Experts Suggest Earth’s Prehistoric Oceans Might Not Have Been Blue

Posted on November 28, 2025 by

Our planet has hosted oceans for approximately 3.8 billion years, but their current blue appearance is relatively recent. Research indicates that it hasn’t always been this way.

In the ocean’s depths today, the water appears blue because it absorbs longer wavelengths of sunlight, particularly those at the red end of the spectrum.

This absorption allows shorter, bluer wavelengths to penetrate further and scatter back into our eyes. Billions of years ago, various colors may have masked the blue waters.

During that era, the earliest life forms emerged in the oceans, particularly unicellular cyanobacteria. These organisms were crucial in shaping our planet’s habitability by capturing sunlight energy through photosynthesis, resulting in Earth’s first oxygen availability.

Researchers in Japan have recently developed a computer model demonstrating that the initial oxygen released by cyanobacteria reacted with dissolved iron in the seawater, leading to the formation of oxidized iron that turned the ocean’s surface green.

Moreover, early cyanobacteria likely adapted to thrive in the greenish water.

In their study, scientists engineered cyanobacteria that possess a specific type of photosynthetic pigment responsive to green light, known as phycoerythrobilin.

Japanese researchers created a model showing how early cyanobacteria’s oxygen interacted with dissolved iron, resulting in a green ocean surface. – Image credit: Getty Images

In contrast, most current plants utilize red and blue light through chlorophyll pigments.

In laboratory settings, these modified cyanobacteria were cultivated in tanks filled with green water, revealing a phenomenon that also occurs naturally.

The waters surrounding Iwo Jima in Japan are naturally high in iron oxide, imparting a unique green hue. The cyanobacteria prevalent along its coastlines possess pigments that make use of elevated green light levels.

This study suggests that exobiologists searching for extraterrestrial life should not only consider blue liquid water but also various shades of green that may hint at primitive life forms.

This article addresses the inquiry (by Philip Burke of Somerset): “Has the sea always been blue?”

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Blue Origin Launches Rocket to Transport NASA’s Twin Spacecraft to Mars

Posted on November 14, 2025 by

Blue Origin achieved a successful launch of its impressive New Glenn rocket on Thursday, transporting two NASA spacecraft en route to Mars. This marks just the rocket’s second flight, as both Blue Origin and NASA anticipate it will eventually carry personnel and supplies to the moon.

Soaring to a height of 321 feet (98 meters), the New Glenn rocket burst into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, initiating a lengthy journey for NASA’s twin Mars rovers to the Red Planet. The launch was delayed by four days due to inclement weather and a solar storm, which created auroras visible as far south as Florida.

In a significant achievement for the emerging company, Blue Origin successfully retrieved the booster after its separation from the upper stage and the Mars rover. This step is vital for cost reduction and reusability, mirroring SpaceX’s operational model. Company employees erupted in cheers as the booster landed upright on a barge 375 miles (600 kilometers) offshore, with an elated Bezos observing from launch control.

“Next time it’s the moon!” the employees chanted excitedly after the centerpiece of the booster landed. Twenty minutes later, the upper stage of the rocket deployed the two Mars rovers into space, fulfilling the primary goal of the mission.

The New Glenn conducted its inaugural test flight in January, successfully placing a prototype satellite into orbit, though it did not manage to land its booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

The twin Mars rover, named Escapade, will remain near Earth for a year at a distance of 1 mile (1.5 kilometers). Once Earth and Mars are ideally aligned next fall, they will utilize gravity assist from Earth to travel to the Red Planet, with an expected arrival in 2027.

During its orbit around Mars, the spacecraft will map the planet’s upper atmosphere and diffuse magnetic field, studying their interactions with solar wind. The data collected will enhance understanding of the processes driving the loss of Mars’ atmosphere and provide insights into how the planet transitioned from a wet and warm environment to its current dry and dusty state. Researchers will also investigate ways to protect astronauts from the intense radiation present on Mars.

“We are eager to gain a deeper understanding of how the solar wind interacts with Mars,” stated Escapade’s lead scientist Rob Lillis from the University of California, Berkeley, ahead of the launch. “Escapade offers a unique opportunity with two spacecraft operating simultaneously, granting us an unprecedented stereo perspective.”

This relatively cost-effective mission is budgeted at less than $80 million and is managed by the University of California, Berkeley. Initially slated for last fall, the launch of the Mars rover was postponed due to issues related to Blue Origin’s new rocket.

The New Glenn rocket, named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, is significantly larger than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which caters to affluent passengers traveling to the edge of space from West Texas. Blue Origin is also set to launch a demonstration mission for its prototype lunar lander, Blue Moon, aboard New Glenn in the upcoming months.

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Founded in 2000 by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin holds a contract with NASA for the third astronaut lunar landing under the Artemis program. In contrast, SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, utilized its Starship rocket—approximately 100 feet (30 meters) taller than New Glenn—to successfully complete the first two crewed lunar landings.

However, last month, NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy reinstated the contract for the initial manned moon landing, expressing concerns regarding the pace of progress on Starship’s testing from Texas. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX have put forth preliminary plans for landing.

Plans are underway for NASA to send astronauts around the moon early next year using its own Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, followed by the Artemis crew’s attempt to land. The space agency aims to surpass China’s mission and return astronauts to the moon within the next decade.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Blue Planet Red Review: Missteps on Mars Make for a Surprisingly Disturbing Documentary

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

This image seems to show a Martian wrench, but it’s just a stone

Brian Cory Dobbs Productions

Handout materials for the movie 'Blue Planet Red.' The Spirit rover captured two peculiar rocks resembling a wrench and a container. See more at https://blueplanetred.net/images — This image seems to show a Martian wrench, but it’s just a stone

Brian Cory Dobbs Productions

Blue Planet Red
Directed by Brian Corrie Dobbs, available on Amazon Prime Video

Blue Planet Red is a documentary focused on Mars. The world depicted by director Brian Corrie Dobbs diverges from our understanding but certainly possesses its allure. It showcases an advanced civilization of pyramid builders that either failed to avert their world’s demise or destroyed it through a catastrophic nuclear conflict.

Dobbs presents his assertions regarding advanced Martian life directly to the audience, complete with expressive gestures and confident poses. I found him quite engaging. Yet, after viewing his work, I wasn’t surprised to discover that a section of his portfolio includes questionable content (referring to dubious videos concerning cell phones, electromagnetic fields, and cancer).

Whether by design or not, Blue Planet Red serves as a historical record. It is a testament to a generation of researchers and enthusiasts raised under the imposing shadow of a two-kilometer geological mound in the Martian region of Sidonia. Back in 1976, NASA’s Viking spacecraft took a blurry photo of what seemed to be a giant human face, known as the “Face of Mars,” at the intersection of Mars’ southern highlands and northern plains.

There’s no need to delve into debunking topics that have already been convincingly dismantled many times before. If you enhance the resolution of the image, the so-called face vanishes. Features resembling tools or bones are simply rocks. Additionally, the presence of xenon-129 in Mars’ atmosphere suggests an ancient nuclear war only if we disregard the well-understood decay process of the now-extinct isotope iodine-129 into xenon-129 within Mars’ cooling lithosphere.

“
The ambiguous data from the Viking orbiters fostered the growth of fanciful ideas
“

Yet, capturing this narrative holds a certain poignancy. Transforming Ideas gives voice to this generation of researchers. Individuals featured in the film include Richard Bryce Hoover, who led NASA’s astrobiology research at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama until 2011, where he helped prove the existence of extremophiles on Earth. He is convinced he discovered microfossils in Martian meteorites. However, despite his enthusiasm, director Hoover fails to clarify in the film why these fossils rest atop the rock samples rather than embedded within them.

Contributor John Brandenburg is regarded as a respectable plasma scientist, provided he avoids discussing nuclear war on Mars. Mark Carlot, on the other hand, has dedicated 40 years to chronicling remnants of civilization on Mars while others merely see rocks. Upon returning to Earth, he proves to be an adept archaeologist.

After Apollo made its final moon landing in 1972, the initial thrill of the space race began to diminish. The images transmitted back by the Viking spacecraft signaled the next significant discovery. This hazy mixture of revolutionary yet unclear data served as a fertile ground for the emergence of fanciful ideas, particularly in the United States, where the Vietnam War and Watergate bred skepticism and paranoia.

Dobbs’ dynamic recounting of the Martian narrative frames it as a tale of an event occurring 3.7 billion years ago when the wet, warm planet transitioned into a barren dust bowl. For me, it resonates more with what happened to the passionate groups glued to their screens and magazines in the 1970s. Let us momentarily set aside our disdain and engage with this generation. Strong hope should never again hinder a kind heart like this.

Simon also recommends…

Mapping Mars
Oliver Morton

This exploration of Mars’ landscape elucidates how optical technology shaped human focus on its neighbors..

Mars Project (1953)
Wernher von Braun

American and German (and Nazi) rocket scientists drew inspiration from Antarctic exploration to draft this foundational technical specification for a manned mission to Mars.

Simon Ings is a novelist and science writer. X Follow him at @simonings

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Archaeologists Discover Evidence of Blue Pigments in 13,000-Year-Old Stone Artifacts in Germany

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

No blue pigments have been found in Paleolithic art. This absence is attributed to the scarcity of naturally occurring blue pigments and the subtlety of these colors. However, archaeologists employed various methods to uncover traces of the lively blue mineral pigment azurite in Paleolithic adhesive stone artifacts from Mühlheim-Dietesheim, Germany, marking the earliest known use of blue pigments in Europe.

Three areas of blue residues found in the sandstone formations of stone artifacts at Muhlheim Dieschetim, Germany. Image credit: Wisher et al., doi: 10.15184/aqy.2025.10184.

Both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens utilized mineral and organic colors; however, their palette seems confined to black and red-yellow pigments sourced from charcoal, manganese dioxide, and various iron oxides.

These pigments are well documented across continents for numerous applications.

During the Paleolithic Age (300,000-40,000 years ago) in central Europe, Neanderthals are thought to have employed ochres and manganese dioxide, likely for purposes ranging from cave art to functional applications like adhesive compounds and fire extinguishing agents, as well as for symbolic practices.

In Homo sapiens, the use of pigments correlates with the onset of “behavioral modernity,” which emerged over 100,000 years ago and is acknowledged as a hallmark of cognitive complexity.

The prevalence of pigment use in the Upper Paleolithic raises intriguing questions about the absence of blue pigments in their artistic practices.

So far, only one instance of a copper-based turquolithic pigment has been documented, originating from decorated anthropomorphic figurines in parts of Malta, dating back 19,000-23,000 years.

The presence of blue pigments has not been recognized in the Paleolithic period in Europe until now.

“Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of the use of Paleolithic pigments,” stated Izzy Wisher, an archaeologist at Aarhus University.

In their investigation, Dr. Wisher and colleagues discovered blue pigments in stone artifacts with concave bowl-like features dating from 14,000 to 11,700 years ago on Mullheim Dieche Island, Germany.

This discovery signifies the first known utilization of blue pigments during the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.

“The detection of azurite suggests that Paleolithic individuals possessed a profound understanding of mineral pigments and had access to a broader color spectrum than previously recognized.

“Stones previously thought to be open circuit lamps now appear to have served as a mixed surface or palette for preparing blue pigments. This indicates an artistic or cosmetic practice that has largely gone unnoticed.”

These findings prompt a reconsideration of Paleolithic art and color usage, paving the way for exploring how early humans articulated their identities, status, and beliefs through a far more diverse and vibrant array of materials than was once imagined.

“We hypothesize that azurite was likely used more extensively than we had anticipated, based on its presence in Muhlheim Dietesheim and its potential availability within the landscape,” the researchers noted.

“The use of azurite might have been confined to activities that are not well-preserved in the archaeological record.”

“Blue pigments were evidently not employed to adorn Paleolithic cave walls or portable art objects in Europe, but they may have been utilized for body decoration instead.”

“Our results invite a critical examination of color usage in the Upper Paleolithic to ascertain why certain hues were favored or neglected in different artistic endeavors.”

The results were published this week in the journal Ancient.

____

Izzy Wisher et al. The earliest evidence of the use of blue pigments in Europe. Ancient Published online on September 29th, 2025. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10184

Source: www.sci.news

This Timeless Blue Sea Creature Has Rescued Countless Lives

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, peculiar creatures abandoned their journeys across the ocean floor. They resembled beings adorned with spiked helmets and had eyes positioned on top, along with sharp tails extending behind them.

Today, horseshoe crabs still exist and belong to the animal order known as Xiphosura, derived from ancient Greek, meaning “sword” and “tail.” Despite their name, they are more closely related to spiders than to crustaceans.

Fossils of horseshoe crabs date back to the Upper Ordovician period, approximately 450 million years ago. Their descendants—four existing species—have undergone significant changes in appearance, earning them the title of “living fossils.”

Despite their ancient lineage, horseshoe crabs are crucial in today’s world. Most people eventually come into contact with life-saving doses of bright blue blood derived from these creatures.

The blue hue comes from Hemocyanin, a pigment responsible for oxygen transport, which is analogous to red hemoglobin found in vertebrate blood.

Importantly, it also harbors their blood. Amebocytes, a powerful immune cell are exceptionally sensitive to harmful toxins produced by bacteria. Endotoxins, prevalent in the environment, are resistant to standard sterilization methods.

Should a vaccine contain endotoxins, it could trigger a dangerous reaction historically known as “injection fever.”

Previously, tests were conducted by injecting a vaccine batch into a living rabbit; if any exhibited a fever, it signified contamination.

In the 1960s, American marine biologists observed that the blue blood of horseshoe crabs coagulated instantly upon contact with fever-inducing endotoxin. This mechanism allows horseshoe crabs to encapsulate bacteria by forming clots around them, proving beneficial for human applications.

Now, rather than injecting rabbits, hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs are harvested from the ocean each year, with a third of their blood extracted to test for endotoxins in intravenous medications and medical implants.

Many people eventually encounter the vibrant blue blood of a life-saving horseshoe crab – Image credit: Jurgen Freund/Naturepl.com

The demand for blue blood has surged, especially with the competition surrounding the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Not all horseshoe crabs survive the blood collection process; approximately 15-30% do not. Conservationists are advocating for synthetic alternatives to blood tests.

In the 1990s, researchers in Singapore developed a method to create synthetic endotoxin detection using a compound based on horseshoe crab DNA. Currently, various alternative compounds mimic this reaction without utilizing horseshoe crab blood.

Although regulatory processes have been sluggish, these new compounds received approval for use in Europe in 2016 and 2024. Nowadays, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly opting for synthetic methods.

This development bodes well not just for horseshoe crabs but also for other species reliant on them. Each year, thousands of horseshoe crabs come ashore on sandy beaches along North America’s East Coast, particularly in Delaware Bay, where eggs are laid near Philadelphia.

A single female lays around 4,000 eggs, many of which become vital sustenance for migratory birds like the red knot, which journey between South America and the Canadian Arctic.

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New Hybrid Species of Blue and Green Jays Found in Texas

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Hybridization among these species is notable within vertebrate groups. Such occurrences typically take place between recently diverged populations, with the most recent common ancestors of the Blue (Cyanocitta cristata) and Green (Cyanocorax yncas) Jays estimated to have existed at least 7 million years ago.

A hybrid of a man with a green Jay’s mother and a blue Jay’s father. Image credit: Brian R. Stokes.

“We’ve been working hard to engage with the community,” stated Brian Stokes, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin.

“While historical instances of vertebrate hybrids have often been linked to human influences—like the introduction of invasive species and recent range expansions—this particular case seems to have emerged due to climate shifts prompting the overlap of both parent species.”

During the 1950s, Green Jays, a tropical bird native to Central America, were limited to areas from Mexico to southern Texas, while Blue Jays, a temperate species found in the eastern U.S., extended westward to Houston, with minimal interaction between them.

However, their ranges have since converged around San Antonio as Green Jays migrated north and Blue Jays spread westward.

Stokes, who is focused on researching Green Jays in Texas as part of his PhD, actively monitors various social media platforms where birdwatchers share photos of sightings. This was one of several methods he utilized to capture birds, take genetic blood samples, and then release them back into their natural habitats.

One day, he spotted a rough image of an unusual blue bird featuring a black mask and white chest shared by a woman in the suburbs northeast of San Antonio. Although resembling a Blue Jay, it was distinctly different. The backyard birder welcomed Stokes for an in-person sighting.

“On our first attempt to capture it, the bird was quite elusive,” Stokes recounted.

“But the second day proved to be much more fortunate.”

Using a mist net—a long rectangular mesh of black nylon thread stretched between two poles, almost invisible to birds in flight—Stokes was able to successfully catch the bird on the second day after previously capturing and releasing dozens of others.

He quickly took a blood sample from this peculiar bird, allowing him to facilitate future research.

Interestingly, the bird vanished for several years, reappearing in the woman’s garden in June 2025. The reason for its return remains a mystery.

“I can’t explain it, but it felt like pure chance,” Stokes commented.

“Had it been two houses down, it likely wouldn’t have been reported at all.”

Investigations revealed that the bird is a hybrid descendant of a male Green Jay and a female Blue Jay.

It closely resembles other hybrids produced through researcher crossbreeding of Green and Blue Jays in the 1970s.

“Hybridization is likely far more prevalent in nature than researchers recognize, as we often miss these events happening,” Stokes expressed.

“Furthermore, in many species, physical barriers may prevent interactions that could lead to mating because we’re not actively observing.”

The team’s publication appears in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

____

Brian R. Stokes and Timothy H. Keat. 2025. Intergenerational hybrids between historically isolated temperate and tropical Jays after recent expansion of the scope. Ecology and Evolution 15(9): E72148; doi: 10.1002/ECE3.72148

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists Find the Atlas Blue Butterfly Has 229 Chromosome Pairs

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Spanish Institute of Biology have mapped the female genome of the Atlas Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus atlantica), revealing 227 pairs of autosomes and four sex chromosomes, marking it as the organism with the highest chromosome count among all multicellular animals globally.

Atlas Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus atlantica). Image credit: Roger Villa.

The Atlas Blue Butterfly is native to the mountainous regions of Morocco and Northeast Algeria.

Previously suspected to have the highest chromosome count in the Animal Kingdom, this is the first instance where scientists have successfully sequenced the butterfly’s genome to confirm this assumption.

In comparison, the more commonly observed Common Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) has only 24 chromosomes.

Variations in chromosome numbers are believed to facilitate the formation of new species and assist in adaptation to changing environments.

The Atlas Blue Butterfly belongs to a group of closely related species that have evolved rapidly over a short geological timeframe.

“The genome is crucial for understanding how organisms develop and what the future may hold,” stated Professor Mark Blaxter from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

“To narrate the stories of our planet, we must explore various tales and observe their interactions.”

“Insights gained from one genome can also enrich our understanding of others.”

“For instance, chromosomal rearrangements are also present in human cancer cells, and investigating these patterns in the Atlas Blue Butterfly could lead to methods for mitigating cancer cell growth in the future.”

In their research, Professor Blaxter and his team discovered that chromosomal structure was altered due to less tightly packed DNA.

This indicates that while the amount of genetic information remained similar, it was organized into smaller segments.

Except for the sex chromosomes, all chromosomes were found to be fragmented, leading researchers to estimate a dynamic range of 24 to 229 chromosomes emerging over approximately 3 million years, a brief period in evolutionary terms.

Generally, such drastic chromosomal modifications are considered detrimental; however, the Atlas Blue Butterfly has thrived for millions of years.

Its population faces threats primarily from climate change and human environmental impact.

This study opens numerous avenues for future exploration.

Chromosomal division is thought to enhance genetic diversity by allowing for increased genomic mixing or possibly offering other unforeseen advantages.

While this may enable butterflies to adapt quickly, possessing numerous chromosomes can also introduce complications, potentially making them more susceptible to extinction in the long run.

Further studies comparing other butterfly species will clarify whether genes are lost or retained, offering greater insights into butterfly biology and evolution.

“Observing chromosomal degradation at this level is uncommon, yet evident in butterflies of other species, hinting at a significant need for exploration in this area,” noted Dr. Roger Villa, a researcher at the Evolutionary Biology Institute in Spain.

“Moreover, chromosomes hold the secrets of species, and examining how these changes influence butterfly behavior could help us form a comprehensive understanding of species emergence.”

“When we embarked on studying butterfly evolution, we realized that sequencing the extraordinary Atlas Blue Butterfly was essential,” remarked Dr. Charlotte Wright from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

“This research emphasizes the collaborative spirit of scientific inquiry.”

“By examining how the chromosomes of the Atlas Blue Butterfly have split over time in specific environments, we can begin to uncover the potential benefits of this phenomenon, how it influences adaptability, and whether there are lessons in the DNA that could aid our future conservation efforts.”

The findings have been published in this week’s edition of Current Biology.

____

Charlotte J. Wright et al. Chromosomal evolutionary constraints revealed by the 229 chromosome pairs of the Atlas Blue Butterfly. Current Biology, published online on September 10th, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.032

Source: www.sci.news

This Unusual Underwater “Blue Dragon” Battles Stolen Jellyfish Venom

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Far from the shore, in the immense stretches of the open ocean, resides an uncommon assembly of creatures known as “Neustons.”

This environment is a vast, two-dimensional layer of the ocean that bridges the atmosphere with the sea.

Among this group, one of the most fascinating beings is the blue dragon, a kind of sea slug, or naujibrance, more widely recognized as the blue dragon, the sea swallow, or Glaucus atlanticus.

Blue dragons float on the surface, buoyed by the air bubbles they have ingested. To evade predators, they employ a unique biological strategy called countershading.

The underside of their body, positioned upside down, exhibits a bright blue hue that camouflages it against the ocean below, concealing it from aerial hunters above.

Conversely, the side that hangs from the surface boasts silver stripes that mimic the shimmering ocean surface, aiding swimming predators in their upward gaze.

Overall, the blue dragon appears peculiar owing to its sea slug nature. The main body, measuring about 3cm (0.4 inches), seems somewhat sluggish, but it features elongated appendages resembling fingers of varying lengths.

These appendages are not used for waving or swimming; they are anatomical structures called ceratha, essentially serving as a secondary gill by extending the intestines and respiratory system to facilitate breathing.

Like many sea slug species, the Blue Dragon utilizes its ceratha as a weapon. They are notorious hunters, primarily targeting other blue-hued Neustons, including Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis) and jellyfish-like creatures like blue buttons (Porpita porpita) and by-the-wind sailors (Velella velella).

Blue dragons can inject venom into these organisms without fear of being stung.

‘They are vicious hunters, and their main prey is the other members of Neuston’ – Photo credit: Matty Smith Photo

Remarkably, these sea slugs can recycle their prey’s toxins, maintaining them intact and incorporating them into their ceratha.

When threatened by predators, they can launch these toxins as a potent defense mechanism.

Modern challenges pose threats to Blue Dragons and their fellow Neuston inhabitants. A study conducted between Hawaii and California reveals that they inhabit the same remote regions of the infamous Pacific Ocean, including the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where floating plastic debris accumulates due to swirling ocean currents.

One approach to combat this plastic pollution involves placing a net between two vessels to retrieve debris from the surface. However, this method could inadvertently capture a significant number of Neustons.

The complete ecological consequences of this method remain unclear, but it may have significant repercussions on the marine food web. These creatures serve as crucial food sources for a variety of marine species, such as sea turtles and seabirds.

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Maryland’s Blue Crabs and Their Harvesters Face a Challenging Season

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Annapolis, Maryland – Two species are in jeopardy within the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

This season, the surveys for legendary crustaceans reached one of the lowest levels ever recorded. This has driven up prices at restaurants as disposable income tightened and inflation increased costs for food and other consumer items.

Luke McFadden, 29, who has been crabbing since he was 18, mentioned that the season got off to a tough start.

“We’re doing our best to serve our customers at the lowest price possible to cover our expenses,” he remarked. “But I get it; it’s not easy.”

Krabal Luke McFadden.
Cesar Gonzalez / NBC News

At a family-owned crab house, Pit Boys, Seafood Manager Charlie George indicated that customer prices range from $75 to $140 based on size. This is “much higher” than previous years due to the shortage of crabs in the bay.

According to the 2025 Blue Crab Advisory Report, the overall blue crab population has declined to approximately 238 million, down from 317 million last year. This marks the second lowest level since the annual winter dredge survey commenced in 1990.

Alison Colden, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, attributes the decline to pollution, climate change, and the encroachment of invasive blue catfish throughout the Chesapeake Bay. These catfish were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s to enhance recreational fishing.

“Since then, they’ve proliferated across nearly every river and stream in the Chesapeake Bay region,” Colden remarked. “They are voracious predators.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

First all-female spaceflight milestone accomplished by Blue Origin

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Women are often underestimated in the aerospace industry globally, despite their frequent journeys beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Since Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, over 100 individuals have ventured into space. The concept of an all-female spaceflight organized by NASA could symbolize the culmination of years of investment in female astronauts, showcasing their capabilities and achievements. (In 2019, NASA faced criticism for lacking enough suits to accommodate all women astronauts during a planned mission.) Blue Origin’s all-women spaceflight has provided several women with the opportunity to build social capital and connect with individuals like Lauren Sanchez.

Blue Origin, among other private space flight companies like Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, and SpaceX, introduced the New Shepard Rocket with a crew of six women, none of whom had technical roles on the flight. While two participants had previous aerospace experience, Sanchez curated the crew based on their storytelling abilities to share their experiences through various media platforms like journalism, film, and music. Value in this mission lies in embracing amateurism, offering a fresh perspective compared to the traditional image of astronauts as white male military test pilots. This shift in astronaut representation signifies progress towards a more inclusive and diverse space exploration community.

Sanchez’s initiative to collaborate with fashion designers for the crew’s mission suits served as a branding opportunity, further enhancing their public image. Flight souvenirs available on Blue Origin’s website featured a unique Yassified Shuttle Patch Design, incorporating personalized elements for each crew member. Each woman had the chance to utilize the 4 minutes of weightlessness during the flight for individual activities tailored to their interests, demonstrating a blend of personal passions and scientific curiosity. The mission aimed to inspire young girls by showing that they can pursue their dreams, whether it be in rocket science, entertainment, journalism, or beyond, while also highlighting the importance of family and support networks back on Earth.

The mission’s narrative resonates with the message of empowerment and ambition, emphasizing that individuals, especially women, can aspire to varied career paths and accomplishments. The story echoes the advice from Cheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In,” encouraging women to seize opportunities and pursue their goals without hesitation. The analogy of a rocket ship seat reflects the idea of embracing challenges and taking risks to gain proximity to power and success, ultimately symbolizing the limitless potential of individuals to achieve their aspirations.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Blue Origin’s Spaceflight Includes Six Women, including Gale King and Katy Perry

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Broadcast journalist Gale King and singer Katy Perry were set to embark on a brief journey to space on Monday aboard a flight operated by Jeff Bezos’ private company Blue Origin. This marks the first all-female crew going to space since 1963.

Their flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket was scheduled to launch from Blue Origin’s launch site 1 in West Texas, approximately 120 miles southeast of El Paso. The launch could occur as early as 9:30 am Eastern Time.

This flight will be the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program, having carried 52 individuals, including repeat astronauts. Above the Kalman Line, which marks the internationally recognized boundary of the universe approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth.

The New Shepard Rocket flight, offering minutes of weightlessness, will be piloted.

Bezos’ fiancée, former broadcast journalist Lauren Sanchez, was also slated to be part of the NS-31 Mission. The couple’s wedding reportedly is set to take place in Venice this summer.

Another passenger is Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist. Elle Magazine reported that she is the first person of Bahamian heritage to venture into space. Also onboard are film producer Kerianne Flynn and Amanda Nguyen, a research scientist at Bioastronauts and a prominent advocate for sexual assault survivors.

According to Blue Origin, Nguyen will be the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space.

“It’s a dream come true, and for me, it was a dream deferred,” Nguyen shared with Elle.

After studying astrophysics and working for NASA, Nguyen shifted her focus to activism following a traumatic event of sexual assault.

“Gender-based violence is a significant factor leading many women in STEM to discontinue their training. I was one of them,” she stated, referring to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This marks the first space flight featuring an all-female crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight for the Soviet Union in 1963, making her the first woman in space.

However, there are critics questioning whether all-female crews truly represent moments of feminist progress. The New Shepard program, a cornerstone of Blue Origin’s Space Tourism Business, is seen as a venture for the wealthy and powerful to access space.

Actress Olivia Munn was criticized as being “somewhat tone-deaf” while appearing as a guest host on Today with Jenna and Hoda earlier this month.

“I know this isn’t fashionable, but there are so many other important issues in the world right now,” Munn remarked. “What exactly are you going to do in space?”

During an interview on CBS Morning with an interview aired on Friday, host Vladimir Dutier asked King if she had concerns that the flight may be seen as an advertisement for Amazon founder Bezos. Dutier highlighted the scrutiny Bezos faces due to Amazon’s business practices and ownership of The Washington Post.

Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers have raised concerns about unsafe working conditions. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states filed lawsuits against Amazon, alleging monopolistic practices in online retail.

The Washington Post has seen a wave of resignations in recent times amid concerns about leadership, notably Bezos redirecting the newspaper’s opinion section to advocate for “personal liberty and free markets.”

“I share those concerns as well,” King acknowledged. “There have been questionable decisions made.”

“But in this instance, Vlad, this is much larger than one individual and one company,” she continued. “I have chosen to separate the two.”

Bezos has invested billions in Blue Origin and envisions a future where humans inhabit space colonies. He was part of Blue Origin’s inaugural suborbital passenger flight in 2021.

The New Shepard Rocket is named in honor of Alan Shepard, the first American to journey into space in 1961 and one of the moon-walking astronauts.

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Blue Whale: A Versatile and Reliable Tool for Measurement

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Feedback is the latest science and technology news of new scientists, the sidelines of the latest science and technology news. You can email Feedback@newscientist.com to send items you believe readers can be fascinated by feedback.

Whales are not Wales

Feedback is a science journalist of more years than we remember, and as a result we have come across a significant share of the odd units of measurement. The human mind wrestles with very large and very small things, so as a writer, it’s fascinating to get you to say that the huge iceberg has an area x times the size of Wales, the mountains are at the height of Burj Khalifa, or the bad books contain Z plot holes. Fourth Wing.

In this spirit, Christopher Dionne CNN Article About Blue Ghost Lunar Lander sending the final message from the moon. He points out that the writer is trying to convey the amount of data on the probe, saying that he “returned around 120 gigabytes of data, which amounted to over 24,000 songs, to Earth.”

“This made me think,” says Dionne. With so much music streaming today, the size of the song file is “generally not important.” The size of the file also depends on how you compress it and the length of the song. We can certainly agree with it Too well (10 minutes) It’ll be a slightly larger file Please love me – Therefore, songs cannot be used as standardized units of dataset size.

Luckily, Dionne came up with a solution. “Why don’t we use internationally agreed metrics: blue whales?” Blue whale genome It is a base of 2.4 billion. “So it appears that the Blue Ghost sent back data from the moon about 50 Blue Whale.”

Feedback is because we enjoy it Douglas Adams style images A rapid of whales that flow from the moon to the Earth. But we quiesce Dionne’s mathematics. The genome’s base is not equivalent to bytes in the dataset. Each byte is 8 bits, similar to the base. DNA is not binary either. For each position in the genome, there are four options (a, c, g, or t). This means that you can encode the byte using bits on the base half. So, multiplying 8 and dividing 2, I think Blue Ghost sent back around 200 blue whales.

As Dionne suggests, we recommend submitting to our readers that “other comparison units of digital measurement… might be even better to convey the scale of the information.” I look forward to “a thoughtful discourse on this most pressing issue.”

Goodbye, Alice and Bob

Few are likely to kill jokes. So the feedback is a bit nervous about this. This is because it involves both local events and encryption jokes.

We think this might require readers to review, so let’s start with encryption. When describing how a secure messaging system works, it has become traditional to call the two main agents “Alice” and “Bob.” For example, “How can Alice send secure messages to the BOB using a signal messaging app?”

The name has been in use since 1978 and is very popular. Wikipedia Page. In addition to explaining the device history, this page also depicts a very extended list of additional characters that may be involved in these thought experiments. From Chad to “the third participant, usually malicious intent,” Wendy and “whistleblower.”

Basically, if you’re a regular New Scientist Readers, you’ve probably read stories that use Alice and Bob (and their friends/enemies/acquaints/lovers) to explain complex ideas of encryption and physics. You’re familiar with this. So the parody is interesting.

We will not name any related news events. It was widely covered and discussed. But who knows: We’re writing this on March 27th, so by the time you read this you might have forgotten it. The United States may have tentatively invaded Svalbarbad, as he had forgotten which Arctic land Donald Trump wanted.

Anyway, I’ll go here. Bluesky posts to software developer John Vanenk I shared a screenshot Wikipedia page page. “Hegseth and Waltz are fictional characters commonly used as placeholders in discussions about cryptographic systems and protocols, and thought experiments created by Jeffrey Goldberg, who was created by Jeffrey Goldberg in a 2025 article. This was accompanied by a diagram described as an example of a scenario where communication between Hegseth and Waltz is intercepted by Goldberg.”

After all, if you didn’t find it interesting, feedback encourages you to send your comments to our signal account, but we don’t have one.

How awful

Readers Patrick Fenron and Peter Thressenger both wrote to emphasize the same thing. article in Guardianon how migratory birds use quantum mechanics to navigate. According to the biologist cited in the article, it appears that most “we travel at night and ourselves, so no one should follow.” Her name is Miriam Reedvogel, which of course means “songbird.”

As Fenlong said: “Wonderbar.”

Have you talked about feedback?

You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.

Whale watching and marine ecosystems in the Azores: Portugal

Discover the hidden paradise of the Azores, a group of islands filled with rich biodiversity, lush landscapes, volcanic craters, peaceful lagoons and charming towns.

Source: www.newscientist.com

NASA’s luck turns around with success of Blue Ghost Moon Lander after month of disappointment

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

NASA took a chance some years back that commercial companies could conduct scientific experiments on the moon at a lower cost than institutions.

Unfortunately, last year, NASA’s initial attempt missed its mark, and the second attempt ended in a crash. However, this month saw success with the robot lander, Blue Ghost, built by Firefly Aerospace in Texas.

On March 16th, as Blue Ghost completed its mission on the moon, the mood at Firefly’s mission operation in Austin was a mix of happiness and bittersweet anticipation for the spacecraft’s demise.

The sun had already set on the lunar surface where Blue Ghost had been working for two weeks, 15 million miles away from Earth.

For solar-powered spacecraft like Blue Ghost, time was running out, and the end was near.

Ray Allensworth, the director of the spaceship program at Firefly, described the atmosphere as light and enthusiastic as they reflected on the successful mission of Blue Ghost.

While other commercial moon missions have faced challenges, Blue Ghost’s success has provided NASA with valuable data for future collaborations.

Scientists like Robert Grimm at the Southwest Institute in Colorado, who led one of the scientific payloads, expressed gratitude for the successful mission, noting that it was better than ending up as a crater.

One of the NASA experiments on Blue Ghost captured images of the lunar surface, providing valuable insights for future missions and research.

The data collected by the cameras will help scientists understand the dynamics of lunar surfaces and potential hazards for future spacecraft landings.

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Blue Ghost Spacecraft from Firefly completes its second commercial moon landing

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The Blue Ghost took a photo of the shadows on the moon.

Firefly Air Space

The Texas company has achieved its second commercial landing on the moon. And the first company didn't fall with a touchdown. Success comes even in the gusts of private and state moon exploration.

The Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Lander was launched on January 15th on top of the SpaceX rocket, and spent 45 days of travel to the moon. It landed at 8:34am on March 2nd. Chrysium in the Maresa smooth basin formed by a volcanic eruption three billion years ago.

Using thrusters, Blue Ghost slowed from an orbital speed of 1.7 km/sec to just 1 meter/sec, then landed on shock absorbing legs within 100 meters of the target. Jason Kim, CEO of Hotaru; I told CNN That the short height of the craft was the key to a safe landing: “It is a successful design, you see past designs and successful past designs, [they] Very similar – short and squatti. ”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqsgzztvpao

The Blue Ghost is approximately 2 metres tall and 3.5 metres wide, and features 10 scientific instruments as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program, which uses the private sector to perform various experiments prior to the planned crew mission.

These include testing of the lunar planet, which uses compressed gas blasts to mix and collect samples of lunar dust, radiation-curable computer chips, and lunar GNSS receiver experiments that pick up signals from GPS and Galileo navigation satellite constellation to bring Earth into orbit to provide timing data for the moon.

The Lander will be operating on Earth Day-Moon Day, approximately 14 days before falling into the darkness and closing around March 16th. While other landers have unexpectedly survived the harsh conditions before, a frostling moon night will likely be the end of the mission.

Last February, the Texas-based intuitive machine landed the Odysseus spacecraft on the moon, becoming the first private company to achieve a feat previously only achieved by the National Space Agency. Odysseus fell to the side while landing, but still managed to work surprisingly well.

Many moon missions are in progress or planning. Also, Blue Ghost's Launch Rocket was another commercial moon mission, Ispace's Resilience Lander, intended to land in April. It is expected that around 12 landers will reach the moon in 2025 alone.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

My Handcrafted Blue Ghost Spaceship Ready to Touch Down on the Moon

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The personally built spacecraft is a few hours away from landing on the moon, a feat only achieved by one other company in spaceflight history.

The robot lander, known as Blue Ghost, has been orbiting the moon for approximately two weeks, gearing up for a daring descent. Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based company, has developed a spacecraft with the goal of landing on the moon around 3:34 am early Sunday.

If all goes as planned, Blue Ghost will become the second privately owned vehicle to land on the moon. In February 2024, another Texas-based company, Intuitive Machines, made history with the Odysseus Lander successfully touching down near the moon’s Antarctic region.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lunar Lander took a selfie on Earth.
Firefly Air Space

Firefly Aerospace’s future landing attempts are set for 2025 as part of a robotic mission to the moon. Recently, Intuitive Machines launched its second lunar landing vehicle into space. Japanese company, The Ispace, was also sent towards the moon on the same rocket as Blue Ghost, taking a longer route but expected to arrive around late May or early June.

Blue Ghost is targeting a landing site in a 350-mile-wide basin near the moon’s surface, always facing the Earth. This area is believed to be the location of an ancient asteroid impact, according to NASA.

During a recent orbit around the moon, the Lander captured footage showing distant craters on the lunar surface.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander filmed footage of the other side of the Moon on February 24th.
Firefly Air Space

Blue Ghost is scheduled to begin its descent around 2 am on Sunday. NASA will broadcast live streams starting at 2:20 am ET on NASA TV.

Equipped with 10 NASA science instruments, the spacecraft will conduct various studies, including surveying the moon’s interior up to 700 miles deep, capturing Earth-focused x-ray images, analyzing space weather interactions with Earth’s magnetic field, and capturing detailed images during the descent for future missions.

The instruments onboard the Lander will examine lunar soil samples, study lunar dust adherence to different surfaces, and use lasers to measure Earth-Moon distance accurately.

Blue Ghost is expected to gather data on the moon for about two weeks.

While in Lunar Orbit, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander captured images of the moon’s Antarctic.
Firefly Air Space

This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, a public-private partnership between NASA and US companies to deliver scientific experiments, technology, and cargo to the moon. It is a critical component of NASA’s Artemis program, designed to eventually return humans to the moon.

NASA allocated approximately $101.5 million to Firefly Aerospace to carry out the Blue Ghost Mission.

NASA states that the scientific experiments and technology demonstrations on these missions will enhance our understanding of the moon’s Antarctic region, where future human crews are expected to land.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully achieves orbit during debut launch

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

new glen explodes

blue origin

Blue Origin's reusable New Glenn rocket successfully launched and reached orbit, but engineers were unable to safely land the first stage rocket booster on Earth as they had hoped. There wasn't. Still, the company's first launch into orbit shows that Jeff Bezos' space company can challenge Elon Musk's SpaceX's current dominance in the commercial space launch business.

“We are extremely proud that New Glenn reached orbit on its first attempt,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp. in a statement.

New Glenn, as tall as a 30-story building, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida around 2 a.m. local time (7 a.m. Japan time). The rocket has experienced numerous delays and setbacks, with its last launch being canceled due to unwanted ice forming in some of the rocket engine pipes.

About 13 minutes after liftoff, the rocket's second stage reached orbit. This has been Blue Origin's goal since its founding more than 20 years ago. It carried a test payload called the Blue Ring Pathfinder, which included communications equipment, power systems, and a flight computer.

Another goal of this mission was to land the rocket booster on a floating landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean so it could be reused on future missions to reduce overall costs. However, engineers stopped receiving data from the booster shortly after launch. “We knew it was an ambitious goal to land the booster on the first try. We learned a lot from today and plan to try again at our next launch this spring,” Limp said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin Rocket Launches to Compete with SpaceX, led by Elon Musk

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket successfully launches from Florida on its inaugural space mission. This marks a significant milestone for Jeff Bezos’ space company as it ventures into Earth orbit to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the satellite-launching industry.

The 30-story New Glenn features a reusable first stage powered by liquid oxygen and methane. Despite cloudy skies, the rocket lifted off for the second time this week at around 2 a.m. ET (7 a.m. GMT) from the Blue Origin launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The first launch attempt was postponed on Monday due to ice accumulation on the propellant lines. However, on Thursday, the company confirmed a smooth launch without any issues.

The company’s live stream captured the enthusiasm of hundreds of employees gathered at Blue Origin’s headquarters in Kent, Washington, and the Cape Canaveral rocket factory in Florida for the momentous launch.

Spectators on Florida’s East Coast cheered and witnessed the launch from parks and campgrounds located miles away from the launch pad.

This mission represents a culmination of a decade-long, multibillion-dollar development effort. It included a successful landing of New Glenn’s first stage booster on a fairing barge in the Atlantic Ocean just 10 minutes after liftoff, along with efforts to propel the second stage towards orbit.

Safety secured within New Glenn’s payload bay is the first prototype of Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft—a maneuverable spacecraft designed for the Department of Defense and commercial use, set to be sold to a customer.

Achieving the deployment of a spacecraft into its intended orbit on the initial rocket launch is a rare accomplishment in the space industry.

Source: www.theguardian.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.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket prepares for its first launch.

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New Glenn on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida

blue origin

Blue Origin, the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is scheduled to launch its first reusable New Glenn rocket on January 10th. If successful, the rocket could rival SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, which has become the go-to launch vehicle for companies looking to send large payloads into orbit.

What is Newglen?

New Glenn is a 98-meter-tall rocket, the height of a 30-story building, designed to carry a payload of up to 45 tons into low-Earth orbit. It is expected to compete with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, which can carry about 64 tons of cargo.

The rocket has two stages. The first stage is designed to land on a maritime platform, similar to the Falcon Heavy, and Blue Origin claims it can be reused for 25 missions. The top of the rocket has a disposable upper stage that can store cargo and mission payloads.

When will the launch take place?

New Glenn was cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in a three-hour window beginning at 1 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) on January 10.

The launch window had already been approved by the FAA as January 6th, but Blue Origin also confirmed the January 10th window for the first time. “This is our first flight, and we have prepared thoroughly for it,” said Blue Origin's Jarrett Jones. in a statement.

After announcing development of the rocket in 2016, Blue Origin initially aimed to launch New Glenn in 2020, but delays and setbacks have postponed the first launch.

What does a test flight involve?

The main purpose of the test flight, called NG-1, is to get the rocket into orbit, but the second stage will also be equipped with Blue Origin's Blue Ring Pathfinder, which includes communications equipment, power systems, and Blue Ring equipment. A collection of flight computers) will also be installed. The spacecraft will help guide and maneuver future payloads in orbit.

Blue Origin aims to emulate the success of SpaceX's rapid testing and development schedule, which involves launching as often as possible, even if some tests end in fiery explosions. “No matter what happens, we will learn, refine and apply that knowledge to our next launch,” Jones said.

Ultimately, Blue Origin asked New Glenn to launch a satellite as part of Amazon's Project Kuiper, a planned satellite internet constellation similar to SpaceX's Starlink, that would fly to the space station Blue Origin is developing. I would like to have the parts delivered.

What other rockets has Blue Origin launched?

Blue Origin has previously focused on space tourism with its New Shepard rocket, which launched founder Jeff Bezos and three other passengers to an altitude of 107 kilometers (107 kilometers) in 2021. It has since launched eight more crew members to similar altitudes, the most recent in November 2024.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Why Are People Avoiding Elon Musk’s “Digital Town Square” and Heading for the Blue Sky?

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

a
Elon Musk’s departure from X resulted in the loss of around 2.7 million active Apple and Android users in the U.S. in a span of two months. In comparison, Bluesky, a competing social media platform, also saw a decline, losing nearly 2.5 million users during the same time frame.

This leak coincided with the exit of several prominent figures, including directors Guillermo del Toro and Mike Flanagan, and actors Quinta Brunson and Mark Hamill. Some, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, still have an X account but are now using Bluesky more frequently.

According to digital market intelligence firm Similarweb, the number of daily active users on X in the U.S. has dropped by 8.4% since early October, from 32.3 million to 29.6 million.

On the other hand, Bluesky has experienced a significant increase of 1,064% since October 6, growing from 254,500 to approximately 2.7 million users. This surge began when Musk started using the @america X handle to promote his pro-Donald Trump super pack and began posting in support of the former president.

Following Trump’s election victory, this trend accelerated further. Within a week of November 5th, Bluesky’s total user count doubled from 743,900 to 1.4 million. A week later, the number doubled again to 2.8 million. Since Musk’s super pack formation on X, the platform’s U.S. active users have increased significantly compared to Bluesky.

Bruce Daisley, a former vice president at Twitter, attributed the shift away from X to Musk’s concept of a “digital town square” and the platform’s evolving nature. He expressed concerns about the rise of extreme views on X under Musk’s leadership.

French journalist Salome Sake, who had a significant following on X, deactivated her account due to harassment and misinformation on the platform. She found Bluesky to be a healthier space and shifted her focus there.

Despite finding a new platform for journalism, Salome believes that the exodus of users from X enables those who spread hate, propaganda, and misinformation online. She emphasized the importance of diverse opinions and critical thinking.

Notable exits from X also include a German football club, St. Pauli, and Werder Bremen, citing the platform’s radicalization and departure from their values. Werder Bremen chose to leave X due to its stance against hate speech and discrimination.

Christoph Pieper, the director of communications at Werder Bremen, highlighted the club’s moral values and commitment to fighting against discrimination. Despite the potential economic impact, the club prioritized its principles over online visibility on X.

Pieper expressed uncertainty about the club’s future on Bluesky but firmly stated that any platform allowing hate speech is not suitable for Werder Bremen. Many other clubs are also considering a transition to Bluesky, signaling a shift away from X.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Monday will see a rare blue moon and supermoon dominating the sky

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Skywatchers on a budget will be excited for a night of celestial luck on Monday, as they have the chance to witness a supermoon and a seasonal blue moon together.

NASA explains that a blue moon, by its technical definition (the third full moon in a season of four), occurs approximately once every 10 years.

A supermoon happens when the moon is full at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. These occurrences vary, with the most intense supermoons appearing around 14 percent larger than when the full moon is farthest from Earth. While this supermoon may not be among the most intense, it still qualifies as a supermoon according to NASA.

The moon’s colors will appear off-white and grey, with hints of brown and yellow.

As per NASA, a “super blue moon” can happen every 20 years. NASA’s FAQ confirms: It’s set to be a bright Monday night.

People watch as a super blue moon rises behind Nacka in Stockholm on Monday.
Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP-Getty Images

With the new blue moon definition (the second full moon in a month with two full moons) and the traditional seasonal blue moon definition, a super blue moon can be expected once every five years.

The next occurrence of a moon similar to Monday’s, as a supermoon coinciding with a seasonal blue moon, is scheduled for August 21, 2032, according to NASA. The next supermoon aligned with a monthly blue moon will take place in January 2037.

Monday’s super blue moon also acts as an indicator for the remaining 30 days of summer, which ends on September 21st.

“Seasonal blue moons consistently occur roughly a month before the vernal equinox or summer solstice,” NASA highlights in an FAQ.

Many Americans anticipating this unique celestial event may face disappointment as the National Weather Service forecasts thunderstorms overnight from the northern Mid-Atlantic to New England, with a chance in the High Plains regions.

For those in the San Francisco Bay area, where the moon is expected to be visible, skies are predicted to be mostly clear, ensuring that “the supermoon will be visible tonight,” as stated by the National Weather Service.

During the Giants-Chicago White Sox game, scheduled to commence an hour before sunset, Denver’s Blue Moon Brewing is organizing a post-game drone spectacle for fans at Oracle Park.

“Once the Giants-White Sox game concludes, the stadium lights will dim, and the sky above Oracle Park will illuminate with a drone show titled ‘Once in a Blue Moon,’ as confirmed by the brewery in a statement.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Windows computers worldwide suffer massive outage due to Blue Screen of Death

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

If you see a blue screen, it’s bad news

Alex Photostock/Alamy

A large number of Microsoft Windows computers around the world today were found to be unable to boot, instead displaying the so-called “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD), among the computers reportedly affected, with the UK’s Sky News ceasing live broadcasts just before 6am local time, as well as causing outages for a number of airline and banking services.

What’s happening on my Windows computer?

Some users have reported that their Windows devices are refusing to boot up, while others have witnessed their computers suddenly display a BSOD while in use.

Eddie Major of the University of Adelaide in Australia…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Video captured of Blue whale mother nursing her calf for the first time

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The first ever video footage of a blue whale nursing a calf was captured by a snorkeler in East Timor, Southeast Asia, and has been released.

“It’s certainly not a newborn calf.” Karen Edivain “But they’re clearly still drinking milk,” said the researcher, from the Australian National University in Darwin.

Edibane says capturing the footage is an incredible feat that has never been achieved before. The action was captured on camera by a snorkeler on an ecotourism voyage swimming with the pygmy whales off the coast of the capital, Dili, in 2022, and has only now been made public.

Blue Whale (Mushibaga) is the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth, sometimes reaching lengths of over 30 meters and weighing nearly 200 tons.Southern wolfThe sharks found off the coast of Timor-Leste are slightly smaller, reaching a maximum length of 24 metres.

Blue whale calves do not attach to their mothers when feeding, but rather release oily milk into the water, which the calf swallows.

Edivain said the large calf seen feeding in the video is probably in its second year of living with its mother — blue whales are weaned at three years.

Other significant blue whale behaviours have been sighted and filmed in the area as part of the decade-long study. Citizen Science Projects Project leader Edivine said a database of 2,700 pygmy blue whales had been compiled since 2014 and that Timor-Leste may be a base for one of the world’s largest migrations of pygmy blue whales.

Newborn calves, courtship behaviour, pre-mating behaviour and feeding behaviour have all been observed.

“We haven’t seen a penis yet, but we’ve seen very affectionate adults having a lot of fun playing with each other,” Edivain said.

Caprivec The head of marine life conservation for the Western Australian Water Environment Regulatory Authority said that until recently no one knew how many blue whales were migrating off the coast of Timor-Leste.

Beck says he was incredibly lucky to capture the footage. Blue whales are often found far offshore, in hard-to-reach locations. “It’s incredibly rare to even be in the water with a blue whale, and even rarer to be in the water at the right time and place to film a calf nursing.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Feeling blue when your beloved TV series concludes? You’re not the only one.

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

When the Australian soap opera Neighbours was canceled in 2022, it signified the end of a cultural institution that had been on air for 37 years. The show’s fictional suburban setting and beloved characters were suddenly gone, leaving fans in mourning.

Adam Gerace, a senior lecturer in psychology at Central Queensland University in Australia, conducted a study to understand the grief experienced by about 1,300 Australians following the show’s conclusion.

Fans expressed genuine feelings of sadness and loss, as outlined in a study authored by Gerace and published in the journal PLOS One.

Gerace’s survey asked fans about their emotions after the final episode aired in 2022, finding that many struggled to accept the show’s cancellation. Despite their anger over the end, fans were grateful for the connections and experiences the series had provided them.

The study also delved into the concept of “parasocial breakups,” where viewers mourn the loss of their favorite characters as if they were real. This emotional attachment was found to be similar to the grief experienced after the end of real relationships.

Gerace noted that people developed strong emotional bonds with Neighbours characters, leading to significant sadness when the show concluded. This phenomenon is not exclusive to TV shows, as people can also experience similar emotions after finishing a book series or video game.

Fans’ deep connection to Neighbours was further emphasized by the show’s long history and multi-generational viewership. Many fans had been watching for nearly 40 years, with the series playing a significant role in their daily lives.

Psychologists like Dara Greenwood from Vassar College explain that the length of time spent with characters can strengthen emotional bonds, leading to a profound sense of loss when the show ends.

While grieving a quasi-social relationship is a common human response, experts are still exploring how parasocial grief differs from real-life loss of a loved one. Some studies suggest that the intensity of grief may vary depending on individual personality traits and life experiences.

Ultimately, forming bonds with fictional characters can have a positive impact on empathy and understanding, helping to challenge stereotypes and prejudice.

However, becoming overly attached to TV characters may have negative consequences if it interferes with real-world relationships, as Gerace warns.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Archaeologists unearth ancient Pompeii temple adorned with blue walls dating back 2,000 years

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Italian archaeologists have unearthed the so-called Sacramento in Pompeii, the ancient Roman city frozen in time after the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

A 2,000-year-old sacramental vessel discovered in Pompeii, Italy. Image courtesy of Pompeii Archaeological Park.

The newly discovered sacrarium – an ancient temple used for ritual activities and storing sacred objects – covers an area of approximately 8 square meters.

The chamber was excavated in the center of Pompeii by Dr. Gabriel Suftriegel and his colleagues from the Pompeii Archaeological Park.

“Against the blue background of the wall, two female figures are depicted on either side of a central niche,” the archaeologists said in a statement.

“The figures in the side niches represent the horae, the four seasons, while the figures in the central panel represent an allegory of agriculture and shepherding, shown with the symbols of the plough and pedum (a short staff used by shepherds and hunters).”

“The blue color seen in this room is rarely seen in Pompeii frescoes and was usually used in more elaborately decorated rooms.”

In the sacristy, researchers found 15 transport amphorae and a set of bronze objects, including two jugs and two lamps.

They also unearthed large amounts of ancient building materials that can be used in the renovation work.

“A pile of empty oyster shells was found by the front door. The shells had probably been crushed into small pieces and added to the plaster or mortar,” the scientists said.

“The room was found in a building located on the southern side of a block (insula) belonging to the secondary area of the larger domus,” the researchers added.

“The structures discovered include a bathhouse, which is still being excavated, and a large reception room decorated with black frescoes overlooking a courtyard with a staircase leading to the first floor of the complex.”

“These excavations are part of a wider project aimed at strengthening the boundaries between excavated and unexcavated areas and improving the hydrogeological structure in order to more effectively and sustainably protect Pompeii’s vast archaeological site (more than 13,000 rooms in 1,070 residential units, public areas and sacred sites).”

Team paper Published in Electronic Journal Scavi di Pompei.

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Gabriel Suchtriegel others. Nostalgia Land: District 9 of Pompeii, 10 Sacred Sites on the Island. Electronic Journal Scavi di Pompeipublished online June 3, 2024

Source: www.sci.news

New metallic blue ant species found in India by entomologists

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The entomologist described a new species of ant. Parapara Tretina He is from Inguk village in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.

Paraparatretina NeelaHolotype worker: (A) Head viewed from the front, (B) Body viewed from the back, (C) Body viewed from the side. Images courtesy of Sahanashree other., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168.

Parapara Tretina A genus of small ants, generally 1-2 mm in length, belonging to the subfamily. Formicidae.

They are typically found in the Afrotropical, Australasia, Indomalaya, Oceania and Palaearctic biogeographical regions.

They live in a variety of tropical environments, from rainforests to forest clearings, and can be found in a wide range of habitats, from leaf litter on the ground to high up in the tree canopy.

Currently, the genus contains 38 valid species and four valid subspecies.

Fourteen species are known from the Indomalaya biogeographic region. Parapara Tretina Acetate It was previously the only species known from the Indian subcontinent.

Specimen of a new worker ant species Parapara Tretina The specimens were collected from a secondary forest at an altitude of 803 metres (2,635 feet) in Ing village, East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India.

“One evening, while I was exploring a tree hole about three metres high on a steep cattle track in the remote village of Inku, I saw something glow in the twilight,” he said. Dr. Dharma Rajan Priyadarsanan Ashoka Foundation for Ecological and Environmental Research and colleagues.

“In the dim light, two insects were sucked into the aspirator, which, to my surprise, I later discovered were ants.”

“Arunachal Pradesh, located in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, Cyan Valley “There is a world of unparalleled diversity, much of which remains to be explored,” they said.

“But this richness, both culturally and ecologically, faces unprecedented threats.”

“Large infrastructure projects such as dams, highways and military installations, along with climate change, are rapidly transforming the valley.”

“The impacts extend beyond the valley itself, as these mountains not only sustain their own diverse ecosystems but also play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of millions of people living downstream.”

Named Paraparatretina NeelaThe newly discovered species is a tiny ant measuring less than 2mm in length.

The body is primarily metallic blue, except for the antennae, mandibles, and legs.

The head is subtriangular, with large eyes and triangular mouthparts (mandible) bearing five teeth.

This species has a distinctive metallic blue colour that distinguishes it from other species in the genus.

“With the exception of marine sponges, blue colouration in animals is a relatively rare phenomenon,” the researchers said.

“But there are also some blue species among vertebrates, such as fish, frogs and birds, and invertebrates, such as spiders.”

“Blue is a common color in many insects, especially hymenoptera. Apidae, Chrysanthemum family and Ichneumonidaeit is very rare Formicidae. “

“Blue colors in insects are typically produced by the arrangement of biological photonic nanostructures rather than pigments, and have evolved independently in different groups.”

“This vibrant feature raises an intriguing question: Could it serve a purpose in communication, camouflage, or other ecological interactions? A closer look at the evolution of this conspicuous color and its relationship to elevation and biology could provide clues.” Paraparatretina Neela It points to exciting avenues for research.”

Discovery Paraparatretina Neela It has been reported paper In the journal Zookie.

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R. Sahanashree other2024. Amazing new species Parapara Tretina Donisthorpe (1947) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae), from the Eastern Himalayas of India. Zookie 1203: 159-172; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168

Source: www.sci.news

Making plants blue through gene editing could simplify weed removal by robots

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Changing the color of crops may make it easier to distinguish between target plants and weeds

John Martin – Photography/Alamy

Common crops such as wheat and corn could be genetically modified to be brightly colored to make them easier for weeding robots to work with, researchers have suggested.

Weeding reduces the need for herbicides, but the artificial intelligence models that power weeding robots can have trouble distinguishing weeds from crops that are similar in shape and color.

To avoid this problem, Pedro Correia Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and their colleagues have suggested that crop genomes could be adapted to express pigments such as anthocyanins, which make blueberries blue, and carotenoids, which make carrots orange.

It is also possible to grow crops with unusually shaped leaves or other traits that are invisible to the naked eye but can be detected by sensors such as those in the infrared spectrum.

Correia said AI's weeding struggles could get worse as wild species adapt to agriculture, taking advantage of their ability to cope with changing climate. This type of new domestication can produce crops that are more environmentally sustainable and higher yielding, but can also be difficult to distinguish from their unchanged ancestors.

“We're trying to change a very small number of genes to increase productivity,” Correia says. “It would be great if he could change one or two more genes to make them more recognizable and to be able to use robots to weed.”

charles fox The University of Lincoln in the UK says there is precedent for intentionally changing the color of crops. Orange carrots were not common until producers selectively bred stable varieties. But he thinks genetic modification is probably not the easiest way to improve the effectiveness of weed-killing robots.

“Other methods would probably be much easier and less controversial because people generally don't like genetic modification,” Fox says. “Sounds like a lot of effort.”

Correia says he's not suggesting creating something new or adding animal genes. The research involves modifying crop genomes to incorporate genes for pigments already produced in other plants. “We're just making some changes to the crop so they can eat it too,” he says. “We'll have to test everything and test for side effects and things like that, but I think it's quite possible.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Feeling let down as X’s highest followed account receives a complimentary blue verification badge

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Elon Musk has made a significant reversal in one of his most infamous decisions by reintroducing blue checkmarks on the social network.

The entrepreneur and former “Chief Twit” tweeted last week about the new policy that grants “Premium” status to users with more than 2,500 “verified subscriber followings” and “Premium +” to those with over 5,000. This policy is now being implemented.

The two-tier paid service offers various benefits, including fewer ads, better placement within the site’s algorithmic curation for lower-tier users, and access to X’s “anti-wake” AI chatbot Grok, zero ads, and improved reply prioritization for higher-tier users.

The most well-known perk of both tiers is the coveted blue checkmark next to a user’s profile. Previously known as “authentication,” the checkmark was reserved for high-profile users who verified their identity. Now, it is available to anyone subscribed to the service.

Skip past newsletter promotions

Last year, Musk’s company started removing the “legacy” checkmark to incentivize users to subscribe to Blue. However, this move negatively affected the social status of certified users within many communities. In response, the checkmark is now being reinstated for free, much to the disappointment of users who had never paid for it before.

Users like Marcy Wheeler and journalist Lauren Good expressed their frustration with the new status of the blue checkmark.

The exact number of blue checks approved and their necessity remain unclear as the social network continues under Musk’s leadership without providing comments to inquiries.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy: Low Metallicity and Rapid Star Formation in Web Image

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers using NASA/ESA/CSA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a typical extremely metal-poor, star-forming, blue, compact dwarf galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, I. Zwicki 18 (abbreviated). I took a stunning image of I Zw 18).

This web image shows I Zwicky 18, a blue, compact dwarf galaxy about 59 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. I Zwicky 18’s nearby companion galaxy can be seen at the bottom of the image. This companion star may be interacting with the dwarf galaxy and may have triggered the galaxy’s recent star formation. Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / Hirschauer other.

I Zw 18 It is located approximately 59 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

This galaxy, also known as Mrk 116, LEDA 27182, and UGCA 166, discovered It was discovered in the 1930s by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky.

At only 3,000 light years in diameter, it is much smaller than our own Milky Way galaxy.

I Zw 18 has experienced several bursts of star formation and has two large starburst regions at its center.

The wispy brown filaments surrounding the central starburst region are bubbles of gas heated by stellar winds and intense ultraviolet light emitted by hot, young stars.

“Metal-poor star-forming dwarf galaxies in the local universe are close analogs of high-redshift dwarf galaxies,” said Dr. Alec Hirschauer of the Space Telescope Science Institute and colleagues.

“Because the history of enrichment of a particular system tracks the accumulation of heavy elements through successive generations of stellar nucleosynthesis, low-abundance galaxies are likely to be more likely to be affected by a common phenomenon in the early Universe, including the global epoch of peak star formation. It mimics the astrophysical conditions where most of the cosmic star formation and chemical enrichment is expected to have taken place.”

“Thus, at the lowest metallicities, we may be able to approximate the star-forming environment of the time just after the Big Bang.”

“I Zw 18 is one of the most metal-poor systems known, with a measured gas-phase oxygen abundance of only about 3% of solar power production,” the researchers said. added.

“At a distance of 59 million light-years and with global star formation rate values measured at 0.13 to 0.17 solar masses per year, this laboratory is designed to support young stars in an environment similar to the one in which they were discovered. It’s an ideal laboratory for studying both the demographics and the demographics of stars that evolved in the very early days of the universe.”

Dr. Hirschauer and his co-authors used Webb to study the life cycle of I Zw 18 dust.

“Until now, it was thought that the first generation of stars began forming only recently, but the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope found “The dimmer and older red stars in the galaxy suggest that their formation began at least 1 billion years ago, and possibly 10 billion years ago,” the researchers said.

“Therefore, this galaxy may have formed at the same time as most other galaxies.”

“New observations by Webb reveal the detection of a set of dust-covered evolved star candidates. They also provide details about Zw 18’s two main star-forming regions. To do.”

“Webb’s new data suggests that major bursts of star formation in these regions occurred at different times.”

“The strongest starburst activity is now thought to have occurred more recently in the northwestern lobe of the galaxy compared to the southeastern lobe.”

“This is based on the relative abundance of young and old stars found in each lobe.”

of findings will be published in astronomy magazine.

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Alec S. Hirschauer other. 2024. Imaging I Zw 18 with JWST: I. Strategy and first results for dusty stellar populations. A.J., in press. arXiv: 2403.06980

Source: www.sci.news

The blue whale genome is sequenced by researchers

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

An international team of scientists has created a reference-quality, long-read-based genome assembly. blue whale (glans muscle).

blue whale (glans muscle). Image credit: NOAA.

The blue whale is one of the largest animals to have ever existed, with adults reaching up to 33 meters (110 feet) and weighing up to 150 tons.

Megaanimal genome research is of interest to several subfields of biomedicine.

Understanding the developmental mechanisms that control body size may have applications in regenerative medicine and animal husbandry.

Although large mammals tend to live longer and have orders of magnitude more cells, meaning they divide more, they develop mechanisms that increase their resistance to cancer. I am.This mysterious phenomenon is known as Peto's paradox.

“The genome is the blueprint of an organism,” he said. Dr. Yuri Bukmana computational biologist at the Morgridge Institute.

“You need to know the genome of that species in order to manipulate cell cultures and measure things like gene expression. That allows you to do more research.”

“It is generally understood that larger organisms take longer to develop from fertilized egg to adult than smaller organisms, but we do not yet understand why.”

“From that perspective, just the basic biological knowledge is important: How do you make an animal that big? How do you make it work?”

“The practical application of this knowledge lies in the emerging field of stem cell-based therapy,” he said.

“Healing the injury requires stem cells to differentiate into specialized cell types in the relevant organ or tissue.”

“The rate of this process is controlled by some of the same molecular mechanisms underlying the developmental clock.”

In the study, the authors analyzed segmental duplications, large regions of duplicated sequences that often contain genes, which can provide insight into evolutionary processes when compared to other closely or distantly related species. can.

They found that blue whales have had extensive segmental duplication in the recent past, with more copies than bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and that Vorpoise (Phocoena Cave)the world's smallest Cetacea.

Most of the copies of genes created in this way are probably non-functional or their functions are still unknown, but several known genes were identified.

One encodes a protein called metallothionein, which is known to bind to heavy metals and sequester their toxicity, a mechanism useful for large animals that accumulate heavy metals while living in the ocean. be.

Reference genomes also help preserve species. Blue whales were hunted to near extinction in the first half of the 20th century. It is now protected by international treaties and its population is recovering.

“In the world's oceans, blue whales are basically everywhere except in the high Arctic,” Dr. Buchman said.

“So having a reference genome will allow us to make comparisons and better understand the population structure of different groups of blue whales in different parts of the globe.”

“The blue whale genome is highly heterozygous and there is still a lot of genetic diversity, which has important implications for conservation.”

of result appear in the diary molecular biology and evolution.

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Yuri V. Buchman other. 2024. High-quality blue whale genomes, partial duplications, and historical demography. molecular biology and evolution 41 (3): msae036; doi: 10.1093/molbev/msae036

Source: www.sci.news

Study finds that ancient whale Percetus was no heavier than today’s blue whales

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists at the University of California, Davis and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History estimate that: Colossus of PercetusA gigantic basilosaur whale that lived in the Eocene of Peru and was 17 meters long and weighed between 60 and 70 tons.

reconstruction of Colossus of Percetus in coastal habitats. related sawfish, Pristis, recovered from the same unit in the East Pisco Basin, Yumac, Paracas Formation, Peru. Image credit: A. Gennari.

Colossus of Percetus They lived in what is now Peru about 39 million years ago (Eocene epoch).

This species was first described in 2023. Basilosauridaean extinct cetacean family that lived in the Eocene and is known on all continents, including Antarctica.

“Colossus of Percetus“The bones are unusually dense,” said Ryosuke Motani, a professor at the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Nicholas Pienson of the Smithsonian Institution.

“Mammal bones are usually solid on the outside and spongy or hollow in the center. In some animals, much of the center is filled with solid bone, which makes it denser and heavier. There are some that are.”

“In aquatic animals, heavy bones offset the buoyancy of body fat and fat, allowing them to maintain neutral buoyancy underwater or, in the case of hippos, to walk on riverbeds.”

“Fossil whale bones have an extensively filled interior and an overgrowth of bone on the outside. A condition called pachyostosis is also found in some modern aquatic mammals, such as manatees. .”

In 2023, paleontologists estimated the weight of the following people: Colossus of Percetus 180 metric tons (range from 85 to 340 metric tons).

This results in Colossus of Percetus Despite being much shorter at 17 meters (17 meters) compared to the 30 meters (30 meters) of the blue whale, it weighs as much or more than the largest known blue whale.

“These estimates indicate that Colossus of Percetus It's incredibly dense,” Professor Motani said.

“It would have been a whale's job to stay on the surface and get out of the ocean. To do anything underwater, it would have had to keep swimming against gravity.”

The authors reviewed the assumptions used to make these estimates.

“The first problem is that the original study used fossil bones to estimate skeletal weight, and assumed that skeletal and non-skeletal mass increases at the same rate as body size increases, which increases the total animal weight. “It's an extrapolation,” they said.

“But measurements in other animals show that this is not the case.”

“Initial estimates also overestimated how much overall weight would increase as a result of hypertrophy.”

“However, the evidence for manatees shows that their bodies are relatively light compared to their skeletal mass.”

Professor Motani and Dr Pienson estimate the total length to be 17 meters. Colossus of Percetus It weighs between 60 and 70 tons, much lighter than any known blue whale.

individuals of Colossus of Percetus A whale that grows to 20 meters can weigh more than 110 tons, but that's still a long way off the 270 tons of the largest blue whale.

“Thanks to the new weight, the whale, like most whales, is able to rise to the surface and remain there while breathing and recovering from the dive,” Professor Motani said.

of result Published in an online magazine Peer J.

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R. Motani and N.D. Pienson. 2024. Downsizing in the heavy class: Factors and methods for revising mass estimates of giant fossil whales. Colossus of Percetus. Peer J 12: e16978; doi: 10.7717/peerj.16978

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble Observes Bright Blue Compact Galaxy

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Dazzling new photos from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show the brilliant blue compact galaxy ESO 185-IG013 in the constellation Telescope.

This Hubble image shows ESO 185-IG013, a brilliant blue compact galaxy located approximately 260 million light-years away in the constellation Telescopium. Image credit: NASA / ESA / R. Chandar, University of Toledo / Gladys Kober, NASA and Catholic University of America.

ESO 185-IG013 is located about 260 million light-years away in the small constellation Telescopium in the south.

Also known as LEDA 63618, this galaxy is classified as a luminescent blue compact galaxy (BCG).

All stars in ESO 185-IG013 have a combined mass of more than 7 billion solar masses.

“BCG is a nearby galaxy that exhibits intense bursts of star formation,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.

“It is unusually blue in visible light, distinguishing it from other high starburst galaxies that emit more infrared light.”

“We study BCG because it provides a relatively close equivalent to galaxies in the early universe.”

“This means BCG can help us learn about the formation and evolution of galaxies as they may have occurred billions of years ago.”

Astronomers imaged ESO 185-IG013 at ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths, revealing details about its past.

“There are hundreds of young star clusters in our galaxy, many of which are younger than 100 million years,” the astronomers said.

“Many star clusters are only 3.5 million years old – relatively infants compared to the time scale of our universe.”

“Scientists predict that many of these youngest clusters will not survive because young clusters often outgas so much that they can disappear.”

“The large number of young star clusters indicates that ESO 185-IG013 was part of a recent galaxy collision and merger.”

“Disturbances in the galaxy's structure, likely caused by intense interactions between gas and dust during the collision, are another sign.”

“This merger provided the system with large amounts of fuel for star formation, which continues today.”

“ESO 185-IG013 also contains a tidal shell, and the diffuse light surrounding its bright center is a common signal of galaxy mergers,” the researchers said.

“We think that in galaxy mergers, the smaller of the two interacting galaxies is blocked by the larger galaxy and loses most of its material.”

“This causes matter to be ejected and then pulled back in by the gravity of the larger galaxy.”

“The dense region where material rearranges is called a shell, and it contains many star clusters. In addition to the shell, ESO 185-IG013 boasts a tail of gas to the northeast.”

Source: www.sci.news

Research: How small structures in the wax coating of blue-pigmented fruit contribute to its blue color

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

It is perhaps surprising that fruits with blue pigments are less common, since many visually guided fruit eaters have eyes highly adapted to blue sensitivity. However, some fruits do not contain blue pigment. In a new study, scientists from the University of Bristol and elsewhere investigated dark fruits with wax blooms, such as blueberries, plums and juniper cones, and found that structural color mechanisms are involved in their appearance. Did.

The structural color of the wax bloom gives the fruit a blue appearance across a wide range of accessions. (A) Undamaged highbush blueberries growing on the plant. (B) Blueberry (i) unmodified wax, (ii) mechanical wax removal, (iii) chloroform wax removal, (iv) surface application of (approximately) index-matched oil, (v) surface application of water; (vi) peeling off the outer skin to expose the pulp; (vii) the underside of the peeled skin; (C) Transmission light microscopy of a blueberry peel peeled from the inner edge showing red pigmentation of epidermal cells. Scale bar – 200 μm. (D) (i and ii) Plum selection (Plum) Fruits with different cell pigmentation, (i) with wax intact and (ii) with wax removed.Image credit: Middleton other., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk4219.

“You can't 'extract' the blue color from blueberries by crushing them, because blueberries are not present in the highly pigmented juice that can be squeezed from the fruit,” said lead author Dr Rocks Middleton, a researcher at the University of Bristol.

“That's why I knew there had to be something strange about this color.”

“So we removed the wax and recrystallized it on the card. In doing so, we were able to create a completely new blue UV coating.”

This ultra-thin colorant is about 2 microns thick, has a low reflectance, but looks blue and reflects UV well, potentially paving the way for new colorant methods.

“This shows that nature has evolved to use a very neat trick: an extremely thin layer of a vital colorant,” Dr Middleton said.

Most plants are covered with a thin layer of wax, which has multiple functions, many of which are still unknown to scientists.

They know that it is highly effective as a hydrophobic, self-cleaning coating, but only now have they realized how important this structure is for visible coloration.

Now Dr. Middleton and colleagues plan to look at easier ways to recreate and apply the coating.

This could lead to the development of more sustainable, biocompatible, and even edible UV- and blue-reflecting paints.

Additionally, these coatings may have multiple functions similar to natural biological coatings that protect plants.

“It was really interesting to discover that there was an unknown coloration mechanism just beneath the surface of the popular fruit that we grow and eat all the time,” Dr Middleton said.

“It was even more exciting to be able to recreate that color by taking wax and creating a new blue coating that no one had ever seen before.”

“Our dream is to incorporate all the functionality of this natural wax into a man-made material.”

of result It was published in the magazine scientific progress.

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Rocks Middleton other. 2024. Self-organized disordered structural colors from fruit wax blooms. scientific progress 10(6); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk4219

Source: www.sci.news

The True Color of Neptune: It’s Not as Blue as Previously Believed

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Voyager 2's original photo of Neptune (left) and the new study's reprocessed image (right)

Patrick Irwin

Neptune's true color is a pale greenish-blue similar to that of Uranus, contrary to popular belief that it is a much deeper blue.

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft passed by the outer planet in the 1980s and sent back photos showing the strikingly different colors of Uranus and Neptune.

This is puzzling given their similar size, mass, and chemical composition. Models of the planet's atmosphere can explain some of the fluctuations, such as Uranus' thicker “haze layer” that reflects more white light and makes the planet appear brighter, but these may explain why the planet is It doesn't fully explain why you should have something like that. different shades.

now, Patrick Irwin Researchers at the University of Oxford have processed images from Voyager 2 to show what the planet looks like to the human eye.

The original photo of Neptune taken by Voyager 2 had an enhanced contrast ratio to highlight hard-to-see atmospheric features. In addition to how they balanced the colors to create the final composite image, this also made the planet appear bluer.

Scientists at the time knew this and included these changes in photo captions, but over time the captions became detached from the images and Neptune's deep blue hue became a fact in the public consciousness. According to Irwin, the shrine is now enshrined inside.

Images of Uranus (left) and Neptune (right) created in previous and new research

Patrick Irwin

He and his team developed a model that uses shots taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to convert raw image data into true-color images. This image contains more complete information about the light. This produced similar hues on both planets. “The way the eye works makes true-color images much more boring and bland,” Irwin says.

The researchers also used Hubble images and images from the Lowell Observatory in Arizona to build a model to predict how Uranus' color would change during its long 84-year orbit around the sun. Due to the rotation of the planet, more of the equator is visible at the vernal equinox, and more of the poles are visible at the summer solstice. At the equator, there is more methane and red light is absorbed. The planet also has a hood of reflective, brightening ice particles that forms at its sun-facing poles during the equinoxes, increasing the reflectance of red and green wavelengths.

This helps explain the long-standing mystery of why Uranus appears slightly green on the summer solstice. “We knew there was a hood, we knew there was less methane in the polar regions, but no one had put it all together to be able to explain what was really going on seasonally. “It was,” Irwin said.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New Shepard’s triumphant return: Blue Origin’s latest success

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

blue originNew Shepard has officially resumed operations, with the company today successfully launching a suborbital rocket for the first time in more than 15 months.

The rocket lifted off from the Blue Origin launch site in west Texas at around 10:42 a.m. local time. The mission, named NS-24 to commemorate its 24th launch, carried 33 payloads for a wide range of customers, including NASA, Honeybee Robotics, and the nonprofit research and engineering company Draper. The mission was successfully completed in her 10 minutes, and the capsule returned safely to Earth after a short suborbital flight.

The company had originally targeted a Monday launch, but canceled the launch due to “ground system issues.” Blue Origin did not elaborate further on the specific issue.

This will be Blue Origin’s first New Shepard launch since September 2022, when an anomaly caused an automatic abort mid-flight. The capsule, which had no people on board at the time, was ejected from its booster and landed on Earth via parachute, but the booster was destroyed. The company discovered an issue with the engine nozzle that caused higher than normal operating temperatures.

Blue flew New Shepard four times in 2022, including a failed launch. Phil Joyce, Blue’s senior vice president for the New Shepard program, said in a statement after the launch that the company will fly the rocket more frequently next year. In 2024, the flight rhythm will improve,” he said.

Erica Wagner, Blue Origin’s senior director, said on the launch livestream that the company looks forward to flying its next crewed flight “soon.” There is no doubt that prospects breathed a sigh of relief when they saw another successful flight recorded on the blue belt.

Watch the launch again here:

Source: techcrunch.com

Blue Origin, founded by Bezos, plans to finally return with a long-awaited launch next week

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

blue origin aims to finally end the more than 15-month grounding of its New Shepard suborbital rocket, with the company today announcing it will fly unmanned missions as early as Dec. 18.

The company confirmed its release social media accounts Followed by Bloomberg reporting Content of internal email for new target date. The mission, called NS-24, will carry 33 scientific research payloads and other cargo.

The new Shepard has been grounded since September 2022, when an engine nozzle problem triggered an automatic shutdown and released the unmanned capsule from its booster. The capsule landed safely. The booster was destroyed upon crashing to Earth. (This mission was also unmanned.)

The Federal Aviation Administration formally closed its investigation into the crash in September and directed Blue Origin to take 21 corrective actions, including redesigning engine and nozzle components and “organizational changes.”

This new launch date means Blue Origin has implemented all measures and received a revised launch license from the FAA. The amended license expires in August 2025 and is limited to launches only from Blue Origin’s West Texas facility, according to the regulator’s website.

Blue Origin has ambitious projects in development, including a heavy-lift rocket called New Glenn, which aims to take flight late next year, and a lunar lander called Blue Moon, for which it is seeking a $3.4 billion contract from NASA. The Shepard Flight Program is the only one currently in operation. To date, the vehicle has flown over his 22 flights, taking 31 people (including CEO Jeff Bezos himself) to the edge of space and back.

Source: techcrunch.com

Fired Blue Origin Rocket Engine Manager Alleges Unjust Termination After Blowing the Whistle on Safety Concerns

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

A former program manager for Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging whistleblowing retaliation after speaking out about safety issues.

The complaint was filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It includes a detailed story about program manager Craig Stoker’s seven-month effort to raise concerns about Blue Origin’s safety and harsh working conditions.

Stoker reportedly told two vice presidents in May 2022 that then-CEO Bob Smith’s actions caused employees to “understand safety procedures to meet unreasonable deadlines.” “Frequently violates procedures and processes,” he said. The suit says Smith “exploded” when problems arose, creating a hostile work environment. Mr. Stoker sent a follow-up email containing a formal complaint against Mr. Smith to two vice presidents: Linda Koba, vice president of engine operations, and Mary Plunkett, senior vice president of human resources.

“Myself, my management team, and others within the company do not need to constantly apologize or make excuses to ourselves or our team for the CEO’s bad behavior,” the email said. There is. “We spend a significant amount of time trying to keep things running smoothly, boosting morale, repairing damage, and stopping people from overreacting. . . . Hostile work environment. . . . Our employees , creating a safety and quality risk to our products and customers.”

TechCrunch has reached out to Blue Origin for comment and will update this article if we hear back.

When Mr Stoker asked about a separate investigation into Mr Smith’s actions, Mr Plunkett said the investigation had concluded and Mr Smith was being “coached”.

Just months after filing a formal complaint, Stoker learned that a fellow employee had nearly suffocated while working under an engine nozzle. He expressed his concerns to Michael Stevens, vice president of safety and mission assurance. The complaint says Stoker was “ignored.” In August, Stoker sent another email to executives saying nine people on the engine team were working “over 24-hour” shifts to deliver engines on time to customer United Launch Alliance. expressed concern.

There is no doubt that the company was under pressure to deliver. Blue Origin’s BE-4 will power United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, which is expected to make its much-delayed debut around Christmas. According to the complaint, Blue Origin’s contract with ULA requires the company to provide one year’s notice of any issues that could affect the delivery of its rocket engines. Stoker wanted to tell ULA that the engine might be delayed.

However, Smith allegedly instructed Stoker not to share these production or delivery issues with ULA.

Ultimately, after an internal investigation, Blue Origin HR concluded that Mr. Smith did not create a hostile work environment or violate company policy. Stoker disagreed with this conclusion. Stoker later learned that officials from the engine program had not been interviewed as part of the investigation, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges that the human resources department was reluctant to conduct an investigation because the accuser, Mr. Stalker, was a man. “Being a man, Human Resources expected him to deal with problems on his own and not do too much ‘whining,’ and Mr. Stoker was given no means or resources.” He expressed his concerns to the company’s most powerful executive. ”

Stoker was fired on October 7, seven months after he first raised safety concerns. The complaint makes clear who was behind this decision. “Smith spearheaded this termination due to complaints against Mr. Stoker, raising safety/ethics/legal issues, and the fact that many of these reports were intended to disrupt his production/delivery schedule. Ta. “

Blue Origin has announced that Bob Smith will step down as CEO in September after nearly six years. His tenure was a successful one, growing the team from less than 1,000 people to more than 12,000 people and signing numerous high-profile and high-paying contracts with NASA. But it has not been without serious controversy, including allegations of a culture of sexism among senior executives.

Read the full complaint here.

Source: techcrunch.com

Blue Sky: A comprehensive guide to Twitter alternatives

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

Is the grass greener next door? I’m not sure, but I’m sure the sky is bluer.

It’s been over a year since Elon Musk bought Twitter leading people to set up shop on alternative platforms. mastodon, post, pebble (already Shutter operation) and spill are presented as potential replacements, but few apart from the meta thread have achieved the growth rate that Bluesky has achieved. Bluesky is still invite-only in beta, but the hype is growing as more people visit the site. As you can see from apps like Clubhouse., the hype may not last forever. Meanwhile, Blue Sky has over 1 million users, according to Blue Sky’s Rose Wang. The app saw 8,300 first-time installs per day on average since its release in July 2023, but no substantive updates regarding download data have been released since then. And when Mr. Musk makes less-than-favorable changes to his X, Mr. Bluesky often checks record usage. During the launch of the site, many people asked for invitation codes (which were being bought on eBay) and it became more accessible as more people joined the app. Here we answer the most common questions about Bluesky Social.

What is Blue Sky? Bluesky is a decentralized social app conceptualized by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and developed in parallel with Twitter. This social network features a Twitter-like user interface with algorithmic selection, federated design, and community-specific moderation. Bluesky uses open source frameworks built in-house, specifically the AT protocol, which means that people outside the company get transparency into how the company is built and what is being developed. Dorsey introduced the Bluesky project in 2019, when he was still Twitter CEO. At the time, he said Twitter would fund “a small, independent team of up to five open source architects, engineers, and designers” responsible for building decentralized standards for social media, adding that he said the goal is for Twitter itself to adopt this standard. But that was before Elon Musk acquired the platform, and as of late 2022, Bluesky is completely divorced from Twitter. Mr. Dorsey even used Mr. Bluesky to express his dismay with Mr. Musk’s leadership. Twitter is funding a small, independent team of up to five open source architects, engineers, and designers to develop open, decentralized standards for social media. The goal is for Twitter to eventually become a client of this standard. 🧵

How do I use Blue Sky? Once invited, users create a handle represented as @username.bsky.social and a display name that is prominently displayed in bold. If you feel like it, you can turn your domain name into your username. For example, his Darrell Etherington from TechCrunch is known on Bluesky as @etherington.com. The app itself functions a lot like basic Twitter, with the plus button allowing you to create 256-character posts. Posts can also include photos. The post itself can be replied to, retweeted, liked, reported from the Miscellaneous menu, shared to other apps via the iOS share sheet, or copied as text. Search for and follow others to see their latest updates on your Home timeline. Previously, the Bluesky app featured popular posts in the “What’s Hot” feed. That feed is then replaced by an algorithm, Personalized Discover feed, not just trending content. There’s also a Discover tab at the bottom center of the app’s navigation, offering more Who to Follow suggestions and a running feed of recently posted Bluesky updates. Image credits: Natalie Christman

How do I invite someone to Bluesky? New users will receive one invitation code for every two weeks they use the Bluesky app. The company monitors your social graph and further provides invitation codes to share with users, who have invited trusted participants. In the long term, Bluesky says the company considers the invitation code system to be part of the open source tools it is building to help server administrators manage and manage their communities.

Who is in Blue Sky? By early July 2023, instagram thread launched, Bluesky surpasses 1 million downloads across iOS and Android. App was officially released in September 2023 with 1 million users. High-profile figures have moved to Blue Sky, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Neil Gaiman, and Chelsea Manning. It is also home to organizations and journalists such as. X expulsion NPR, Taylor Lorenz and Jake Tapper.

Does Bluesky work like Twitter? In many ways, yes. However, Bluesky still lacks advanced tools such as DM and adding accounts to lists. In addition, Twitter supports ActivityPub and in Bluesky originally began as a project convened in 2019 when Jack Dorsey was CEO of Twitter. However, the social app has been an independent company since its founding in 2021.

Is Blue Sky free? Yes, but access is currently invite-only.

How does Blue Sky make money? Bluesky’s goal is to find other means to sustain the network outside of advertising through paid services, and to remain free for end users. On July 5, Bluesky announced an additional seed round of funding and a paid service that provides custom domains to end users who want to have their own domain as a handle for the service.

Is Bluesky decentralized? Yes. Bluesky’s team is developing a decentralized AT protocol that Bluesky is built on top of. In the beta stage, users can only join his bsky.social network, but Bluesky is planned to be federated. This means that an infinite number of independently operated communities can exist within an open source network. So if a developer other than Bluesky builds their own new social app using his AT protocol, Bluesky users can jump to the new app and port over their existing followers, handles, and data.

Is Blue Sky safe? In October 2023, Blue Sky added email verification. This is part of a larger effort to improve security and authentication of accounts on our network. This addition is an important step forward in making Bluesky more competitive against larger networks like X with more robust security controls.

Is Bluesky customizable? Yes. In May, Bluesky released custom algorithms, or what the company calls “custom feeds.” Custom His Feed allows users to subscribe to multiple different algorithms that showcase different types of posts that users want to see. You can pin custom feeds that appear at the top of your timeline as different tabs to choose from. Pinned or saved feeds can be found in the app’s sidebar under the “My Feeds” menu.

Is Bluesky available on iOS and Android? Yes. Bluesky is available on Android and was released on April 20th and was initially released for iOS users in late February. Users can access Bluesky on her web here. Bluesky also recently released the following third-party apps: gray sky It will launch on iOS and Android.

Are Bluesky’s posts really called “skeet”? Technically, the post doesn’t have a name, but Internet users have adopted the name “Skeets,” a combination of “tweet” and “sky.” Despite protests from Blue Sky CEO Jay Graeber and other who don’t find the slang for semen funny, users still widely refer to the posts as “skeet.”

How does Blue Sky deal with misinformation? After an October update, the app now flags misleading links and warns users. If a link shared in a user’s post doesn’t match its text, the app will show the user a “potentially misleading” warning that the link may be leading the user somewhere they don’t want to go. Warn you that there is. Image credits: Bluesky on Github

Has Blue Sky had any controversy? Bluesky has been plagued by moderation issues since its initial launch. The app has been criticized for failing to protect marginalized users and moderating racist content. Continue controversy frustrated that the app allows racial slurs in account handles, users launch a “posting strike,” and guardrails are established to warn against slurs and other offensive terms in usernames. refused to engage with the platform until further notice.

What was the “thread of hell”? Basically, too many people were replying to one thread, breaking notifications for everyone in the thread, making it impossible to mute posts, and causing the thread to split in a bunch of different subthreads. It was chaotic. you had to be there.

What is the difference between Blue Sky and Mastodon? Bluesky’s architecture is similar to that of Mastodon, but many users find Bluesky more intuitive, while Mastodon may seem less accessible. Mastodon makes choosing which instances to participate feel like an impossible task, and long-time users are very defensive about established posting standards. , it…

Source: techcrunch.com