Archaeologists Uncover Potentially the Oldest 3D Map in the World

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The Paleolithic rock shelter at Segonyol 3 in the Paris Basin contains a miniature representation of the surrounding landscape, according to a team of archaeologists from the University of Adelaide and Paris Mines Paris PSL.

Segonyol 3 3D map display on the floor of the rock shelter. Image credit: Médard Thiry.

The Segonyol 3 Rock Shelter has been known since the 1980s for its artistic carvings of two horses in Upper Paleolithic style on either side of a female pubic statue.

In 2017, archaeologists discovered that Paleolithic people manipulated sandstone to reflect the female figure, opening cracks that allowed water to seep into the sandstone, resulting in runoff at the base of the pelvic triangle. I discovered something.

A new study shows that some of the sandstone shelter floors were shaped and adapted by Paleolithic peoples about 13,000 years ago, and modeled to reflect the area’s natural water flow and topographic features. It suggests that it has been converted.

“What we have described is not a map of distance, direction, and travel time as we understand it today, but a three-dimensional map that depicts features of the landscape, such as outflows and confluences from uplands to streams and rivers. It’s a miniature of the original. Dr Anthony Milnes, an archaeologist at the University of Adelaide, said:

“Perception of the direction of water flow and landscape features may have been more important to Paleolithic people than modern concepts such as distance and time.”

“Our study shows that anthropogenic changes to the hydraulic behavior in and around the shelter have extended to modeling natural water flow in the landscape of areas surrounding rock shelters. “

“These are exceptional discoveries that clearly demonstrate the mental, imaginative and engineering abilities of our distant ancestors.”

Thanks to extensive research into the origins of the Fontainebleau sandstone, the authors recognized several minute morphological features that could not have formed naturally and suggest that they were modified by early humans. Masu.

“Our research showed that Paleolithic humans carved sandstone to facilitate specific flow channels for infiltrating and directing rainwater, something previously recognized by archaeologists.” said Dr. Medard Tilly of Paris Mines – PSL.

“Perhaps this metal fitting has a deeper mythical meaning related to water.”

“The two hydraulic installations, the sexual sculpture and the miniature landscape, are located 2-3 meters apart from each other and certainly convey the deep meaning of the concepts of life and nature that are never accessible to us.”

Researchers discovered the existence of three-dimensional modeling by looking closely at fine-scale geomorphological features.

“This brand new discovery provides a better understanding and insight into the capabilities of these early humans,” said Dr. Tilly.

Prior to this discovery, the oldest known three-dimensional maps were understood to be large portable rock slabs carved by Bronze Age people some 3,000 years ago.

The map depicts the local river network and embankments, and reflects the concept of more modern maps used for navigation.

“Collaboration across disciplines, such as archaeology, geology and geomorphology, is vitally important in science,” Dr Milnes said.

“We believe that the most productive research results are at the boundaries between disciplines.”

“It is important to reevaluate field studies and conduct frequent site visits,” Dr. Tilley said.

“It is clear from our ongoing projects that insights and interpretations do not emerge immediately, but through new observations and interdisciplinary discussions.”

This finding is reported in the following article: paper in Oxford Archeology Journal.

_____

Medard Tilly and Anthony Mills. 2025. Paleolithic map carved to show the flow of water to the shelters of the Paris Basin. Oxford Archeology Journal 44 (1): 2-26;doi: 10.1111/ojoa.12316

Source: www.sci.news

The new understanding of obesity may improve treatment for millions of individuals

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Measuring body fat more carefully may help treat obesity

Half Point/Getty Images

Rethinking how obesity is defined could help millions of people around the world, claims a team of researchers who want to introduce a new category of “preclinical” obesity.

The current definition of obesity as set by the World Health Organization (WHO) is having excess body fat that poses a risk to health. The WHO recommends that health professionals assess whether people are obese by calculating their body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight in relation to height. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy, while anything below or above that indicates being under or overweight. A BMI of more than 30 indicates obesity.

It’s true that having a lot of body fat can cause fat to infiltrate organs such as the liver and pancreas. impair function. It can also worsen inflammation and increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, liver disease, and heart disease.

However, BMI does not reflect a person’s body fat level very well. “BMI does not tell you whether that ‘excess’ weight is due to excess body fat or increased muscle and bone mass,” he says. Francesco Rubino He led research on obesity at King’s College, London.

Body fat levels, even when properly assessed by waist measurements or, in rare cases, X-ray scans, do not completely determine a person’s health status. “No two people react the same way to excess body fat. This is influenced by a person’s race/ethnicity, age, and the food they eat, with genetics playing a huge role.” says. stephen heimsfield at Louisiana State University.

That’s why Rubino and his colleagues want to introduce more nuance to the definition of obesity, separating cases into preclinical and clinical cases. Although both forms are characterized by excess body fat, only the clinical form is associated with symptoms caused by excess fat, such as difficulty breathing, heart problems, and difficulty with daily activities. Preclinical obesity, on the other hand, increases the risk of eventually developing such obesity-related symptoms, Rubino says.

This is similar to prediabetes, where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as full-blown type 2 diabetes, Rubino said.

Under the proposed changes, medical staff would use waist width and X-rays in addition to BMI calculations to directly measure people’s body fat levels, but people with a BMI over 40 would always be overweight. It will be considered fatty. Blood tests are then used to assess organ health and people are asked if they have symptoms. Blood tests are routinely done by many clinicians anyway, but directly measuring body fat would add some workload, Heimsfield says.

If the new definition is widely adopted by clinicians, it could mean people will receive more personalized advice and treatment, Rubino said. In general, people with pre-clinical obesity may only need to monitor their health and make lifestyle changes, while those with clinical obesity are more likely to need treatment with drugs or surgery, Rubino said. say.

“This allows us to better triage people and get them the right care,” he says. Adrian Brown At University College London.

Laura Gray Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the UK also welcomed the proposed changes. “It’s very necessary. These guidelines put what current research says into clinical practice,” she says. “Not all people who are obese according to their BMI are unhealthy, and not all people with a low BMI are healthy.”

This updated definition has already been endorsed by 76 health organizations around the world and may also help reduce the stigma surrounding the condition. “The hope is that by defining obesity in a more nuanced way, we will be able to show that it is a disease in itself. It is not just the result of behavior, but there are many risk factors, including environmental, psychological, and genetic. ” says Gray.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

SpaceX Plans to Send Two Lunar Landers to the Moon

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The commencement of the new year for lunar exploration is set to take place early Wednesday, as two robotic landers and a small rover are poised to embark on their journey to the moon.

A SpaceX rocket is scheduled for liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:11 a.m. ET, launching two separate unmanned missions to the lunar surface.

The first mission, developed by Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace, aims to land the Blue Ghost lander in an area of the moon known as Mare Crisium—a 340-mile-wide basin believed to be the result of an ancient asteroid impact.

The second mission, conducted by Japanese company ispace, consists of a lander named Resilience and a “micro probe” called Tenacious, targeting a landing site in an area called Mare Frigoris in the moon’s northern region.

This will be ispace’s second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon, following a failed 2023 mission when the lander Hakuto crashed due to unexpected acceleration during descent.

A model of ispace Inc.’s lunar rover Tenacious at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Space Center in Tsukuba.
Toru Hanai/Bloomberg, from Getty Images files

The ispace lander and rover are expected to take a longer and less energy-intensive path to the moon compared to Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, with a 45-day journey time and an estimated arrival in four to five months.

Blue Ghost will transport 10 NASA scientific instruments to the moon and spend approximately two weeks collecting data on the lunar surface.

The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative, which involves NASA partnering with private companies to deliver scientific experiments, technology, and other cargo to the lunar surface.

These endeavors are within NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims at the eventual return of humans to the moon.

Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, mentioned that the Blue Ghost lander mission will provide crucial insights for forthcoming Artemis expeditions involving astronaut crews.

For instance, details about the moon’s landscape and topography, including the conditions at the moon’s south pole—the designated landing spot for the manned Artemis mission—might be unveiled.

“This is a strategically significant and productive site, and we anticipate future astronaut explorers using their expertise to gather scientifically intriguing samples and bring them back to Earth,” Fox stated at a press conference on Tuesday.

The scientific equipment carried by Blue Ghost includes tools for precise measurement of the Earth-Moon distance, lunar dust study, and collection and analysis of lunar soil samples using a jet of compressed gas.

“Each accomplishment along the way will yield valuable data for upcoming missions, benefiting the United States and keeping our international collaborators at the forefront of space exploration,” Fox added.

SpaceX did not disclose the amount paid by the companies for the joint trip to orbit.

The plan involves the release of the Blue Ghost lander approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes post liftoff, followed by the ispace lander and rover about 30 minutes later, as per NASA’s NASA science mission director Juliana Shaiman.

a NASA broadcasts Falcon 9 rocket launch It commences at 12:30 a.m. ET.

Forecasts indicate a 90% likelihood of favorable weather for launch, with backup opportunities available until Jan. 20, according to SpaceX officials.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Researchers claim that Google Scholar is inundated with scientific papers produced by GPT through fabrication.

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In new research Published in Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, researchers from Borås University, Lund University, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found a total of 139 papers suspected of exploiting ChatGPT or similar large-scale language modeling applications. Of these, 19 were published in indexed journals, 89 were published in non-indexed journals, 19 were student papers in university databases, and 12 were research papers (mostly in preprint databases). Health and environment papers accounted for approximately 34% of the sample, with 66% of them published in unindexed journals.

A rain of words in dubious full-text papers fabricated by environment and health-related GPTs. Image credit: Haider others., doi: 10.37016/mr-2020-156.

Using ChatGPT to generate text for academic papers has raised concerns about research integrity.

Discussion about this phenomenon is ongoing in editorials, commentaries, opinion pieces, and social media.

There are currently several lists of papers suspected of exploiting GPT, and new papers are being added all the time.

Although there are many legitimate uses of GPT for research and academic writing, its undeclared uses beyond proofreading may have far-reaching implications for both science and society, especially the relationship between the two.

“One of the main concerns about AI-generated research is the increased risk of evidence hacking, meaning that fake research could be used for strategic manipulation,” said Björn Ekström, a researcher at the University of Boras.

“This could have a tangible impact, as erroneous results could penetrate further into society and into more areas.”

In their research, Dr. Ekström and his colleagues searched and scraped Google Scholar for papers containing specific phrases known as common responses from ChatGPT and similar applications with the same underlying model. Unable to access real-time data.

This facilitated the identification of papers whose text may have been generated using generative AI, resulting in a search of 227 papers.

Of these papers, 88 papers were written with legal and/or declared uses of GPT, and 139 papers were written with undeclared and/or fraudulent uses.

The majority of problematic papers (57%) dealt with policy-relevant subjects that are likely to impact operations (i.e., environment, health, computing).

Most were available in multiple copies on different domains (social media, archives, repositories, etc.).

Professor Jutta Haider from Borås University said: “If we cannot trust that the studies we read are genuine, we run the risk of making decisions based on misinformation.”

“But this is as much a media and information literacy issue as it is a scientific misconduct issue.”

“Google Scholar is not an academic database,” she pointed out.

“Search engines are easy to use and fast, but they lack quality assurance procedures.”

“This is already a problem with regular Google search results, but it becomes even more of a problem when making science more accessible.”

“People's ability to decide which journals and publishers publish high-quality, reviewed research is critical to finding and determining what is trustworthy research, and is important for decision-making and opinion. It is very important for formation.”

_____

Jutta Haider others. 2024. GPT Fabricated Scientific Papers on Google Scholar: Key Features, Pervasiveness, and Impact on Preemptive Attacks of Evidence Manipulation. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review 5(5);doi: 10.37016/mr-2020-156

Source: www.sci.news

Studies indicate that Jupiter’s clouds are made up of ammonium bisulfide

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers have long believed that Jupiter's upper clouds, which form the planet's iconic light brown bands, are made of frozen ammonia. But new research shows that these clouds are actually lower in the atmosphere than we thought, and are made of ammonium bisulfide mixed with smog.

Hubble's photos of Jupiter show an ever-changing landscape due to its turbulent atmosphere. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Amy Simon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Michael H. Wong, University of California, Berkeley / Joseph DePasquale, STScI.

Citizen scientist Steve Hill has previously shown that it is possible to map a planet's atmosphere using just a special colored filter and a backyard telescope.

These results provided the first clue that the clouds are too deep in Jupiter's warm atmosphere to match clouds made of ammonia ice.

To find out, Hill and a team of professional astronomers from the University of Oxford, the University of Leicester and the British Astronomical Society used the MUSE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to study the atmospheres of gas giant planets. did.

“MUSE will be able to scan Jupiter's atmosphere at different wavelengths and map the different molecules that make up Jupiter's atmosphere,” they said.

Their study shows that a new approach using backyard telescopes or VLT/MUSE can map the abundance of ammonia in Jupiter's atmosphere with remarkable accuracy.

In terms of clouds, they concluded that Jupiter's atmosphere closely resembles a layered cake.

A cloud of ammonium hydrosulfide covers the upper layer, but decorations of ammonia ice clouds carried to the top by strong vertical convection can also be seen.

However, the overall structure of the cake is still not fully understood, and the work of citizen scientists may be the key to figuring it out.

So the next time you gaze at Jupiter or Saturn from your backyard, you just might be uncovering some hidden secrets in our solar system.

“We tested the reliability of the filter imaging technique by applying it to VLT/MUSE observations of Jupiter and found that the method closely matches more sophisticated analyzes of these observations and is also consistent with observations of Jupiter.” We have shown that the microwave wavelengths studied by NASA's Juno spacecraft and the Super Large Array yield surprisingly reliable results,” the astronomers said.

“We show that the main reflection level at red wavelengths is at the 2-3 bar level, which is much lower than the expected ammonia ice cloud condensation level of 0.7 bar, and the ammonia We conclude that ice cannot be the main cloud component.”

“We also showed that the same technique can be applied to MUSE observations of Saturn, where extracted ammonia maps were measured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope at pressures greater than 2 We found a very good agreement with the ammonia abundance.

of findings will appear in Geophysical Research Journal: Planets.

_____

Patrick G.J. Irwin others. 2025. Clouds and ammonia in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn are determined from band depth analysis of VLT/MUSE observations. JGR Planets 130 (1): e2024JE008622;doi: 10.1029/2024JE008622

Source: www.sci.news

Mysterious X-ray oscillations detected in supermassive black hole by XMM-Newton

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In 2018, astronomers discovered that the corona of 1ES 1927+654, an actively accreting black hole with 1.4 million solar masses located in a galaxy some 270 million light-years away, suddenly disappeared and reassembled several months later. I observed that. The short but dramatic outage was the first of its kind in black hole astronomy. Now, astronomers using ESA's XMM-Newton Observatory have captured the same black hole exhibiting even more unprecedented behavior. They detected X-ray flashes from 1ES 1927+654 at a steadily increasing clip. Over a two-year period, the frequency of millihertz vibration flashes increased from every 18 minutes to every 7 minutes. This dramatic speed-up of X-rays has never been observed from a black hole before.

In this artist's concept, material is stripped from a white dwarf (bottom right sphere) orbiting within the innermost accretion disk surrounding the supermassive black hole of 1ES 1927+654. Image credit: NASA/Aurore Simonnet, Sonoma State University.

Black holes are a prediction of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. They are gravitational monsters that trap any matter or energy that crosses their “surface,” a region of spacetime known as the event horizon.

In its final descent into the black hole, a process known as accretion, the doomed material forms a disk around the black hole. The gas in the accretion disk heats up and emits primarily ultraviolet (UV) light.

The ultraviolet light interacts with the cloud of electrically charged gas or plasma that surrounds the black hole and accretion disk. This cloud is known as the corona, and the interaction energizes the ultraviolet light and amplifies it into X-rays, which can be captured by XMM Newton.

XMM-Newton has been observing 1ES 1927+654 since 2011. Back then, everything was very normal.

But things changed in 2018. As the X-ray corona disappeared, the black hole erupted in a massive explosion that seemed to disrupt its surroundings.

The coronavirus gradually returned, and by early 2021, it seemed like normal conditions had returned.

However, in July 2022, XMM Newton began observing its X-ray output fluctuating at a level of about 10% on timescales of 400 to 1,000 seconds.

This type of fluctuation, called quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO), is notoriously difficult to detect in supermassive black holes.

“This was the first sign that something strange was going on,” said Dr. Megan Masterson. Student at MIT.

The oscillations could suggest that a massive object, such as a star, is embedded in the accretion disk and rapidly orbiting the black hole on its way to being swallowed.

As an object approaches a black hole, the time it takes to orbit decreases and the frequency of its oscillations increases.

Calculations revealed that the orbiting object was probably the remains of a star known as a white dwarf, had about 0.1 times the mass of the Sun, and was moving at an astonishing speed.

It was completing one orbit of the central monster, covering a distance of about 100 million km, about every 18 minutes. Then things got even weirder.

Over nearly two years, XMM Newton showed an increase in the strength and frequency of the vibrations, but not as much as the researchers expected.

They assumed that an object's orbital energy is being emitted as gravitational waves, as prescribed by the theory of general relativity.

To test this idea, they calculated when the object crossed the event horizon, disappeared from view, and stopped oscillating. It turns out to be January 4, 2024.

“Never in my career have I been able to predict anything so accurately,” says Dr. Erin Kara of MIT.

In March 2024, XMM Newton observed it again and the oscillations were still present.

The object was currently traveling at about half the speed of light, completing an orbit every seven minutes.

Whatever was inside the accretion disk, it stubbornly refused to be swallowed up by the black hole.

Either something more than gravitational waves is at play, or the entire hypothesis needs to be changed.

Astronomers also considered other possibilities for the origin of the vibrations.

Remembering that the X-ray corona disappeared in 2018, they wondered if this cloud itself was vibrating.

The problem is that there is no established theory to explain such behavior, so there is no clear path to take this idea further, so they go back to the original model and realize there is a way to fix it. I did.

“If the black hole has a white dwarf companion, the gravitational waves produced by the black hole could be detected by LISA, an ESA mission scheduled to launch within the next 10 years in partnership with NASA.” said Masterson.

team's paper will appear in journal nature.

_____

Megan Masterson others. 2025. Millihertz oscillations near the innermost orbit of a supermassive black hole. naturein press. arXiv: 2501.01581

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient silver coins dating back 1,000 years discovered in Britain’s treasure trove

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

An archaeologist from Oxford Cotswold Archeology (OCA) has made an exciting discovery of 321 11th-century AD silver coins (319 full pennies and 2 cut halfpence) in mint condition near the site of a future nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast. This finding sheds light on the social and political unrest of the 11th century and suggests that the change of government following the coronation of Edward the Confessor in 1042 caused significant turmoil among the population. This collection may have belonged to a local influential figure who felt threatened by the political changes and chose to bury his wealth as a precaution.

A treasure trove of 1,000-year-old silver coins. Image credit: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.

The newly discovered cache of coins was carefully wrapped in cloth and lead.

The coins in the hoard were issued during the reigns of Harold I “Rabbit’s Foot” (1036-1040), Harthacnut (1040-2), and Edward the Confessor (1042-1066).

Most of the coins date back to the reign of Harold I, with Harthacnut issuing significantly fewer, and only 24 issued by Edward the Confessor.

While the majority of coins were minted in London, some were also minted in Thetford, Norwich, Ipswich, Lincoln, and Stamford.

A few coins were issued by smaller mints such as Langport and Uxbridge in southwest England, making them extremely rare.

“This hoard of coins offers a valuable glimpse into the historical context of that era, indicating that Edward the Confessor’s ascension to the throne was a time of uncertainty and societal unrest. This further supports the idea that it was a period marked by apprehensions,” said Alexander, a coin expert from OCA.

“The analysis of this coin hoard was a collaborative effort involving experts in numismatics, finds, conservation, and project partners.”

“It is a privilege to contribute to bringing this story to life.”

Despite representing considerable wealth for the time, these coins likely belonged to individuals of moderate status rather than high-ranking individuals.

They were probably a savings pot of a local influencer and were roughly equivalent in value to a small herd of cattle at that time.

“The hoard was affectionately named Masu for obvious reasons, so discovering it was truly an honor,” said OCA archaeologist Andrew Pegg.

“When I unearthed it, I saw the edge of a coin peeking out, and I was amazed!”

“It’s an impeccable archaeological time capsule,” he added.

“The insights we’re gaining from it are remarkable, and I am proud to contribute to the history of my corner of Suffolk.”

The mid-11th century in England was a period of uncertainty and shifting loyalties.

Edward the Confessor’s coronation in 1042 followed over 25 years of rule by Danish kings Canute, Harold, and Harthacnut. This event reinstated the House of Wessex on the English throne.

The change in leadership likely sparked uncertainty and apprehension among the populace.

Specifically, some affluent individuals connected to the previous regime were either exiled or had their assets seized after Edward’s coronation.

The hoard’s owner may have buried his wealth in fear of political changes, hoping to retrieve it later as a safety net.

“We may never fully understand why this treasure was left undiscovered,” concluded the archaeologists.

“The discovery of an 11th-century coin hoard is truly extraordinary,” said Damien Leydon, Site Delivery Director at Sizewell C.

Source: www.sci.news

Can innovative wearable technology enhance mental health?

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

“I achieved 40 seconds of uninterrupted concentration.”

Apparently, this is cause for celebration. For the past 10 minutes, I've been staring at my phone, trying to move a digital ball up a hill using only the power of my mind. The Mendi headset I wear analyzes my brain activity and reflects it in my games. The more you concentrate, the higher the ball will rise.

This exercise is thought to work your mental muscles, just like using weights to train your physical muscles, ultimately increasing your focus and reducing stress.

Like thousands of other people, I've been wearing smartwatches for years to help me track my fitness and improve my physical health. But the wearables industry has set its sights on a new target: mental health. We now have smart watches and brainwave-reading devices that not only analyze the state of our nervous systems, but perhaps intervene proactively to improve our well-being, and we now have mental health support. We're making it more accessible and wearable than ever before. “We're harnessing the brain's ability to rewire itself so that we can have more control over our emotions,” he says. Mustafa Hamada Mendi Chief Product and Scientific Officer.

As someone who suffers from stress and anxiety, I'm willing to try anything that helps me control it. But I have a background in neuroscience, so I’m wary of believing the hype. So I took a closer look at the growing number of devices targeting concentration, concentration, stress and anxiety to find out how they work and which ones actually make a difference…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Vietnamese delicacy dubbed Darth Vader Isopod due to its size

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Head of Batinomus Vaderi, Newly named marine isopod

Nguyen Thanh Son

A new species of large crustacean found off the coast of Vietnam has been named after Darth Vader.

Batinomus Vaderi It is a type of isopod, a group that also includes woodlice. The body length can be 30 centimeters and the weight can exceed 1 kilogram.

So far, the new species has only been discovered by fishermen trawling near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Peter Ng Professors from the National University of Singapore analyzed four specimens obtained from a fish store in Quy Nhon, in south-central Vietnam. Locals call them “sea worms”.

Researcher Peter Ng investigates giant isopods at a seafood market in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Nguyen Thanh Son

Ng said the researchers chose this name for the species not only because of its resemblance to Darth Vader’s mask, but also because the creature lives in constant darkness at depths of 800 to 1,200 meters. This is also because it is believed that

“I’m the biggest star wars It’s my vintage so I’m a fan of the team. The first movie was in 1977, during my youth, and it was really cool,” Ng says. “But we all know that face batinomus He looks so much like Darth Vader that they had to name him after the Sith Lord. ”

The isopod has been a popular seafood delicacy in Vietnamese restaurants since 2017, and is said to be as delicious as lobster.

However, little is known about their ecology and how trawling affects their populations, team members say. Koni Sidaba Rock At the National Research and Innovation Agency in Cibinong, Indonesia.

“The size of the harvest is a concern. This is a challenge for all the deep-sea fish we fish,” she says. “Little is known about their ecology, so further research is needed to assess how best to conserve and manage this resource.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Blue Ghost and Resilience landers launched by SpaceX to the moon

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Artist’s impression of the Blue Ghost’s moon landing

firefly aerospace

In a sign of increased commercial activity on the moon, two private spacecraft aiming to land on the moon will be launched aboard a SpaceX rocket.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander and iSpace’s Resilience lander, both aboard the same Falcon 9 rocket, departed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:11 a.m. on January 15. It is scheduled to launch at 1:11 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (1:11 a.m. ET).

This launch will be iSpace’s second attempt to land on the moon. The company suffered its first failure in 2023 when its Hakuto-R spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface. The Japanese company has since said it has upgraded Resilience’s hardware and software to avoid the mistakes that led to the crash.

Meanwhile, the American company Firefly Aerospace is making its first attempt. The company has a contract with NASA as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which pays private companies to accomplish scientific goals.

Resilience will carry six payloads to the lunar surface, including an experiment to use microalgae to produce food on the moon, and a micro rover that will roam, analyze, and photograph the landing area. Blue Ghost will combine 10 civilian and public payloads, including a radiation-hardened computer, a drill to measure how heat flows across the moon’s surface, and a satellite receiver that will seek to establish a permanent link with the moon. We plan to take it to the moon. Earth’s GPS network.

Resilience Lunar Module is ready for launch

iSpace

Both missions reach Earth orbit relatively quickly, within minutes of liftoff, but it takes much longer to reach the Moon. After orbiting Earth for 25 days, Blue Ghost will start its engines and begin a four-day journey to the Moon, where it will orbit for 16 days. After this, it will descend autonomously and land on a plain called Mare Crisium, where it will take two weeks to complete its scientific objectives.

Resilience will take a more circuitous route, passing the moon a month after launch, gliding deep into space for several months, then turning around and making the journey back to the moon. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is expected to land on a plain called Mare Frigoris within four to five months of launch.

If the mission is successful, they will be the second and third commercial spacecraft to land on the moon. The first craft was Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander, which landed last year.

Blue Ghost and Resilience are the first of about a dozen spacecraft hoping to make contact with lunar soil this year, primarily by NASA’s CLPS, many of which will serve as future human lunar surface residents. It is designed to test and demonstrate the technology required for These include the second and third missions of Intuitive Machines. IM-2 will explore digging buried ice near the moon’s south pole for use in future missions, as well as deploying two rovers and a lunar satellite to communicate with Earth.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Experts warn of potential water contamination in Los Angeles County due to wildfires

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Tap water in the Los Angeles area could be unavailable for some time due to concerns about damage to infrastructure and chemicals from wildfires, experts say. At least two water authorities have issued warnings about possible contamination from ongoing fires. Experts are worried about the risks to human health from chemicals and pathogens entering the water system, but accurate assessment may take time.

Residents in Pacific Palisades and neighboring communities have been advised to use bottled water for cooking, drinking, and other purposes due to potential contaminants like benzene entering the water system. The Pasadena Department of Water and Power has also instructed residents to switch to bottled water until further notice following concerns about debris impacting the water quality.

Drinking water systems can become contaminated after wildfires, as seen in past incidents in urban areas. Loss of water pressure in the system can be a sign of contamination, triggering careful analysis of the water quality. Environmental engineers are conducting tests in key areas to determine when the water will be safe to drink again.

While there is concern about potential contamination from flame retardants and ash from burnt materials, experts are mainly focused on monitoring benzene and other harmful chemicals due to their carcinogenic properties. Boiling water does not eliminate these chemicals, so the authorities have rescinded the “boil water” advisory. The testing process for dangerous chemicals can take weeks or even months to complete.

In cases of low contamination levels, flushing water pipes may eliminate the hazard, but in severe cases, pipe replacements might be necessary. Contamination around destroyed buildings poses the highest risk in the water distribution system. It is crucial for authorities to thoroughly assess and address the contamination to ensure public safety.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Two protostars spotted by Hubble in the Orion Nebula

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows two protostars in the Orion Nebula, a diffuse nebula located about 1,350 light-years away in the constellation Orion.

This Hubble image shows two protostars, HOPS 150 and HOPS 153, within the famous Orion Nebula. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / T. Megeath.

The Orion Nebula is visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy speck surrounding the Hunter's Sword star Theta Orionis, below Orion's belt.

This nebula has been known as a star since the beginning of astronomical records, but it is so remarkable that it was first recognized as an expanded nebula in 1610, just one year after Galileo Galilei first used a telescope. It got attention.

Detailed descriptions of the Orion Nebula began to appear in the late 17th century, and it has been a popular target for anyone with a telescope ever since.

Also known as NGC 1976, Messier 42, M42, LBN 974, and Sharpless 281, this nebula is about 24 light-years long.

Only two million years old, this object is an ideal laboratory for studying young and nascent stars.

It offers a glimpse of what happened when the sun was born 4.6 billion years ago.

“The Orion Nebula is home to hundreds of newborn stars, including the protostars HOPS 150 and HOPS 153, the subject of this image,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.

“The names of these protostars come from the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey, conducted in collaboration with ESA's Herschel Space Observatory.”

“The object visible in the upper right corner of this image is HOPS 150. It is a binary star system, with two young protostars orbiting each other.”

“Each animal has a small dusty disk around it from which it gets its nutrition.”

“A dark line across the bright glow of these protostars is a cloud of gas and dust more than 2,000 times wider than the distance between Earth and the Sun that dips into the pair of protostars.”

“Based on the amount of infrared light emitted by HOPS 150 and the light at other wavelengths, we can see that the protostar is on its way to becoming a mature star.”

“Extending to the left of the image is a narrow, colorful outflow called a jet. This jet comes out of frame from the nearby protostar HOPS 153,” they said.

“HOPS 153 is a much younger object than its neighbors, still deeply embedded in its birth nebula and shrouded in a cold, dense cloud of gas.”

“Hubble can't penetrate this gas to see protostars, but the jets released by HOPS 153 appear bright as they plow into the gas and dust surrounding the Orion nebula.”

“The transition from a tightly wrapped protostar to a full-fledged star will have a dramatic impact on the surroundings of HOPS 153.”

“When gas falls into a protostar, its jets spew matter and energy into interstellar space, creating bubbles and heating the gas.”

“By stirring up and warming nearby gas, HOPS 153 may control the formation of new stars in its vicinity and even slow its own growth.”

Source: www.sci.news

Research: Elderberry juice high in anthocyanins may be an effective weight management aid

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Consuming elderberry juice daily for one week (12 ounces of juice daily) significantly increases the gut microbial community associated with health benefits, according to a new randomized, placebo-controlled study. Compared to placebo, elderberry juice significantly increased Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and decreased Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, elderberry juice increased. FaecalibacteriumRuminococcaceae , and Bifidobacterium Bacteroidetes and lactic acid-producing bacteria decreased.

Elderberry is a small dark purple fruit that grows on the elderberry tree, which is native to Europe. Image credit: TheOtherKev.

More than 70% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. The latest estimates indicate that 42% of adults suffer from obesity, and this is expected to increase to 48-55% by 2050.

Obesity has myriad and multifaceted causes. Proactive dietary management of obesity-related cardiometabolic complications includes dietary patterns that incorporate food sources rich in bioactive food components, such as the Mediterranean-style diet.

These dietary patterns include 5 to 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, which are rich sources of polyphenols that promote human health and longevity.

Anthocyanins are a diverse subclass of flavonoids that have been widely studied for health-promoting properties, including metabolic changes associated with obesity, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.

Furthermore, research results ranging from translational studies in rodents to large prospective cohort studies show that anthocyanin-rich berries have a protective effect against obesity-related morbidity and mortality. It's proven.

The mechanisms of action of anthocyanin benefits include preventing the intestinal absorption of monosaccharides, promoting cellular metabolism in adipose and muscle tissue, and modulating the gut microbiome.

“We have previously shown that consuming 600 g of blackberries per day for one week increases insulin sensitivity as evidenced by dietary challenge testing and decreases in respiratory quotient by 24-hour indirect calorimetry. “We demonstrated that fat oxidation also increases.” Dr. Patrick Solverson and colleagues at Washington State University.

“The aim of this human study was to determine whether the metabolic benefits observed with other anthocyanin-rich berries also apply to elderberry.”

Researchers tested elderberry's effects on metabolic health in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 18 overweight adults.

While maintaining a standardized diet, participants consumed either elderberry juice or a placebo with a similar color and flavor specifically designed by North Carolina State University's Food Innovation Lab.

Post-intervention clinical trials showed that participants who consumed elderberry juice had significantly increased amounts of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and decreased amounts of harmful bacteria, such as Bacteroidetes. It was shown that

In addition to positive changes in the microbiome, elderberry intervention improved metabolism.

The results showed that elderberry juice lowered participants' blood sugar levels by an average of 24%, significantly improving their ability to process sugar after ingesting carbohydrates. Results also showed that insulin levels were reduced by 9%.

Additionally, the results suggested that elderberry juice may increase the body's ability to burn fat.

Participants who consumed elderberry juice showed a significant increase in fat oxidation, or the breakdown of fatty acids, after a high-carbohydrate meal or during exercise.

“Food is medicine, and science is catching up to that conventional wisdom,” Dr. Solverson said.

“This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that elderberry, which has been used as a folk medicine for centuries, has many benefits for metabolic as well as prebiotic health. .”

“Other berries also contain anthocyanins, but usually in lower concentrations,” he added.

“To get the same amount of anthocyanins found in 6 ounces of elderberry juice, you would need to consume 4 cups of blackberries a day.”

of findings appear in the diary nutrients.

_____

Christy Teets others. 2024. A 1-week elderberry juice intervention enhances fecal microbiota and suggests improved glucose tolerance and fat oxidation in a randomized controlled trial. nutrients 16(20):3555;doi: 10.3390/nu16203555

Source: www.sci.news

LIGO hunts for gravitational waves produced by mountains on neutron stars

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

While the solar system’s moons such as Europa and Enceladus have thin crusts over deep oceans, Mercury has a thin crust over a large metallic core. Thin sheets are generally likely to wrinkle. Europa has linear features, Enceladus has “tiger stripes” and Mercury has foliated cliffs. Neutron stars may have similar characteristics. These neutron star mountains can generate detectable oscillations in space and time known as gravitational waves, according to a new study.

Artist’s impression of a neutron star. Image credit: Sci.News.

Neutron stars are a trillion times denser than lead, and their surface features are largely unknown.

Nuclear theorists investigated the mountain-building mechanisms active on the moons and planets of the solar system.

Some of these mechanisms suggest that neutron stars likely have mountains.

A mountain in a neutron star would be much more massive than any mountain on Earth. They are so huge that the gravitational pull from these mountains alone can generate gravitational waves.

of Laser interferometer Gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) is currently looking for these signals.

“These waves are so weak that they require highly detailed and sensitive techniques carefully tuned to the expected frequencies and other signal characteristics,” said nuclear astrophysicist Jorge Morales and professor Charles Horowitz at Indiana University. It can only be discovered through search.”

“The first detection of continuous gravitational waves opens a new window on the universe and will provide unique information about neutron stars, the densest objects after black holes.”

“These signals may also provide sensitive tests of fundamental laws of nature.”

The authors investigated the similarities between neutron star mountains and surface features of solar system objects.

“While both neutron stars and certain moons, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus, have a thin crust over a deep ocean, Mercury has a thin crust over a large metallic core. The thin sheet Wrinkles are universally possible,” they said.

“Europa has linear features, Enceladus has tiger-like stripes, and Mercury has curved, step-like structures.”

“Mountained neutron stars may have similar types of surface features that can be discovered by observing continuous gravitational wave signals.”

“Earth’s innermost core is anisotropic, and its shear modulus is direction-dependent.”

“If the material in the neutron star’s crust is also anisotropic, a mountain-like deformation will occur, and its height will increase as the star rotates faster.”

“Such surface features could explain the maximum spin observed in neutron stars and the minimum possible deformation of radio-emitting neutron stars known as millisecond pulsars.”

team’s paper Published in a magazine Physical Review D.

_____

JA Morales and CJ Horowitz. 2024. The anisotropic neutron star crust, the mountains of the solar system, and gravitational waves. Physics. Rev.D 110, 044016; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.110.044016

Source: www.sci.news

Newly discovered species of ankylosaurus verified in China

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A new genus and species of an ankylosaurid dinosaur has been discovered in China’s Kangdaliang Mountain (1,262 meters above sea level).

There are two Ankylosaurs. Image credit: Stuart Pond.

Tianzenosaurus Chengi roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period, between 84 and 72 million years ago.

This ancient species belonged to the ankylosaurus group of armored dinosaurs that inhabited the planet from the mid-Jurassic period to the late Cretaceous period.

These intriguing creatures were recognized for their robust armor made of bony plates known as osteoderms.

These plates covered their backs and sides, providing defense against predators.

One distinctive feature of many ankylosaurid species, including Tianzenosaurus Chengi, was a large bony club at the end of its tail, which could be used as a potent weapon against predators.

The fossilized remains of this new species were unearthed in the second layer of the Late Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation in Shanxi Province, China.

“The skull of the new species is flat and low, adorned with irregular bony plates on the roof, a rounded occipital bone slightly surpassing the skull’s roof, and a short, small, and flat bony projection at the back. These skull features differentiate it from Tianchisaurus from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, during the Middle Jurassic period, Shamosaurus from Mongolia in the early Cretaceous period, Ankylosaurus from the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous, and Euoplocephalus not only from North America but also from Pinacosaurus from the Late Cretaceous of China and Mongolia,” as stated by Dr. Qiqing Pang and colleagues from Hebei Geographical University.

Tianzenosaurus Chengi shares its discovery location with another known species of this genus, Tianzenosaurus Yongi.

“The identification of this new species not only offers rare ankylosaurian fossil findings from China but also provides valuable insights for the study of ankylosaurian taxonomy, migration, evolution, and the paleobiogeography of Cretaceous dinosaur fauna. This discovery holds significance,” remarked the paleontologists.

Their published paper can be found in the Hebei Geography University Journal.

_____

Pan Chi Ching et al. 2024. New species of an ankylosaurid dinosaur — Tianzenosaurus Chengi sp. nov., Late Cretaceous, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province, China. Hebei Geography University Journal 6; doi: 10.13937/j.cnki.hbdzdxxb.2024.06.006

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient tattoo designs on mummies revealed by shining laser

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The tattooed hand of a 1200 year old mummy from Peru

Michael Pittman and Thomas G. Kaye

Laser scanning of a South American mummy reveals the intricate details of a tattoo dating back more than 1,200 years.

The mummy, belonging to a pre-Hispanic tribe known as the Chancays, was discovered in 1981 at the Cerro Colorado cemetery in Peru’s Huaura Valley.

It was obvious to the naked eye that many of the 100 mummies were tattooed, but the ink smeared beyond the boundaries of the original design and faded, making it impossible to see what the original markings looked like. It was impossible.

In a new study, michael pitman Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong shined a laser on the specimens in a dark room and took long-exposure photographs. The laser brightened the skin and created a sharp contrast with the non-fluorescent tattoo ink.

This technique, which does not damage mummies, has never been used for tattoos before. Importantly, Pittman says, it shows not only where the ink is on the surface, but also where it is in the deeper layers of the skin.

“This allowed us to see the bleeding that had accumulated over the lifetime of the tattoo owner and reveal the original, finer design of the tattoo,” he says.

Researchers say the tattoo is so minute that it must have been created using a needle-and-ink technique using cactus needles or sharp animal bones, rather than a “cut-and-fill” method. That’s what I think.

Tattoos appear to have been important to the Chancay people, Pittman said, as they appear on the majority of known mummified human remains.

Forearm with Chancay mummy tattoo

Michael Pittman and Thomas G. Kaye

“Many of the designs, which are geometric patterns featuring triangles and diamonds, are also shared in other art mediums such as pottery and textiles, and some ceramic figures show geometric tattoo designs. Some are,” he says.

Some tattoos have intricate designs that seem to require special effort, while others are small and simple. “Thus, ancient Chancay tattoos show some similarities with the variations in design and significance that can be observed in tattoos today,” Pittman says.

Pittman says many traditional tattoos made by other ancient peoples can also be viewed in detail using laser-stimulated fluorescence technology. “We therefore plan to apply this method to other ancient tattoos from cultures around the world and try to make other interesting discoveries,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Meta permitted pornographic advertisements that breach content moderation standards

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Meta owns social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram

JRdes / Shutterstock

In 2024, Meta allowed more than 3,300 pornographic ads, many featuring AI-generated content, to run on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

The survey results are available below. report by AI forensics a European non-profit organization focused on researching technology platform algorithms. Researchers also found inconsistencies in Meta’s content moderation policies by reuploading many of the same explicit images as standard Instagram and Facebook posts. Unlike ads, these posts violated Meta’s terms and were quickly removed. community standards.

“I am disappointed and not surprised by this report, as my research has already revealed double standards in content moderation, particularly in the area of sexual content,” he said. carolina are At the Center for Digital Citizenship at Northumbria University, UK.

The AI Forensics report focuses on a small sample of ads targeting the European Union. As a result, the explicit meta-authorized ads primarily target middle-aged and older men promoting “shady sexual enhancement products” and “dating sites,” with a total reach of 8.2 million impressions. It turned out that it was exceeded.

This permissiveness reflects a widespread double standard in content moderation, Allais said. She says tech platforms often block content by “women, femme presentations, and LGBTQIA+ users.” That double standard extends to the sexual health of men and women. “Examples include lingerie and period-related advertising. [removed] Ads from Meta are approved, but ads for Viagra are approved,” she says.

In addition to discovering AI-generated images within ads, the AI Forensics team also discovered audio deepfakes. For example, some ads for sex-enhancing drugs featured the digitally manipulated voice of actor Vincent Cassel superimposed over pornographic visuals.

“Meta prohibits the display of nudity or sexual activity in ads or organic posts on our platform, and we remove violating content shared with us,” a Meta spokesperson said. “Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to evade law enforcement, which is why we continue to invest in the best tools and technology to identify and remove violating content.”

The report comes at the same time that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced he would be eliminating the fact-checking team in favor of crowd-sourced community notes.

“If you really want to sound dystopian, which I think there’s reason to do so at this point given Zuckerberg’s latest decision to eliminate fact checkers, Meta You could even say that they’re quickly stripping agencies of their users by taking money from questionable ads,” Allais said.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New research indicates that Jupiter’s clouds are made up of ammonium bisulfide

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers have long believed that Jupiter’s upper clouds, which form the planet’s iconic light brown bands, are made of frozen ammonia. But new research shows that these clouds are actually lower in the atmosphere than we thought, and are made of ammonium bisulfide mixed with smog.

Hubble’s photos of Jupiter show an ever-changing landscape due to its turbulent atmosphere. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Amy Simon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Michael H. Wong, University of California, Berkeley / Joseph DePasquale, STScI.

Citizen scientist Steve Hill has previously shown that it is possible to map a planet’s atmosphere using just a special colored filter and a backyard telescope.

These results provided the first clue that the clouds are too deep in Jupiter’s warm atmosphere to match clouds made of ammonia ice.

To find out, Hill and a team of professional astronomers from the University of Oxford, the University of Leicester and the British Astronomical Society used the MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to study the atmospheres of gas giant planets. did.

“MUSE will be able to scan Jupiter’s atmosphere at different wavelengths and map the different molecules that make up Jupiter’s atmosphere,” they said.

Their study shows that a new approach using backyard telescopes or VLT/MUSE can map the abundance of ammonia in Jupiter’s atmosphere with remarkable precision.

In terms of clouds, they concluded that Jupiter’s atmosphere closely resembles a layered cake.

Ammonium hydrosulfide clouds cover the upper levels, and in some cases decorations of ammonia ice clouds carried to the top by strong vertical convection can be seen.

However, the overall structure of the cake is still not completely understood, and the work of citizen scientists may be the key to figuring it out.

So the next time you gaze at Jupiter or Saturn from your backyard, you just might be uncovering some hidden secrets in our solar system.

“We tested the reliability of the filter imaging technique by applying it to VLT/MUSE observations of Jupiter and found that the method closely matches more sophisticated analyzes of these observations and is also consistent with observations of Jupiter. “We have shown that the microwave wavelengths studied by NASA’s Juno spacecraft and the Super Large Array yield surprisingly reliable results,” the astronomers said.

“We show that the predominant reflection level at red wavelengths is at the 2-3 bar level, which is much lower than the expected ammonia ice cloud condensation level of 0.7 bar, and the ammonia We conclude that ice cannot be the main cloud component.”

“We also showed that the same technique can be applied to MUSE observations of Saturn, where extracted ammonia maps were measured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope at pressures greater than 2 We found a very good agreement with the ammonia abundance.

of findings will appear in Geophysical Research Journal: Planets.

_____

Source: www.sci.news

Understanding the containment of the Los Angeles fires

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area are still causing havoc, with firefighters facing strong winds in their efforts to control the blazes.

But what exactly does it mean to “contain” a wildfire?

Simply extinguishing the fire does not mean it is completely out. Containment refers to the establishment of a perimeter around an active fire to prevent it from spreading and consuming more land.

Firefighters work to suppress wildfires by creating natural barriers like roads, highways, rivers, and waterways to surround the flames and prevent them from spreading. They also construct containment lines by digging trenches and clearing vegetation around the fire.

The level of containment is expressed as a percentage, reflecting how well the fire has been contained, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

Watch the live broadcast here

The largest fire in the Los Angeles area, the Palisades Fire, has burned over 23,000 acres and is 14% contained as of Monday. The Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena is 33% contained, while the Hearst Fire in Sylmar is 95% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Containment is a crucial measure of progress in firefighting efforts, but it can change as the fire develops and environmental conditions fluctuate.

In Southern California, strong Santa Ana winds are expected to pose a significant fire risk in Los Angeles and Ventura counties over the next few days. Dry, windy conditions can fuel existing fires and accelerate new ones.

Even after a fire is extinguished, it may continue to burn for some time. The primary goal is to prevent the fire from crossing the containment line.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Ancient forests hidden beneath the Rocky Mountains emerge as ice melts.

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

exposed white bark pine

Gregory Pederson

Melting ice in the Rocky Mountains has led to the discovery of a 5,900-year-old white bark pine forest. Scientists discovered more than 30 trees during an archaeological survey on Wyoming's Beartooth Plateau at about 3,100 meters above sea level, 180 meters above the current tree line.

This, he says, “allows us to learn about past conditions at high altitudes.'' Kathy Whitlock at Montana State University. Japanese white pine (Albicari pine) These plants needed to grow during warmer weather, she says, because they don't currently grow at this elevation.

To understand the history of the lost forests, Whitlock's team analyzed tree rings and used carbon dating to find out how old the forests were. They discovered that the tree lived between 5,950 and 5,440 years ago, a time when temperatures were steadily dropping.

Data from ice cores in places like Antarctica and Greenland suggest that these temperature drops were influenced by centuries of volcanic eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere. These produced enough aerial deposits to block sunlight and lower global temperatures until the environment became too cold for these high-altitude trees to survive.

Although the newly discovered tree was lying flat, it was in exceptional condition, indicating that it was rapidly preserved after death. Although there is no evidence of avalanche cover, there are traces consistent with the current expansion of the ice sheet.

Climate models suggest that more continuous volcanic eruptions occurred in Iceland 5,100 years ago, causing further temperature drops, team members say Joe McConnell at the Desert Research Institute in Nevada. These temperature drops led to the expansion of the ice belt, and “the fallen trees were buried in the ice and protected from the elements for the next 5,000 years,” he says.

Only in recent decades have temperatures warmed enough to free trees from their ice cellars. The current tree line is “likely to shift upward as temperatures rise in the coming decades,” Whitlock said.

“This discovery was made possible thanks to anthropogenic climate change. Rising temperatures are exposing areas that have been buried under ice for thousands of years,” she says. “While discoveries like this are scientifically interesting, they are also a sad reminder of how vulnerable alpine ecosystems are to climate change.”

“This study is a very elegant and careful use of a rare 'time capsule' that tells us not only about these mountain forests 6,000 years ago, but also about the climatic conditions that allowed them to exist.” '' he says. Kevin Antukaitis at the University of Arizona.

These trees are not the first such finds that researchers have unearthed from Rocky Mountain ice. Previous research had found “fragments of wooden shafts used for arrows and darts,” Whitlock said. One of the shafts has been radiocarbon dated to be more than 10,000 years old, “which tells us that people have been hunting in high-altitude environments for thousands of years,” she says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Fungal Networks Enhance Robotics Through Scientist’s Innovations

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In today’s society, there is a growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics due to their potential to enhance workflow, communication, and technical capabilities. However, researchers are faced with the challenge of adapting robots quickly to external stimuli for more fluid movement in their environments. To achieve this, scientists are exploring the intricate systems of brain cells that communicate through neural networks.

A team of researchers from Cornell University aimed to address limitations in robotics that computer programs have struggled with, such as short lifespan, intensive maintenance, and low responsiveness to environmental changes. They investigated the potential of improving biohybrid neural networks using living materials combined with synthetic materials to enable faster reactions to unpredictable situations and problem-solving in robots.

Previous studies have utilized neural networks based on animal and plant cells to enhance robot movement and environmental responsiveness. However, maintaining these cells in artificial environments can be challenging and requires extensive care. The researchers in this study focused on using a more robust non-animal system based on fungi, which transmit information through electrical signals similar to animals.

Fungi create mycelial networks to transport nutrients, detect signals, and respond to environmental cues, making them resilient and less susceptible to contamination compared to animal cells. The researchers built two robots—one with independent arm movements and the other with forward-backward motion—and integrated the Eryngium mushroom fungus into their control boards to observe natural electrical signals and responses to stimuli.

By growing the fungi on the robot’s control interface and analyzing the bioelectrical signals, the researchers discovered that the network effectively controlled the robot’s functions. They also observed the fungus’s response to different light stimuli, leading to the conclusion that fungal biohybridization could revolutionize robotics with its adaptability and sensory capabilities.

The researchers conducted experiments to test the robot’s reaction to ultraviolet light, showcasing the fungus’s ability to control the robot’s movements solely through natural electrical signals. They proposed that fungal biohybridization offers a promising avenue for advancing robotics by leveraging fungi’s resilience and sensory capabilities for improved adaptability and reliability.

Post views: 113

Source: sciworthy.com

The Surprising Truth: Black Holes as Secret Time Machines

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

In Einstein’s theory of gravity, mass distorts space-time, creating an effect known as gravitational time dilation. This means that observers with different gravitational potentials measure elapsed time differently. Therefore, when you are close to a black hole, time slows down compared to time that is far away from the black hole.

Observers far away from the black hole say that for objects that fall into it, time stops at the so-called “event horizon” (the edge of the black hole, the point of no return).

Nothing appears to cross the event horizon. However, an observer who falls into a black hole does not experience time stopping at the event horizon. They will see time passing normally, but far away from the black hole they will see time speeding up. The closer you get to the event horizon, the faster time appears to move farther away from the black hole.

https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2025/01/GettyImages-1485451803.mp4

This is the first direct image of a black hole shooting a powerful jet into space, taken in April 2023.

Gravitational time dilation can actually be measured. In 1976, NASA launched an atomic clock into space to measure the passage of time at an altitude of 10,000 km (6,214 miles) compared to the Earth’s surface. The results of this measurement matched exactly what was expected from Einstein’s theory.

At sea level, time moves a billionth of a second slower per year than at the top of Mount Everest.

This article answers the question (asked by Sean Roberts via email): “What happens to time at the event horizon of a black hole?”

If you have any questions, please email us at: questions@sciencefocus.comor send us a message facebook, ×or Instagram Page (remember to include your name and location).

Check out our ultimate fun facts More amazing science pages.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Invasion of a Giant Snowman: How a 122-Foot-Tall Figure Dominated a Small American Town

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Who holds the record for the world’s tallest snowman? Surprisingly, it’s a snow woman. Back in 2008, the residents of Bethel, Maine, USA built Olympia the Snow Woman, standing at an impressive height of 37.21 meters (just over 122 feet).

Science played a crucial role in creating this monumental snowman. The right type of snow is essential for such a feat. Snow that accumulates in temperatures between 0 to 2 °C (32 to 35 °F) is ideal. This temperature range allows free water to act as glue between the ice crystals, helping maintain the snowman’s shape. Snow with a moisture content of 3-8% is perfect, while anything over 15% leads to slushiness.

But why bother building a snowman if it’s just going to melt? The first known depiction of a snowman dates back to a Dutch prayer book from 1380. Unlike the cheery snowmen we’re familiar with like Frosty and Olaf, this medieval illustration shows a snowman being melted by fire, conveying a different message.

A snowman from the medieval book The Book of Hours – Photo courtesy of Wikicommons

Historian Robert Eckstein notes that snow was a form of artistic expression for people. Building snowmen was a source of entertainment and a way to creatively express oneself, much like selfies are today. People could create their own snow sculptures for fun or display. Even the renowned Michelangelo was once asked to construct a giant snowman for a clown in 1494.

Building snowmen also served as a unique method for people to express their opinions on political matters. In 1511, residents of Brussels crafted over 200 snowy scenes, many of which were satirical representations of politicians and public figures. Snow became a medium for sharing messages.

This article answers a question from Teresa Thomas: “What is the largest snowman ever built?”

To submit your queries, email questions@sciencefocus.com or message us on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (don’t forget to include your name and location).

For more fascinating scientific facts, visit our Ultimate Fun Facts page.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

I am a neuroscientist exploring how gambling impacts the brain

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a text created by the World Health Organization that summarizes all medical problems recognized by the organization.

When it comes to the latest version, ICD-11was created and added the category of addictive behaviors to the section on addictive disorders. It is now medically accepted that people can become addicted not only to substances but also to certain activities. The most important of these behaviors is gambling.

Gambling addiction is definitely real and a big problem. therefore, UK government introduces measures Hopefully, we can curb or at least reduce that harm.

But why do people become addicted to gambling? And why is it often so difficult to treat compared to more “typical” substance-based addictions?

The “method” is relatively simple. The main attraction of gambling is essentially the ability to win large amounts of money with little effort.

When making decisions, humans brain You are constantly weighing effort against potential reward. When something leans heavily toward the latter (for example, paying a small amount of money and receiving a large amount in return), we tend to really approve of it.

Up to 4 percent of people in the United States may have a gambling problem – Photo credit: Getty

There's also the fact that the human brain is complex enough to recognize money as important in a biological sense, even though it's a technically abstract concept. Our brains also prioritize novelty and unpredictability.

All of this together means that gambling can and does affect the brain's reward system in the same way as certain drugs and substances. Addiction develops and all the subsequent effects are felt on the individual.

Of course, this does not happen to everyone who gambles. There are many people who don't gamble at all. Many people instinctively dislike risk and loss, but these are unavoidable aspects of gambling. However, some people are not as sensitive and are more willing to accept gambling as a form of entertainment.

But while the similarities in the brain's responses to gambling and drugs may explain why gambling is often addictive, it is the combination of both that can make gambling addiction particularly difficult to treat. That's the difference.

Gambling addiction lacks a biological substance, making it easier to overlook and hide. As a result, some evidence suggests that 90% of gambling problems go unreported and untreated.

Also, the absence of specific substances that support gambling addiction means that there is nothing to “take away”, so to speak. Even in cases of long-term chronic drug addiction, there is an option to remove the drug (going “cold turkey”) and allow people's brains and bodies to adapt to the absence of the drug. Indeed, this is often a very unpleasant and even dangerous option. But it's still an option.

This is not the case with gambling. It is an action, not a substance. As long as someone has money and autonomy, it is very difficult to deny them access to gambling. Even if you could, it still might not make any difference because of your gambling experience.

The nature of gambling means that it is not experienced as a direct “stimulus = reward'' process of the kind that applies to drug taking and that underlies the basic learning processes of classical conditioning (which is why addiction is established in the first place). key aspects of the system). .

Such a relatively simple process is also easy to unlearn. When a stimulus stops producing a reward, the association “dies” in the brain. When you do this to the source of your addiction, the addiction loses its power over you. The human brain is so complex that this will be quite difficult to achieve, but at least we can try.

According to the Journal of Gambling Studies, men are twice as likely to be frequent gamblers than women – Photo courtesy of Getty

However, think about this. If an alcoholic found out that only one random drink out of 20 had alcohol in it and the others made him feel nauseous, it would probably be much easier to kick the habit. Dew. But that doesn't work with gambling. Because that's how you experience gambling.

Gambling rewards occur through a variable schedule of reinforcement. You never know when you will win, and losing is inevitable. But as long as you win often enough, keep doing it. And then an addiction to that behavior develops.

Knowing the negative consequences of gambling is already part of the process. It's like trying to treat an alcoholic by making him pay for his own drinks. They always already are.

These are just some of the reasons why gambling addiction is a difficult problem to address medically. This means it is essential to work towards reducing exposure to gambling and the development of addiction in the first place. We have to even the odds somehow.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Astronomers Find the Farthest Blazar Ever Detected

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers have discovered a blazar — a quasar with a jet aligned along our line of sight — at redshift of 7. Named VLASS J041009.05-013919.88, this object is the most distant blazar ever identified, providing a rare glimpse into the epoch of reionization when the Universe was less than 800 million years old.

An artist's impression of a blazar. Image credit: DESY / Science Communication Lab.

VLASS J041009.05-013919.88 (J0410-0139 for short) is powered by a black hole with a mass of 700 million solar masses.

Multi-wavelength observations show that its radio variability, compact structure, and X-ray properties identify it as a blazar with a jet aligned toward Earth.

The discovery of J0410-0139 implies the existence of a much larger population of similar jetted sources in the early Universe.

These jets likely enhance black hole growth and significantly affect their host galaxies.

“The fact that J0410–0139 is a blazar, a jet that by chance happens to point directly towards Earth, has immediate statistical implications,” said Dr. Eduardo Bañados, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.

“As a real-life analogy, imagine that you read about someone who has won $100 million in a lottery.”

“Given how rare such a win is, you can immediately deduce that there must have been many more people who participated in that lottery but have not won such an exorbitant amount.”

“Similarly, finding one active galactic nucleus with a jet pointing directly towards us implies that at that time, there must have been many active galactic nuclei in that period of cosmic history with jets that do not point at us.”

“Where there is one, there's one hundred more,” said Dr. Silvia Belladitta, also from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.

Observations with instruments such as NSF's Very Large Array, NSF's Very Long Baseline Array, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) indicate that J0410-0139 exhibits radio emission amplified by relativistic beaming, a hallmark of blazers.

Its spectrum also confirms stable accretion and emission regions typical of active black holes.

This discovery raises questions about how supermassive black holes grow so rapidly in the Universe's infancy.

Models may need to account for jet-enhanced accretion or obscured, super-Eddington growth to reconcile this finding with the known black hole population at such high redshifts.

“This blazar offers a unique laboratory to study the interplay between jets, black holes, and their environments during one of the Universe's most transformative epochs,” said Dr. Emmanuel Momjian, an astronomer at NSF's National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

“The alignment of J0410-0139's jet with our line of sight allows astronomers to peer directly into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse.”

“The existence of J0410-0139 at such an early time suggests that current radio surveys might uncover additional jetted quasars from the same era.”

“Understanding these objects will illuminate the role of jets in shaping galaxies and growing supermassive black holes in the early Universe.”

The results appear in two papers (paper #1 and paper #2) in the journal Nature Astronomy and the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

_____

E. Bañados et al. A blazar in the epoch of reionization. Nat Astronpublished online December 17, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02431-4

Eduardo Bañados et al.2025. [C ii] Properties and Far-infrared Variability of az = 7 Blazar. ApJL 977, L46; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad823b

Source: www.sci.news

UK experiences emergence of Glyphosate-resistant weeds for the first time

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Italian ryegrass is a common weed in agricultural crops.

John Cousins

Weeds resistant to the herbicide glyphosate have been discovered for the first time in the UK. The species in question is called Italian ryegrass and is very widespread in the UK, although chemical-free specimens have only been found on one farm in Kent.

Glyphosate says it's helping farmers adopt more environmentally friendly farming practices known as regenerative agriculture John Cousins a weed management expert at consulting firm ADAS. His team confirmed that the plants were resistant in greenhouse tests.

“It could impact the ability to transition agricultural systems,” Cousins said. “Herbicide resistance to glyphosate is a real issue of great importance to farms.”

In the UK, farmers primarily use glyphosate to remove all vegetation in a field before planting. This helps avoid tillage, which compromises soil health, increases erosion and reduces carbon storage.

Minimizing soil disturbance is one of the key efforts of regenerative agriculture, along with crop rotation and ground cover maintenance.

“Glyphosate is relatively environmentally friendly compared to other pesticides,” he says. Helen Metcalf At Rothamsted Research Institute, Harpenden, UK. “It has very little bioaccumulation and low toxicity. It also supports regenerative practices such as minimal tillage, which is very good for soil health. There may be benefits.”

He says weeds are a big problem for farmers. paul nave at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. “We lose more crop yields to weeds than to pests and pathogens.”

Around the world, Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) Glyphosate resistance is evolving and it is occurring independently in hundreds of different locations. Such weeds are a major problem for many farmers in the United States and Argentina, where crops developed to be immune to glyphosate have been grown on a large scale for years.

“But the fact is, this hasn't become a big problem, considering the first incident was 30 years ago,” Neve said.

Nave said resistant weeds are a big problem on individual farms, but they spread more slowly than insects that are resistant to pesticides, for example. Precautions such as cleaning farm equipment and removing seeds can slow the spread.

Farmers also need to employ a variety of weed control measures rather than relying solely on glyphosate, Metcalf says. “We found that if farmers focused on weed control and implemented all the alternatives to glyphosate, profits could start to recover after five to 10 years,” she says.

Cousins' team increased its surveillance in the UK in 2018, testing more than 300 samples of Italian ryegrass. He believes the resistant plants on the Kent farm were almost certainly evolved there, rather than being brought in from elsewhere.

He also said the fact that resistance appears to have taken longer to develop in the UK than in other countries means that British farmers have not genetically modified or conventionally bred crops to be resistant to glyphosate. They also think that this may be because they are not growing crops that are not cultivated. In such crops, glyphosate can be applied to control weeds before planting as well as during crop growth.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Earth becomes visible to the naked eye, shining as bright as Venus

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) captured on December 31, 2024 using the telescope at Rio Hurtado, Chile

lionel magic

A comet that has surprised astronomers could shine as brightly as Venus in the night sky as it passes Earth in the coming days.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was discovered by NASA’s Asteroid Earth Impact Last Alert System more than 600 million kilometers from Earth in April last year. Astronomers initially thought that the comet would not be able to survive in an orbit so close to the Sun, but subsequent observations showed that the comet was following a different path that would allow it to survive, possibly reaching Earth. It has been suggested that it may even be possible to remain unharmed until the approach of

This new orbit, which takes 160,000 years to complete, will mean the comet will snake its way through the solar system, making it visible to stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere. But for the last part of its journey around the sun, people in the northern hemisphere should also be mostly visible through binoculars.

Observations since the new orbit was proposed have shown the comet to be brighter than expected, which could mean it is breaking up as it approaches the sun. However, the latest observations show that the brightness persists and even increases, which would not be the case if the comet disintegrated.

If C/2024 G3 survives, it could appear very bright in the night sky, with some astronomers predicting its brightness could rival that of Venus, making it one of the brightest comets in decades. I’m doing it.

However, the comet’s exact brightness is unknown. It may be far enough away that it reflects the sunlight and is clearly visible, or it may be washed away by the sunlight and become invisible.

Astronomers have also suggested a phenomenon called forward scatter, where dust from the comet makes it appear brighter than normal, but meteorologist Joe Rao said that’s unlikely. space dot com.

If a comet shines brightly, it will probably reach its maximum level around the time of its closest approach to the Sun. The Central Astronomical Telegraph Office, which aggregates observations from astronomers around the world, predicts that this will occur on January 13 at 10:17 a.m. GMT, with the comet’s closest approach to Earth occurring several hours later. are.

This equates to an approximately three-day viewing period from January 12 to 14 for people in the Northern Hemisphere hoping to catch a glimpse of the comet if it’s bright enough. For people in areas such as the United States and Europe, the best time to see the comet is about 30 minutes before sunrise on January 12, when it should be visible through binoculars about 5 degrees from the sun or directly above the horizon. You should get a second chance around 30 minutes after sunset on January 14th.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

2024 to surpass global warming benchmarks as hottest year on record

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Scientists announced on Friday that the world has experienced the first full year with global temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Agency (C3S) confirmed this milestone, attributing it to climate change causing global temperatures to rise to unprecedented levels for modern humans.

C3S director Carlo Buontempo described the trajectory as remarkable, with every month in 2024 being either the warmest or second warmest on record.

The average global temperature in 2024, according to C3S, is projected to be 1.6 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the pre-industrial period from 1850-1900, prior to significant CO2-emitting fossil fuel usage.

Last year marked the hottest year on record, and the past decade has consistently ranked among the warmest.

While the Met Office anticipates average temperatures in 2024 surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius, they estimate a slightly lower average of 1.53 degrees Celsius (34.75 degrees Fahrenheit). US climate data for 2024 is also set to be released on Friday.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments have committed to preventing average temperatures from surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid severe climate disasters.

Despite reaching the first year above 1.5°C, C3S believes there is still an opportunity to alter this trajectory and work towards meeting the Paris Agreement goals to curb rising emissions.

In 2024, a woman pours water drop by drop into a bucket after drawing water from a well in a village in Zimbabwe.
Jekesai Nikizana/AFP – Getty Images File

The impacts of climate change are being felt across all continents, affecting populations from wealthy to impoverished nations.

Wildfires in California, devastating fires in Bolivia and Venezuela, heavy rains in Nepal, Sudan, and Spain, and fatal heatwaves in Mexico and Saudi Arabia were all experienced in 2024.

Climate change is intensifying storms and heavy rains due to increased atmospheric heat retention and moisture levels, with water vapor reaching record highs in 2024.

Despite escalating costs from these disasters, some countries are weakening in their commitment to emission control measures.

Incoming US President Donald Trump has dismissed scientific consensus on man-made climate change and its hazardous consequences, despite the country experiencing numerous billion-dollar climate disasters in 2024.

Flooded roads in New Port Richey as Florida looks to recover from Hurricane Milton in October 2024.
Spencer Pratt/Getty Images

Chukwumerije Okereke, a global climate governance professor, emphasizes that the 1.5 degree temperature surpass should serve as a wakeup call for key political figures to take action.

Despite ongoing warnings from scientists, many countries are failing to meet their responsibilities, Okereke added.

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere hit a record high of 422 ppm in 2024, according to C3S.

Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist, anticipates that 2025 will be among the hottest on record, but unlikely to top the rankings.

As anthropogenic emissions remain a primary driver of climate warming, the transition from El Niño to cooler La Niña conditions is expected to moderate temperatures moving forward.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Research: Teeth of saber-tooth predators proved to be extremely efficient in piercing their prey.

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Saber-toothed tiger predators — such as the famous saber-toothed tiger Smilodon Fatalis — evolved multiple times between different mammalian groups. Their unusual teeth were functionally optimal and highly effective at stabbing prey, a new study led by researchers has found. University of Bristol Paleontologist.

Graphics illustrating optimal functionality repeat the evolution of the extreme sabertooth shape. Image credit: Talia Pollock.

Dr Talia Pollock from the University of Bristol said: “Our research helps us to better understand how extreme adaptations evolve, not just in saber-toothed predators, but throughout nature.” Ta.

“By combining biomechanics and evolutionary theory, we can reveal how natural selection shapes animals to perform specific tasks.”

Dr. Pollock and his colleagues used 3D-printed steel tooth replicas in a series of occlusal experiments and advanced computer simulations to analyze the shape and performance of teeth in 95 different carnivorous mammal species, including 25 saber-toothed species. .

They discovered that the long, sharp, blade-like teeth gave the sabertooth a real advantage as a specialized weapon for capturing prey.

This discovery helps explain why saber teeth have evolved so many times, at least five times independently in mammals, and also explains the possible eventual demise of saber teeth. There are also things.

Their increased specialization may have acted as an evolutionary ratchet, making them highly effective hunters, but would put them at greater risk of extinction as ecosystems change and prey becomes scarce.

Another important finding challenges the conventional idea that saber-toothed predators fall into two categories: dark-toothed and scimitar-toothed.

Instead, researchers found a variety of saber-tooth shapes ranging from long, curved teeth. barborofelis fricky For straighter and stronger teeth Dinofelis Barlowi.

This adds to a growing body of research suggesting that the hunting strategies of these predators are more diverse than previously thought.

The research team now plans to expand their analysis to all tooth types and uncover the biomechanical tradeoffs that have shaped the evolution of diverse tooth structures across the animal kingdom.

Professor Alistair Evans from Monash University said: “This discovery not only deepens our understanding of saber-toothed predators, but also has far-reaching implications for evolutionary biology and biomechanics.”

“Insights from this study could also help inform bio-inspired designs in engineering.”

The result is today journal current biology.

_____

Talia Pollock others. 2025. Functional optimality underpins the repeated evolution of extreme “sword-tooth” morphology. current biologyin press.

Source: www.sci.news

Confirmed: Global Warming to Exceed 1.5℃ Limit in 2024

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The sun sets on a hot day in London in July 2024.

Guy Corbishley/Alamy

Hopes for keeping global warming below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels have all but disappeared after new data confirms that 2024 will be the first calendar year in which average temperatures exceeded that threshold.

Last year was the hottest year in human history, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is expected to issue its latest stark warning later today that humans are pushing the Earth’s climate into uncharted territory.

Officials are also expected to confirm that this year’s average global temperature exceeded pre-industrial standards by 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time, breaking the threshold set by the Paris Agreement.

The WMO assessment is calculated using global average temperatures across six datasets and uses the period 1850-1900 to provide a pre-industrial baseline. Temperature datasets collected by different agencies and agencies around the world vary slightly, mainly due to differences in how ocean temperatures are measured and analyzed over the decades. Some of these datasets fall just below the 1.5°C mark. new scientist I understand, but others are much better.

The Met Office predicts average temperatures in 2024 to be 1.53°C above pre-industrial levels, with a margin of error of 0.08°C. This is 0.07°C higher than the previous warmest year on record, in 2023. Meanwhile, according to the European Union’s climate change service Copernicus, temperatures in 2024 will be 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than before the industrial revolution and 0.12 degrees Celsius higher than the record set in 2023.

Scientists agree that the main causes of rising temperatures are continued human-induced climate change and El Niño patterns, which tend to push up global temperatures. But the scale and persistence of the heat has shocked many experts, who had predicted that temperatures would drop once El Niño ended in May 2024. Instead, Temperatures remained at record levels throughout the remainder of the year.

The world’s oceans are the most affected, with sea surface temperatures remaining at record levels through most of 2024, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. The year also saw no shortage of extreme weather events on the ground, including intense heatwaves, plummeting polar ice, deadly floods, and out-of-control wildfires. “This year was a year in which the effects of climate change were felt across the planet,” he says. david kingformer Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and founder of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group.

Technically, the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to below 1.5°C is calculated using a 20-year average, so even just one year above the threshold does not constitute a formal violation of the goal. It is not meant to be shown. But given the pace of warming in recent years, many scientists say the long-term Paris goal is no longer achievable.

At the press conference on January 9th, Samantha Burgess Professor Copernicus told reporters that it would probably be impossible to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. “There is an extremely high possibility that the long-term average temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius and the upper limit of the Paris Agreement,” he said.

duochan from the University of Southampton in the UK is helping develop a new global dataset, DCENT, which he says uses cutting-edge technology to provide a more accurate historical picture of warming levels. It is said that a baseline is being generated. Although not included in WMO’s calculations, this new data set suggests global average temperatures in 2024 were 1.66°C above pre-industrial levels, he said.

As a result, Chan also believes that the 1.5°C target is probably no longer achievable. “We need to prepare for the broader future, and 1.5°C is not the only target we need to aim for,” he says. But he stressed that this is also an important time to be even more ambitious in reducing emissions. “It’s too early to give up,” he says.

The outlook for 2025 remains uncertain. There are early signs that global sea surface temperatures are finally starting to fall to expected levels. “This is a good sign that at least heat is dissipating from the ocean surface,” Burgess said. Meanwhile, after months of anticipation, La Niña phenomenon finally occurs near the Pacific equatorThis should reduce global temperatures until 2025.

But Chan cautions that if temperatures follow the pattern of past El Niño events, the world could have experienced a gradual change in warming. “Every time we have a major El Niño event… we are basically taking global warming to a new level,” he said, adding that 2024 could be the first time in years that average temperatures exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius. It suggests that there is.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists develop ultra-thin niobium phosphide conductors for use in nanoelectronics

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Niobium phosphide conducts electricity better than copper in films a few atoms thick. What's more, these films can be created and deposited at low enough temperatures to be compatible with modern computer chip manufacturing, according to a team of scientists led by Stanford University.

Amorphous niobium phosphide films a few atoms thick have better surface conductivity, making the entire material a better conductor. Image credit: Il-Kwon Oh / Asir Khan.

“We are breaking the fundamental bottlenecks of traditional materials like copper,” said Dr. Aseel Intisar Khan of Stanford University.

“We show that our niobium phosphide conductor can transmit signals faster and more efficiently through ultra-thin wires.”

“This could make future chips more energy efficient, and even small gains can add up when large numbers of chips are used, such as in large data centers storing and processing today's information. There is a possibility.”

Niobium phosphide is what researchers call a topological metalloid, meaning that the entire material can conduct electricity, but its outer surface is more conductive than the center.

As a film of niobium phosphide becomes thinner, the central region shrinks, but its surface remains the same, allowing the surface to take a greater share in the flow of electricity, making the entire material a better conductor. .

Traditional metals such as copper, on the other hand, become less conductive when thinned below about 50 nm.

The researchers found that niobium phosphide is a better conductor than copper at film thicknesses of 5 nm or less, even when operating at room temperature.

At this size, copper wire has a hard time handling rapid electrical signals and loses more energy to heat.

“Really high-density electronics requires very thin metal connections, and if those metals don't conduct well, you're going to lose a lot of power and energy,” said Eric Popp, a professor at Stanford University. said.

“If we had better materials, we could spend less energy on thin wires and more energy on actual calculations.”

Many researchers have been working to find better conductors for nanoscale electronics, but so far the best candidates have very precise crystal structures, which can be used at very high temperatures. must be formed with.

The niobium phosphide film the researchers created is the first example of an amorphous material that becomes a better conductor as it becomes thinner.

“It has been thought that if you want to take advantage of these topological surfaces, you need good single-crystal films that are very difficult to deposit,” said Akash Ramdas, a doctoral student at Stanford University. .

“Now we have another class of materials, topological metalloids, that could serve as a way to reduce energy usage in electronics.”

Niobium phosphide films do not need to be single crystal, so they can be made at low temperatures.

The scientists deposited the film at 400 degrees Celsius (752 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is low enough to avoid damage or destruction to existing silicon computer chips.

“If you have to make a perfect crystalline wire, that doesn't work in nanoelectronics,” says Yuri Suzuki, a professor at Stanford University.

“But if you can make them amorphous or slightly disordered and still give them the properties you need, that opens the door to potential real-world applications.”

The authors are also working on fabricating the niobium phosphide film into thin wires for additional testing.

They want to determine how reliable and effective the material is in real-world applications.

“We've taken some really cool physics and transplanted it into the world of applied electronics,” Professor Popp said.

“This type of breakthrough in amorphous materials could help address power and energy challenges in current and future electronics.”

of work Published in a magazine science.

_____

Asil Intisar Khan others. 2025. Surface conduction and electrical resistivity reduction in ultrathin amorphous NbP semimetals. science 387 (6729): 62-67;doi: 10.1126/science.adq7096

This article is a version of a press release provided by Stanford University.

Source: www.sci.news

Innovative Approach to Assisting Parkinson’s Patients with Walking

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that makes it difficult for people to regulate their voluntary movements. Parkinson's disease affects about 500,000 Americans and causes symptoms such as stiffness, slowness of movement, and a hunched back. For this reason, the way the patient walks; How to walkis one of the main ways doctors determine the quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients. Doctors have developed a variety of treatments for Parkinson's disease, but few have been able to help patients walk.

Scientists have discovered that walking problems in Parkinson's disease patients are related to brain overactivity. This hyperactivity is caused by brain wave patterns. beta bandIt is located in a specific area of the brain that regulates movement, known as the . subthalamic nucleusor STN. Researchers have developed treatments that modulate STN activity, but it is not known whether changing the associated brain wave patterns can help patients walk more easily.

Previous researchers have shown that electrical stimulation of a patient's skin in different areas can stimulate nerves that regulate muscle tone and other bodily functions. vagus nerve. Scientists in Italy and the United Kingdom recently discovered that a form of electrical stimulation Transauricular vagus nerve stimulation taVNS may help people with Parkinson's disease walk.

To perform taVNS, researchers placed electrodes in the outer ears of Parkinson's disease patients to stimulate the vagus nerve. Scientists had two main questions. Does taVNS reduce STN beta-band wave activity, and does this reduction in activity allow Parkinson's disease patients to walk more easily?

Researchers enrolled 10 people with Parkinson's disease in the study. Each patient was treated with a different type of electrical stimulation to the STN. They asked participants to stop taking traditional Parkinson's medications the night before the taVNS test and turned off electrical stimulation an hour before the test.

During the taVNS test, scientists applied two types of stimulation to each patient. One stimulated the vagus nerve through the ear, and the other stimulated another area that did not affect the brain. imitative stimulus. They ran each type of simulation on the patient four times for two minutes, with one minute in between.

The researchers also measured the patients' involuntary side-to-side movements while walking. swaythe time it took to change direction mid-test, or Rotation timemeasure the total number of steps, step length variability, total walking time, and walking speed, and compare the effects of real and imitation treatments on patients. Finally, each patient's quality of life was physically assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III.

The scientists found that during taVNS, patients' STN beta-band waves were 7% weaker on the right side than during mimic stimulation. They also found that taVNS improved patients' step length variability, total walking time, and walking speed. The researchers also used statistical tests to show that participants with less active STN beta-band brainwave patterns walked faster. However, there was no significant improvement in patients' quality of life based on rating scale scores.

The researchers concluded that taVNS could help Parkinson's patients walk faster, perhaps by altering brain waves in the STN beta band. They also pointed out that taVNS is a non-invasive treatment, meaning it does not require surgery or implantation into the body, and is much more affordable than invasive treatments. The scientists acknowledged that their study was small, and future researchers will look to do more research to further understand how STN beta-band waves are related to gait in Parkinson's disease. He emphasized the need to conduct trials in large patient groups.

Post views: 404

Source: sciworthy.com

The Los Angeles Fires: A Foreseen and Feared Worst-Case Scenario

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

overview

The Los Angeles-area fires are a worst-case scenario, caused by high winds after months of no rain.
Fire experts, past reports, and risk assessments all predicted wildfire catastrophe to some degree.
The geography and weather of the affected areas, combined with climate change and suburban sprawl in fire-prone areas, created a vulnerable situation.

For the Los Angeles area, the recent series of wildfires represents the worst-case scenario. After months of no significant rain, unusually strong and prolonged Santa Ana winds hit. But the severe effects of the fires are surprising, according to an NBC News review of past fire post-mortem reports, wildfire risk maps, wildfire risk public meetings, and interviews with fire experts. It is said that it is not.

“It’s completely foreseeable,” said Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis and history at Pomona College.

The fire forced the evacuation of about 180,000 people, knocked out power to about 500,000 customers, and destroyed thousands of homes.

“We’ve been building homes deep in fire zones. We know it’s a fire zone, we know it’s dangerous, and yet city halls and county governments are increasingly We continue to green light development in high-risk locations,” Miller said. “It’s a combination of all the undesirable factors.”

Wildfire risk for homes in Los Angeles County Higher than 99% of U.S. countiesaccording to a federal government analysis. The Pacific Palisades, Hollywood Hills and Altadena are the three areas where the fires are occurring, and are at “very high fire risk.” According to a map from the Los Angeles Fire Department and state.

“It’s not a matter of if, but when,” said Joe Scott, chief fire scientist at wildfire risk consultancy Pyrologics, which worked on the federal analysis. “But this is the high end of what could happen.”

After the Woolsey Fire in November 2018, Review after action We discussed problems similar to those faced by firefighters today.

The flames shot across the Santa Monica Mountains toward homes on the Malibu coast, spreading flames up to a mile from the front line and forcing the evacuation of 250,000 people. More than 1,000 homes were destroyed in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

The report described it as a “perfect storm”.

The report said the speed and intensity of the fire “overwhelmed resources on the scene” and noted that the dead-end canyon road made access for evacuation and firefighting efforts difficult. The review said that given the weather and fire department limitations, initial responses in Malibu and along the Pacific Coast Highway should have focused on protecting lives and providing safety, rather than protecting property. But the public and policymakers did not fully understand that reality, the report said.

“The public has a sense that public institutions will always protect them. As the scale of the Woolsey Fire shows, this is not always possible,” the report said, putting the death toll at 3. He praised the first responders who kept the situation under control.

It concluded that adding more fire engines and taking steps to better prepare homes for potential fires may not be enough to protect new developments in fire-prone areas.

“Even if the current fire weather cycle were to stop, it would occur again,” the report said.

This week, that prediction came true. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone said Wednesday there simply aren’t enough firefighters. Deal with the situation considering the weather conditions.

Firefighters are battling the Palisades fire Tuesday.Ethan Swope/Associated Press

… (Content continues)

Source: www.nbcnews.com

La arrival of La Niña is finally here, but it’s not going to stick around for long

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

La Niña increases the risk of drought in certain regions, as occurred in California in 2022

David McNew/Getty Images

A weak La Niña weather pattern has emerged in the Pacific Ocean several months later than originally expected. Although this will reduce average global temperatures, it will increase the risk of droughts and heavy rains in parts of the world.

The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean transitions from hot to cold and back again in a temperature cycle known as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). La Niña is the cold phase of the cycle. It typically occurs about every three to five years when trade winds strengthen, pushing cold water westward from off the coast of South America.

Sea surface temperatures in that part of the Pacific Ocean have been below average in recent months, but never below the threshold needed to declare a La Niña event. Until nowaccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Wind patterns also now reflect La Niña conditions.

The agency expects La Niña to last until April 2025, before temperatures return to normal.

Even as a weak event, below-average sea surface temperatures are expected to have a unique impact on global weather patterns, increasing the risk of drought in parts of North and South America and torrential rain in Australia and the Southeast. has been. Asia.

He also notes that La Niña events tend to lower global average temperatures, and that this cooling effect is proportional to the strength of the event. Pedro Dinegio At the University of Colorado Boulder. Dinezio said the transition from warm El Niño conditions to neutral La Niña conditions has brought temperatures down, but they are still above average in many parts of the world.

That also applies to the ocean. A transition to La Niña means temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are colder than average. However, global sea surface temperatures are still rising 0.5℃ or more Above average.

“The oceans, in particular, were record warm and slow to cool in mid-to-late 2023,” he said. Karin Gleeson He spoke at a press conference at NOAA in December, before La Niña officially occurred.

It is not unusual for a La Niña event to occur this late, even after a strong El Niño event. But that change will occur several months later than forecasters expected. It remains unclear why predictions were so far off and whether anthropogenic climate change played a role in the delay.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Nomination for the 2025 Award for Reverse Nomination Determinism

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

An intelligent approach?

Feedback always falls on deaf ears when I see publications with self-aggrandizing titles. So we noticed one social media post with interest. rebecca shearDemographers at Brunel University in London, publisher Elsevier, said: “The new editor was chosen by intelligence”.

intelligenceAs you know, this isconsiderable contribution It leads to an understanding of the nature and function of intelligence. ” Feedback cannot confirm that the editor has changed.About” page was not updated, but it has been updated. advertise There have been reports that most of the editorial board has resigned in protest against the appointment of a new editor-in-chief, but since the report was published on a far-right website, the feedback is unwilling to be believed without further evidence.

Wait a minute, you might be thinking that. How did a scientific journal change editors and transition into a far-right website?The question is, especially in the eugenics movement of the early 20th century, intelligence research justified claims of racial superiority. It is said that it was sometimes exploited for this purpose. and intelligence You published a study that your racist uncle might cite favorably.

Looks like someone at Elsevier has noticed. guardian Reported Publisher I was considering a paper by the late Richard Linn who claimed to have discovered differences in IQ between countries. Including papers on intelligence.

Now that things are getting a little dark, let's move on to another issue quickly. intelligence: Defining characteristics are clearly missing. Shear highlighted a paper with an innocuous-looking title.Temperature and evolutionary novelty as forces supporting the evolution of general intelligence”.

The driving force is when homo sapiens The first people to migrate outside Africa encountered all sorts of new conditions, including different climates. This allowed them to evolve higher levels of intelligence. What this means for the people of Africa is left to the reader's guess.

If this all sounds like something from the good old days of Victorian science, Feedback regrets to inform you that this paper was actually first published online in 2007. But when you swallow your nausea and take a closer look, the real joy appears.

The first problem is that the authors are calculating the distance that the population has traveled “as if by flying.” Even as a first approximation to the history of great human migrations, straight-line distances cannot be used. The history of the Great Human Migration involves people traveling to the far northeast of Asia, into North America, and on to the southern tip of South America.

But it gets better. In the same sentence, the paper's authors say they calculated the distance “using the Pythagorean theorem.” The reader will be reminded that the Pythagorean theorem only applies to planes and not to curved surfaces. Yes, this study of the racial origins of intelligence is built on the premise that the Earth is flat.

While there are many restrictions placed on academics, 2009 rebuttal He suggested the study may be “questionable.” Other psychologists also brought this issue to the attention of the magazine, only to be told that their criticisms were as follows:completely negative and noisy”.Paper remains alive.

Therefore, feedback would like to recommend the journal intelligence Winner of the 2025 Reverse Nomination Determinism Award.

40 eyelashes

new scientist Reporter Carmela Padavich Callahan emphasizes that: paper They describe the reason for their curly eyelashes as “ridiculous enough to warrant feedback.” Excuse me: This is a very serious column about serious things.

The research is mainly about the physics of eyelashes, explaining how they move water away from our eyes and allow us to see even when it's raining. The process relies on “hydrophobic curved flexible fiber arrays with surface microratchets and macrocurvature.” Much has been written about the importance of eyelash curvature for adhesion and water drainage.

Then proceed to the discussion section. There, as Carmela coolly notes, “authors delve into aesthetic advice.” Modern beauty standards encourage women to use mascara “to lengthen and condition eyelashes,” which “compromises the eyelash's protective function.” But don't worry. The solution is just around the corner. “As a hint, for those with sparse eyelashes, hydrophobic curved false eyelashes may be a practical solution to enhance your appearance while maintaining eye protection.” Probably patent pending Shall we?

Feedback wonders if the author has any advice for middle-aged writers whose eyebrows grow so long that they end up looking like macaroni penguins if they aren't trimmed regularly. For a friend.

Worst reading material ever

Some form of feedback has reached the mailing list of Spines, a technology company aiming to revolutionize the publishing industry through the power of artificial intelligence.

by Utilizing AI To do editing and other work done previously by a skilled and paid person, thorn aims to publish 8000 books in 2025. The feedback says “Yes, please.” When we look at the publishing industry's structural problems, such as its abysmal fact-checking standards for non-fiction works, we conclude that what we really need is an even larger volume of even lower-quality books. There is nothing else.

Have a story for feedback?

You can email your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please enter your home address. This week's and past feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers recommend making keeping spaces clean and tidy a global UN goal.

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Artist’s impression of space junk orbiting Earth

Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Alamy

The growing threat of space debris should be addressed with a new global agreement to protect Earth’s orbit, says a group of researchers calling on the United Nations to make space protection a key international goal.

Although there are existing guidelines for tackling space debris, such as the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty, the researchers write in the journal: one earth calls for further action to “raise awareness about the use of orbital resources and the increased risk of orbital contamination while sending a strong message that Earth’s orbit is not disconnected from Earth.”

Specifically, the research team proposes adding space protection to the United Nations’ existing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are 17 broad goals set for member countries to achieve by 2030. These goals include eradicating poverty, promoting quality education and gender equality, accessing affordable and clean energy, and tackling climate change. “We know from the ocean that it is very difficult to remove debris that has washed ashore,” Koldewey said. “We want to avoid the same thing happening in space.”

To fix this, the researchers want to add 18.^th The SDGs include ensuring that end-of-life satellites and rockets are removed from orbit to prevent collisions and the creation of new debris, as well as introducing fines and legislation to ensure accountability. “We know from the ocean that it is very difficult to remove debris that has washed ashore,” Koldewey said. “We want to avoid the same thing happening in space.”

The number of operating satellites in orbit has increased rapidly in recent years, from less than 3,000 in 2020 to more than 10,000 today. Most of that increase will come down to the roughly 7,000 satellites that make up SpaceX’s Starlink space internet megaconstellation. Other companies and countries, including Amazon and China, are planning thousands more services while building large groups of their own. In addition to this, there are thousands of empty rockets and millions of pieces of space junk orbiting the Earth.

Include space debris in 18^th says the SDGs have the potential to raise the profile of issues Heather Koldeway At the Zoological Society of London. “Anything that raises awareness of space debris has to be good,” he says. But he says getting countries to act is more difficult. “If you roll 18^th SDGs, what’s next?” he says. “All international agreements and treaties are products of compromise.”

Hugh Lewis A space debris expert at the University of Southampton in the UK said creating a space-focused SDG would be a “worthy endeavour.” However, he added that mechanisms to tackle space debris, such as the United Nations long-term sustainability goals For space activities and more localized activities, such as in the United States, where the Federal Communications Commission has introduced. 5 year rule Removing dead satellites from orbit. “It’s hard to argue that it’s not already on the UN agenda,” Lewis says.

There is also the question of whether the SDGs will achieve their goals. Last year, the United Nations reported: less than one-fifth Of the 17 existing SDGs, progress is on track.

On top of that, the problem is that nothing meaningful will happen without the agreement of SpaceX and its owner Elon Musk. “You can’t talk about space governance without talking about it now,” Newman said. “We can no longer just look at member states.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

How have saber-toothed animals evolved multiple times?

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

saber-toothed tiger skull (Smilodon)

steve morton

Predators have evolved saber teeth many times throughout the history of life. And now we have a better understanding of why these teeth develop the way they do.

Saber teeth have very special characteristics. Very long, sharp canine teeth that tend to be slightly flat and curved rather than round. Such teeth have evolved independently at least five times in different groups of mammals, and fossils of saber-toothed tiger predators have been found in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

These teeth were first known to appear in mammal-like reptiles called gorgonopsians about 270 million years ago. Another example is Thylacosmiluswhich became extinct about 2.5 million years ago and was most closely related to marsupials. Saber teeth were last seen Smilodonoften referred to as the saber-toothed tiger, existed until about 10,000 years ago.

To find out why these teeth continued to re-evolve, Talia Pollock and colleagues from the University of Bristol, UK, examined the canine teeth of 95 species of carnivorous mammals, including 25 species of saberodonts.

First, the researchers measured, classified, and modeled the shape of the teeth. They then 3D printed a smaller version of each tooth in metal and tested its performance in a puncture test in which the teeth were mechanically pushed into a gelatin block designed to mimic the density of animal tissue.

This showed that the saber teeth could drill into the block with up to 50% less force than the other teeth, Pollock said.

The researchers then evaluated the tooth shape and puncture performance data using a measure called the Pareto rank ratio. This determines how optimal the tooth is in terms of strength or puncture.

“Carnivores’ teeth need to be sharp and thin enough to pierce the flesh of their prey, but they also need to be blunt and strong so they don’t break when the animal bites,” Pollock says.

i like animals Smilodon It had very long saber teeth. “These teeth probably appeared over and over again because they’re the perfect design for puncture,” Pollock says. “They’re very good at drilling holes, but that also means they’re a little more fragile.” For example, California’s La Brea tar pits have Smilodonsome broken tooth.

Other saberodonts also had teeth shaped ideally for slightly different tasks. cat Dino Feliz According to Pollock, they had squatter saber teeth for a more even balance of sting and strength.

The teeth of other saber-toothed species fall between these optimal shapes, which may be why some saber-toothed teeth did not last very long. “These are trade-offs,” Pollock said. “Aspects of the shape of your teeth make you good at some things and bad at others.”

One of the leading theories as to why the saber-toothed tiger species went extinct is that the ecosystem changed and the large prey that the saber-toothed species, such as mammoths, were thought to have gone after disappeared.

The team’s blowout findings support this. Giant teeth would not have been as effective in catching prey as large as rabbits, and the risk of tooth breakage here may have increased, making saber-tooths more effective prey. would have been defeated by someone. Pollock says it’s difficult to hunt prey like cats with small teeth.

“As ecological and environmental conditions changed, highly specialized saber-toothed tiger predators quickly became unable to adapt and went extinct.” Stefan Lautenschlager At the University of Birmingham, UK.

“I think that’s part of the reason why this saber-toothed form hasn’t evolved again now. We don’t have megafauna,” he says. Julie Michen At Des Moines University, Iowa. “The prey isn’t there.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

BepiColombo captures images of Mercury’s shadowed craters and volcanic lands

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The bright and dark part of Mercury's north pole seen from the BepiColombo spacecraft

ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

These images illustrate the pockmarked surface of Mercury and are a preview of what to expect as the BepiColombo mission enters orbit around the innermost region of our solar system in late 2026.

Since its launch in 2018, the joint Japan-Europe spacecraft BepiColombo has made six flybys of Mercury, gradually decelerating with each pass to fine-tune its trajectory for orbital insertion. While the mission’s primary scientific instruments are yet to be utilized, the spacecraft’s cameras have already provided detailed images of the planet.

The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released three striking images captured during BepiColombo’s latest flyby on January 8, taken from an altitude of around 300 kilometers above Mercury’s north pole and northern regions.

David Rothery, from the Open University, UK, shared his excitement about the images, saying, “We had to wake up early to see these close-ups, and they exceeded our expectations based on simulated views we studied beforehand.”

The image above showcasing Mercury’s north pole reveals the sharp contrast between light and darkness on the planet, known as the terminator line. This region shows extreme temperature variations, with some areas exposed to scorching sunlight while others remain perpetually shaded within craters.

Notably, shadowed regions containing potential frozen water deposits can be observed along the terminator line in the image. Rothery further highlights the fascinating details visible, such as the sunlit peak inside Tolkien Crater, providing key insights for the mission’s scientific objectives.

Scientific investigations suggest that these shadowed crater areas may harbor frozen water, a key aspect of BepiColombo’s mission to uncover the presence and extent of water on Mercury.

Mercury's vast volcanic plain known as Borealis Planum

ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

Mesmerizing images from BepiColombo’s mission highlight Mercury’s expansive volcanic plain known as Borealis Planitia, formed over 3 billion years ago from massive lava flows that engulfed existing craters, some of which are visible in the image. While most of these plains are relatively smooth, more recent impact craters provide intriguing targets for scientific study.

Spanning 1,500 kilometers, the Caloris Basin is the largest crater on Mercury, appearing as a semicircular light-colored feature on the planet’s surface. Once BepiColombo enters orbit, researchers aim to investigate the relationships between the Caloris Basin, Borealis Planitia, and the solidified lava flows connecting them.

Natal Facula, believed to be the remains of the largest volcanic eruption in Mercury's history, is seen as a bright spot in this image.

ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

The illuminated region at the top of the planet, known as Natal Facula, is believed to be the aftermath of Mercury’s most significant volcanic eruption. The presence of a central crater, approximately 40 kilometers wide, indicates multiple eruptions that scattered volcanic material over hundreds of kilometers.

Rothery expresses eagerness for future observations of Natal Facula by BepiColombo’s instruments, emphasizing its scientific importance in understanding Mercury’s volcanic history. Discovering the reasons behind Mercury’s enduring volcanic activity remains a key goal of the mission.

topic:

solar system/
space exploration

Source: www.newscientist.com

First successful implementation of automatic error correction on a quantum computer

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Quantum computers could use heat to eliminate errors

Chalmers University of Technology, Lovisa Håkansson

A small cooling device can automatically reset malfunctioning components in a quantum computer. Its performance suggests that manipulating heat may also enable other autonomous quantum devices.

Quantum computers are not yet fully operational because they have too many errors. In fact, if a qubit, a key component of this type of computer, is accidentally heated and has too much energy, it can end up in an incorrect state before calculations can even begin. One way to “reset” a qubit to the correct state is to cool it.

Simone Gasparinetti For the first time, researchers at Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology have delegated this task to an autonomous quantum “fridge.”

Researchers have constructed two qubits and a single qubit, which can store more complex information than a quantum bit, from a tiny superconducting circuit. The qutrit and one of the qubits form a refrigerator for the second target qubit, which can eventually be used for computation.

The researchers investigated the interaction between the three components so that if the target qubit has too much energy and an error occurs, heat automatically flows out of the qubit and into the other two elements. carefully designed. This lowered the temperature of the target qubit and reset it. Because this process is autonomous, qubits and quantum trit refrigerators were able to correct errors without external control.

aamir aliThe researchers, also at Chalmers University of Technology, said this approach to resetting qubits required less new hardware and produced better results than traditional methods. Without a major redesign of the quantum computer or the introduction of new wires, the starting state of the qubit would be accurate 99.97% of the time. In contrast, other reset methods typically only manage 99.8%, he says.

He said this is a powerful example of how thermodynamic machines, which deal with heat, energy, and temperature, can be useful in the quantum realm. nicole junger halpern I worked on this project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland.

Traditional thermodynamic machines like heat engines sparked an entire industrial revolution, but so far quantum thermodynamics hasn't been very practical. “We are interested in making quantum thermodynamics useful, and this potentially useful autonomous quantum refrigerator is our first example,” says Jünger Halpern.

“I'm glad that this machine has been implemented and has become useful. Being autonomous, it does not require external control and should be efficient and versatile,” he says. Nicholas Bruner at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Michał Holodeck Researchers at the University of Gdańsk in Poland say one of the most pressing problems for quantum computers built with superconducting circuits is to keep the machines from overheating and causing errors. He says the new experiment paves the way for many similar projects that have been proposed but untested, such as using qubits to build autonomous quantum engines.

The researchers are already considering whether they can take the experiment further. For example, we might create autonomous quantum clocks or design quantum computers with other functions that are automatically driven by temperature differences.

topic:

quantum computing/
quantum physics

Source: www.newscientist.com

Time to reconsider the impact of uterine fibroids, a widespread silent epidemic among women with 70% affected

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Are you familiar with uterine fibroids? It’s not surprising if you’re not, as they are not widely discussed. However, they can affect 70-80% of women by age 50. Despite being more prevalent among Black women, women of color are often underdiagnosed.

Uterine fibroids are growths of muscle and fibrous tissue in the uterus, typically occurring in women aged 30-50. These fibroids can vary in size and shape and can be found in different layers of the uterus, leading to various symptoms.

Although referred to as “benign” tumors by doctors, uterine fibroids can still cause numerous issues, such as heavy menstruation, lower abdominal pain, and pressure on other organs when they grow large enough.

https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2025/01/fibroids.mp4

A CT scan showing a large solid mass in the uterus, indicating a uterine fibroid

Uterine fibroids are influenced by genetics, family history, and ethnicity, as well as hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which stimulate their growth. While pregnancy can lead to an increase in fibroid size due to higher hormone levels, they are commonly detected through ultrasound scans.

Treatment options for uterine fibroids vary based on symptoms and pregnancy plans. Some women may opt for monitoring small, asymptomatic fibroids, while others may choose drug therapy to reduce hormone levels and shrink the fibroids.

Surgical treatments like myomectomy or hysterectomy can also be considered, but these may not be suitable for women looking to conceive. Uterine fibroids can significantly impact pregnancy, increasing the risk of complications like miscarriage and premature birth.

Despite available treatments, awareness of uterine fibroids remains low. Increasing awareness about menstrual health and pregnancy complications is crucial for timely and effective treatment.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com