China has successfully launched three astronauts into space as part of the crew replacement mission for China’s Tiangong space station, marking another milestone in the country’s aspirations for manned missions to the moon and Mars.
The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft lifted off as scheduled at 5:17pm (0917 GMT) atop China’s Long March 2F rocket, set to arrive at Tiangong after approximately 6.5 hours.
The rocket launched from a facility near the Gobi Desert in northwestern China, and the spacecraft will remain in space until it returns the current crew back to Earth.
Tiangong, also known as the “Celestial Palace” space station, is a Chinese-built station that positions China as a significant player in space exploration after being excluded from the International Space Station due to US national security concerns. China’s space program is overseen by the People’s Liberation Army, a military branch of the ruling Communist Party.
There are concerns about China’s potential use of technology onboard the space station to interfere with satellites and other spacecraft in times of crisis.
Astronauts Chen Zonglui, Chen Dong and Wang Jie embarked on the delayed space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Thursday. Andy Wong / AP
Since sending its first astronauts into space in 2003, China has made significant strides in its space program, becoming the third country to do so. It has also landed explorers on Mars and the far side of the moon, with plans to land humans on the moon by 2030.
The Shenzhou 20 mission is led by astronaut Chen Dong, on his third spaceflight, accompanied by fighter pilot Chen Zonglui and engineer Wang Ji. Unlike previous crews, the Shenzhou 20 mission consists entirely of male astronauts.
The incoming crew will replace the current astronauts on board the Chinese space station, staying onboard for approximately six months, like their predecessors.
Scheduled to reach Tianong after 6.5 hours, the spacecraft was launched into space atop the Chinese Long March 2 rocket at 5:17pm on March 2.
The current crew was sent last October and spent 175 days in space. They are set to return on April 29, following a brief overlap with the incoming crew. Tianong, completed in October 2022, has a capacity of up to six people.
During their mission, the astronauts will conduct medical and technological experiments, perform spacewalks for maintenance tasks, and install new equipment, as announced by the Manned Space Agency.
Bone collector caterpillar from the Waianae Mountains of Oahu, Hawaii
Daniel Rubinov et al. 2025
The newly described “Bone Collector” caterpillar species disguises itself as dead insect body parts, allowing them to live in spiders and poach their prey. This is the only caterpillar known to use such a scary camouflage or have a roommate-like spider, a carnivorous animal and a booty cannibalism.
Daniel Rubinoff At the University of Hawaii, Manoa and his colleagues discovered a caterpillar while hiking the Waianae Mountains of Oahu over 20 years ago. They were looking for other species in the same genus, Low mass tumorAlso known as the Hawaiian Fancy Case Caterpillar. “I saw this little, tiny sac covered in a bit of a bug and honestly, I didn’t know what it was,” Rubinov says. “Then we’ll get it back [to the lab]and we realize there is a bit of a caterpillar there.
Newly described species of Low mass tumor – Has not yet received the scientific name – lives in a co-neck inside the trunk of a tree, among rocks and other enclosed spaces. It is the length of its claws and feeds on insects trapped in spider nets. “Only 0.13% of all caterpillars on the planet are carnivorous,” says Rubinoff. “That’s why it’s very difficult for caterpillars to evolve to eat meat.”
Bone collectors avoid becoming the prey itself in creepy ways. Decorate the silk case with fragments of dead insects and molted exoskeletons of spiders. Before disguising it, the creature carefully sizes each body part that may contain the ant’s head, beetle’s abdomen, or fly wings.
Bone Collector Caterpillar (left) uses his horrifying disguise to live safely in a spider (right)
Daniel Rubinov et al. 2025
“It’s probably the only way to survive with the spider, by covering yourself with the skin of the spider’s own shed and small pieces of past meals,” says Rubinov. This will make the caterpillars smell and taste more like garbage bags than juicy snacks for Arknido Housemates. After about 2-3 months it transforms into moth, smaller than the grain of rice.
If bone collectors are not fully accessorized, this caterpillar is also a cannibal. Researchers learned this after placing two larvae in the same cage, leading to one larger bet for smaller, weaker siblings. This is why only one bone collector is displayed per Spider Web, says Rubinoff.
Researchers have discovered only 62 of these creatures over more than 150 field studies conducted over approximately 22 years.
Genetic analysis shows that the lineage is more than 3 million years old than Oahu, meaning it was once again spreading. “Since humans arrived in places like this, we have lost many native species,” says Rubinoff. “Both we were able to find is a miracle [the bone collector]and it’s really sad that they are so restricted to this one place.
woman Bonobos New research is discovering that they team up to find strength in numbers and combine them to dodge wild men.
With ChimpanzeesBonobo is one of the closest relatives of humans. Scientists have been wondering why bonobos live in general Women dominate Men are physically bigger and stronger, so they are social.
30 Years of Observation in the Congo – The only place where endangered bonobos are seen in the wild is to support the idea of sisters who unite to assert their powers.
These groups of girls found women who ousted male bonobos out of the trees, secured food for themselves, and ranked them higher on the community’s social ladders, researchers found.
“It’s very clear not to step on as a male bonobo,” said Martin Sarbeck, Harvard research author.
The findings were published in the Journal Communications Biology on Thursday.
The combined number of female bonobos appears to change the tide to male fitness, Sarbeck said. This type of strategy allows women to get women to top the top in the Animal Kingdom. Find power in the group as well.
Female bonobos linked, even if they had no close relationships, supported each other against men, and solidified their social status. The observations show how female bonobos work together to protect themselves from male violence, bioanthropologist Laura Lewis said at the University of California, Berkeley.
The findings “support the idea that humans and our ancestors use coalitions to maintain and maintain power over millions of years,” Lewis, who was not involved in the study, said in an email.
Feedback is the latest science and technology news of new scientists, the sidelines of the latest science and technology news. You can email Feedback@newscientist.com to send items you believe readers can be fascinated by feedback.
A new kind of microscope?
Science is one of the most fruitful sources of new terms. There are conditions such as “mitochondrial integration” and “quantum fluctuations” and there is no way to make sentences reliable.
Recently, there have been various scientific papers that contain the phrase “.”Nutrition Electron Microscope/Microscope“The term suggests a device for scanning broccoli, but it is completely nonsense. There are scanning electron microscopes and tunneling electron microscopes, but there are no nutritional electron microscopes.
One possible explanation was proposed by Alexander Magazinov, a software engineer who illuminates Moonlight as a watchdog for Science Publishing. He pointed to Article from 1959 in Bacteriological reviewthe text was formatted into two columns. 4 To the bottom of the pagethe words “nutrition” and “electron microscope” appear next to each other in the left and right rows. Older papers are often scanned using optical character recognition, but such software can be a pain to deal with complex formats. “Nutritional electron microscope“According to the magazine, it is “artificial for text processing.”
But the journalist on Retraction Watch I discovered another possibilitythat was it Reddit has been flagged. In Falsi, the phrases “scanning electron microscope” and “nutritional electron microscope” are very similar, and, importantly, they use almost identical letters. The only difference is a single dot, nuqta. This means that small mistakes in translating paper from Persian to English are sufficient to create a “nutritional electron microscope.”
These explanations are not mutually exclusive, and feedback is satisfied that they can explain the appearance of this phrase. The bigger question is why it lasts in published research. Are these papers not strict? Peer reviews and checksto ensure high accuracy and therefore maintain the integrity of the scientific literature? Perhaps such “tortured phrases” should be included in the checklist of warning signs that the paper may be plagiarized or fraudulent.
Readers who encounter similar tortured phrases during their viewing of technical literature are invited to submit them to their regular address.
The nun is too far away
Sometimes feedback can receive stories that feel so good. The setup is so clean and the rewards are amazingly inevitable at the same time, so we doubt ourselves. Is the reality very beautiful? And we remember that the Titanic faction was the largest ship ever on that maiden voyage when it was built and when bad things happened. Sometimes reality is melodramatic. So, I believe this story happened as explained, but it may not be.
Come to us from Charlie Watnaby. The late Father John, Charlie Watnaby, was a curator at the Science Museum in London. It is inevitably related to the issue of Scunthorpe. The difficulty of banning offensive words in online discussions when strings of the same letters can appear in harmless words such as “peacock” or “sussex.”
John’s story is, technically speaking, not an example of Scunthorpe’s problem, but it definitely contiguous to it. As Charlie explains, “On the early days of the Computing Gallery, machines were set up so that the public could enter their own words and see them on the big screen.
This may seem like an invitation to misconduct. Therefore, readers will be pleased to know that staff expect an inevitable attempt to write a torrent of filth on a big screen so that everyone can see. They drew a “long list of blasphems,” all of which were blocked.
“Everything was going well,” says Charlie, until the system was defeated by the most dangerous person possible: the computer expert. While trying to use the machine, he realized that some keystrokes did nothing. “After investigating, he was able to pull up the entire list of offence (or offensive) words on the big screen so that everyone could see.
Feedback is prepared to believe in 90% of this story, but in the absence of independent verification, it draws a line to the nun. But we are willing to do wrong about this too. If the abbey schoolchild was at the science museum on that fateful day, and if you think you remember, contact us.
Yodel-eh-oh
Senior news editor Sophie Bushwick has turned his attention to a press release entitled “.Monkeys are the best in the world Yoderer – New Research.” It describes research examining the “special anatomy” of the throats of apes and monkeys, known as vocal membranes. These membranes allow for “the same rapid transition of frequency heard in alpine yodering” but “a much more praised range”, sometimes “over three musical octaves.”
After such accumulation, there was a breathless feedback accompanied by feedback and feedback was made to find it Audio Recording A tufted cappuchin monkey. We were hoping for the diffusive appeal that sparked. Music sounds Or the focus of the Dutch rock yodeler. What we got was “Skroark Rark Eek.” And now we understand why Sophie said, “I can’t stop laughing.”
However, if you look closely, you will notice the missed opportunities. Do not hesitate to show us the “yodering” of the tufted cappuchin. However, this study also included Howler Monkey.
Have you talked about feedback?
You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.
Tabular icebergs are away from Antarctica ice shelves
James Kirkham
When the ice sheets covering much of Northern Europe were rapidly retreating about 18,000-20,000 years ago, urban-sized icebergs once drifted through the British coast.
James Kirkham During a survey in the Antarctic of England, his colleagues discovered preserved scour marks created by these giants, which were created when they ploughed underwater sediments. The long comb-like features are buried under the mud of the North Sea, but are still visible in seismic survey data collected for searches for oil and gas.
“We know about the degree of scouring and ancient sea level, so we can estimate that these bergs are probably five to tens of kilometers wide, and perhaps hundreds of meters thick.
In Antarctica, table-form or table-top icebergs are a spectacular sight. Some will rival even small states in the US from a regional standpoint, like the recent giants known as the A23A and A68A. They listen from the ice shelf – a wide floating protrusion of a glacier flowing from the glacier.
Therefore, the perception that tabular icebergs once existed in the North Sea clearly shows that they had both the sea edges of the British and Ireland ice sheets and ice shelves. And that means there may be some lessons for the future decline of Antarctica, says Keycam.
In the North Sea, the large iceberg’s straight trams are written by wavy valleys made by narrow keels of much smaller blocks of ice. In other words, there is a “change of administration” in which large icebergs are replaced by countless small icebergs when ice shelves are crushed in response to rising temperatures, says Keekam.
Radiocarbon dating of sediments indicates that this shift occurs between 20,000 and 18,000 years ago.
Observations question the idea that labours of megabergs like the A23A and A68A may signal the widespread collapse of Antarctic ice shelves.
Emma Mackey The University of Florida tracks tabular iceberg sizes with satellite data since the mid-1970s, finding this trend to be inherently flat.
“James’ research highlights the mines, which means that major birth events are not necessarily signs of instability or cause of alarm,” says McKee. “In fact, ice shelves are disintegrated by death by 1,000 cuts. You need to worry when you stop watching large-scale birth events.”
African farmers who produce some of the world’s most respected coffee are scrambling to comply with the new European Union environmental regulations, which require that the origins of any shipping of beans be documented.
The new measures, which will come into effect at the end of this year, are designed to prevent deforestation driven by agriculture expansion. To comply, farmers need to provide geographical data to show that no coffee is being grown on land where forests have recently been cut down.
Producers are unable to lose access to the vast European markets since December 31st.
Europe consumes more coffee than any other country in the world, and experts say the new regulations, officially known as the EU deforestation regulations, are potentially powerful tools to promote sustainable agriculture and prevent deforestation.
But it also represents what we call the “green squeeze,” which places a heavy burden on millions of small farmers in developing countries that are least contributing to climate change, testing the ability of policymakers to balance people’s needs with natural needs.
“Of course, data is very important to us, but what we’re saying is that we need support,” said Degen Daddy, head of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-op. “It’s very challenging and expensive and there’s no help for us.”
Dadi said his group, Ethiopia’s largest cooperative of coffee growers, has more than half a million members based in the central part of the country and could not prepare all the farms by the deadline, possibly without additional support.
Trainers have been crossing the Oromia region for over a year, collecting map coordinates and assisting farmers with new technology. As of March, they were mapping 24,000 farms. European officials validate shipments by cross-checking current geographical allocation data against baseline satellite images and forest cover maps.
Daddy said the cost of mapping one farm is about $4.50. The cost of training is partially covered by grants from the International Trade Centre, a joint organisation of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, established to help poor countries expand their trade.
Ethiopia is the top coffee producer in Africa, with crops accounting for around 35% of the country’s revenue. The Arabica variety is smooth and gentle with fruity, nutty notes, and comes from the country’s southwest highlands. Over a third of Ethiopian coffee is sent to Europe.
Last year’s French government report says EU consumption is liable 44% of coffee-related deforestation all over the world. Another report by the Environmental Group, World Resources Research Institute, found that there was about 2 million hectares of forest cover Replaced with a coffee farm Between 2001 and 2025. Indonesia, Brazil and Peru recorded some of the highest deforestation rates in that period.
The global leader pledged in 2021 at Glasgow Climate Summit to end deforestation by 20303. The agreement highlighted a growing awareness of nature’s role in tackling the climate crisis. The intact forests are natural reservoirs of carbon that warm the planets, keeping them away from the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide, trapping the heat of the sun increases global warming. Once the forest is cleared, these areas will switch to greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, by destroying habitats, it harms the biodiversity of forests and its diversity.
The new EU regulations also cover cattle, cocoa, palm oil, rubber and other crops. Shipment of coffee without proper mapping data can be denied or confiscated and can be fined on the importer.
However, some experts say the measure is being implemented without the necessary support for farmers.
Jodie Keane, an economist at ODI Global, a London-based research organization, said the European Union and major coffee chains should do more to help smallholder farmers.
“We all want to prevent deforestation,” Keene said. “But when applying that standard to rural producers, you need to provide a lot of outreach, sensitization. You need to invest in learning how to do things differently so that they don’t drop them out of the supply chain.”
This was reflected by Etelle Higonet, founder of the watch group Coffee Watch. “These are some of the richest companies in the world,” she said of the European coffee chain. “Of course they could afford to do this.”
In an email, Johannes Dengler, managing partner of Alois Dallmayr, one of Germany’s most well-known coffee brands, confirmed that the new rules are a “big challenge” for Ethiopia. He said Dallmayr is developing a system to ensure compliance and is “working closely with his partners to find viable solutions.”
The Director-General of the European Union’s Trade and Economic Security did not respond to a request for comment. in News Release on April 15th Based on feedback from partner countries, the bloc said it allocated 86 million euros, or about $97 million, to support compliance efforts.
Ethiopian coffee farmers take pride in their high quality beans, as a result of exceptional heirloom varieties, highlands and traditional agricultural practices.
In southwestern Zinma Highlands, farmers like Zinabu Abadura say most growers follow long-standing unwritten rules for cutting trees.
Abadura, who sells directly to informal intermediaries, said his farm has not yet been mapped. Most farmers in his area generate coffee revenue and cannot afford to pay any confusion or additional costs. “Life will be difficult,” he said, as new European rules will be implemented.
However, the new EU standards can sort Ethiopia’s coffee sector, but analysts say they probably won’t stop selling.
Countries like China offer alternative, less isolated markets. And Ethiopia itself is a big coffee drinker. Hospitality is incomplete without a coffee ceremony hosting roasts, grinds and brews in front of guests. About half of the country’s annual coffee production stays at home.
But Tsegaye Anebo, who heads the Sidama Coffee Union, which represents 70,000 farmers, said the pivot to the new market would be disruptive in the short term. He said that the species of ferns in his area are distinctive in its fruity tone and are a favorite in wealthy Europe. And that means premium prices.
Giving up the EU market is not an option, he said.
“We need the EU,” Anebo said. “But they need us too, because they can’t find our coffee anywhere.”
Last year presented significant challenges for Acadia Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading providers of mental health services.
A New York Times investigation in September revealed that multiple federal agencies were looking into accusations of Acadia unlawfully detaining patients in mental health hospitals. This led to a sharp decline in Acadia’s stock value and rattled investors.
Despite these troubles, Acadia’s CEO, Christopher Hunter, benefitted from the situation. As indicated in the recent financial report, he received a $1.8 million bonus from the board to deal with the “unprecedented government inquiries.” This bonus was on top of his regular compensation, exceeding $7 million in 2024.
Other top executives at Acadia, including the CFO and Legal Advisor, also received substantial bonuses, with the COO promised a bonus as well. These bonuses were given to prevent key leaders from leaving before the investigation was concluded, according to Acadia.
The board of directors at Acadia believed that retaining the current leadership team was in the best interest of the company, its patients, and communities. They emphasized the use of peer market data for evaluating performance and benchmarking.
The Times investigation uncovered that Acadia had been holding patients against their will to maximize insurance payments. This practice had started before Hunter took over as CEO in April 2022 but continued under his leadership.
Following the allegations, Acadia stated that they would vehemently deny fraud and cooperate with the investigation. Hunter assured investors that the claims of holding patients longer than necessary were false and contradicted their commitment to patient care.
After the investigation was initiated, Acadia disclosed that various government agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, were investigating the matter. Additionally, shareholders filed a class action lawsuit against the company, accusing them of withholding information from investors.
Issues were also uncovered in other areas of Acadia, such as a methadone clinic overbilling the government for services not rendered. Inadequate staffing levels at one of the company’s women’s facilities led to tragic incidents, as reported by The Times.
Since September, Acadia’s market value has plummeted by approximately $5 billion, now valued at around $2 billion.
Hunter’s compensation is tied to Acadia’s stock performance, but the company’s stock decline in 2024 caused him to miss his targets. Critics, like Sarah Anderson from the Institute of Policy Research, argue that linking compensation to stock prices can incentivize risky behavior and undermine performance.
In Roman arenas, gladiators fought lions and other wildlife. Despite the tales of epic battles found in ancient texts, sculptures, mosaics, and portrayed in modern media, physical evidence of gladiators with animal-inflicted wounds has never been discovered by archaeologists.
Recently, skeletal remains from Roman settlements in the UK provided the first direct evidence of gladiators who were injured by lions.
The discovery was made during excavations in York, where a couple was planning to renovate their garden. The cemetery found at the site halted construction plans and revealed a rich Roman archaeological history in the region.
Tim Thompson, an anthropologist from Maynooth University and author of a paper published in the journal PLOS One, highlighted the significance of this discovery in shedding light on ancient Roman practices.
The site in York contained the remains of over 80 individuals, mostly young men with signs of trauma on their bodies. The demographics, injuries, and burial practices suggest that these individuals were gladiators who fought in the area nearly 1,800 years ago.
One particular skeleton, identified as 6DT19, displayed a unique wound on its hip bone that resembled bite marks from a large animal, possibly a lion.
Further analysis indicated that the injuries on the skeletons could indeed be bite marks from large animals like lions. This finding challenged previous beliefs about the absence of physical evidence of gladiators fighting animals.
Dr. Thompson and his team collaborated with British zoos to study animal bite marks and compare them to the skeletal injuries found on the ancient remains.
Through meticulous analysis and comparison, they concluded that the injuries on the gladiators matched those inflicted by lions. While the bite on 6DT19 likely did not cause death, it provided valuable insights into the practices and culture of the Roman Empire.
This discovery not only sheds light on individual lives from the past but also reveals the extent of Roman influence and entertainment involving gladiator battles with animals.
Dr. Marklein, an anthropologist from the University of Louisville, emphasized the significance of these findings in understanding Roman society and its use of violence as entertainment and political display.
Gladiator games served not only as spectacles of power but also as warnings and demonstrations of Roman citizenship and virtue.
This discovery underscores the complex relationship between humans, animals, and culture in ancient Rome.
A year later, Vermont enacted the Climate Change Superfund Act, holding an oil and gas company financially responsible for the state’s climate damages. A similar law was passed in New York in 2024 and is pending in California, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
Understanding the law involves attribution science, a field that uses global temperature data to model numerous scenarios to determine if extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves are linked to emissions from burning oil, gas, and coal.
A new paper published in Nature Journal on Wednesday magnifies this work to connect emissions from specific entities to the economic impact of extreme events.
“The oil industry is astonished by the state’s climate superfund laws and their increasing popularity, as they are the first policies globally to hold a significant portion of the major losses responsible for the substantial damages incurred by their products.”
The response to the law was swift. In February, West Virginia and other Republican-led states sought to challenge New York’s laws, arguing that only the federal government has the authority to regulate emissions. President Trump signed an executive order this month criticizing the state law as a burden and ideological motivation, calling on Attorney General Pam Bondy to block enforcement.
Environmental attorneys have been exploring how harm can be attributed to greenhouse gas emissions for years, according to Martin Rockman, a climate law fellow at Columbia University’s Sabine Center.
“Attribution science is crucial because it establishes links between particular activities of businesses that profit from fossil fuels and specific harms to states and communities,” Rockman stated. “If you’re causing harm, you should be accountable for mitigating it, it’s that simple.”
The new study will enhance an approach known as “end-to-end” attribution, linking a specific emitter (e.g., a company) to a particular climate-related impact (e.g., extreme heat) and subsequent damage (impact on the global economy).
The study revealed that Chevron’s emissions caused heat-related losses totaling up to $3.6 trillion in the global economy. Christopher Callahan, a postdoctoral geoscientist at Stanford University and the study’s author, noted that such high costs still underestimate the global repercussions of fossil fuel combustion in less affluent tropical regions with minimal emissions responsibility.
“That astounding figure represents the detriment from just one of the climate impacts,” stated Delta Melner, associate director of the Science Hub for Climate Litigation at the Coalition of Concerned Scientists. “The overall harm caused by major emitters is undoubtedly much greater when considering the full range of climate risks.”
Theodore J. Bootras Jr., a Chevron Corporation lawyer, argued that the study “disregards the scientific impossibility of attributing a specific climate or weather phenomenon to a particular country, company, or energy consumer.” He labeled it as futile state litigation and a misleading advocacy campaign for energy penalties and regulations.
Overall, the paper estimated that the global economy would suffer $28 trillion in damages due to extreme heat caused by emissions from 111 major carbon producers between 1991 and 2020.
More than 100 climate-related lawsuits have been filed annually since 2017, as per a recent study. However, these cases scrutinize attribution studies that struggle to connect emissions to estimated economic losses.
This innovative framework can offer similar capabilities in other major damage and liability cases, analogous to those handled in tobacco-related lung cancer lawsuits and pharmaceutical claims for addiction.
Justin Mankin, a geography professor specializing in climate science at Dartmouth University and co-author of the Nature paper, remarked:
World Weather Attribution, a group based at Imperial College London, has regularly published attribution reports over the past decade.
“Unfortunately, we are still one of the few entities engaged in this work, and we are not an official institution. It’s essentially a project I undertake as a university professor in collaboration with a team of colleagues,” stated Friedrike Otto, a physicist aiding in attributing global weather.
Dr. Callahan and Dr. Mankin utilized open-source tools in their models, developing code and data resources they deployed to publish the global costs of climate change on their website.
“We advocate for transparent and open science, particularly since the research was funded by U.S. taxpayers,” Dr. Mankin emphasized, highlighting a significant portion of the research support originating from NOAA, the nation’s leading climate science agency facing funding cuts during the Trump administration.
Extreme weather events have disrupted communities and continue to exacerbate tensions. According to Vermont Senator Anne Watson, the 2023 flood cost Vermont hundreds of millions of dollars, prompting her to sponsor a bill quantifying state damages between 1995 and 2024.
Julie Moore, the secretary at the Vermont Natural Resources Agency, assisted states in organizing their inquiries for more information to better grasp the various approaches in attribution science and comprehend how to assign damages caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
“The charge against us is to establish guidelines on applying attribution science and ultimately send out a cost recovery notice,” Moore explained. According to state laws, oil and gas companies will receive this notice in early 2027.
“The expectation is that it will aid Vermont in securing a substantial amount to cover damages and adapt to a hotter, more humid climate resulting from carbon in the atmosphere,” Watson expressed. “We need a source to determine accountability for this.”
Amidst the Trump administration’s focus on declining US fertility rates, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that births remained relatively stable in 2024, increasing by 1% compared to the previous year.
In the United States last year, there were 3,622,673 births, according to a CDC report published on Wednesday. From 2015 to 2020, births experienced an average annual decline of 2%, with fluctuations in subsequent years.
The report also outlines the birth rates for women aged 15 to 44, known specifically as the birth rate. This rate declined between 2014 and 2020, fluctuating until 2024, where it reached 54.6 births per 1,000 individuals—an increase of 0.2% from 2023.
Brady Hamilton, the primary author of the report and a CDC statistician, noted that the data continues the ongoing downward trend in teenage births and the upward trend in births among older women observed in the past three decades. However, the CDC refrained from offering specific explanations for this trend.
An analysis of CDC data by a sociologist suggests that this trend largely reflects women delaying childbearing in their 20s and opting to do so in their 30s and 40s. Birth rates increased last year among women aged 25 to 44, while declining in teenagers and individuals under 25.
“There are various factors at play,” explained Karen Benjamin Guzzo, director of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. These factors include considerations about partners, financial stability, job security, and overall expenses.
According to a CDC report, the average woman in 2024 had one or two biological children compared to three or more in 1960. Since 2007, overall birth rates in the US have been decreasing, with sociologists anticipating this trend to persist despite a slight increase last year.
Sarah Hayford, director of Ohio State’s Institute of Population, highlighted that economic improvements post-Great Recession have not necessarily translated into enhanced financial conditions for many individuals, impacting decisions around childbearing.
Guzzo noted that the Trump administration’s policies, including tariffs and federal programs supporting women and children, could impact the environment for childbearing decisions. The administration has expressed concerns over declining fertility rates, with Vice President JD Vance advocating for increased births in the US.
President Donald Trump himself has championed family formation, signing an executive order to expand access to in vitro fertilization. The administration is reportedly considering incentives, such as a $5,000 cash bonus after birth, to encourage more births, although experts suggest these efforts may not reverse declining fertility rates.
Sociologists opine that low fertility rates are not inherently problematic, and the decline in teenage birth rates is viewed as a positive trend. Guzzo expressed optimism that individuals today have more autonomy in deciding the right time for childbearing.
Antibiotics commonly used to absorb pneumonia remove Lyme disease mice at doses 100 times lower than standard antibiotic therapy. This small dose was combined with the targeted effect of the drug on infection, meaning that the animal’s gut microbiota was largely unaffected.
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria in the genus Borelia It spreads mostly among birds and small rodents, but people can get infected via the bites of mites that have given the blood of such animals. Infections generally lead to flu-like symptoms and a “bull” rash. Without treatment, it can cause serious long-term complications such as fatigue and pain.
Standard treatment involves taking the antibiotic doxycycline twice daily at high doses for up to three weeks. This will stop the production of the proteins needed for bacteria to survive, but will not selectively target them Borelia seed. “It will cause chaos normally [gut] It says microbiome. Brandon Footlas At Northwestern University, Illinois.
Looking for a more selective alternative, Jutras and his colleagues first tested how effective it is to have more than 450 antibiotics all approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Borrelia burgdorferi – The most common type of lab dishes that causes Lyme disease.
They then evaluated how best-performing drugs affected the growth of harmless or beneficial bacteria commonly found in people and mouse visceral organs, such as certain strains. E. coli. This revealed that piperacillin is associated with penicillin, commonly used in the treatment of pneumonia and is the most selective target. B. burgdorferi.
Next, the researchers injected 46 mice. B. burgdorferi. Three weeks later, they treated the animals with various doses of either doxycycline or piperacillin for a week. The researchers found that mice received either high doses of doxycycline or 100 times lower doses of piperacillin, with no signs of infection.
They also analyzed stools from mice before and after antibiotic treatment and found that low doses of piperacillin had little effect on bacterial levels. B. burgdorferi In the gut, high doses of doxycycline significantly altered the gut microbiota.
This is probably due to the low amount of antibiotics, which has less impact on intestinal microbial diversity and is the target action of piperacillin. “We found that using piperacillin is targeting certain proteins. B. burgdorferiit is very efficient to kill this Lyme disease agent at low concentrations, not other bacteria, to survive,” says Jutras.
But mice can respond differently to antibiotics than people, John Ocotte at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. For example, they often break down the drug faster, which can change its effectiveness. The Jutras team hopes to test piperacillin in human Lyme disease tests in the coming years.
Peanuts are one of the most common foods that people have allergies
naafterphoto/shutterstock
Adults with peanut allergies reduced the risk of a reaction by eating small peanut proteins every day as part of their trials. This approach has already been approved in the US for children with this condition.
Peanut allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly identifies legume proteins as threats. It reacts by producing more IgE antibodies. This is an important part of the immune response, but an allergic reaction causes overdrive. As a result, inflammation increases, causing symptoms such as swelling, itching, and vomiting. In extreme cases, it can lead to anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening response that can affect someone’s breathing or heart rate.
Until recently, the only solution was to avoid peanuts, but an intervention called oral immunotherapy was approved in 2020 for children with allergies in the US. This involves exposing the immune system to peanut protein, which gradually increases allergens.
However, it was unclear whether this approach worked in adults as well. “Although most of the life of an individual with a peanut allergy is spent as an adult, there was no treatment that reduced the fundamental reactivity to peanuts,” he says. Stephen Till King’s College London. “There are some grounds for suspecting that adults are more difficult to fall out than children, as your immune system is easy to fix when you’re young.”
To fill this knowledge gap, Till and his colleagues recruited 21 adults with peanut allergies. At the start of the study, participants on average only 1/8 of the peanuts were eaten before they developed an allergic reaction.
The team fed each participant a protein equivalent to one-fourth of peanuts each day for two weeks. This dose increased slightly every two weeks for several months, but was able to safely and consistently eat the equivalent of four large peanuts of protein every day.
Three participants dropped out of the study due to an allergic reaction, while three other participants left for reasons not related to treatment. “This dropout number is acceptable for this type of treatment.” Cezmi Akdis At the Swiss Allergy and Asthma Institute.
The remaining 15 participants participated in an allergy test for eating an increase in peanut protein under the supervision of the researchers. All but one of them were able to eat five peanut equivalents without an allergic reaction.
In another part of the experiment, the team analyzed blood samples collected from participants before and after receiving oral immunotherapy. This revealed that the intervention had high levels of IgG antibodies that counteract the effects of IgE antibodies.
“It’s very promising,” Akudith says. “This approach means that adults with peanut allergies may be relieved of the anxiety of eating peanut-contaminated foods.”
However, this is a relatively early stage test, and a larger test is needed to verify the results and establish how long the protection will last, he says. “I think you need to take peanuts daily or regular over the long term to maintain resistance to allergens,” Aqudith says. “People take pills every day, so I think people affected by peanut allergies are following this type of method.”
Do not try to treat allergies without medical supervision.
There could be a secure quantum internet in the middle
vs148/shutterstock
Another step to the quantum internet has been completed and no special communication equipment is required. Two German data centers have already used existing communication fibers to exchange quantum safe information at room temperature. This is in contrast to most quantum communications, and in many cases it requires cooling to very low temperatures to protect quantum particles from environmental disturbances.
Thanks to being encoded into quantum particles of light, known as photons, the quantum internet, which allows for extremely secure exchange of information, is rapidly expanding into the world outside of labs. In March, microsatellites enabled quantum links between China’s ground stations and South Africa. A few weeks ago, the first operating system for quantum communications networks was announced.
now, Mirko Pittaluga Toshiba Europe Limited and his colleagues are sending quantum information through optical fibers between two facilities, approximately 250 km apart, in Kehl and Frankfurt, Germany. This information passed through the third station between them, just over 150km from Frankfurt.
Photons can be lost or damaged when crossing long distances through fiber optic cables, so large quantum internet iterations require “quantum repeaters” and reduce these losses. In this setup, the midway station played a similar role, allowing the network to outweigh the simpler connections between the two previously tested endpoints.
In a notable improvement on previous quantum networks, the team used existing fibers and devices that could be easily slotted into racks that already house traditional communication equipment. This enhances the case where Quantum Internet will ultimately become plug-and-play operations.
The researchers also used photon detectors that cost much less than those used in previous experiments. Although some of these previous experiments spanned hundreds of kilometers, they say that using these detectors reduces both the cost and energy requirements of the new network. Raja Yehea At the Institute of Photonic Science in Spain.
Premkumar Northwestern University in Illinois says that using the types of quantum communications protocols here on commercial equipment highlights how quantum networks are approaching practicality. “Systems engineers can see this and see that it works,” Kumar says. However, he says that in order to be completely practical, networks need to exchange information faster.
Medi Namaji Quantum Communication Start-Up Qunnect in New York says that this approach could be beneficial for future networks of quantum computers or quantum sensors, but it is not as efficient as involving true quantum repeaters.
The Arctic is a rich land. Not only is its beauty, wildlife, cultural heritage, but also among the kinds of products we cherish most: oil, gas, lithium, cobalt, gold.
But those treasures aren’t good for us. As our special report on polar science reveals (see Why the Pole-Disappearing Sea Ice is a Planet-wide Crisis), it is difficult to extract the rich resources of the Arctic for commercial benefits.
Carrying oil and gas from this area is an expensive business, even the suspicious tailwinds of sea ice, which help clean new patches of the ocean for drilling. As industry and transportation gradually move towards power and hydrogen output, demand for oil decreases, making it difficult to justify costs.
The same is true for minerals. Greenland is a hotspot for demand material and perhaps one of the reasons why US President Donald Trump is actively pursuing its acquisition. But even leaving Greenland’s lack of infrastructure is difficult for roads to come to this icy island. This is a dangerous place to invest. The landscape changes rapidly as the glacier melts, revealing new, unstable coastlines that threaten landslides and tsunamis.
For hardness business executives, there are places that are easy and less dangerous to mine.
Crossing the Arctic, melted permafrost is destabilizing existing roads, buildings and industrial sites. For business executives at Hardnose, mine is easier and more dangerous.
To see the Arctic as a ticket to prosperous economic growth is a fool’s errand. Instead of viewing it as a ripe area of exploitation, we should treat it as a scientific wonder while respecting the people who live there. After all, as the fastest changing region on the planet, it is a pioneer of our climate future. And there’s still a lot to learn: how quickly does the ice disappear? How fast does the sea level rise? And what happens when the ice runs out?
In a more positive note, researchers are pioneering more inventive ways to unlock these mysteries, from new “drift” labs to ultra-deep ice training and cutting-edge submarines. The Arctic is filled with opportunities for exploration and discovery. We need to let go of the idea of monetizing them.
The harmful bleaching of corals around the world has increased to affect 84% of the ocean coral reefs, marking the most intense event in recorded history, as announced by the International Coral Reef Initiative on Wednesday.
This is the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, surpassing the 2014-17 bleaching that impacted two-thirds of the reefs during that time. The current crisis began in 2023, and it remains unclear when it will end, with ocean warming being criticized for the phenomenon.
Mark Eakin, the executive director of the International Coral Reef Association and former coral monitoring officer for the US National Marine and Atmospheric Administration, stated, “We’re witnessing a complete transformation of the planet and its impact on our oceans’ ability to sustain life and livelihoods.”
Last year was reported as the hottest year on record globally, with average sea surface temperatures for oceans away from the poles reaching 20.87 degrees Celsius (69.57 degrees Fahrenheit), which is detrimental to corals. These structures are vital for seafood production, tourism, and protecting coastlines from erosion and storms. Coral reefs are often referred to as “rainforests of the sea” because they host a significant amount of marine biodiversity, with approximately twenty five% of all marine species living in and around them.
Corals house colorful algae, which give them their vibrant hues and serve as a food source. However, prolonged warming causes the algae to release toxins, leading to coral bleaching where they expel the algae and turn white. Weakened corals are at an increased risk of death due to these events, prompting NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program to introduce additional levels to the bleaching alert scale to convey the heightened risk of coral mortality.
Efforts to conserve coral reefs are underway, such as initiatives to restore coral populations. Dutch labs are working with coral fragments, including those sourced from the Seychelles, with the intention to propagate them in zoos for potential reintroduction to natural reef habitats. Similar projects, including those in Florida, aim to rescue at-risk corals from high temperatures and rehabilitate them before returning them to the sea.
Nevertheless, scientists stress the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide and methane to combat planet-warming effects and protect coral reefs.
Melanie Mcfield, co-chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for the Global Coral Reef Surveillance Network, emphasized, “The most effective way to safeguard coral reefs is to address the root causes of climate change by reducing human emissions, primarily from fossil fuel combustion. Inaction poses a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems.”
This update coincides with President Donald Trump’s efforts to bolster fossil fuels and scale back clean energy initiatives as he enters a second term, prompting concerns about the future of coral reefs. Eakin remarked, “The current government is actively dismantling these ecosystems, and eliminating their protections would have catastrophic consequences.”
Orienting yourself in the darkness of a cave seems like a difficult task. However, some bats may have an ingenious solution: use tails.
Larger mouse tail bat (Rhinopoma Microphyllum) Live in groups within small caves that are difficult to fly, so they move deeper by hanging from the cave walls and raw to the rear. They manipulate this way in many situations, depending on the appearance of the predator, or when they want to find a better location in the cave.
Biologists have wondered whether these bats might use their unusually long tails as “sensors” to navigate through the cave. Yossi Yovel Tel Aviv University in Israel and his colleagues designed two experiments to test bat tails.
In the first experiment, researchers recreated a setup that mimics the interior of a cave, creating a maze with obstacles that resemble the uneven, rocky terrain where bats encounter nature. The team measured how long it took the bat to climb the wall, then raw backwards, first naturally and then anaesthetized the tail to measure how smooth it was.
The bat moved its tail back and forth, feeling the obstacles and went through the maze. However, when researchers anesthetized the bat’s tail, the flying mammals navigated the maze without making it smoother and sailed about 10% slower. But they still do that and suggest that they use other body parts to feel the disorder. “When you walk back you can still feel it in your body and feet,” Jubel says. “It’s clear they can do that, but they’ve reduced performance significantly.”
In the second experiment, the researchers designed a Y-shaped maze that presents two corridors with different raised textures that bats can feel. They used the difference in textures of the two corridors to teach bats that one corridor brought rewards, while the other was not. The texture difference was subtle, but one corridor had lattices every 1.5 centimeters and every 1 cm, but the animals were able to distinguish them.
Other bat species have long tails, but researchers say this is the only known thing to use this unique strategy to find its way in the dark. “I don’t think this is common for long-tailed bats,” Jubel says. But “we really don’t know until we test other bats.”
The formation of a large overpass 20 million years ago connected continents, influenced climate, separated oceans, and changed the course of evolution. According to recent papers published in Nature reviews the Earth and the environment, researchers from various disciplines such as plate tectonics, evolutionary anthropology, and climate research provide a comprehensive summary of the closure of the Tethys Seaway.
About 30 million years ago, the Earth looked drastically different. Africa was isolated from other continents, and the vast Thetis Ocean extended from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific oceans through the present-day Mediterranean.
However, approximately 20 million years ago, the first land bridge formed between Africa and Asia, dividing the Tethys Sea into the Mediterranean and Arabian Seas.
This land bridge allowed mammals like ancestors, giraffes, and elephants to migrate from Africa to Asia and Europe, influencing the evolution of both land and sea creatures and plants.
Scientists explain how they believe this land bridge was created. Around 50-60 million years ago, rock slabs descended into the Earth’s mantle, forming “conveyor belts” for hot rocks to rise in underground plumes.
About 30 million years later, these hot rocks reached the surface when tectonic plates collided, leading to the uplift of land that connected Africa for the first time in 75 million years.
According to Eivind Straume, a leading author of the study, the formation of this land bridge had a significant impact on continental configurations and evolutionary paths of animals migrating between Africa and Asia.
Researchers suggest that the closure of the Tethys Seaway has affected global climate, causing desertification in the Sahara, intensifying monsoon seasons in Southeast Asia, and enhancing marine biodiversity.
Research has revealed a significant decline in the use of evidence-based language in American political speeches since the 1970s.
Findings published in the journal Natural human behavior stemmed from an analysis of over 8 million speeches delivered in the US Congress over the last 140 years.
“We wanted to understand why some politicians who frequently lie are perceived as honest,” stated Dr. Segun Aroyehun, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Constance in Germany, as quoted in BBC Science Focus. “Often, it is because they speak about their beliefs and come across as genuine.”
Earlier research by Aroyehun and colleagues highlighted a shift in language usage among US Congress members towards belief-driven and intuitive language, departing from evidence-based language.
“There is a clear distinction between evidence-based truth and intuitive truth, where emotions play a crucial role,” Aroyehun explained.
To delve deeper, the team probed historical records to ascertain if this shift was a recent occurrence.
Utilizing machine learning models, the researchers combed through almost 150 years of Congress speeches, establishing a scoring system based on keywords signifying evidence-based or intuition-based language.
While evidence-based keywords comprised terms like “analysis”, “data”, “study results”, and “study”, intuition-based language included phrases such as “perspective”, “common sense”, “prediction”, and “believe”.
Both Republicans and Democrats have exhibited similar language changes in their political speeches over the past 140 years. – Getty
Each speech was assessed based on the evidence-intuition language ratio.
The results were striking. While the ratio fluctuated over the 140-year period, evidence-based language predominated until the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s before a shift took place. Since the 1970s, intuition-based language has gradually gained prominence.
Aroyehun noted that this trend applied to both Democratic and Republican politicians, with a recent uptick observed in evidence-based language among Democrats.
He underscored that the ratio does not determine the veracity of the speech content.
Nonetheless, these linguistic shifts have had repercussions. The team juxtaposed these changes with measures of legislative polarization and income inequality, observing a simultaneous decline in parliamentary productivity—measured by statute quantity and quality—over this period.
“The core message here is the significance of rhetoric,” Aroyehun emphasized. “The nature of truth pursuit reflected in US Congress language is integral to gauging social and political well-being.”
The team aims to employ similar methodologies to analyze speeches in Germany and Italy, tracking trends across diverse democracies.
About our experts
Segun Aroyehun is a postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the Social Data Science Group at the University of Constance. He holds a PhD from Centro derestigación Computación, IPN, focusing on devising robust strategies to combat offensive content on social media. His research has been featured in publications like Natural human behavior and Natural Communication.
The asteroid called Donald Johansson was captured by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft during a flyby on April 20, 2025. On the closest approach, the spacecraft was at a distance of 960 km (600 miles).
Donald Johansson is a carbonaceous asteroid located in the inner region of the main asteroid belt.
It was discovered by American astronomer Shertebas at the Siding Spring Observatory on March 2, 1981.
Donald Johansson had previously observed a large brightness variation over a 10-day period, so some of the expectations of members of the Lucy team were confirmed when the first image showed what appeared to be an elongated contact binary.
However, researchers were surprised by the strange shape of the narrow neck that connects the two leaves.
“The asteroid Donald Johansson has an incredibly complex geology,” says Dr. Hallevison, principal investigator at Lucy, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute.
“A detailed study of complex structures reveals important information about the building blocks and collision processes that formed planets in the solar system.”
This image of the asteroid Donald Johansson was taken by Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (l’lorri) by the closest approach from a 1,100 km (660 miles) range. Image credits: NASA/GODDARD/SWRI/JOHNS HOPKINS APL/NOIRLAB.
From a preliminary analysis of the first available images collected by the spacecraft L’Lorri Imager, Donaldjohanson appears to be larger than originally estimated.
“In this first set of high-resolution images returned from the spacecraft, we cannot see a perfect asteroid because the asteroid is larger than the imager’s field of view,” the scientists explained.
“It takes up to a week for the team to downlink the rest of the encounter data from the spacecraft. This dataset provides a more complete image of the overall shape of the asteroid.”
“The NASA Headquarters researcher, Dr. Tom Staller, a scientist with the Lucy Program,” said:
“When Lucy reaches the Trojan asteroid, the chances that she may truly open a new window into the history of our solar system are immeasurable.”
Lucy’s first asteroid flyby target, Dinkinesch and Donald Johansson, are not the main science targets of the mission.
As planned, Dinkinesh Flyby was testing the mission’s system, but the encounter was a full dress rehearsal, with the team conducting a series of close observations to maximize data collection.
Data collected by Lucy’s other scientific instruments, the L’Ralph Color Imager and infrared spectrometers and L’TES thermal infrared spectrometers, will be acquired and analyzed over the next few weeks.
Lucy spacecraft will spend most of the rest of 2025 traveling through the main asteroid belt.
Lucy will encounter the mission’s first major target, the Jupiter Trojan Novel, in August 2027.
A total of 156 million residents in the US, approximately 46% of the population, resided in areas with poor air quality that received an “F” grade from the American Lung Association due to ozone or particle pollution. This indicates a decline in the country’s air quality standards, as per the Association’s 26th Annual Air Quality Data Analysis.
An examination of data from 2021 to 2023 revealed a rise of about 25 million individuals living in unhealthy environments compared to the previous year’s survey results.
The report highlights the impact of climate change, such as increased heat, drought, and wildfire smoke, contributing to changes in air quality nationwide.
Katherine Pruitt, senior director of Clean Air Policy, expressed surprise at the significant increase in the number of people residing in areas with poor air quality, especially due to ozone degradation. She emphasized the influence of hot and sunny weather conditions on this deterioration.
In 2023, the final year of the Lung Association’s analysis, global temperatures recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were among the highest on record. The US experienced the fifth-highest temperatures in its history.
The spike in ozone levels, particularly in states like Texas facing intense heatwaves in 2023, was evident. Pruitt pointed out how towns like Del Rio endured temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for extended periods.
Additionally, heavy wildfire smoke significantly impacted air quality, with regions like the northeast being exposed to the most smoke in modern American history due to wildfires in Canada.
The growing threat of wildfire smoke has hindered progress made under the Clean Air Act, releasing particles that pose health risks. Recent studies indicate that around 25% of Clean Air Act progress has been reversed due to increased wildfire smoke.
Pruitt warned of ongoing environmental degradation and its consequences, emphasizing the need to address emission sources to combat these challenges.
The EPA’s plans to roll back environmental regulations, including revisiting programs under the Clean Air Act, have raised concerns about future air quality standards.
Bakersfield, California, was identified as having the most polluted air in the country from 2021 to 2023, ranking high for both short-term particle pollution and ozone pollution.
Using data from NASA’s transit exoplanetary survey satellite (TESS), MIT astronomers discovered a rocky exoplanet orbiting the bright K-Dwarf Star BD+05 4868A and observed variable transport depths, a feature of comet-like tails formed by the dusty effects expressing the distemination planet. This exoplanet-specific is the presence of a dust tail that is prominent in both subsequent and major directions, contributing to the extinction of starlight from the host star.
Impressions of the collapsed exoplanet artists around a giant star. Image credits: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT.
BD+05 4868A also known as TIC 466376085 or hip 107587, is about 140 light years away from the Pegasus constellation.
A new descattering named BD+05 4868AB approaches the star towards the sun at about 20 times the mercury, completing its orbit every 30.5 hours, but about the mass of mercury.
In close proximity to BD+05 4868A, the planet is roasted at about 1,600 degrees Celsius (3,000 degrees Fahrenheit) and may be covered in boiling magma in space.
Just as planets bubble around the stars, it strips off a huge amount of surface minerals and effectively evaporates.
MIT astronomer Marc Hon and colleagues discovered BD+05 4868AB using NASA’s Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
The signal that turned the astronomer over was a unique transport with a dip that all orbits were deeply fluctuating.
They confirmed that the signal is a tough orbital planet that has long been chasing comet-like fragments.
“The tail range is huge, extending up to 9 million km long, or about half the entire planet’s orbit,” Dr. Hong said.
“The planets collapse at a dramatic rate, and each time a star orbits the star, it appears to be throwing away the amount of material equivalent to Mount Everest.”
Researchers predict that the planet could completely collapse within about 1 to 2 million years.
Dr. Avi Shporer, an astronomer at MIT, said:
Of the almost 6,000 planets astronomers have discovered so far, scientists know only three other collapsed planets beyond our solar system.
Each of these crumbling worlds was discovered over a decade ago using data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. All three planets were found with similar comet-like tails.
The BD+05 4868AB has the longest tail to date and has the deepest transits from four known collapsed planets.
“That means that its evaporation is the most devastating and disappears much faster than other planets,” Dr. Hong said.
Archaeologists discovered and analyzed three hearths at the Upper Paleolithic site of Korman ‘9 (45,000-10,000 years ago) on the right bank of the Dniester River in Ukraine. Their findings show that ice age humans built different types of hearths, using mostly wood, but perhaps using bones and fat to burn fire.
Murphy et al. Provides a high-resolution Earth Character Study on three combustion features related to the profession of Epigravet on the Kolman 9 site in Ukraine, with age dropping to the last glacial maximum.
It is widely assumed that an important tool for human survival, especially in cold weather, is the ability to create, maintain and use fires.
Many literature provides data on the benefits of fire use regarding human evolution and its fundamental function in everyday life.
More recent research also shows the labor-intensive nature of using fireworks. The implication of fire use was not only an essential survival tool, but also played an important role in the way hunter-gatherer groups organize themselves.
This includes how hunter-gatherers acquire resources such as wooden fuel, how to initiate and maintain a fire if they store or cache fuel materials for future use, or how sites and activities are organized around the combustion function.
“The fire didn’t just keep it warm. It was also essential for cooking, making tools and social gatherings,” said Dr. Philip R. Nigust, an archaeologist at the University of Vienna.
“We know that fires have spread around this period, but there is little evidence from the height of the ice age,” added Dr. William Murfrey, an archaeologist at the University of Algarve.
In the current study, the researchers focused on the archaeological site of Komann 9 in Ukraine.
“Korman ‘9 is an Upper Paleolithic site on a north facing terrace on the right bank of the Dniester River in Ukraine,” they said.
“This site was discovered in 2012 while researching a site along the Dniester River.”
Through microstratigraphic analysis, microtransfer and colorimetric analysis, scientists have identified three flat wood furnaces.
One interesting discovery to come is that these fires have reached temperatures above 600 degrees Celsius, demonstrating a sophisticated mastery of fireworks even in the face of extreme environmental stresses.
The analysis also shows that humans use wood as the main fuel during peak ice ages, and charcoal analysis indicates spruce wood. However, other fuels such as bones and fat may be used.
“Some of the animal bones found on the site were burned in the fire at temperatures above 650 degrees Celsius,” said Dr. Majolaine D. Bosch, a museum of the University of Vienna zoo physician, Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Natural History.
“We are currently investigating whether they are being used as fuel or if they were accidentally burned.”
All three fireplaces are open and flat. However, the new results suggest that fire use was refined as it is likely that fireplaces were constructed and used in different ways each season.
One of the three fireplaces is large and thick, suggesting that a higher temperature was achieved here.
“People had full control over the fire and knew how to use it in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of the fire,” Dr. Nigust said.
“However, our results also show that these hunter-gatherers used the same location at different times of the year during their annual migration.”
William Chase Murfrey et al. 2025. The use of fires during the last Glacier largest era: evidence from the epigravet of Kolmann 9 in the Middle Donierster Valley in Ukraine. Geography 40(2): E70006; doi: 10.1002/gea.70006
New research led by astronomers at the University of Hawaii suggests that our universe could spin.
In the formation of the universe, gravity links galaxies with clusters of galaxies to construct vast co-nes-like structures that link hundreds of millions of light years along an invisible bridge. This is known as Cosmic Web. Image credit: Springel et al. / Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics.
“To paraphrase the Greek philosopher Heracritus of Ephesus, he famously said Pantarei – he thought everything would change, perhaps Panta Kaicurtai – he thought everything would change.”
According to current models, the universe expands evenly in all directions with no signs of rotation. This idea fits most of what astronomers observe.
But that doesn’t explain the so-called Hubble tension. It is a long-standing discrepancy between two ways of measuring how quickly the universe is expanding.
One method examines distant exploding stars or supernovas to measure distances to galaxies, providing the magnification of the universe over the past billions of years.
Another method uses artefact radiation from the Big Bang, providing a very early universe expansion rate, about 13 billion years ago. Each gives a different value for the expansion rate.
Dr. Szapudi and his colleagues developed a mathematical model of the universe.
First, the model followed standard rules. They then added a small amount of rotation. Those small changes made a huge difference.
“To my surprise, we found that our model solves paradoxes without conflicting with current astronomical measurements,” Dr. Szapudi said.
“What’s even better is that it’s compatible with other models that assume rotation.”
“So perhaps everything really changes.
The team’s models suggest that the universe could turn once every 500 billion years.
“This idea does not break known laws of physics,” the astronomer said.
“And maybe it explains why measurements of space growth are completely disagreeable.”
“The next step is to turn the theory into a complete computer model and find ways to find signs of this slow, universe spin.”
Survey results It will be displayed in Monthly Notices from the Royal Astronomical Society.
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Balázs Endre Szigeti et al. 2025. Can rotation solve the Hubble puzzle? mnras 538(4): 3038-3041; doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf446
The Environmental Protection Agency has initiated significant staffing changes by beginning the process of reducing hundreds of staff through a “power reduction” process.
Last month, the agency announced a large-scale rollback of environmental regulations, including key components of the Clean Air Act, with administrator Lieseldin vowing to undermine the fight against climate change.
In February, the EPA placed environmental justice staff on administrative leave and terminated some probationary workers. Many employees are now working remotely or engaging in telework.
The latest action by the agency involves the beginning of the termination process for around 280 workers who were involved in environmental justice and diversity, equity, and inclusive programs. Additionally, 175 EPA employees have been reassigned to new roles.
“Today, the EPA has informed employees focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion and environmental justice of the agency’s necessity to reduce personnel through the handbook and federal regulations governing the RIF procedure,” said EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou in an email statement. “Certain employees have also been notified of their reassignment to different offices as part of this process.”
NBC News has obtained a memorandum sent to employees affected by the power reduction, indicating that the reduced staffing levels at the EPA will come into effect on July 31st.
“President Trump’s election was a call to action from the American people, which includes issuing executive orders for significant changes within the federal bureaucracy to benefit American families, workers, taxpayers, and the government as a whole,” the memorandum explains. “We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this transitional period.”
Every April, the Lilid Meteor Shower returns to our sky, offering the chance to get a glimpse of the fireballs across the sky.
Though not the most prolific meteor exhibit of the year, Lilid is a welcome treat for Stargazer.
All you need to know about Lilid in 2025 is when to look up, what to expect, how to get the best views and more.
When is Lyrid Meteor Shower 2025?
Lilid will be active from April 15th to 25th, 2025, and peak activity is expected on the evening of April 22nd early on April 23rd.
Your best bet is to still go out before dawn on April 23rd. The radiation point (the part of the sky where the meteor appears to come from) is the best.
Where to see Lilid
Lilids are emitted from the constellation Lyra, located near the bright star Vega, one of the easiest stars in the Northern Hemisphere.
Look east or northeast after midnight and let your eyes clean the sky. Meteors may appear in any direction rather than near meteors.
No telescopes or binoculars are required. In fact, it’s better to see the meteor shower with the naked eye and be able to take in as many sky as possible.
read more:
Can you hear the meteor?
Meteors, Asteroids, Comets: What’s the difference?
How can you tell that a metstone comes from a particular planet?
How many meteors are there?
Under a dark moonless sky, Lilids usually produce 10-15 meteors per hour, but sudden bursts can produce up to 100.
Lilid is known for being quick and sometimes bright, with strange fireballs thrown in properly.
The month around this time will pass the third quarter, so if it rises it will be very bright. Thankfully, this won’t last until around 4am (US and UK). This means you’ll get unobstructed meteor monitoring for hours.
Laila’s constellation. Vega is a bright star in the top right. – Getty
What causes the Lyrid Meteor Shower?
The Lyrid meteor is caused by the Earth passing through the traces of debris left by Comet Thatcher. It finally reached the approach closest to the sun in 1861, so it takes a long time to wait until our path comes again (c. 2276).
When comet dust and rock fragments collide at high speed in the atmosphere (approximately 50 km/s), they burn out and create stripes of light seen from the ground.
Lilid is actually one of the oldest recorded meteor showers. Chinese astronomers observed them over two to six hundred years ago.
Tips for viewing lyrids
Catching a meteor shower is not complicated, but some wise strategies can make all the difference.
Find a dark place It’s quite far from the city lights – less light pollution, the better.
Give me time to adjust my eyes In the darkness. It can take 20-30 minutes to see the sky at its best.
Wear warm clothesEven in spring. The temperature in the early morning can be chilly.
Lie down It allows you to comfortably scan the sky on a blanket or reclining chair.
be patient – Meteors have bursts and may take some time to catch good ones.
If you’re having trouble finding the sky you need, Technology helps. “Star Map apps like Sky Guide, Star Walk 2, and Stellarium will help you find Sky Vega and Lyra using your phone.” Dr. Sham Balajia researcher in space particle physics and cosmology at King’s College London.
“Many apps use augmented reality, so just point your phone in the sky and you’ll see where to look.”
Is this the best meteor shower of the year?
Not at all – that title is usually sent to Persade in August or Geminid in December.
However, Lilid is the first decent meteor shower for Northern Hemisphere observers, and could be surprisingly dramatic.
Additionally, for the UK people, they arrive during school holidays. So, if the sky is clear, it’s the perfect excuse to make a late family stargaze.
read more:
Can you hear the meteor?
Meteors, Asteroids, Comets: What’s the difference?
How can you tell that a metstone comes from a particular planet?
As part of Hubble’s 35th anniversary ceremony, astronomers have acquired a stunning new image of a rich collection of scattered stars. Messier 72.
This Hubble image shows the Messier 72, a spherical cluster about 50,000 light years away in the constellation of Aquarius. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/A. Sarajedini / G. Piotto / M. libralato.
Spherical clusters are a very old star system, coupled to a single structure, about 100-200 light-years by gravity.
They contain hundreds of thousands, or perhaps million stars. Large masses at the center of the rich stars in the cluster pull the stars inward to form a ball of stars.
Spherical clusters are one of the oldest known objects in the universe and are relics from the first era of the Galactic Layer.
It is believed that all galaxies have a population of spherical clusters. Our Milkyway Galaxy hosts at least 150 such objects, and could be hidden behind the thick disks of the Galaxy.
Messier 72 is It was located It is about 50,000 light years away from Earth, the constellation of Aquarius.
This spherical cluster, also known as the M72 or NGC 6981, is almost 9.5 billion years old.
Its apparent size is 9.4, and appears as a faint patch of light on a small telescope. The best time to observe it is September.
Messier 72 was the first one I discovered it In 1780, by Pierre Messine, a French astronomer and colleague of Charles Messier.
It is the first of the five-star clusters Mechine discovers while assisting Messier, and one of the most remote clusters in Messier’s catalog.
“Messier 72 is a particularly special target as it was the first image to be released in the Hubble Picture of the Week series on April 22, 2010,” Hubble Astronomers said in a statement.
“For 15 years, our team has been publishing new Hubble images every Monday for everyone to enjoy.”
“This has added nearly 800 images to the vast Hubble Image Archive over the years.”
“The impressive variety of star colours in the new Messier 72 images, especially compared to the original image, is the result of adding UV observations to previous visible light data,” they added.
“Colors indicate different types of stars.”
“The blue star is a cluster star originally larger, and after burning much of its hydrogen fuel, it now reaches a hotter temperature. The bright red object is a low-mass star that is now a red giant.”
“Studying these different groups will help you understand the spherical clusters and how the galaxies in which they were born were first formed.”
New genus and species of the Simotoidan isopod, which lived in the early Cretaceous period, have been identified from two well-conserved specimens found in Lebanon. Originating from the environment of freshwater lakes, this isopod provides an unconventional perspective on the evolutionary origins of Simotoids inhabiting living caves and groundwater.
Reconstruction of paleoenvironmental habitats Dysopodus gezei (Foreground): Valemian freshwater lake in the current Bkassine region of Lebanon. Image credit: Aldrich Hezekiah.
Dysopodus gezei He lived in a shallow freshwater lake in Lebanon (Epoch of the early Cretaceous period) about 125 million years ago.
This creature had an elongated body and was more than twice its width (total length 1.8-2.5 cm).
That was a type Isopodorder of crustaceans, including both aquatic and locally populated species.
“Isopoda is a diverse group of Malacostracan crustaceans, including more than 10,000 described organisms,” said Dr. Mario Södel, a paleontologist at the Senkenberg Centre at the University of Tenbingen, and his colleagues.
“Most living species lie in a variety of marine environments ranging from deep waters to sandy beaches and rocky coasts.”
“Isopoda can be considered primarily as a marine group, and it is most likely that the latest ancestor of all isopods is ocean.”
“But there are also many isopods that live outside the marine realm.”
“The species-rich group of isopodas – oniscidea – houses over 3,800 species, most of which live in a variety of fully terrestrial habitats.”
“Apart from the marine and terrestrial environments, isopods also live in brackish and freshwater environments, with about 1,000 described species living in freshwater.”
“Isopods have freshwater habitats colonized in multiple independent habitats, with a wide variety of different species in freshwater habitats, ranging from old to in some cases highly species-rich groups to single phylogenetically isolated species.”
Dysopodus gezei There were strong similarities to the living non-parasitic strains of Cirolanidaea group of isopods within subordered Shimotoida.
“The Shimotoida is a group of isopods that contain scavengers, predators, microrelets and parasites,” the paleontologist said.
“In this, finely repaired and parasitic species can form natural groups.”
“With Timotoida, many freshwater species are parasites that are likely to enter freshwater habitat along with hosts, either fish or crustaceans.”
“There are many representatives of Shimotoida (Shimotoida people – not confused with Shimotoids) throughout their lifetimes that are neither micropredata nor parasites.”
“These are often referred to as Cirolanidae, a group of morphologically distinct isopods.”
Dysopodus gezeiholotype. Image credits: Shadell et al. , doi: 10.1098/rsos.241512.
Two specimens of Dysopodus gezei It was excavated in Lebanon in 2003 and 2023.
“The specimen was found at the Lebanese Disol in Jdeidet Bkassine,” the researchers said.
“These layers correspond to finely stacked, organically rich deposits harvested in five mining areas within the Grace Duriban Alloformation, one in the north of Lebanon, one in the center, and three regions in southern Lebanon.
“All evidence shows a series of small shallow lakes and marsh areas near the volcanic buildings.”
The rarity of living freshwater silolanide species emphasizes the importance of discovery Dysopodus gezei As an extinct species that supports true freshwater archaeological fabrics, it not only has its history of evolution on earth, but also of the evolution of underground freshwater species.
“The discovery of new fossils represents the rare discovery of fossil isopods from freshwater habitats,” the scientist said.
“This places a new perspective on the origins of the existing non-parasitic freshwater simotoid people.”
“This finding does not disprove the colonization of cave and groundwater habitats through the cutting of underground species by regressing coastlines, but the presence of freshwater Simotoids in the eastern Tethian region during the early Cretaceous period gives a different light to the origins of living freshwater animals.”
“Additional specimens of this species may provide more morphological details, as they may maintain fine morphological details, and can then be used to draw more accurate conclusions between Cretaceous freshwater species and existing cave and groundwater fauna.”
Survey results Published in the April 2025 issue of the journal Royal Society Open Science.
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Mario Shadell et al. 2025. Freshwater isopods from 125 million years ago shed new light on the origins of underground freshwater species. R. Soc. Open SCI 12(4): 241512; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241512
Harvard Medical School’s cutting-edge microscopes have the potential to revolutionize cancer detection and lifespan research. However, a scientist who developed computer scripts to extract maximum information from the images found herself in immigration detention for two months, jeopardizing significant scientific advancements.
The scientist in question is 30-year-old Russian-born Xenia Petrova, who worked at Harvard’s renowned Kirschner Institute until her arrest at Boston Airport in mid-February. Currently detained at the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, Petrova is fighting against deportation to Russia, where she fears persecution and imprisonment due to her participation in protests against the conflict in Ukraine.
The incident involving Petrova and the detention of scholars across the country have hindered American universities’ ability to attract and retain crucial talent, a concern raised by Petrova’s colleagues. In fields where expertise is highly specialized, the loss of talent could have grave global implications for the future of medicine and scientific discovery. Scientists and faculty members are contemplating leaving institutions nationwide out of fear that their visas may be revoked or impacted by immigration enforcement actions.
“It’s like a meat grinder,” Petrova, as per a person talking to NBC News from the Louisiana facility, described her situation. “We are all in this system, regardless of having a visa, green card, or a valid reason.”
Petrova’s first immigration court hearing in Louisiana is scheduled for Tuesday morning, where she expects more clarity on her asylum case. Dr. Leon Peshkin, a prominent research scientist at Harvard University’s Faculty of Systems Biology and Petrova’s supervisor, received a call from Customs and Border Protection on February 16, notifying him of Petrova’s detention at Logan International Airport for failing to declare a sample of frog embryos used in research.
International researchers are increasingly anxious about the Trump administration’s strict stance on illegal immigration, with concerns that these policies could deter other foreign scientists from coming to Harvard. Recent surveys indicate a significant portion of scientists are contemplating relocating to Europe or Canada due to actions taken by President Donald Trump.
Space Telescope Sciences Scientists According to a team of astronomers led by science scientists at the Sciences, highly ionized neon gas detected in the center of the Spiral Galaxy Messier 83 by a mid-inphrase instrument (MIRI) mounted on the NASA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
This web image shows the Messier 83. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/Webb/A. Adamo, Stockholm University/Feast JWST Team.
Messier 83 is a spiral galaxy, a magnificently designed rod 15 million light years away from the southern constellations of Hydra.
Also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, M83, NGC 5236, Leda 48082, and UGCA 366, the galaxy is about twice as small as the Milky Way.
Messier 83 was like that I discovered it By French astronomer Nicholas Louis des Lacaille on February 17, 1752.
Its apparent size is 7.5, and is one of the brightest spiral galaxies in the night sky. It is the easiest way to observe using binoculars in May.
This is a prominent member of the galaxy group known as the Centaurus A/M83 group, counting the Dusty NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) and the irregular Galaxy NGC 5253.
Messier 83 has been a mystery for a long time. Large spiral galaxies often host active galactic nuclei (AGN), but astronomers have struggled to see what Messier 83 has been the case for decades.
Previous observations suggested that if a super-large black hole exists there, it must be dormant or hidden behind thick dust. However, new Webb observations reveal signs that suggest that this is not the case.
“The discovery of highly ionized neon emissions in the nucleus of the M83 was unexpected,” said Dr. Svea Hernandez, an astronomer with an ESA aura at the Institute of Space Telescope Science.
“These signatures require a lot of energy to be produced, rather than what a normal star can produce.”
“This strongly suggests the existence of a previously elusive AGN.”
“Before Webb we didn’t have the tools to detect such faintly ionized gas signatures at the nucleus of the M83.”
“Now, with incredible mid-red sensitivity, we can finally explore these hidden depths of the galaxy and uncover what we once couldn’t be seen.”
Webb’s mid-infrared observation allowed astronomers to peer into the dust and detect signs of highly ionized gases in small masses near the galactic nucleus.
The energy required to create these signatures is significantly higher than what supernovae and other great processes can offer, making AGN the most likely explanation.
However, alternative scenarios such as extreme shock waves in interstellar media are still under investigation.
“Webb is revolutionizing understanding of galaxies,” says Dr. Linda Smith, an astronomer at The Space Telescope Science Institute.
“For years, astronomers have been searching for the M83 black hole without success. Now we have compelling clues that could finally exist.”
“This finding shows how Webb is making unexpected breakthroughs.”
“Astronomers thought they had ruled out AGN on the M83, but now there is fresh evidence that they will challenge past assumptions and open new paths for exploration.”
Survey results It will be displayed in Astrophysical Journal.
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Svea Hernandez et al. 2025. JWST/MIRI detection [Ne v] and [Ne vi] M83: Evidence of a long-required active galactic nucleus? APJ 983, 154; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adba5d
According to Borghammer’s “Aha” moment, it came almost 20 years ago. Neuroscientists were reading papers from researchers investigating REM sleep behavior disorders (RBD). This is a condition in which people develop dreams, often discovered in people who develop Parkinson’s disease, and may be a form of early neurological symptoms.
However, rather than starting from the brain, the team looked for the loss of nerve cells in the heart instead. Parkinson’s disease has historically been linked to depletion of neurons in the brain, but it also affects cardiac neurons that manage autonomic nervous functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. And say Borgamer“In all these patients, the heart is invisible. It’s gone.”
Of course, it’s not literal. However, in these people, neurons that produce the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helps control heart rate, were depleted to the point that the heart did not appear on scans using radioactive tracers. This type of neuronal loss is linked to Parkinson’s disease, but no one was diagnosed with the disease at the time, and brain scans appeared to be normal.
What struck Borghammer was that Parkinson’s disease appears to have not followed the same trajectory in all affected people. Although RBD strongly predicts Parkinsonson’s predictions No one has Parkinson’s experience. RBD.
now, jiang he At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas and his colleagues are directly considering the effectiveness of drugs that lower blood pressure for dementia and cognitive impairment.
They studied 33,995 people in rural China. They were all over 40 years old and had high blood pressure. Participants were split into one of two random groups, each with an average age of approximately 63 years.
On average, the first group actively received three antitherapeutic drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, diuretics, or calcium channel blockers, actively ensuring lower blood pressure. They also coached home blood pressure monitoring and lifestyle changes that help to reduce blood pressure, such as weight loss and alcohol and salt intake.
Another set treated as a control group achieved local treatment levels with the same coaching and more general levels of treatment, including on average one drug.
At follow-up appointments 48 months later, participants were tested for blood pressure and measured for signs of cognitive impairment using a standard questionnaire.
Concerns about hypertension begin when a person’s systolic pressure exceeds 130 mm mercury (mmHg) or when diastolic pressure exceeds 80 mmHg. blood pressure It has exceeded 130/80.
On average, many people who received the medication lowered their blood pressure from 157.0/87.9 to 127.6/72.6 mmHg, while the control group was able to take it from 155.4/87.2 to just 147.7/81.0 mmHg.
The researchers also found that 15% fewer people who received multiple drug therapies during the study received dementia diagnosis compared to the control group, and 16% suffered from cognitive impairment.
“The results of this study demonstrated that lowering blood pressure is effective in reducing the risk of dementia in patients with uncontrolled hypertensive conditions,” he says. “This proven and effective intervention should be widely adopted and expanded to alleviate the global burden of dementia.”
“Over the years, many people know that blood pressure is likely a risk factor for dementia. Zachary Malcolm At Washington University in Seattle.
Raj Shah Rush University in Chicago says it’s helpful to add evidence that treating high blood pressure can help stop dementia, but that’s just one of the dementia puzzles, as we affect brain abilities as we age.
“You need to treat hypertension for multiple reasons,” says Shah. “Because of people’s longevity and happiness, they can age healthyly over time.”
Marcum also says people should think more broadly than just blood pressure to avoid dementia. He says there is Other known risk factors This is associated with an increased risk of dementia, including smoking, inactivity, obesity, social isolation, and hearing loss.
And many factors are more influential at different stages of life. To reduce the risk of dementia, “a holistic approach is needed throughout your life,” says Shah.
Newly discovered Green Comet is being tracked by a telescope, which suggests it may break apart as it approaches the sun. Naked Eye Spectacle.
Comet Swan from the Oort Cloud Beyond Pluton has been visible through telescopes and binoculars in recent weeks, but experts suggest it may not have survived its most recent journey. Travel past the sun and is fading rapidly.
“We’ll soon be left with a dusty cleavage pile,” stated astrophysicist Carl Battamus in an email.
A newly discovered comet swan on April 6th.Mike Orathon via the AP
Comets are frozen balls of gas and dust from billions of years ago that frequently pass through the inner solar system.
“These are artifacts from when the solar system first formed,” explained Jason Ibarra, director of the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory.
The latest comet was spotted by amateur astronomers who used photos from cameras on a spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to study the sun.
Unlike Tsuchinshan-Atlas, comets do not come close to Earth. Other notable flybys include Neowise in 2020, and from the 1990s, Halebop and Hi-Aku Take.
A newly discovered comet swan with a streaming tail on April 6th. Mike Orathon via the AP
The comet, also known as C/2025 F2, would have been visible just after sunset, slightly north of the sun. Its green color may be challenging to see with the naked eye.
This was the first journey past the sun for this object, making it particularly susceptible to disintegration, according to Batam. After the flyby, the remainder of the comet vanishes into the outer reaches of the solar system, believed to be its birthplace by scientists.
“I don’t know if it’s ever coming back,” noted Batam.
When you like giant objects Neutron Star and Black Hole Merge or when Supernova If it explodes in a far distance of space, it creates a final product smaller than an object that collides or erupts. The mass they lose is converted to energy according to Einstein’s famous equation E = MC2 Moves in the form of distortions in space. Scientists call these distortions Gravity wavesand they can indirectly detect them by studying how waves interfere with the observation of other distant objects, or directly interfere in facilities such as Laser interferometer gravitational wave astronomy Or ligo.
Scientists working on the Ligo project have discovered that most of the gravitational waves they detect come from the fusion of two black holes. However, these scientists don’t know how these pairs of black holes converge. So far, they have two broad theories about how this happens. The first is when a large star transforms into a black hole, drifting in close proximity due to the complexity of pushing and pulling other nearby objects. These duos are called It was formed dynamically Binary pair. The second is that two giant stars begin their lives in binary pairs before transitioning to a pair of black holes. These duos are called It is formed primitively Binary pair. Scientists cannot use LIGO data to distinguish between these two types of black holes. Can only be detected if integrated. Therefore, there are other ways to know how they merged.
A team of astrophysicists at Cardiff University used a series of computer simulations to test tests that the theory of black hole mergers is likely to reflect the real world. They use the astrophysical collision modeling code PETAR to group or cluster Stars, including black holes pioneers, have evolved over millions of years, and which scenarios have led to the merger of black holes.
The team created 35 model star clusters that vary by size, with a total mass of 1,000,000 times the total mass of the sun’s mass of all constituent stars, how close the stars are, and the percentage of the non-helium-helium-like elements of helium called hydrogen or helium. Metallic. They determined the size of a particular star within these clusters using statistical distributions ranging from 0.08 to 150 times the mass of the sun. Next, we divide the specific variations of cluster size, star density, and metallicity into two model versions. One had no primitive binary pairs, and the other had more than 20 times the sun’s binary companions.
Researchers looked for general trends in how the simulation progressed. They discovered four million years later that the first black hole formed from the largest star was a pair of binary black holes and black holes stars. Simulations using primitively formed pairs showed that binary black holes formed faster around the same time as the first black holes appeared. In simulations without primitively formed pairs, binary pairs still appeared through dynamic processes, but only after millions of years it was at the very heart of a star cluster. In both simulations, the clusters discharged many of the binary black holes on a sufficiently long timescale and quickly integrated.
Final statistical analysis of 35 model star clusters showed that, unless there are large binary stars when formed in star clusters, the majority of black hole mergers come from primitive binary pairs. They also found no clear relationships between how large and dense the star cluster was and the number of dynamic mergers it generated. Dynamic mergers are relatively rare, but we saw how frequently metals in star clusters occurred. They also reported that a small portion of the merged black hole pairs are part of a larger group of three or four black holes!
The team admitted that they rely on a model of binary star evolution, where their outcomes remain uncertain. However, their conclusions argued that many astrophysicists challenged the core assumption that the most detected black holes merged from large, dense clusters of stars. By showing that primitive binaries are the dominant source of mergers, and knowing that most stars form in small clusters, they argued that most ligo detections are likely to come from small star clusters in the distance of the universe.
For the past two decades, the rotation of the Earth has shown unusual behavior. Scientists have now identified a surprising cause for this phenomenon: the loss of water from the land.
A recent study published in Science reveals that significant changes in the Earth’s axis since the early 2000s, resulting in a wobble of about 45 cm, were not due to changes in the core, ice loss, or glacial rebound. Instead, they were caused by underestimated changes in soil moisture across the planet.
Between 2000 and 2002, over 1,600 Gigatonnes of water were lost from the soil worldwide. This water, when discharged into the ocean, impacted the Earth’s balance and influenced its rotation.
According to Professor Clark Wilson, a geophysicist at the University of Texas at Austin and co-author of the study, there was a period in the early 2000s when significant water losses occurred from the continents, aligning with certain climate models’ predictions.
Research led by Professor Ki-Weon Seo from Seoul National University in Korea used satellite radar data and soil moisture models to track changes in Earth’s water reservoirs from the late 20th to early 21st centuries. They discovered a sudden drop in soil moisture between 2000 and 2002, contributing to a yearly rise in the global sea level.
This decrease in soil moisture continued from 2003 to 2016, with an additional loss of 1,000 Gigatonnes of water. By 2021, soil moisture levels had still not recovered, indicating a significant and lasting shift in Earth’s land water storage.
The study emphasizes how changes in terrestrial water, particularly soil moisture, can influence Earth’s axis and rotation, leading to observable effects on the planet’s vital signs. The researchers suggest that this trend of drying soil is likely irreversible and could have far-reaching consequences on global water security, agriculture, ecosystems, and climate patterns.
Experts Involved
Clark Wilson: Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Ki-Weon SEO: Associate Professor at Seoul National University with a focus on ice mass losses and sea level rise.
Jay Famiglietty: Global Futures Professor at ASU’s School of Sustainability, specializing in water innovation and sustainable food systems.
This study highlights the importance of improving climate models to better understand and predict future climate conditions in the face of changing water dynamics on Earth.
Vitamin K is a crucial nutrient primarily found in green vegetables and may play a vital role in safeguarding the brain from cognitive decline.
Recent research suggests that vitamins, particularly vitamin K, could help in preserving the cells of the hippocampus, which is the brain’s memory center.
In a recent study, scientists conducted an experiment where 60 middle-aged mice were fed either low or regular diets supplemented with vitamin K for six months. Subsequent behavioral tests revealed the impact of vitamin K on mouse learning and memory.
The study showed that mice lacking vitamin K struggled with memory and learning tasks. Compared to mice on a regular diet, those deficient in vitamin K had difficulty recognizing familiar objects, indicating memory loss. They also faced challenges in spatial learning tasks, as evidenced by their performance in a water maze.
Green vegetables like spinach, kale, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage are excellent sources of vitamin K. Avocados and kiwi fruits also contain high levels of this nutrient – Credit: Mediterranean via Getty
Further analysis of the mice’s brain tissue revealed reduced neurogenesis in the hippocampus of vitamin K-deficient mice. Neurogenesis, the process of generating new neurons, is essential for maintaining brain health and protecting against damage.
“Neurogenesis is believed to be crucial for learning and memory functions, and its impairment may contribute to cognitive decline,” stated Ton Zheng, a research scientist at Tufts’ Center for Human Nutrition (HNRCA).
In addition to reduced neurogenesis, the brains of vitamin K-deficient mice also showed signs of inflammation, further linking vitamin K deficiency to cognitive decline.
While the study highlights the importance of vitamin K, researchers emphasize the significance of obtaining nutrients from a balanced diet rather than relying on supplements.
“It’s essential for people to consume a healthy diet rich in vegetables,” advised Professor Sarah Booth, senior author of the study and director of the HNRCA.
Most individuals typically obtain sufficient vitamin K from their diet, with sources like spinach, kale, peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, parsley, avocados, and kiwi. However, older adults are more prone to vitamin K deficiency.
Researchers are able to analyze how the human brain and body respond to stimuli that may be perceived as painful. By subjecting participants to a series of images and words that are designed to provoke the nervous system, we simulate the same experience that people encounter when consuming news on a daily basis. Some of the most intense materials we use in our studies are actually sourced from news reports.
Over time, changes in brain activity patterns emerge, impacting the body’s regulatory systems. The brain regions associated with the “fight or flight” response undergo alterations, which are essential for maintaining the functionality of the nervous system, immune system, and metabolism.
As a result, we observe physiological responses in participants such as increased heart rate, sweating, and elevated cortisol levels, even though they are seated comfortably in a lab setting. Just the thought of distressing events can trigger significant electrochemical changes in the body.
For example, our research has investigated how individuals react to news coverage of events like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. When news articles contain a high proportion of negative language, our participants reported heightened distress and displayed stronger physical reactions to the images associated with the bombing.
Unexpected or ambiguous news stories can also intensify feelings of distress, such as reports on government inaction towards rising infection rates and carbon emissions. When the brain processes information that is slightly more challenging than expected, it can strain the body’s metabolism and create discomfort.
Although a degree of discomfort may be a necessary aspect of being informed, constant exposure to negative news can lead to a cumulative burden, especially as news outlets tend to prioritize negative stories and language.
Negative news often spreads quickly through social media platforms, rewarding news outlets that emphasize negative content and perpetuating a cycle of negativity. Consuming excessive negative news may leave individuals feeling overwhelmed and drained, even if their personal experiences are relatively positive.
To counter the effects of negative news, it’s important to balance exposure with positive content. Engaging in activities that bring joy and relaxation can provide a respite for the nervous system and overall well-being.
For instance, focusing on stories of resilience, heroism, and kindness in challenging circumstances can help individuals cope with distressing news. Our research showed that participants reported lower levels of distress when presented with positive content related to the Boston Marathon bombing, and were less reactive to associated images.
Additionally, it’s advisable to avoid consuming negative news while eating, as stress can impact the body’s metabolism and lead to weight gain over time.
In the fight against the worst effects of aging, your greatest ally is your microbiota and all the friendly bacteria in your belly.
Egyptology
For centuries, scientists believed that only the elites were buried in the pyramids. But now, new evidence is shaking our understanding of these ancient burials… can they rewrite the history of our pyramids and the history of those buried?
Psychology
It’s all CEO’s dream – flexible thinking really helps you provide better performance. We dig deeper into why mental flexibility, not stubborn resolve, is important when it comes to conquering challenges.
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How to prepare underground shelters, and what to stock them to survive the collapse of civilization.
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Q&A:Your question answered! This month: Can we communicate in our dreams? How is antimatter preserved? What is a paradoxical frog? What is the oldest cheese in the world? Should I give coffee intestines? (We hope you already know the answer to this…) What is the best food to eat at Ozempic? Why can’t tear be so destructive?
Researchers from the University of Utah and the University of New Mexico used artificial “earthquakes” to investigate the magma beneath Yellowstone, a closely monitored hypervolcano. The team deployed truck-mounted bibroseis, large mechanical vibrators, to generate seismic waves throughout the national park. By recording these waves with 650 ground sensors, scientists were able to examine the underground volcanic structures.
Dr. Jamie Farrell, a geologist at the University of Utah and study co-author, explained, “In a way, we’re causing our own earthquakes and recording all that data on seismometers. With so many sensors, we can obtain a clear image of what’s happening below the surface.” This investigation revealed that the top of the magma chamber is approximately 3.8 km below the surface, with 86% consisting of solid rock and 14% containing molten rock, gas, and liquid pockets.
Scientists deployed a portable seismometer called Geophone to measure vibrations from artificial earthquakes – Credit: Jamie Farrell, University of Utah
Professor Bill McGuire, an expert in Geophysical and Climate Hazards, noted that using artificial seismic waves to study underground geology is not new but has not been applied in Yellowstone for determining magma depth before. Despite the proximity of the magma to the surface, the study confirmed that an eruption is not imminent.
Mike Poland, the chief scientist at the US Geological Survey and Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, remarked, “Yellowstone provides valuable insights into volcano behavior worldwide. While another super eruption is possible elsewhere, Yellowstone is not currently at risk.”
For more information:
About our experts:
Professor Bill McGuire: Professor Emeritus of Geophysics and Climate Hazards at University College, London. McGuire is a science writer and broadcaster with a forthcoming book on how past events shape our future.
Engaging in regular and extended bouts of walking can help shield you from abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, heart diseases, and strokes.
Recent research published in Heart, a publication owned by the British Medical Journal, supports this notion. According to the study, adults who maintained a brisk walking pace of over four miles per hour (mph) were 43% less likely to develop heart rhythm abnormalities over a 13-year period.
For many people, a pace of 3.5 mph is typical, so walking at 4 mph may feel more energetic. It’s a deliberate pace that slightly elevates your heart rate and breathing, but still allows for conversation.
“Individuals who perceived their normal walking pace as average (3-4 mph) or active (>4 mph) experienced a reduced risk of heart rhythm abnormalities,” stated Professor Jill Perl, the Henry Mechanic Professor of Public Health at the University of Glasgow and senior author of the study, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
Furthermore, even minor lifestyle changes, such as walking at an average pace for at least five minutes daily, were shown to yield significant benefits according to the study’s findings.
Most of us walk at speeds of 3.5 mph or 130 bpm. This is about the pace of the song that got me hooked on the senses of BJ Thomas. – Credit: Solstock via Getty
The study included data from 420,925 participants from the UK Biobank, of which 81,956 individuals tracked their walking habits using activity monitors.
After 13 years, approximately 9% of participants developed heart rhythm abnormalities, such as atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, and bradycardia.
Individuals who spent more time walking at an average or active pace were found to have lower odds of developing these abnormalities compared to those with less walking activity.
It was estimated that around 36% of the benefits associated with brisk walking and heart health could be attributed to its positive impact on risk factors for heart disease.
“Brisk walking can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and reduce inflammation in the body,” explained Professor Perl.
While the study had limitations, including its reliance on self-reported data and a predominantly white participant pool, the results emphasize the potential benefits of incorporating regular brisk walking into one’s routine.
Read more:
About Our Experts:
Professor Jill Perl holds the Henry Mechanic Chair in Public Health at the University of Glasgow. She also serves as an honorary public health consultant for the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Commission. Prior to her current role, Professor Perl was a professor of epidemiology at the British Heart Foundation’s Centre for Cardiovascular Research in Glasgow. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the European Society of Cardiology.
Recent research suggests that individuals following a vegan diet may be missing out on key nutrients essential for muscle building, even if their overall protein intake appears to be adequate.
A study conducted in New Zealand found that some long-term vegans were deficient in essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, which can impact overall nutrition.
Proteins consist of amino acids, with nine of them being considered “essential” as they cannot be produced by the body. Lysine and leucine are two essential amino acids crucial for healthy growth, energy production, and muscle repair.
The study, published in the journal PLOS 1, analyzed food diaries from 193 long-term vegans. It was discovered that while around 75% of participants met daily protein recommendations, only about half of them obtained sufficient lysine and leucine after accounting for protein digestibility.
The researchers emphasized the importance of a balanced and diverse plant-based diet to ensure proper amino acid intake on a vegan diet. Both lysine and leucine play critical roles in bodily functions including growth, muscle recovery, and energy production.
Although the study highlights the potential limitations of protein intake in a vegan diet, it is important to note that it is a snapshot in time and relies on self-reported data. Amino acid digestibility was estimated using animal models, and further research comparing vegan diets with omnivorous or vegetarian diets is needed.
In conclusion, when it comes to protein intake on a vegan diet, quality and diversity of plant proteins are key. Prioritizing high-quality plant protein sources such as legumes, tofu, tempeh, beans, and soy foods can help ensure adequate amino acid intake for overall health.
About our experts
Shireen Kassam is a plant-based nutrition expert and consultant hematologist with a specialized interest in the treatment of lymphoma. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Winchester, Hampshire, leading the development of the UK’s first university-based course in plant-based nutrition.
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