks like a lot of fun. Set in the near future, celebrities can create clones of themselves (known as “portraits”) to take on various tasks. We are following 13 stories.th A copy of the actor Lurabel Rock, who is trying to eliminate his predecessor.
Ava Anna Ada Written by Ali Miller. This novel is set in the hot near future and depicts the events of a week in which Anna and Eva become trapped in their own world and reconsider who they really are. Ian Rankin explains it this way:[Philip K.] Dick’s They are This novel depicts the disintegration of a family in the near future and features early Ian Banks and Ian McEwan. The novel is “both frightening and fascinating” in every way.
clover Written by Karen Langston. Ten years after the death of her partner Neve, Ink finds that he has no concept of her past and can only think of her in the present tense. He seems to be in a new “crisis of memory loss”. But is this due to a broken code in Klova, an artificial language that allows anyone to think and speak?
necropolis alpha Written by Chris M. Arnone. This piece of cyberpunk science fiction is a sequel to Arnone’s novel. hermes protocol and follows a cybernetically enhanced “Intel operative” as he attempts to steal data from an evangelical preacher’s office.
Hera will soon head to the asteroid Dimorphos with CubeSats
ESA/Science Directorate
The European Space Agency (ESA) is sending a mission to find out what happened to an asteroid that NASA collided with in 2022. The Hera mission, scheduled to launch in October, will head to the asteroid Dimorphos, which NASA collided with during the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). Mission.
The purpose of DART was to see if crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid would be a good way to protect Earth if one were to come our way.we know the impact Change the trajectory of Dimorphos The collisions around parent asteroid Didymos shorten each orbit by about 33 minutes, but details are not known about exactly how the collisions affected the asteroid or what happened next. do not have.
“To determine whether the impact left a crater or completely changed the shape of the asteroid, another spacecraft will need to return to the crime scene, because with the current data, either scenario is possible. That's why,” says Hera Mission Director. patrick michel At the Côte d'Azur Observatory in France. “Hera is a detective who will thoroughly investigate the effects.”
The mission consists of a main spacecraft that will fly up to 1 kilometer to Dimorphos, and two smaller cube-shaped satellites that are intended to land on the surface and see it up close. This research will not only be crucial for simulating potentially dangerous asteroids and how to deflect them in the future, but will also provide important scientific insights.
“Collisions have played an important role in the entire history of the solar system. We started the growth of planets through collisions, and all solid surfaces are full of impact craters,” Michel says. “If we're going to build a complete model of the solar system's collision history, we need to understand how these collisions work.” And it helps clarify how those conflicts work for us.
New infrared images taken with wide field camera 3 (WFC3) onboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows dozens of galaxies in the constellation Cetus, including SDSS J020941.27+001558.4, SDSS J020941.23+001600.7, and HerS J020941.1+001557. Masu.
This Hubble image shows a variety of distant galaxies in the constellation Cetus. Most galaxies are very small, but there are also some larger galaxies and some stars that can be seen in detail. At its center is an elliptical galaxy with a bright nucleus and a wide disk. A reddish, distorted ring of light surrounds its center, thicker on one side. Small galaxies intersect the rings as bright spots. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / H. Nayyeri / L. Marchetti / J. Lowenthal.
“What are we looking at when we study this image?” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“A distant galaxy 19.5 billion light-years away from Earth? Or a much closer (relatively) tiny glowing red galaxy 2.7 billion light-years away? Or a third galaxy that appears to be much closer to the second galaxy? Is not it?”
“The answer, perhaps confusingly, is that we are considering all three.”
“More precisely, we see light emitted from all of these galaxies, even though the farthest galaxy from Earth is directly behind the first.”
“In fact, it's that very alignment that makes the particular visuals of this image possible.”
“The bright spot in the center of this image is one of our closest galaxies, known by a long (but informative) name. SDSS J020941.27+001558.4,” they said.
“Another bright spot above it appears to be intersected by a curved crescent of light, SDSS J020941.23+001600.7, is the second closest galaxy. ”
“And finally, that curved crescent of light itself is 'lensed' light from a very distant galaxy. Girlfriend J020941.1+001557”
Her J020941.1+001557 light was bent by the gravity of the foreground galaxy and expanded into a circular shape called an Einstein ring.
“Einstein rings occur when light from a very distant object bends around a large intermediate object,” the astronomers said.
“This is possible because the fabric of the universe itself, spacetime, is bent by mass, and so is light traveling through spacetime.”
“This is too subtle to observe at a local level, but when dealing with the curvature of light on large astronomical scales, for example when light emitted from a galaxy bends around another galaxy or galaxy cluster, , may become clearly observable.”
“When the lensed object and the lensed object are aligned in such a way, the result is a unique Einstein ring shape, with a complete or partial ring around the lensed object, depending on the precision of the alignment. A circle of light appears.
“This partial Einstein ring is of particular interest because it was identified thanks to a citizen science project. space warp — means that the public made the discovery of this object possible. ”
The August drought in Villanueva, Spain was one of the most common extreme weather events in 2023.
Ander Girenea/AFP via Getty Images
Last year was the hottest year on record, but 2023 is unlikely to retain that dubious honor for long. In addition to warming caused by greenhouse gases, 2024 is expected to be even hotter due to the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean. “We've never had an El Niño of this magnitude against a backdrop of global warming,” he says. adam scaife At the UK National Met Office…
As we end 2023, what does 2024 have in store for us? As a wise person new scientist As our readers know, the division of time into years is fairly arbitrary, and only tells us that the Earth has gone around the sun once (yes, I get it. 0.256363004 days is fine. (No, please pipe up in the back). So many of this year's big topics, such as the rise of artificial intelligence and the growing dangers of climate change, will remain big topics next year.
But we can't help but give new meaning to the new year.
If 2023 is any indication, 2024 is poised to be a year of breakthroughs across all areas of science. From cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence to revolutionary discoveries in health and space exploration, here’s a look at what to expect in science in 2024.
Things are looking up: Space in 2024
If all goes well, humans will return to the moon for the first time in 50 years in 2024. NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch in late 2024 and will carry a crew of four, including the first woman and person of color to participate in a moon mission.
Additionally, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, and Ocean Ecosystems (PACE) satellite mission is scheduled to launch early this year. It aims to collect data that will help scientists measure the health of Earth’s oceans.
The long-delayed debut of ESA’s Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket is scheduled for mid-2024. And in October, NASA’s Europa Clipper will begin a journey to one of Jupiter’s icy moons to investigate the possibility of life.
Prior to that, the Jupiter Ice Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft, launched by ESA in 2023 on a similar mission, is scheduled to perform its first Moon-Earth flyby a few months earlier, in August of this year.
Meanwhile, for those of us stuck on Earth, a total solar eclipse will hit Mexico, Canada, and the United States on April 8th, making it the last one to hit the continental United States until 2044.
This year also marks the bisection of Halley’s Comet’s 76-year orbit. This means that Halley’s Comet will reach its furthest point from Earth before beginning its return journey.
Artemis II (LR) Crew member and pilot of American astronaut Victor Glover. Reed Wiseman, Commander. Christina Hammock Koch, Mission Specialist. Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen (rear) poses with the Artemis II crew module. – Photo credit: Getty
New frontiers in health and medicine
Following the attention given to the weight-loss drug semaglutide in 2023, a phase 3 trial of a similar anti-diabetic drug, tirzepatide (Mounjaro), is expected to yield results towards the end of 2024.
Advances in CRISPR therapy are also expected after the gene editing tool was approved in the UK in November 2023 for the treatment of sickle cell disease and the blood disease beta-thalassemia. It is then expected to be approved in the United States by March 2024.
Transplant medicine also appears to be reaching new heights. In fact, biotech company EGenesis suggested earlier this year that gene-edited pig organs could be donated to human babies in need of transplants.
We also need to see how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve cancer diagnosis, test the effectiveness of new cancer treatments and drug combinations, and see the results of clinical trials of vaccines against HIV and malaria. be.
technology outlook
There has been a lot of speculation about OpenAI’s next project, and although nothing has been officially announced, an update to its Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) model is expected.
Generative AI will continue to find new applications in research and everyday life. The future technology for VR and gaming is shaping up to be interesting as tech giants pour resources into mixed reality.
This year, advances in fundamental areas of human life, from medicine to infrastructure, will be matched and enhanced by breakthroughs in robotics, smart materials, and eco-materials.
We expect more advanced robots that can perform microscopic operations inside the body, buildings that react to changing weather conditions, improved solar cells, and more. Some of these may be created with his 4D printer, which uses smart materials to create objects that can change shape.
Science in 2024: Culture
science fiction glasses
Movies in 2024 will be dominated by book adaptations, reboots, and sequels. alien to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. But what really caught our eye is the sequel.
inside out 2 We are committed to tackling the mental health of teenagers, and our first work explored the minds of children. We also return to your question about extraterrestrial terraforming. Dune: Part 2.
Inside Head 2: Fear, Sadness, Anger, Joy, Disgust, Anxiety take on new challenges. – Photo credit: Alamy
game changer
AI will greatly enhance camera operations at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Facial recognition is prohibited, but AI surveillance can help detect abandoned items and suspicious activity in large groups.
artificial politics
In 2023, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned the U.S. Congress about the risks AI poses to politics, but amid a rise in political deepfakes, there are growing concerns about generative AI’s ability to mislead. Concerns are growing. Still, several important elections are scheduled to take place in 2024, including the US presidential election.
Bride, groom and wedding guests watching solar eclipse in Mexico
Martin Zetina/AP/Alamy
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible in North America from a strip of land that begins in Mexico and ends in Canada, passing through 13 U.S. states.
A solar eclipse can be seen from many different locations, but it's important to know exactly where to look to get the full experience. The part of the Earth's surface where a total solar eclipse is visible is called the total path, and is only 185 kilometers wide. Viewers in other parts of North America will see a partial solar eclipse.You can check This NASA map confirm.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned and the Moon blocks the sun's light. If aligned properly, it is large enough to cause a total solar eclipse. The moon orbits the Earth each month at a tilt of just over 5 degrees compared to the Earth's orbit around the sun. This means that it is not very often that the three line up perfectly.
All solar eclipses start out partial, with only part of the sun blocked out. However, a total solar eclipse has a special middle part called totality, where the moon blocks out all of the sun's light.
Never look directly at the sun during a partial solar eclipse. You can use eclipse glasses to view it, but not regular sunglasses. Observe the event indirectly by using eclipse filters for binoculars or telescopes designed for this purpose, or by creating an eclipse viewer using a pinhole camera that projects the eclipse. You can also. You can also use something like a colander with small holes in it.
A partial solar eclipse will last just under 3 hours. For those lucky enough to step onto the path to wholeness, the 2024 event will be special. Some total solar eclipses last longer than others because the moon's orbit moves it closer and further away from Earth at different times. This totality lasts more than four minutes. Totality is the only time you can see the sun directly without a solar filter.
A total solar eclipse is an amazing experience. Temperatures drop sharply, days become darker, and stars and planets become visible.Even before and after totality, strange shadows and so-called diamond ring – A bright flash of light that occurs when sunlight passes along the uneven surface of the moon.
NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Gregory M. M. Weigand
NASA’s European Clipper mission will launch in October 2024 and head to Jupiter’s moon Europa, where it will search for signs that the icy moon may be suitable for life.
The spacecraft will not be orbiting Europa when it arrives in 2030, but will instead orbit Jupiter in a way that will allow it to repeatedly pass the moon at a distance of nearly 25 kilometers from the planet’s surface.
“We’re going to get a really comprehensive assessment of what Europa is like,” he says. jennifer scully at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Of the moon’s many mysteries, perhaps the most important are the structure of its internal oceans and whether it is habitable. The Clipper won’t be able to search for life itself, but it will set the stage for possible future missions.
After years of extremely precise experiments, a group of researchers at CERN finally succeeded in creating and carefully capturing a sample of antihydrogen (the antimatter version of hydrogen) in September of this year. The sample was held in magnetic confinement to prevent it from hitting the walls of the container and quickly disappearing. The ALPHA-g experiment aimed to answer how antimatter behaves and revealed that it actually falls the same way that regular matter does.
Antimatter is known for generating high-energy radiation when it encounters normal matter, but contrary to popular belief, it has been shown to be less extreme than expected. For example, positrons, known as antielectrons, are exactly the same as electrons but with opposite charges and “parity.” Physicists had not experimentally confirmed that antimatter behaves the same way as regular matter until the ALPHA-g experiment.
Despite its violent tendencies, antimatter’s nature has raised questions about the definition and properties of matter in physics. The debate revolves around the conception of matter, where rest mass is the simplest definition. Matter encompasses various substances, atoms, molecules, protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks, and neutrinos. However, what constitutes matter becomes blurry when considering massless elementary particles and the contribution of energy to the mass of an object.
Exotic materials, like dark matter and negative mass materials, add complexity to the matter debate. The fact that matter and antimatter exist in unequal amounts, although not fully explained, has led to the formation of stars, galaxies, and planets. Antimatter experiments like ALPHA-g offer insight into matter’s nature and the existence of the universe.
Ever wanted to visit another world? Mars, one of our closest celestial neighbors, is an astonishing 225 million kilometers from Earth, a distance that would take over 1,000 years to walk.
But guess what? Many things on Earth look exactly like Mars; that’s what this year’s winner of the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition proved. Although this photo looks like a snapshot of an extraterrestrial plant, it actually shows a group of Smile mold growing in a lush garden in the UK.
But the other pictures in the collection are equally amazing. From a crystal forest to a temporary rift and jellyfish elevator, the images capture strange scientific phenomena.
Ecology Category Runner-Up – Postwar Chamois
The image shows an Alps chamois (Lupikapra Lupikapra) Licking the walls of a World War II air raid shelter in the mountains of Val Valaita in the Western Alps. Photo credit: Filippo Calgati
Micro-imaging category runner-up – Crystal lighthouse in the wild forest
The image shows microcrystals of beta-alanine and L-glutamine, showing the evolution of the crystal pattern during the crystallization process. Photo credit: Shyam Ulhas
Astronomy Category Winner – Western Veil Nebula
The Veil Nebula, a spectacular supernova remnant, discovered in the constellation Cygnus, about 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, has gained attention. The horn of the nebula in our sky is several times the size of the Moon. Photo provided by Imran Sultan
Overall Winner – Mars Landscape
The photo shows a specimen lamproderma scintillance, a microorganism that grows on the autumn leaves of Somerset, England. The slime mold exhibits a range of hues, from earthy browns to glossy bronzes to steel-blue iridescent hues of the surrounding deciduous trees. Photo credit: Irina Petrova Adamatsky
New research suggests that scientists may now be able to predict which organs will fail first, providing an opportunity for doctors to target aging organs earlier, before disease symptoms appear.
A study published in Nature found that one in five healthy adults over the age of 50 have at least one aging organ, increasing their risk of developing disease in that organ over the next 15 years. This discovery provides insight into the aging process of the body.
How does aging occur at different rates in the body?
We all have two ages: the chronological age that increases by one each year and the “biological age,” which is more flexible and changes based on health status. By studying biological signs within the body, scientists can determine a person’s biological age.
In a study of 5,678 people, researchers at Stanford Medicine determined the biological age of their organs by analyzing proteins in the blood, revealing that if a person’s organs are older than others of the same age, they are at a higher risk of disease.
Each organ in our body dies at a different rate, with certain proteins in the blood associated with specific organs. Scientists developed a machine learning algorithm using protein combinations to predict a person’s biological age and verified its accuracy on 4,000 people.
The study focused on the biological age of 11 important organs and revealed that people with rapidly aging organs are at a higher risk of disease and mortality. The research team hopes to replicate these findings in a larger group of people to detect which organs are aging at an accelerated rate, allowing for early treatment.
There are all sorts of fancy tools and expensive equipment that can dramatically improve the taste of your coffee, but now scientists have discovered a new trick that requires just a few drops of water.
When you grind coffee, the process creates friction, which causes some cracks in the beans. This generates electricity that causes the coffee particles to clump and stick to the grinder.
This moisture level is achieved by simply adding a small amount of water to the beans. in front Polishing them.
“Moisture determines the amount of charge formed during grinding, whether it’s residual moisture inside the roasted coffee or external moisture added during grinding,” says the senior author. Dr Christopher Hendona computational materials chemist at Orjon University.
“Water not only reduces static electricity and reduces mess during grinding, but it can also have a significant impact on the strength of the beverage and potentially its ability to obtain a higher concentration of desirable flavor.”
Coffee experts weren’t the only people involved in this study. In a strange turn of events, a volcanologist was brought in to better understand what happens when static electricity is generated when grinding coffee.
“During an eruption, magma breaks up into many small particles that come out of the volcano in a large plume. Throughout the process, those particles rub against each other and become electrically charged until lightning occurs.” he says.volcanologist joshua mendez harperauthor of the paper at Portland State University.
“Simplistically speaking, it’s like grinding coffee, grinding the beans into a fine powder.”
During the course of the study, the research team measured the amount of static electricity generated by grinding a variety of commercially and home-roasted coffee beans. These vary depending on factors such as country of origin, roast color, and moisture content.
Although there was no association between static electricity and the coffee’s country of origin or processing method (natural, washed, decaffeinated), the researchers found a link between static electricity and coffee content, roast color, and particle size. found that there is a correlation between
Less power was produced when the coffee had a higher internal moisture content and when the coffee was ground at a coarser setting. The research team also discovered differences in the static electricity generated between light and dark roasts.
When we compared espresso made with the same coffee beans ground with and without water, we found that grinding with water produced a stronger and longer extraction. Similarly, milling with water improves shot-to-shot consistency, overcoming a hurdle for baristas who want consistent results all day long.
“The main material benefit of adding water during grinding is that there is less agglomeration and the bed can be packed more densely,” says Hendon.
“Espresso is the worst culprit for this problem, but there are also benefits seen in brewing methods where you pour water over the coffee, like on the stovetop. Where you don’t see a benefit are methods like a French press, where you steep the coffee in water. .”
Although the research findings primarily focus on coffee, they have implications for other areas as well.
“It’s kind of the beginning of a joke: a volcanologist and a coffee expert walk into a bar and come out with a paper,” Harper says.
“But I think there are many more opportunities for this kind of collaboration. These investigations could help solve parallel problems in geophysics, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and how water infiltrates soil. .”
Our health care system has fundamental flaws that are negatively impacting women.
Systemic gaps and biases have led to women’s pain being less understood and therefore mistreated compared to men’s pain – a phenomenon known as the gender pain gap. This gender pain gap is only expanding, with 11% more women than men feeling their pain is ignored or dismissed compared to 7% in 2022, according to a recent report commissioned by Nurofen.
The report surveyed over 5,000 people, finding that women in the UK take longer than men to seek medical attention for the same type of pain. Additionally, less than half of the women surveyed were diagnosed within 11 months, compared with two-thirds of men. More women still had undiagnosed pain after 12 months or more. A third of women reported that their late diagnoses were due to medical professionals not listening, taking them seriously, or ignoring them.
Another study found that 50% of women feel their pain is ignored, particularly when it comes to menstrual health. Additionally, medical professionals often dismiss women’s symptoms as “normal” and attribute them to hormones and stress, leading to women’s pain being ignored and undermining their confidence and authority as patients.
These pain disparities contribute to a shorter healthy lifespan for women, given that they suffer from chronic conditions more than men.
Despite the complexity and multifactorial nature of the gender pain gap, women have historically been underrepresented in medical research and clinical trials, contributing to a lack of understanding of women’s healthcare needs and pain symptoms.
Women continue to struggle to have their pain taken seriously and treated appropriately, resulting in significant impacts on their lives and wellbeing.
About our expert Dr. Marike Bigg
Marike is a science writer with a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge. She argues that medicine is not gender-neutral, from research to diagnosis to treatment in her book, This Doesn’t Hurt: How Women Fail With Medications.
As the busiest year in the history of artificial intelligence (AI) comes to a close, Professor Mike Wooldridge is preparing to deliver the Royal Institution’s first Christmas lecture on this topic. BBC Science Focus news editor Noah Leach spoke with him to get a preview of the demonstrations included in his talk and to get some insight into how he thinks AI will change children’s world.
Billionaire’s Christmas List
If we were all millionaires, Christmas would be very different. We want to buy our loved ones a diamond chess set or a trip to the moon, but we’ve set our sights on more modest gifts. But who said we can’t dream? So this year, we’ve selected some of our favorite “money doesn’t matter” gifts, as well as some more realistic alternatives.
Natural disaster: earthquake
Earth-shaking earthquake events can occur far from fault lines between plates. And there’s no easy way to predict when and where they’ll hit (unless you’re at a Taylor Swift concert).
plus
Science in 2023, summary: Science news is always breaking, whether it’s an unexpected discovery or an answer to a question you never knew would be asked. We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting science articles that made headlines over the past 12 months.
Planet Earth III: join the bbc Planet Earth III Join the film crew as they go behind the scenes at an urban farm that has turned fields into towers and is run almost entirely by robots.
The future of law enforcement: In some cases, witnesses may identify the wrong suspect and an innocent person may be convicted of a crime they did not commit. But new interactive images could help eyewitnesses recall memories more accurately, revolutionize policing and reduce the number of wrongful convictions.
Don’t forget that BBC Science Focus is also available on all major digital platforms. There is a version for android, Kindle Fire and Kindle e-readers, but also, iOS app for iPad and iPhone.
What is the strongest animal in the world? This is an important question, especially if you are moving and can’t afford to hire movers.
But suppose you have an animal that helps you get around. Which one should you choose? What is the strongest animal? Who can lift the most weight?
To answer this most important question, we have compiled a list of the strongest animals on Earth today. Get ready to journey through a world of brute force as you marvel at incredibly strong birds, muscular polar bears, and powerful punching cows.
10. Harpy Eagle – Can lift 18 kg (twice its own body weight)
A female harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) carries prey such as a skinned and half-eaten coati (Nasua nasua) to her nest. Pousada Curpila Dalaras, southwestern Brazil.Photo credit: Alamy
Female harpy eagles are the strongest birds in the world. Females are stronger than males and can lift up to 18 kg, about twice their own body weight. This is useful when choosing prey and means a greater variety of animals are available for dinner.
They are apex predators at the top of the food chain. And when you see strength like this, you can see why.
9. Leopard – Can lift 125 kg (about twice its body weight).
A leopard (Panthera pardus) takes shelter in a tree at Sabi Sands Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Photo credit: David Silverman/Getty Images
The average male leopard weighs between 30 kg and 70 kg, and the largest leopards can lift weights of 125 kg using strong jaw muscles and powerful legs and claws.
Leopards are not as strong as rivals like tigers and lions, so after hunting they need this strength to pull large prey up trees to protect them from rivals. This ability is also useful for storing food out of reach for later consumption.
Work-related stress can sometimes lead to a condition called burnout, resulting in noticeable symptoms and chronic exhaustion.
For help understanding burnout, listening to a podcast episode of instant genius or speaking with Dr. Sarah Boss, a psychotherapist and clinical director at The Balance, can provide valuable insights.
The conversation provided has been edited for length and clarity.
What Causes Burnout?
Burnout typically develops as a result of prolonged stress from work overload or excessive demands, leading to chronic symptoms.
Although often associated with work-related issues such as excessive pressure, no rewards, or monotonous tasks, burnout can also result from family, social, and caregiver stress.
Credit: Kathryn Ziegler
Brain and Body Effects of Burnout
Burnout impacts the body’s nervous system and stress response, hindering the ability to recover and triggering a continuous state of stress. Prolonged periods of stress ultimately lead to burnout.
Differentiating Burnout from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
Burnout is characterized by difficulties in relaxing and unwinding, noticeable changes in behavior, and physical symptoms, distinguishing it from other mental health issues.
Prevalence of Burnout
Personality traits, family environment, and lack of self-awareness can contribute to an increased risk of burnout. Perfectionists and overachievers are particularly susceptible.
Burnout Prevalence Among Young People
Youth experiencing job uncertainty, rapidly changing environments, and social media influences are more prone to burnout. The digital age has also led to increased stress and uncertainty.
Managing Burnout
To address burnout effectively, it is crucial to understand its underlying causes and seek support from therapists, coaches, or medical professionals. Adopting self-care practices, maintaining a balanced lifestyle, and addressing any problematic coping mechanisms are essential steps in overcoming burnout.
About Dr. Sarah Boss
Dr. Sarah Boss, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist with expertise in addiction, currently serves as the clinical director of The Balance, a rehabilitation and mental health center.
In 1957, the first man-made object was successfully launched into space and into orbit around the Earth. This was Sputnik 1, a beautifully simple Soviet spherical satellite with only four antennae.
But this historic event also marked the beginning of another, more disturbing one. It means that humans left the first space debris in orbit around the Earth.
Part of the 267-ton, 30-meter-tall rocket that launched Sputnik also became stuck in orbit. Suddenly, the world was faced with a problem we didn’t know we needed to solve: outer space littering.
Thankfully, Sputnik and the rocket debris it left behind deorbited shortly after launch and burned up in the atmosphere. However, this was not always the case. Just 66 years of space exploration has left vast amounts of detritus in orbit around Earth.
Now, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are considering ideas to help solve this problem. The idea is to build a satellite out of wood, a widely available biodegradable material.
Space junk is currently a problem
The problems that government agencies are trying to address are big and complex, and they need to know how big the first phase of the project was. At least 130 million pieces of man-made debris are known to be orbiting the Earth, most of them flying at speeds of more than 7 kilometers per second. This is eight times faster than a normal bullet. But while this is a staggering number, some scientists believe it is a conservative estimate.
Most objects sent into space remain in space until either they deorbit and burn up on re-entry, or they are pulled away from Earth into graveyard orbits, where they orbit for hundreds of years. The majority of such objects are actually very small, less than 1 cm in diameter, from paint chips to small pieces of electronic equipment to pieces of insulation foam and aluminum.
Such tiny pieces cannot be seen from Earth, even with powerful telescopes. Therefore, we need to look for evidence left behind when it collides with other objects in space. This is no easy task.
Work to assess the scope of the problem began in earnest after five extraordinary objects, the NASA Space Shuttles, repeatedly orbited and returned. Since 1981, NASA has launched a total of 135 shuttle missions.
After each shuttle returned to Earth, it was evaluated using a fine-tooth comb to identify damage caused by orbital debris. This gives NASA a clearer picture of the problem of small pieces of dead satellites flying through space.
read more:
NASA scientists have discovered exactly what they expected: small pieces of debris just a few millimeters in diameter can cause small but powerful impacts. NASA also produced the first estimates of how degraded the debris environment is.
Prior to 1978, NASA scientists Don Kessler and Barton Coolpare had proposed a scenario they named Kessler syndrome. The phenomenon they discussed is a catastrophic event in which when a satellite is shattered by space debris, the resulting debris destroys more satellites, creating even more debris, repeating an endless chain of events. It is a chain of
Obviously, this is a big problem. So how can we slow down the rate of debris formation or eliminate it altogether? Proposed solutions include using radiation hardening to reach space within five years of launch. It involves taking the ship out of orbit.
materials (designed to be less susceptible to damage from exposure to the high levels of radiation and extreme temperatures experienced in space) and launches on reusable rockets.
Incorporate the idea of a wooden satellite. LignoSat, the name of the NASA and JAXA project, is a coffee machine built using traditional Japanese joinery techniques that houses electronics and other materials needed for space missions, much like today's CubeSats. It is a cup-sized (approximately 10x10x10cm) wooden box.
Wood samples were tested for suitability over 290 days in 2022 on the International Space Station's Kibo Japanese Experiment Module.
Magnolia coped well and performed best when exposed to intense cosmic rays and extreme temperature changes in its harsh environment. It does not burn, rot, crack, or deform, and has the important property that upon re-entry into the atmosphere, it burns up to a fine ash, leaving behind small fragments.
Lignosat prototype.Photo provided by: Kyoto University
Another advantage of wooden satellites is their reflectivity, or rather their lack of reflectivity. Currently, reflections from aluminum satellites are so bright that they can be easily spotted from Earth with the naked eye. Importantly, this reflected light can reach sensitive areas and interfere with astronomical observations.
LignoSat test launch is currently scheduled for 2024. Success could pave the way for further missions.
So will all satellites be made of wood in the near future? Unfortunately, that is unlikely. On the plus side, projects like this encourage researchers to think outside the box and can have a greater impact in the future. If LignoSat is successful, more research groups may try to introduce biodegradable materials to reduce further debris generation.
But for now, I strongly support efforts to actively track as many objects in Earth orbit as possible to reduce future collisions with matter in space.
When you open a new website, do you choose to either accept or reject all cookies? New research suggests that choosing to reject cookies may actually reveal more information about yourself than if you simply “accept all cookies.”
In this digital age, cookies, which are pieces of data, are stored on our devices for various purposes such as remembering login information. However, cookies can also be used to track online behavior and tailor ads to individuals. This has led many people to refuse cookies in order to keep their personal information private and to prevent companies from using their data for marketing purposes.
Surprisingly, recent research presented at NeurIPS 2023 has shown that certain demographics are more likely to reject cookies, which could have implications for advertisers. Contrary to popular belief, rejecting cookies does not necessarily mean hiding one’s identity.
Results from the study showed that acceptance of cookies varies depending on the country and age of the individual. For example, individuals in the US over the age of 34 were more likely to refuse cookies, inadvertently sharing more of their data.
Advertisers could access five pieces of information from a person who accepts cookies, but only two pieces from a person who rejects them. In other words, declining cookies may not necessarily protect your identity. This demographic, which includes older adults, has been found to have less trust in tech companies and is more likely to reject cookies as a result.
It is important to note that the privacy laws in the United States are not as stringent as those in the EU, meaning that user data may not be as protected, especially for individuals who reject cookies.
Privacy is important to some people, but not to everyone
Researchers have found that older Americans are less likely to accept cookies, with only 28% of them choosing to do so. This compares to 40% of younger Americans who typically accept cookies. This indicates that the decision to reject cookies has a greater impact for younger Americans in protecting their identity.
The authors of the research are hopeful that their findings will help shape regulations for new technologies such as AI and inform policymakers. They emphasize that the decision to accept or reject cookies is not as simple as it may seem and may not always produce the intended effect.
So… does it make sense to refuse cookies?
Ultimately, the impact of privacy decisions is more complex than users may realize, and there are no definitive answers. Some recommendations include using more privacy-friendly browsers and supporting stronger privacy laws and regulations.
About our experts
Dr. Elizabeth Daly is a computer research scientist leading the Interactive AI Group at IBM Research in Dublin. She has published research in journals such as Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence Research Journal.
Dr. Eric Mealing is a researcher at IBM Research with publications in Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, American Control Conference (ACC), and International Conference on Decision Making and Game Theory for Security.
Pigs are charismatic and intelligent animals, but this piglet prefers ginger biscuits. The red river hog, also known as the “dwarf pig”, is a wild swine native to western and central Africa.
Featuring a striking red coat, they are the most colorful of the pigs. Its bright fur is covered by a thin white mane that runs the length of its back, on stubby black legs and sturdy treadles.
Its face is part ALF (an alien life form from the 80's American sitcom) and part Dobby the house elf (from the movie). Harry potter story).
Whiskers protrude from the base of its long black nose, and its jet-black eyes are framed by bold white markings. Contrasting markings are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration, which breaks up the animal's outline so that it blends into the background.
But those ears are the main event. The tapered triangle gives way to spectacular long tufts of hair that frame the face and add a touch of wizardly chic to this animal's unconventional beauty.
Red River Hog lives small group Approximately 4 to 20 animals called sounders. It is found in rainforests and adjacent savannahs, often near rivers and swamps. Each sounder is led by a boar and oversees a harem of females and their young.
Weighing between 50 and 100 kg (110 and 220 lb), they may be among the smaller pigs, but they are energetic. Males fend off rivals by head-butting, snouting, and whipping each other with their tails, and easily protect their families from leopards, spotted hyenas, and pythons.
Within groups, individuals communicate with an inventive repertoire of moans and shrieks. They take a nap and forage for food at night. Like all pigs, red river hogs are omnivorous and will eat anything they can find. Fruits, seeds, nuts, eggs, snails, carrion, and lizards are all prey, as are livestock and crops such as goats and cassava.
They use their teeth to dig for roots, bulbs, and insects, and swim to forage for aquatic plants. They also have a fondness for Boko tree seeds (Balanite Wilsoana), they find undigested material in elephant feces or by following chimpanzees in the hopes of finding fallen fruit.
Females give birth to up to six piglets between February at the end of the dry season and July in the middle of the rainy season. Mothers build temporary nests out of dead leaves and grass and take care of their children while being protected by wild boars.
Piglets initially develop dark brown fur with yellow stripes and spots, are weaned at four months of age, and grow ginger-like fur after two months. The black spots on the face fully mature after about two years.
Although the species is not currently endangered, there are concerns that local populations could decline as pigs continue to encroach on farmland and the bushmeat trade intensifies. It's time for people to come together and save this piggy bacon before things get worse.
read more:
To submit a question, please email questions@sciencefocus.com (remember to include your name and location)
There is a small chance that Earth could come into contact with a stream of debris from Comet 46P/Wiltanen between December 10th and 12th, coinciding with the beginning of the Geminid meteor shower peak.
This means that we might see a brand new meteor shower in 2023. According to Dr. Darren Baskill, an astrophysicist at the University of Sussex, a new study suggests that Earth could pass through the dust trail left by the comet in 1974 on December 12, 2023.
Mysterious highly active alcohol comet
Comet 46P/Wiltanen is a short-period “Jupiter system” comet that takes only 5.4 years to orbit the Sun. This family of comets is named after Jupiter because its orbit is primarily determined by the gas giant’s gravitational influence. The comet’s small size combined with its activity makes it a “hyperactive” comet, emitting more light than expected. Observations suggest that 40% of the nuclear surface is active, and it has released an unusually large amount of alcohol as well.
The comet was initially the target of the ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft, but the mission was delayed, and a new target was set: 67P/Churimov-Gerasimenko. The next closest approach of Comet Wirtanen is in May 2024.
A new meteor shower from Comet Wirtanen?
In 1974 and 1980, Comet 46P/Wiltanen released a meteor stream that has never before intersected Earth’s orbit. Recent encounters were also observed in 2007 and 2018. Modeling predicts another meteor shower encounter in December when Earth will pass through a denser part of the meteor stream. However, it is important to note that no meteor showers have been confirmed so far.
How to identify simultaneous meteor showers
To distinguish these potential “new” meteor showers from the Geminid meteor shower, the observed meteor radiance and velocity can help. The radiant point of this new shower is near a faint constellation in the southern sky, and the meteors are much slower than the Geminid meteors.
Dr. Baskill shares some tips on how to differentiate the Geminid meteor shower from these potential “new” meteor showers. He explains that the Geminid meteor originates from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon and has larger dust particles.
The reliable Geminid meteor shower can help.
Dr. Baskill believes that the Geminid meteor shower is not likely to be overshadowed by this potential new meteor shower, as the number of meteors it will produce is highly uncertain. However, the Geminids will likely be the most abundant meteor shower this year.
Why now?
Dr. Baskill speculates that it is difficult to predict certain meteor showers due to factors such as the comet’s orbit changing over time and solar winds moving the dust streams.
About our expert Dr. Darren Baskill
Darren Baskill is an outreach officer and lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sussex. He previously lectured at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and was the organizer of the annual Astronomical Photographer of the Year competition.
It’s that time again. The clocks have turned back and many of us are reaching for SAD lamps, vitamin D supplements, and carb-heavy one-pots to get us through the long, dark winter nights. But perhaps there is another way to welcome the change of seasons.
What happens if you embrace the darkness? Darkness at the right time and in the right amount helps our bodies rest and heal, optimizes cognition and mental health, and lowers the risk of various diseases.
That’s because our circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, is triggered not only by light, but also by the lack of light. “To optimize your sleep, you need to make it as dark as possible and have as few distractions as possible,” he says. Professor Victoria RevellHe researches circadian physiology at the Surrey Sleep Research Center.
“We know that constantly disrupted sleep impacts health. It’s associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, increased cancer risk, and more.”
In another study at Harvard University, blood sugar levels rise When exposed to light at night. Artificial sources of blue light, such as smartphones and similar devices, are thought to have the same stimulating effect on our bodies as sunlight.
Research on this is still inconclusive, but in one 2017 study, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder took groups of volunteers away from city lights and camping without smartphones or flashlights. I went. The only additional lighting allowed was a campfire.
As a result of the research, Camping trip 'reset' volunteers' biological clocks, people sleep and wake up according to their circadian rhythms. Like many animals, humans' natural sleep-wake cycle evolved in sync with our day and night patterns.
And just as morning light stimulates alertness and supports immune function and mental health, your body also responds to darkness. (For example, melatonin, also known as the Dracula hormone) is produced by the pineal gland in direct response to darkness.
In a Colorado study, campers started producing melatonin two hours earlier. “Melatonin is involved in opening the 'sleep gate,'” Revell says. “It's the beginning of the process of relaxing and preparing for sleep.” It’s also the subject of research into a variety of health conditions.
Although the picture is incomplete, higher levels of melatonin are associated with a lower risk of heart disease and certain cancers. If you suffer from a lack of darkness, switching to permanent dark mode is also not a solution.
Studies have shown that night shift workers and people confined to darkness are at higher risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. In other words, we need both light and darkness, and we need them at the right time.
Some researchers say the solution is a kind of “paleoillumination” – living like our ancestors by making the most of sunlight during the day and keeping it dark at night. suggests. As night approaches, how about a lightbulb moment?
Unlike last year, when a nearly full moon marred the meteor shower, tonight's Geminid meteor shower in 2023 will be spectacular. The Geminid meteor shower peaks at the new moon, so conditions are favorable, and you may benefit from this crisp, cool night. Sunny sky.
Make the most of it this year. That's because next year's 2024 Geminid meteor shower will peak during a full moon, so things won't be as good. The Geminid meteor shower is a great shower to get young astronomers involved in because the showers start relatively early (around 9 pm to 10 pm). and They are colorful!
So how can you find a Geminid? How can you tell them apart from sporadic or Andromedids? What causes the color difference in meteors? Where in the sky are you looking?
If you want to plan ahead for upcoming meteor showers in the UK, be sure to read more in our comprehensive meteor shower guide. If you're looking for more stargazing tips, check out our beginner's guide to astronomy.
When will the Geminid meteor shower occur in 2023?
The Geminid meteor shower will peak tonight, Wednesday, December 13th. This meteor shower will remain visible until December 20, 2023, when it overlaps with the Uruid meteor shower.
The Geminid meteor shower is of reasonable length and is one of the best and most reliable showers throughout the year. It is also one of the most active climates, with its peak extending over several nights from December 12th to 15th. This is helpful when dealing with ever-changing weather.
When is the best time to see the Geminid meteor shower?
Unlike other meteor showers, the Geminid meteor shower has a broad maximum when there is only a short period of time before there is a reliable “best time” for observing. This means you have a better chance of spotting a shooting star.
“The Geminid meteor shower is probably the best of the year, with a high peak of activity in mid-December and a wide range of duration,” says veteran astronomer Pete Lawrence.
“During 2023, the moon will not interfere at all, as it will be a new moon on December 12th. The night peaks will be on December 12/13, 13/14, and 14/15, if the sky is clear. , there can be up to 12 hours of darkness each night,” Lawrence explains.
Under perfect conditions, Gemind's Zenith Hour Rate (ZHR) would be 150. This means you could see up to 120 to 150 meteors per hour at its peak. However, even if there are favorable conditions like this year, the reality is that there is a high possibility that this will not be the case. Still, you can expect to see about 60 meteors per hour, or about 1 to 2 per minute, from around 10 p.m. until dawn.
“At its peak, the Geminid meteor shower's zenith time rate, or the number of meteors you would expect to see under perfect conditions, will be around 120 meteors per hour. In reality, the actual number is lower than this. is lower, but still enough to be impressive,” says Lawrence.
Compared to other meteor showers, the Geminid meteor shower has a relatively moderate speed of 126,000 km/h (78,000 mph), or 35 km/s (22 miles per second).
(The fastest meteors come from the Leonids in November, which is about twice as fast as the Geminids.)
When the Geminid meteor shower was first observed in the mid-1800s, the showers were not as impressive as they are today. There are only about 10 to 20 meteors per hour.. Since then, the number of meteors has increased to about 120 per hour and is still thought to be intensifying each year.
colorful meteor
The Geminid meteor shower is bright and can appear white, yellow, green, and sometimes red, orange, or blue. This is due to the presence of metals that make up the pieces, similar to how we design fireworks to look colorful when they explode.
The air a meteor travels through also affects the colors we see, but it's generally different chemical elements that produce the different colors of meteors. When a meteor enters Earth's atmosphere, these various chemicals ionize and emit light.
Most Geminid meteors appear yellow or white in color. High iron/magnesium ratioBut you might also be able to find purple meteors from calcium-rich debris, or a beautiful blue-green color from magnesium.
Geminid meteor colors and their meanings
yellow: iron, magnesium
Green/Blue: nickel, magnesium
purple: rich in calcium
Blue: Rich in magnesium including ionized calcium
Red and orange: sodium, potassium, nitrogen, oxygen
Where should you look in the sky to see the Geminid meteor shower?
Meteor showers are usually named after the constellation in which their radiant is located. The radiant of a meteor shower refers to the point in the sky where meteors appear to originate. In the case of the Geminid meteor shower, they appear to originate from the Geminid constellation, but this is not the actual “source,” just how we perceive it from Earth . “Perspective effects cause Geminid meteors to be ejected from a location close to the Gemini star Caster during peak activity,” Lawrence says. To find Gemini, look for Orion the Hunter (if you need a refresher, check out our Beginner's Guide to Astronomy). It is easily distinguished by the three bright stars that make up Orion's belt: Mintaka, Alnylam, and Alnitak. If you look up to your left from the constellation Orion, you'll see two bright stars high in the sky: Castor and Pollux. These two stars each represent the twins in the constellation Gemini. The Gemini radiant lies directly above Castor, which is the slightly fainter of her two stars (Pollocks is brighter and more yellow in color).
Pro tip: incorporate as much sky as possible
But for the best chance of seeing more meteors, try to take in as much of the sky as possible. Although the meteors appear to originate from the constellation Gemini, they appear all over the sky. Meteors farther away from the radiant appear to leave longer trails, while meteors closer to the radiant may appear shorter. This is because at the radiant point, the meteor is tilted toward us. Known as “shortening.” Therefore, for the best chance of seeing long-tailed meteors (the result of them traveling further from their source), it's best to look a little further away from the constellation.
How to increase your chances of spotting a Geminid meteor
To make the most of this amazing shower, find a dark spot away from street lights if possible to minimize light pollution. Look for a spot where you can see as much of the sky as possible. Patience is key, as your eyes may take some time to adjust to the darkness. If you plan to spend a long time in the cold night air, a comfortable reclining position and warm clothing are recommended. And, as Lawrence explains, you don't need any special equipment to observe the Geminid meteor shower. “Activities will take place from December 4th to 17th. All you need is your eyes to observe the shower. Wait 20 minutes in the dark before starting your watch. Dress warmly and sit on a sun lounger or Using the equivalent, you can lie down and look up at an altitude of about 60 degrees (two-thirds of the sky) and see large stars and planets to the south in all directions.” If you have a counting counter handy, it's a handy way to keep track of how many meteors you see, especially when there can be as many meteors as there are in the Geminid meteor shower.
Why is this year's Geminid meteor shower so successful?
The 2023 Geminid meteor shower is expected to be the best meteor shower of the year due to the large number of meteors expected and favorable conditions. Moonless nights coincide with the peak, providing optimal viewing conditions. The only thing we have to deal with is the weather. “Some years are good for meteor showers, and others are not so good. The visibility and potential sight of such events depends on the quality of the sky, the degree of light pollution, the presence of the moon, and the local weather. It’s decided,” Lawrence said. “Light pollution and potential weather can be managed by planning ahead and moving locations if conditions are not favorable. It's not so easy to deal with the moon and the sky When it’s big and bright, everything is drowned out by the brightest meteor trails,” he added. Therefore, it is very convenient that the moon does not disturb us this year.
Where did the Geminid meteor shower come from?
The Geminid meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through a stream of dust and debris left behind by comets and asteroids orbiting the sun. But unlike other meteor showers that favor comet debris, the Geminid meteor shower is a little different. “Geminid meteors have a strange origin and are associated with the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Described as 'rocky comets,' these objects typically have sand grain-sized particles scattered around their orbits, which make up the Earth's surface. When it encounters the atmosphere, it evaporates and creates a meteor trail,” Lawrence said. When the Geminid meteor shower peaks between December 12 and 15, that's when we pass through the densest part of the stream. 3200 Phaethon is unique for more than just the fact that most meteor showers are caused by comet debris rather than asteroids. Its orbit brings it closer to the Sun than any other asteroid.
mystery to be solved
Technically, 3200 Phaethon is a near-Earth asteroidHowever, because it exhibits properties of both an asteroid and a comet, many refer to it as a “rocky comet” or even a “dead comet” in some cases. It takes just 1.4 years to go around the sun. a Recent research published in Planetary Science Journal This suggests that it has a tail made of sodium gas, rather than dust as previously thought. (For comparison, most asteroids are composed primarily of rock, so they don't form tails as they approach the Sun.) So if Phaethon has a sodium tail, how could the Geminid meteor shower form? Could it have released other substances? DESTINY+, Missions currently planned for 2025 The purpose is to know. The spacecraft, currently being developed by Japan's space agency JAXA, will perform a flyby of Phaethon and collect samples of dust streams. The mission will also demonstrate technologies that will enable future low-cost, high-frequency deep space exploration.
About our expert Pete Lawrence
Pete Lawrence is an experienced astronomer, astrophotographer and BBC presenter. night sky. You can watch him on BBC Four or catch up on demand on BBC iPlayer.
Humans in the future may choose to live extraterrestrial lives on the Moon, Mars, or even Venus. However, the question arises of how they will continue to reproduce and survive once they get there. What happens to their reproductive systems? Is it possible for babies to be born in space?
To find answers to these questions, we interviewed space gynecologist Dr. Varsha Jain. She has published a paper from the University of Edinburgh on women and reproductive health in space.
What Does It Mean to Be a Space Gynecologist?
A space gynecologist is someone who is interested in space medicine and is also a gynecologist. Dr. Varsha Jain, the first person to be awarded this title, began this work about 10 years ago. She focuses on women’s health related to the health of astronauts.
We’ve had some huge breakthroughs for women in space, and that history starts with some pretty amazing myths. Can you tell us a few things about them?
Dr. Jain discussed how early myths caused a delay between the first woman to fly in space (Valentina Tereshkova) and the first American woman to fly in space almost 20 years later (Sally Ride). There was concern over issues like “retrograde menstruation” and how many menstrual products astronauts would need.
Have Attitudes Towards Women in Space Changed?
Dr. Jain noted a significant improvement in attitudes and how NASA supports open access and evidence-based information about female astronauts’ health. They even support the idea of female astronauts freezing their eggs before going into space.
What Happens to Our Reproductive System in Space?
Dr. Jain explained that astronauts’ hormonal cycles do not seem to change in space. Menstruation still occurs, and women can ovulate, potentially leading to fertilization and pregnancy. Although these things may be possible, the focus is currently more on keeping astronauts healthy than finding out if babies can be born in space.
What Do We Know About the Risks to Women’s Bodies and Pregnancy in Space?
Dr. Jain pointed out that radiation in space poses a risk to a developing fetus and that the effects of space travel on the body, including weightlessness and changes in blood volume, could impact pregnancy. Many unknowns still exist around this topic.
Given That There Are Still Many Gaps in Our Knowledge, How Realistic Are Plans to Start an Extraterrestrial Human Colony?
Dr. Jain believes that, while there’s much to learn and research, human curiosity will likely lead to humans colonizing other planets and moons in the future. However, she stressed that extensive research is needed to ensure the safety of such endeavors.
What Impact Could Space Travel Have on What We Know and Don’t Know?
Dr. Jain described the potential for space travel to provide answers about reproductive health and fertility. She believes that space agencies may investigate these questions in the future, potentially leading to new discoveries.
Are Citizens, Scientists, and Nations Racing to Have a Baby in Space?
Although the concept of reproductive health in space may seem fascinating, Dr. Jain emphasized the need for more funding and research in this area. She believes that reproductive health is often underfunded on Earth and that more focus and funding are necessary to understand the effects of the space environment on the human body.
About our experts
Dr. Varsha Jain is a space gynecologist at the University of Edinburgh. Her research has been published in the journals npj Microgravity, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Developmental Cells.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
