Tag Archives: enigmatic

Can you identify these enigmatic close-up images?

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These stunning and enigmatic images were captured by scientists and photographers, like Felice Frankel, during her everyday life. Take a moment to see if you can guess what they depict before reading further. We will unveil the details beneath each photo.

The primary image is featured in Frankel’s latest publication, Amazing Moments: Uncovering the Hidden Science Around Us. Each close-up shot, many taken with her smartphone, is paired with an explanation of the scientific process highlighted. “It’s akin to a guessing game,” she notes.

So, what’s the answer? The primary image at the beginning of this article features an opal. The blue lines present are mineral veins. When light passes through the stone, it diffracts, and the size of the silica spheres along with their spacing determine the colors observed.

The above image was taken while Frankel sautéed peppers, where condensation formed on the pot lid. These small droplets acted as lenses, transmitting the colors of the peppers through the lid to the camera.

The above photo captures a high-resolution image of a 5 cm mineral agate sample. Its intricate pattern showcases a layer of silica.

Frankel was captivated by the glowing copper pot depicted above. When copper is heated and exposed to air, it oxidizes, resulting in vivid copper compounds that create beautiful colors.

In the concluding image above, oil leaking from the car forms a thin layer atop the puddle. Light reflects off the top and bottom of this oil layer, which varies in thickness, creating a spectrum of colors due to these reflections.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Shroud Review: David Cronenberg’s New Sci-Fi Film is Both Heart-Wrenching and Enigmatic

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Shroud’s Karsh (Vincent Cassel, left) and Molly (Guy Pearce)

Gravetech Productions Inc./SBS Productions

Shroud
David Cronenberg
Released in the UK and US

Myrna (Jennifer Dale) perhaps experienced a more favorable blind date. Her appetizer of edible flowers appear somber. The two tables are surrounded by an oddly shaped shroud of Vitrine covering the setting. After a brief conversation with her date, Karsh (Vincent Cassel), who owns the restaurant, it becomes evident that the environment is intricately linked to the cemetery in architectural, economic, and intellectual aspects.

This cemetery isn’t just a place; it includes gravestones equipped with screens. The deceased are enveloped in a technologically advanced, camera-laden shroud, allowing visitors to witness their loved ones from afar as they undergo life-changing events.

Over his five-decade career, David Cronenberg has perfected the craft of delivering narratives at an unconventional pace. On paper, as well as within the context of “Plesis,” his films might read as satire. Their whimsical nature is apparent, considering the characters’ last names—Karsh is “Relikh,” and Myrna is “Shovlin.” By treating this scenario earnestly, one can discern the potential for conversations with AI-created avatars of the deceased, engaging in various money-driven ventures alongside lists of “grief technology” startups.

Yet, Cronenberg seldom writes pure satire; he crafts narratives that resonate deeply with what we could genuinely experience.

Although Karsh’s date with Myrna is uneventful, he finds solace (and more) with Terry, a digital personification resembling his late wife, Becca. Diane Kruger portrays both the role and voice of the unreliable digital assistant, Honey, created by Terry’s ex-husband, Molly (played by the cunning Guy Pearce).

After many projects, it is evident that sorrow fuels the entirety of David Cronenberg’s artistic journey.

By night, Becca battles bone cancer, navigating her illness without arms. Are these nocturnal encounters mere reflections or figments of his imagination? Amidst everything, Karsh’s affections remain unwavering for his wife, raising the question: will he become more human? Or will they truly care for him?

Kirsh grapples with conflicting emotions—guilt, rage, and longing—as Becca might be deceiving him with her past professor and first love. Yet, these layers serve as mere facades, obscuring more significant, political conspiracies involving China, Russia, or Budapest. Meanwhile, Terry, who enjoys the unfolding drama, finds herself in the position of encouraging Kirsch’s obsessive behaviors.

Carolyn Zeyfman, Cronenberg’s spouse, passed away in 2017. Shroud emerges as a product of profound emotional sharing, delving into every stage of grief through an exceptional portrayal by Kassel—armed with unresolved, fantastical plot elements twisted by delusional technological visions. Is there a chance that China could exploit our physical forms for surveillance? Or did Morley code this metamorphosis?

Meanwhile, Shroud firmly establishes that sorrow remains the pivotal force driving Cronenberg’s cinematic catalog. It resembles a constructed film where characters articulate complex revelations to one another while maneuvering through intricate conspiracy theories, perpetually shrouded. Nothing significant evolves because, ultimately, we confront… death. It unfolds at a calm, steady pace, relentlessly.

This ranks among the catastrophic productions great directors occasionally create when they have nothing left to prove, and the only narrative to convey.

I would also recommend Simon’s works…

Asphyx
Peter Newbrook

The two Edwardian Tinkers (Robert Stephens and Robert Powell) attempt to invent a method for the Grim Reaper to freeze mid-strokes.

Ring
Nakata Fumi

No one consulted us about our desire to live. This thriller explores mortality through cursed videotapes that ensnare viewers within a week.

Simon Sings is a novelist and science writer. Follow him on X @simonings

The Arts and Science of Writing Science Fiction

Join us this weekend to explore new dimensions in science fiction writing, dedicated to crafting innovative worlds and artistic expressions.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Enigmatic Lizard: Surviving the Chicxulub Asteroid Impact

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Yellow spotted tropical night lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum)

Dante Fenolio/Science Photo Library

A unique and elusive group of lizards remains today, recognized as the only terrestrial vertebrates to withstand the catastrophic Chicxulub asteroid impact, which likely resulted in the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs.

The Xantusiid Night lizard is known as an ancient lineage, surviving for tens of millions of years. However, Chase Brownstein from Yale University and his team proposed that this lineage might have originated earlier than previously estimated.

The end of the Cretaceous period was marked by a colossal asteroid strike near the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, creating craters wider than 150 kilometers and leading to the extinction of most animal and plant species globally.

Today, the night lizard—despite its name, not actually nocturnal—continues to inhabit Cuba, Central America, and the southwest region of the United States.

Brownstein and his researchers utilized previously published DNA sequencing data from Xantusiids to construct evolutionary trees for these groups. They integrated findings from skeletal anatomy of current species and fossil records, allowing them to estimate the lineage’s age and the quantity of offspring produced by the ancestral night lizard.

The team identified a shared ancestor that lived deep within the Cretaceous period, dating back over 93 million years, likely producing only one or two clutches of offspring.

“It’s highly probable that these ancient populations were situated close to the impact site, much like their modern counterparts,” remarks Brownstein. “It’s as though the distribution of Xantusiid lizards encircles the impact zones.”

According to fossil records, Brownstein argues that it is improbable for ancient night lizards to have simply returned to the affected areas later.

“Our reconstructions suggest that the common ancestors of living species most likely originated in North America, as the fossil evidence of Xantusiids is relatively continuous on both sides of the boundary layer,” he adds.

Numerous night lizard species inhabit rock crevices and possess a slow metabolism akin to other survivors of mass extinction, like turtles and crocodiles. “This likely enabled them to endure the aftermath of the impact,” states Brownstein.

Nathan Law from the University of Sydney expresses amazement at their survival. “These lizards resided near the asteroid’s impact site; despite the asteroid’s devastating effects within hundreds of kilometers, they managed to survive.”

Remarkably, they achieved this despite lacking many common characteristics typically associated with mass extinction survivors. “Species that endure these extinction events tend to be small, reproduce rapidly, and have extensive geographical ranges,” explains Law. “Conversely, these lizards generally have slower reproduction rates and appear to cover a minimal range.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unveiling the King: New Insights into the Enigmatic Origins of Tyrannosaurus Rex

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The genus Tyrannosaurus had its direct ancestors migrate from Asia over 70 million years ago, according to a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at University College of Paleontologists in London.

Tyrannosaurus Rex evolved in North America, while its direct ancestors originated from Asia. Image credit: Pedro Salas/Sergey Krasovskiy.

This research, led by Cassius Morrison, a Ph.D. student at University College London, indicates that the rapid increase in the size of tyrannosaur dinosaurs and their close relatives, the Megaraptors, coincided with a global climate cooling that followed a temperature peak 92 million years ago.

This finding suggests that Tyrannosaurus Rex and its relatives may have been better adapted to cooler climates compared to other dinosaur groups at the time, likely due to their feathers and warmer physiology.

The geographical origins of Tyrannosaurus Rex have been a topic of intense debate,” stated Morrison.

“Paleontologists remain divided over whether their ancestors originated from Asia or North America.”

“Our modeling indicates that the “grandparents” of Tyrannosaurus Rex likely migrated to North America from Asia, crossing the Bering Strait between modern-day Siberia and Alaska.”

“This aligns with prior research showing that Tyrannosaurus Rex shares a closer relation to Asian relatives like Turbosaurus than to North American relatives such as Daspletosaurus.

“Numerous Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils have been found in North America, but our findings imply that the direct ancestors of this group may not yet have been unearthed in Asia.”

Paleontologists concluded that Tyrannosaurus Rex actually evolved in North America, particularly in Lalamidia, and was widely distributed across the region.

This conclusion contradicts last year’s findings suggesting that Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, discovered in New Mexico, could be North American ancestors of Tyrannosaurus Rex from 3 to 5 million years ago. The team argued that the fossils of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis were not properly dated.

For this study, researchers examined the migratory patterns of Tyrannosaurus and its relatives across the globe.

They employed mathematical models that represented fossils, dinosaur evolutionary trees, as well as the geography and climate of the era.

Importantly, the model addressed gaps in the fossil record and factored in uncertainties in the calculations.

Megaraptors are considered one of the most enigmatic large carnivorous dinosaurs.

In contrast to Tyrannosaurus Rex, they evolved slender heads and limbs as long as human height, with claws measuring up to 35 cm (14 inches).

Scientists conclude that Megaraptors were more widely distributed than previously thought, first appearing in Asia around 120 million years ago, spreading to Europe, and likely reaching Gondwana (encompassing regions of present-day Africa, South America, and the Southwest).

This suggests that Megaraptors inhabited regions like Europe and Africa, where no fossils had been found before.

They may have adapted differently from their Tyrannosaurus relatives, perhaps utilizing their claws for hunting instead of relying on powerful bites.

In South Gondwana, they could have preyed on small sauropods, while Tyrannosaurus Rex hunted large herbivores such as Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and Ankylosaurus.

Both Tyrannosaurids and Megaraptors grew to enormous sizes nearly simultaneously as the climate cooled after the Cretaceous thermal peak 92 million years ago.

This rapid growth occurred following the extinction of other giant carnivorous dinosaurs, Carcharodontosaurids, which left a void at the top of the food chain.

The authors suggest that both Tyrannosaurus and Megaraptor could utilize cooler temperatures more effectively than their rival dinosaur groups.

By the end of the dinosaur age, Tyrannosaurus Rex weighed up to 9 tons (similar to very large African elephants and light tanks), while the Megaraptor reached lengths of up to 10 meters.

“Our findings illuminate the emergence of the largest tyrannosaurs in North and South America during the Cretaceous period and how they thrived by the end of the dinosaur epoch,” remarked Charlie Scheller of the University of London.

“They may have achieved their massive size to fill the ecological role left by the similarly large Carcharodontosaurid theropods that went extinct approximately 90 million years ago.”

“This extinction likely removed any ecological barriers that previously constrained the growth of tyrannosaurs.”

“Around 120 million years ago, Megaraptors were part of a diverse array of dinosaur species,” stated Dr. Mauro Alanciagaroland, a paleontologist at the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum in Argentina.

“As the Cretaceous period progressed and the continents began to drift apart, these predators became increasingly specialized.”

“Such evolutionary shifts prompted them to adapt to more specific habitats.

“In areas like Asia, Megaraptors were ultimately replaced by Tyrannosaurus, but in regions like Australia and Patagonia, they became apex predators, dominating these ecosystems.”

This study is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

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Cassius Morrison et al. 2025. The Rise of the King: the origins of Gondwanan and the evolution of the Megaraptor dinosaurs. R. Soc. Open Sci. 12(5): 242238; doi: 10.1098/rsos.242238

Source: www.sci.news

Canada’s Enigmatic Brain Disease: The Mystery Unveiled

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Six years ago, a Canadian neurologist noticed unusual symptoms among a group of patients in New Brunswick, a province next to Maine.

Dr. Arie Marrello reported that patients experienced hallucinations, convulsions, rapid memory loss, and a sensation of insects crawling under their skin, but these symptoms and brain scans didn’t align with existing diagnoses, making the cases puzzling.

Subsequent reviews by neurologists led to clear diagnoses, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer.

A recent study published in JAMA Neurology supports these findings, indicating that the likelihood of such mysterious illnesses is about one in one million.

The physicians involved in this study assessed 25 patients from the New Brunswick cluster. With 11 patients deceased, neuropathologists relied on autopsy findings to reach diagnoses. Among the 14 living patients, neurologists used cognitive assessments, concluding that all had well-documented conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and post-concussion syndrome.

Dr. Anthony Lang, a neurologist at the Krembil Brain Institute within the University Health Network, remarked, “I was confident that there was a clear explanation for 100% of the cases.”

Nevertheless, some medical professionals are concerned that this evidence may not quell speculation about an underlying unknown cause, which many patients and their families continue to believe in.

According to the authors of the study, 52 individuals connected to the New Brunswick cluster declined a second opinion, and another 42 individuals were unreachable. This lack of response has been attributed to the spread of misinformation through both traditional and social media, undermining trust in healthcare systems.

“These instances reflect misdiagnosis, leading to misinformation. Unfortunately, the doctors involved persist in convincing patients and their families that they have a mysterious illness,” Lang emphasized.

Marello expressed skepticism regarding the study’s methods and conclusions in a statement, saying, “I hold serious reservations about the validity of the research and have numerous questions regarding its methodology and content. We believe that our patients, families, and communities share these significant concerns.”

Dr. Valerie Sim, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Alberta and not part of the study, stated there is no evidence linking the patients’ illnesses. She noted that the description of the cases is too broad and could apply to multiple conditions.

“Sadly, the unifying factor is that all these patients saw the same neurologist,” Sim pointed out. “Patients evaluated by different specialists have been diagnosed with known conditions that aren’t mysterious.”

James Mastorianni, a professor of neurology at the University of Chicago, highlighted that while not included in the study, it underscores the importance of seeking second opinions from experts in the field.

Ongoing Investigation

The Mystery Disease Theory gained traction in 2021 when Canadian health officials launched an investigation based on Marello’s observations. However, even after the inquiry determined that most patients had identifiable conditions, skepticism remained among families. In November, Susan Holt, the Prime Minister of New Brunswick, called for a scientific review of the “mysterious brain diseases.”

“The residents of New Brunswick deserve answers,” Holt stated in a public statement last year. “We must understand the source of our illnesses.”

Some advocates for patients suspect that environmental factors may be contributing to the illnesses, noting that blood tests have detected heavy metals, pesticides, and rare antibodies, warranting further investigation.

“None of our patients received an alternative diagnosis,” said Kat Lantine, an advocate in New Brunswick. “What led to their neurodegenerative disease?”

Dr. Yves Legger, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, stated in a recent statement that the new study “does not alter our commitment to thoroughly investigating cases of undiagnosed neurological diseases in New Brunswick.”

His office has received 222 case reports in connection with this cluster.

Marello mentioned, “We have evaluated over 500 patients in this cluster and provided substantial evidence regarding environmental exposures, as well as rare autoimmune markers present in several cases.”

However, Lang cautioned that detecting substances in the blood or urine does not necessarily imply they are the cause of neurological symptoms.

“You cannot take a scattershot approach, where you find something and assert that it’s relevant to the health issue,” he explained.

Challenges in Diagnosing Neurological Problems

Neurologists not involved with the New Brunswick situation highlight several challenges that continue to spur discussions among advocates, doctors, and government officials about the illness’s origins.

For starters, they note that accurate diagnoses can take time. Some conditions highlighted in the study exhibit complex symptom profiles, like Alzheimer’s.

“We need a comprehensive history from the family along with a timeline to identify if someone is developing dementia. There may be early signs of confusion evident in neurological tests,” indicated Dr. Kimberly O’Neal, a neurologist at the Health Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center at NYU Langone.

Rapidly progressing dementia was one of the key symptoms observed in New Brunswick patients. However, families sometimes overlooked early indicators of neurodegeneration, which made it appear as though dementia appeared suddenly, according to Mastorianni.

When severe symptoms manifest, patients and their families often seek answers and can be hesitant to abandon their initial diagnoses, Sim noted.

“This phenomenon is common in medicine. Patients often become attached to a diagnosis or a group of conditions,” Sim remarked. “That is evidently the case here.”

Misdiagnosis can be “truly tragic,” as it may prevent patients from receiving effective treatment and proper care.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Mixedectes Pungens: An Enigmatic Mammal of the Early Ale Holocene with a Knack for Climbing Trees with Its Claws

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Small Mixedectid Mammals Called Mixedectes Pungens Analysis of a remarkably complete skeletal structure discovered in New Mexico shows that the skeletal characteristics that live in the leaves were primarily dieting on the leaves, weighing about 1.3 kg.

Mixedectes Pungens (foreground) lived in the same forest as early primates Torrejonia Wilsoni (background). Image credit: Andrey Atuchin.

Mixedectes Pungens He lived in western North America during the early Ale Holocene period, about 62 million years ago.

First described in 1883 by the drinker Coop of the famous American paleontologist Edward, the species was previously known for its fossilized teeth and jawbone fragments.

In the new study, Professor Eric Salgis of Yale University and his colleagues looked into the new skeleton Mixedectes Pungens – The most complete dental-related skeletal structure still recovered for mixed-cutide mammals from the Nasimiento Formation in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA.

“This 62 million-year-old skeleton of quality and integrity provides novel insights into the mixetide, including a much clearer picture of evolutionary relationships,” Professor Sargis said.

“Our findings show that they are relatives of primates and corgos – flying lemurs native to Southeast Asia – make them a fairly close human relative.”

The researchers determined that the new specimen belongs to a mature adult weighing about 1.3 kg.

The anatomy of the animal's limbs and nails indicates that it is dendritic and can cling perpendicular to the trunks and branches of a tree.

Its molars have a coat of arms to break down abrasive materials, suggesting that they were omnivorous and mostly ate the leaves.

“This fossil skeleton provides new evidence on the way placental mammals have become ecologically diverse following the extinction of dinosaurs,” says Dr. Stephen Chester, a researcher at the City University of New York and Brooklyn University at the Yale Peabody Museum.

“Characteristics such as greater weight and increased dependence on leaves. Mixedectes Pungens To thrive on the same tree that is likely to be shared with other early primate relatives. ”

Mixedectes Pungens Ale In North America during the early Holocene, it was very large for tree-inhabiting mammals.

For example, the new skeleton is significantly larger than the partial skeleton of Torrejonia Wilsonia small arboric mammal from an extinct group of primates called plesiadapiforms, discovered along with it.

meanwhile Mixedectes Pungens Living on the leaves, Torrejonia WilsoniThe meals were mainly made up of fruits.

These distinctions between size and diet suggest that the Mixeodotids occupied a unique ecological niche in the early days of the past, distinguishing them from contemporaries who inhabit their trees.

Two phylogenetic analyses conducted to clarify the evolutionary relationships of species confirmed that the mixed disease is Euarcontan, a mammalian group consisting of Tressue, primates and corgos.

“One analysis supported them as being an archaic primate, while the other wasn't,” Professor Sargis said.

“However, in the latter analysis we confirmed that Mixodectids are Primatomorphans, a group within Euarchonta, made up of primates and corgos, but not Treeshrews.”

“This study does not completely resolve the discussion about where Mixodectids belong to evolutionary trees, but it is significantly narrower.”

Survey results Today I'll be appearing in the journal Scientific Report.

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SGB ​​Chester et al. 2025. New remarkably complete skeleton of Mixodectes Cretaceous – reveals the argonism of protozoan mammals during the Oxalocene after mass extinction of the secondary genes. Sci Rep 15, 8041; doi:10.1038/s41598-025-90203-z

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists uncover enigmatic subduction zone beneath Pacific Ocean

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According to a team of geoscientists from the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland, between 250 million and 120 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era, the ancient ocean floor was formed by the East Pacific Rise, a plate boundary at the bottom of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It is said to have sunk deep into the earth. University of Alberta.

A map of the East Pacific Ridge region where the ancient ocean floor was discovered. Image credit: Jingchuan Wang.

University of Maryland researcher Jingchuan Wang and his colleagues used innovative seismic imaging techniques to look deep into the Earth's mantle, the layer between the Earth's crust and core.

They discovered an unusually thick region in the mantle transition zone at depths of about 410 to 660 km below the Earth's surface.

This zone separates the upper and lower mantle and expands or contracts depending on temperature.

The newly discovered ocean floor may also explain the unusual structure of the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP), a huge region in Earth's lower mantle. Because LLSVP appears to be divided by slabs.

“This thickened area is like a fossil fingerprint of an ancient ocean floor that sank into the Earth about 250 million years ago,” Wang said.

“This gives us a glimpse into Earth's past that we've never seen before.”

Subduction occurs when one tectonic plate slides beneath another and surface material is recycled into the Earth's mantle.

This process often leaves behind visible evidence of movement, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and deep ocean trenches.

Geologists, on the other hand, typically study subduction by examining rock samples and sediments found at the Earth's surface.

By studying how seismic waves travel through the different layers of the Earth, researchers were able to create a detailed map of the structures hidden deep within the mantle.

“You can think of seismic imaging as similar to a CT scan. Essentially, it allows us to see a cross-section of the Earth's interior,” Dr. Wang said. .

“Typically, chunks of ocean material are completely consumed by the Earth, leaving no discernible traces on the surface.”

“But looking at ancient subducted slabs through this perspective has provided new insights into the relationship between the Earth's very deep structures and surface geology that were not previously clear.”

What the authors discovered surprised them. Matter was moving much more slowly through the Earth's interior than previously thought.

The unusual thickness of this region they found suggests the presence of cold material in this part of the mantle transition zone, where parts of the oceanic slab become stuck in the middle as they sink through the mantle. It suggests that there is.

“We found that material is sinking at about half the rate expected in this region. This may be due to the mantle transition zone acting like a barrier, slowing the movement of material through the Earth. “This suggests something,” Dr. Wang said.

“Our findings raise new questions about how the deep Earth influences what we see at the surface over vast distances and time scales.”

of result Published in a magazine scientific progress.

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Wang Jingchuan others. 2024. Intraoceanic subduction during the Mesozoic era formed the lower mantle beneath the East Pacific uplift. scientific progress 10(39);doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado1219

Source: www.sci.news

In Search of Mavis Beacon: Uncovering the Enigmatic Black Tech Hero | Documentary Film

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BBefore the era of thumb-typing emails and text messages, typing was a manual skill reserved for those who could type 40 words per minute in the ’80s. If you’re reluctant to attend an in-person class, you can opt for a software program like Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing for $50. This application was the Typing class at the Catholic high school I attended when the priests just introduced the use of computers.

Mavis Beacon, launched in 1987, gamified typing exercises and carefully tracked typing progress. The software featured an elegant black woman on the cover, but it would take years to realize the implications of using one’s image for corporate gain.

The documentary “Searching for Mavis Beacon” sheds light on this lesson and the filmmakers’ struggle with the irony of their pursuit. The filmmakers embarked on a quest to uncover the woman behind Mavis Beacon: Haitian-born model Renée L’Esperance.

The film delves into Beacon’s influence as a pioneer of “obedient female robot assistants” and the challenges faced in exposing her true identity. The narrative unfolds like a detective story, drawing parallels to contemporary online identity politics and queer culture.

The filmmakers uncover L’Esperance’s background working in a department store perfume department where she was paid to pose as Mavis Beacon. Despite legal battles with the software company, her impact remains profound.

The documentary explores themes of privacy, representation, and cultural appropriation while honoring L’Esperance’s legacy. It concludes with a hint at future projects to explore the lives of those who followed in Beacon’s footsteps.

Ultimately, the film serves as a heartfelt tribute to Mavis Beacon’s legacy and the complexities of her story. It aims to provoke thought and reflection on the intersection of race, gender, and technology in society.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The enigmatic founder of Telegram: Unveiling the mystery of Pavel Durov, the billionaire innovator

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TRussian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov founded wildly popular social networks and cryptocurrencies, amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune, and found himself at odds with authorities in Russia and around the world.

The man, who is just a few months away from his 40th birthday and has been nicknamed “Russia’s Zuckerberg” after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, has now been arrested in France after being detained at a Paris airport this weekend.

The St. Petersburg native rose to fame in Russia in his 20s when he founded VKontakte (VK), a social network that catered to the needs of Russian-speaking users and surpassed Facebook across the former Soviet Union.



After disputes with Russian authorities and an ownership battle, he sold VKontakte and founded a new messaging service called Telegram, which quickly became popular but also became controversial after being criticized for its lack of control over extremist content.

As this drama raged, Durov remained a mercurial and at times enigmatic figure, rarely giving interviews and limiting himself to the occasional cryptic statement on Telegram.

A self-described libertarian, Durov has promoted internet secrecy and message encryption.

He has steadfastly refused to allow moderation of messages on Telegram, where users can post videos, photos, and comments to “channels” that anyone can follow.

Durov, 39, had an arrest warrant out for him in France for allegedly conducting a wide range of criminal activities on Telegram, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, and organized crime, including promoting terrorism and fraud.

The investigation has been entrusted to the French national police’s cyber unit and the national anti-fraud office. The suspect was still in police custody on Sunday, according to two sources familiar with the case. He has not been charged with any crime.

In 2006, Durov, a graduate of St. Petersburg University, founded VK, which captivated users despite its mysterious founder.

In an act that epitomized his unpredictable behavior, Durov in 2012 hurled large banknotes at passersby from VK’s headquarters on the roof of a historic bookstore on Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The enigmatic black hole “parsec problem” could potentially be resolved

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Just like a runner hitting the wall at the end of a race, supermassive black holes face a similar challenge as they approach each other, coming to a virtual standstill in the final parsec.

Recent research indicates that dark matter could be the key to overcoming this last obstacle.

This is because researchers have identified a crucial behavior of dark matter that has been previously overlooked – its ability to interact with itself.

“The assumption of dark matter particles interacting is an additional component not present in all dark matter models,” explained the co-authors of the study. Dr. Gonzalo Alonso Alvarez. “Our argument is that only a model with these features can address the final parsec problem.”

What is the final parsec problem?

The final parsec problem refers to the challenge that slows down the black holes before they merge.

This discovery follows a previous study that detected gravitational waves resulting from the merging of supermassive black holes, each a billion times the mass of the sun.

In the new study published in Physics Review Letter, researchers found that the black holes came to a halt at just one parsec away from each other.

The question remains: if black holes cannot merge, how are gravitational waves produced?

The answer may lie in a better understanding of dark matter behavior, which may facilitate the merger of supermassive black holes over the final parsec.

When two galaxies collide, their supermassive black holes begin to orbit each other. Gravity slows them down, bringing them close to merging before their orbits shrink too much to support the final collapse. Interaction with a halo of dark matter then absorbs the remaining orbital energy, allowing the black holes to eventually merge.

This new model is supported by the Pulsar Timing Array, which detects gravitational waves originating from supermassive black hole mergers predicted by Alonso Alvarez and his team.

“Our study offers a new perspective on understanding the nature of dark matter particles,” said Alonso-Alvarez. “Observations of supermassive black hole mergers can provide insights into these particles.”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Physicists at CERN study the characteristics of enigmatic particles

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Physicists have been intrigued by χc1(3872), also known as X(3872), since its discovery two decades ago. They have been exploring whether it is a conventional charmonium state composed of two quarks or an exotic particle made up of four quarks. The LHCb collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) set out to find the answer.

Artist's impression of a tetraquark, made up of two charm quarks and an up and down antiquark. Image courtesy of CERN.

In the quark model of particle physics, there are heavy particles (composed of three quarks), mesons (consisting of quark-antiquark pairs), and exotic particles (comprising an unusual number of quarks).

To determine the composition of χc1(3872), physicists must measure properties like mass and quantum numbers.

According to theory, χc1(3872) could be a standard charmonium state made of a charm quark and an anticharm quark, or it could be an exotic particle consisting of four quarks.

These exotic particles could be tightly bound tetraquarks, molecular states, cc-gluon hybrid states, vector glueballs, or a combination of various possibilities.

Recent measurements by LHCb physicists revealed that its quantum number is 1++, and in 2020 they obtained precise data on the particle’s width (lifetime) and mass.

They also examined low-energy scattering parameters.

Their findings indicated that the mass of χc1(3872) is slightly less than the combined masses of the D0 and D*0 mesons.

These results have sparked debate within the theoretical community, with some proposing that χc1(3872) is a molecular state made up of spatially separated D0 and D*0 mesons.

However, this hypothesis faces challenges, as physicists anticipate molecular matter to be suppressed in hadron-hadron collisions, yet significant amounts of χc1(3872) are produced.

Other theorists suggest that the particle contains “compact” components, indicating a smaller size and potentially consisting of tightly bound charmonium or tetraquarks.

One method to uncover the composition of χc1(3872) is to calculate the branching ratio, which involves the probabilities of decay into different lighter particles.

By comparing the decay into a photon of the excited charmonium state, physicists can gain insights into the nature of the particle.

A key theoretical indicator is a non-zero ratio, suggesting the presence of compact components and countering a purely molecular model.

Using data from LHC Run 1 and Run 2, LHCb scientists found significant ratios beyond six standard deviations, ruling out a pure D0D*0 molecular hypothesis for χc1(3872).

Instead, the results support various predictions based on alternative hypotheses for the structure of χc1(3872, such as a mix of conventional (compact) charmonium, tetraquarks, light quarks, or molecules with a substantial compact core element.

Thus, the findings provide compelling evidence in favor of a χc1(3872) structure including a compact component.

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R. Aiji others (LHCb Collaboration). 2024. Probing the properties of the χc1(3872) state using radiative decay. arXiv: 2406.17006

This article is based on the original release from CERN.

Source: www.sci.news

CERN Scientists Aim to Produce Enigmatic Higgs Particle Duplicates

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Physicists from the ATLAS Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN have announced the results of the most sensitive search to date for double Higgs production and self-coupling, achieved by combining five double Higgs studies from LHC Run 2 data.

Event display of a double Higgs candidate event, photographed in 2017. Image courtesy of ATLAS Collaboration / CERN.

Remember how hard it was to find one Higgs boson? Now try and find two of them in the same place at the same time.

This intriguing process, known as double Higgs production, can teach scientists about the Higgs particle's self-interaction.

By studying it, physicists can measure the strength of the Higgs particle's self-binding, a fundamental aspect of the Standard Model that links the Higgs mechanism to the stability of the universe.

Searching for the creation of double Higgs particles is a particularly challenging task.

This is an extremely rare process, about 1,000 times rarer than the creation of a single Higgs particle.

While LHC Run 2 produced 40 million collisions per second, ATLAS is expected to produce just a few thousand double Higgs events.

So how can physicists find these rare needles in a mountain of data?

One way to make it easier to find double Higgs production is to search in multiple locations.

By investigating the different ways in which the double Higgs decay (decay modes) and combining them, physicists can maximise their chances of discovering and studying the creation of the double Higgs.

The new results from the ATLAS collaboration are the most comprehensive search to date, covering more than half of all possible double Higgs events with ATLAS.

Each of the five individual studies in this combination focuses on a different mode of damping, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

For example, the most likely double-Higgs decay mode is the decay into four bottom quarks.

However, the Standard Model QCD process likely also produces four bottom quarks, making it difficult to distinguish this background process from a double Higgs event.

The double-Higgs decay into two bottom quarks and two tau leptons involves moderate background contamination, but it occurs five times less frequently and there are neutrinos that escape undetected, complicating physicists' efforts to recreate the decay.

Decays into multiple leptons are not uncommon, but they have complex characteristics.

Other double Higgs decays are even rarer, such as the decay into two bottom quarks and two photons.

This final state accounts for only 0.3% of all double Higgs decays, but has a cleaner signature and much smaller background contamination.

Combining their findings for each of these decays, ATLAS physicists were able to find that the probability of producing two Higgs particles rules out more than 2.9 times the Standard Model prediction.

This result has a confidence level of 95% and an expected sensitivity of 2.4 (assuming this process does not exist in nature).

They were also able to provide constraints on the strength of the Higgs particle's self-coupling, achieving the highest sensitivity to date for this important observable.

They found that the magnitude of the Higgs self-coupling constant and the strength of the interaction between two Higgs particles and two vector particles are consistent with the Standard Model predictions.

“This overall result marks a milestone in the study of double Higgs particle production,” the researchers said.

their result will be published in journal Physics Review Letter.

_____

ATLAS Collaboration. 2024. Combined search for Higgs pair production in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Physiotherapy Rev Lett,in press; arXiv:2406.09971

Source: www.sci.news

Monumental explosion detected on enigmatic lifeless star

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The night sky is a treasure trove of celestial wonders, and sometimes incredible events happen when no one is watching. Astronomers were thrilled when a satellite captured a rare explosion in space by chance, pointing in the right direction at the right time.

A massive eruption illuminated the galaxy known as M82, which is situated 12 million light-years away from Earth. Initially thought to be caused by a collision between two neutron stars, astronomers discovered that the explosion was actually the result of a superpowerful neutron star emitting an intense gamma-ray burst.

Neutron stars are the remnants of massive stars that exploded as supernovae, forming compact spheres with strong magnetic fields instead of collapsing into black holes.

The observed neutron star was identified as a magnetar due to its extremely powerful magnetic field, more than 10,000 times stronger than a typical neutron star. Magnetars are known to have the strongest magnetic fields in the universe and release energy through massive flares.

In November 2023, ESA’s INTEGRAL satellite accidentally detected an extragalactic flare which lasted only 10 seconds, triggering a gamma-ray burst alert that quickly reached astronomers worldwide.

Dr. Sandro Meleghetti, the lead author of the study published in the journal Nature, emphasized the significance of the burst coming from a nearby bright galaxy, and the subsequent observations failed to detect any visible light, X-ray, or gravitational wave signals.

This event confirmed the first magnetar flare outside the Milky Way, shedding light on the mysterious phenomena associated with these incredibly magnetic neutron stars.

Only three giant flares from galactic magnetars have been confirmed by scientists in the past 50 years, with the 2004 event being so powerful that it impacted Earth’s upper atmosphere akin to solar flares.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The eerie and enigmatic instruments driving the soundtrack of Alan Wake 2

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○The website of Petri Alanko, a BAFTA-nominated Finnish musician who works as a video game and film composer, describes the artist and performer as “Deadline since 1990.” “I’ve never been late,” he boldly claims. If you’re a creator of any genre, you’ll probably read this article with a mixture of awe, suspicion, and disbelief. Deadlines are flexible, right? right?

“It’s not a boast. It’s more or less a promise of service,” Alanko laughs. “I’m good at scheduling my work, but I’m very cautious when interacting with others for the first time. Even if I help the client understand what they need, everything Not every client knows exactly what they want. I have to be a creative and an analyst, but also a crisis negotiator.” Producing Video Game Music is often chaotic. Composers need to be adaptable, lean, and adaptable, unafraid to kill loved ones or work to impossibly tight deadlines. It’s a testament to his dedication that Alanko ignores this as simply part of the job.

Alanko’s method is quite unconventional. His latest project, his Alan Wake 2, has been 13 years in the making, and the developer says Remedy has been trying to make his 2010 project for three generations of consoles. This is the sequel to the cult hit. The plot follows the eponymous protagonist and her FBI agent Saga Anderson in a winding, spiraling tale that oscillates between reality and a supernatural otherworld, as the lines between fact and fiction become blurred. (Literally, I don’t mind gore either).


An aural imitation of Wake’s mental breakdown…Alan Wake 2. Photo courtesy of Remedy Entertainment

But what does that look like? For Alanko, that meant dropping a piano off a forklift, lying on an ivory keyboard with a sex toy, tinkering with a custom-built “fear engine,” and playing with Mega Marvin, a “giant cowbell with sticks and sticks.” It was to play with devilish instruments (springs). Remedy gives the composer room to experiment, and the result is a perfect blend of eerie and accessible, easily on par with the arthouse movie hits that might run rampant at Cannes or Sundance. became.

To convey the atmosphere of Alan Wake 2’s hostile otherworld, Dark Places, Alanco tested and recorded how instruments sounded when left on, and when compressed or attenuated. . He experimented with feedback, recording sounds beyond the range of human hearing and bringing them into range to see how disruptive it was. He shrieked discordant notes and pushed woodwind and brass instruments to the limits of his software’s matrix of high-end recordings. “Eventually, some of the wonders of Remedy’s basement were brought in as well,” he says. “They happened to have a lot of very interesting equipment there, which was the Mega Marvin and the Apprehension Engine.”

Made famous by disturbing films such as The Witch and the Lighthouse, the AppHension Engine was once called “the scariest instrument of all time” by Brian Eno. Stephen King had a visceral reaction when he first heard this game in action (which is quite appropriate considering how closely Remedy’s “New Weird” games align with King’s work) But for Alanco, it was the key to solving the mystery. The dark and hostile atmosphere that Alan Wake 2 needed to evoke in his place.

“I can tell you it’s a tough thing to master, let alone play,” Alanko smiles when asked about this strange instrument. “Imagine the most frightening of any musical instrument, all rolled into one, whose sole purpose is to make sound. Noise contains some tonal content. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s not, and usually they seem to do whatever they feel like doing. It’s often said that if you spend 10,000 hours practicing your instrument, you’re good to be a performer. In Apprehension Engine, it’s even less so. You start out in complete emptiness and stay there for a long time. A spring reverb tank, a clanking resonant metal rod, two string necks, a few strings, and a nickel harper. It’s a crank, electronic bow, active mic, and heavily distorted preamp all rolled into one.”


“Wonderful Nightmare”… Apprehension Engine (left) and Mega Marvin. Photo: Joel Hohonen/Remedy

In short, it’s a “wonderful nightmare” and “almost on par with Alan Wake 2.” It just oozes fear. Balancing uneasily on the barrier between the familiar and the hellish, the Apprehension Engine effortlessly evoked everything Alanko needed for his Remedy game. This distorted sense of reality pulled the writer away from the real world and into a fever dream of his own creation, a limbo. There is a risk that it will spread to the real world as well.

It was important to Alanco to aurally mimic Wake’s mental breakdown. The character is something of a chimera between Alanco, lead writer Sam Lake, lead writer Clay Murphy, and director Kyle Murphy, who share more similarities than “we would care to admit, or perhaps could admit.” I’m sharing it with everyone. It was crucial to empathize with Alan and capture the sonic experience of his descent into (and descent from) madness.

“How I perceive writing music for my darkest emotions and mental states on Alan Wake 2 has to do with my early adulthood experiences and occasional personal struggles. ” says Alanco. “Fortunately, my experience is due to the environment and the general situation, and not due to the use of substances, for example.” But earthquakes can still cause fatalities. It takes a highly empathetic person to write a character who suffers from an unstable mental state.

Alanko’s dedication to his craft is evidenced by a full-sleeve tattoo of another bout of remedies he scored, “Control.” He said he already has ideas, drafts and concepts for what Alan Wake 3 will sound like. “As long as my heart is beating, I’m in this,” he says. “Music is very important to me.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Researchers unravel enigmatic lunar geological puzzles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers solve the enigma of enigmatic radio circles

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The odd radio sphere (ORC), a type of extragalactic astronomical source discovered in 2019, is actually a shell formed by galactic winds spilling from massive supernovae, according to a new study.

ASKAP radio continuum image (contours) of ORC 1 superimposed on the DES tricolor composite image. Two galaxies of interest: 'C' is near the center of ORC 1, and 'S' coincides with the southern radio peak. Image credit: Norris otherarXiv: 2006.14805.

The first three ORCs were discovered during the Cosmic Evolution Map pilot survey using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope.

A fourth ORC, called ORC4, was discovered in archival data taken with the Giant Meterwave radio telescope, and additional ORCs were discovered in subsequent ASKAP and MeerKAT data.

These sources are huge, hundreds of kiloparsecs across, with one kiloparsec equal to 3,260 light-years.

Multiple theories have been proposed to explain its origin, including planetary nebulae and black hole mergers, but it was not possible to distinguish between the theories based on radio data alone.

Intrigued, Professor Alison Coyle of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues thought that the radio rings could have originated from the later stages of the starburst galaxies they were studying.

Until then, ORCs had only been observed by radio emission, and no optical data were available.

Astronomers observed ORC 4 using the Integrating Field Spectrometer at W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and found that it contained a huge amount of high-brightness, much more than is seen in the average galaxy. A heated compressed gas was revealed.

With more questions than answers, the team set to work doing some detective work.

Using optical and infrared imaging data, they determined that the stars in the ORC 4 galaxy are about 6 billion years old.

“This galaxy experienced an explosion of star formation that ended about a billion years ago,” Professor Coyle said.

The authors also ran a series of numerical computer simulations to recreate the size and properties of the massive radio ring containing large amounts of shocked cold gas in the central galaxy.

Simulations show that the outflowing galactic winds will continue to blow for 200 million years before stopping.

When the winds stopped, forward shocks continued to push hot gas out of the galaxy, forming a radio ring, while reverse shocks caused cooler gas to fall into the galaxy.

The simulation ran for 750 million years. This is within ORC 4's estimated stellar age of 1 billion years.

“For this to work, you need a high mass egress rate, which means you're releasing a lot of material very quickly,” Professor Coyle says.

“And the surrounding gas just outside the galaxy has to be low density, otherwise the shock stalls. Those are the two key factors.”

“We found that the galaxies we have studied have high rates of mass outflow. Although rare, they do exist. This points to ORC originating from some type of outflow galactic wind. I really think so.”

Outflow winds not only help astronomers understand ORCs, but ORCs also help astronomers understand outflow winds.

“ORC provides a way to 'see' the wind through radio data and spectroscopy,” Professor Coyle said.

“This will help us determine how common extreme outflow winds from galaxies are and what the life cycle of winds is like.”

“These can also help us learn more about galaxy evolution. Do all giant galaxies go through an ORC phase?”

“Do spiral galaxies become elliptical when they stop forming stars? I think there's a lot we can learn about and from the ORC.”

of study It was published in the magazine Nature.

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AL coil other. Ionized gas extends beyond 40 kpc within odd radio host galaxies. Nature, published on January 8, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06752-8

Source: www.sci.news

The enigmatic ultraviolet absorber found in Venus’ clouds may be clarified by the mixture of two minerals.

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Venus’ clouds are thought to be composed of trace elements such as sulfuric acid and iron-containing compounds. The concentration of each of these compounds varies with height in the thick atmosphere of our neighboring planet. In a new study, researchers at the University of Cambridge have synthesized an iron-bearing sulfate mineral that is stable under the harsh chemical conditions of Venus’ clouds. Their spectroscopic analysis revealed that a combination of his two minerals, rhinoclase and acidic ferric sulfate, could explain the mysterious ultraviolet (UV) absorption features in Venus’ atmosphere.

Jean other. They hypothesize that there is an abundant, poorly understood, heterogeneous chemistry within Venusian cloud droplets that significantly influences cloud optical properties and the behavior of trace gas species throughout Venus’ atmosphere. I am. Image credit: Matthias Malmar / NASA.

There are several mysteries surrounding Venus’ clouds. They extend from 48 km to about 65 km and are located in the lower atmosphere (<48 km) と、光化学と力学が関係する上層大気 (>65 km).

In order to understand the chemical cycles between the Venusian atmosphere and its volcanic surfaces and to accurately interpret potential biosignatures, increasing research efforts are being focused on generating complete modeling frameworks for the Venusian atmosphere.

Dr Paul Rimmer, a researcher at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, said: “The only data available on cloud composition has been collected by spacecraft, which reveals some strange aspects of clouds that have so far not been fully explained.'' “We have clarified the nature of this.'' .

“In particular, when examined under ultraviolet light, Venus’ clouds showed a specific pattern of ultraviolet absorption.”

“What elements, compounds, and minerals are involved in such observations?”

Rimmer and his colleagues synthesized several iron-bearing sulfate minerals in their aqueous geochemistry laboratory based on Venus’ atmospheric chemistry.

By suspending the synthesized material in various concentrations of sulfuric acid and monitoring chemical and mineralogical changes, we narrowed down the candidate minerals to rhinoclase and acidic ferric sulfate, and characterized their spectroscopic characteristics in a manner similar to that of the sun. examined under a light source specifically designed to mimic the spectrum. flare.

In an attempt to mimic even more extreme Venusian clouds, the authors measured the UV absorbance pattern of ferric sulfate under extremely acidic conditions.

“The pattern and level of absorption exhibited by the combination of these two mineral phases is consistent with the dark UV patches observed in the clouds of Venus,” said researcher Dr. Clancy Jijiang Jiang from the University of Cambridge.

“These targeted experiments reveal a complex chemical network in the atmosphere and shed light on elemental cycling on Venus’ surface.”

“Venus is our closest neighbor, but it remains mysterious,” Dr. Rimmer says.

“Future NASA and ESA missions will explore its atmosphere, clouds, and surface, giving us the opportunity to learn more about this planet in the coming years.”

“This study sets the stage for future exploration.”

team’s paper appear in the diary scientific progress.

_____

Clancy Jean Jean other. 2024. Iron and sulfur chemistry can explain ultraviolet absorbers in Venus’ clouds. Scientific Advances 10 (1); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg8826

Source: www.sci.news

Unraveling the Enigmatic Giant Examoon: Exploring the Cosmic Mysteries of Pandora’s Box

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Document


This artist’s impression shows a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star, represented by Kepler-1625b. Credit: NASA

The discovery of giant exomoons around the planets Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b raises questions. Since the planets orbit, it is not uncommon for these exoplanets to have moons around them. This makes them even more difficult to detect. So far, only two of the more than 5,300 known exoplanets have been discovered to have moons. New data analysis shows that scientific statements are rarely black and white, that behind every result there is more or less uncertainty, and that the path to a statement often resembles a thriller. Masu.

Introduction to Exomoon research

In observations of the planets Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b with the Kepler and Hubble Space Telescopes, researchers discovered the first traces of such moons. New research calls these previous claims into question. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and Sonnenberg Observatory in Germany report in the same journal. natural astronomy

The “planet-only” interpretation of the observations is more definitive.

For their analysis, the researchers used Pandora, a newly developed computer algorithm that facilitates and accelerates the search for the Exum Moon. They also investigated what types of exomoons could in principle be discovered with modern space-based astronomical observations. Their answers are quite shocking.

Examoon: A rare entity in observation

In our solar system, with the exception of Mercury and Mercury, the fact that a planet orbits one or more moons is more the rule than the exception. Venus, all other planets have such companions.

For gas giants Saturn Researchers have discovered 140 natural satellites to date. Therefore, scientists believe that planets in distant star systems are also likely to have moons. But so far, there is only evidence for two such examooons: Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b. This low yield is not surprising. After all, distant satellites are naturally much smaller than their home world, and therefore much more difficult to find. And combing through observations of thousands of exoplanets for evidence of satellites is extremely time-consuming.

Pandora: Exomoon search algorithm

To make searching easier and faster, the authors of the new study utilize a search algorithm called Pandora that they developed and optimized for exomoon searches. They announced the method last year And the algorithm is available to all researchers as open source code. When applied to observational data from Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b, the results were surprising.

“We wanted to confirm the discovery of exomoons around Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b,” said MPS scientist Dr. Rene Heller, lead author of the new study. “However, unfortunately, our analysis shows that this is not the case,” he added.


Source: scitechdaily.com

Newly Discovered Fossils Shed Light on Enigmatic Human Lineage in the Levant

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Orthographic view of the static skull, mandible, and parietal bones.Credit: Tel Aviv University

Nesher Ramla homoan ancient hominin group discovered in Israel reveals a complex admixture of Eurasian and African hominins 140,000 years ago, changing perceptions of the origins of Neanderthals.

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown archaic hominin group they named Nesha Ramla. homo” at a recently excavated site in Israel. This group, dating from about 140,000 to 120,000 years ago, is thought to be the last survivor of the Middle Pleistocene. homo. They exhibit a unique blend of Neanderthal and ancient human characteristics and technology.

Neanderthals are thought to have originated and flourished in continental Europe long before modern humans arrived. However, recent evidence suggests a genetic contribution from as yet unknown non-European populations and points to a long and dynamic history of interactions between Eurasian and African hominin populations.

Human interaction in Eurasia and Africa

Here, Israel Hershkovitz, Yossi Zeidner and colleagues present fossil, artifact, and radiometric evidence from the Levantine region of the Middle East that illustrates this complexity. According to Hershkovitz et al., the newly discovered Nesher Ramla homo They exhibit anatomical features that are older than their contemporaneous Eurasian Neanderthals and modern humans, who also lived in the Levant. This discovery indicates that this archaic lineage may represent one of the last surviving populations of the Middle Pleistocene. homo in southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Archaeological context and cultural interaction

In joint research, Zaidner other. We provide archaeological context for the new fossils and report on their associated radiometric dates, artifact assemblages, and the behavioral and environmental insights they provide. Researchers found that Nesher Ramla homo Familiar with technology that was previously known only to a select few homo sapiens And Neanderthals. Taken together, these findings provide archaeological support for close cultural interactions and genetic admixture between different human lineages before 120,000 years ago. This may help explain the different expressions of teeth and skeletal features in later Levantine fossils.

“Interpretation of Nesher Ramla fossils and stone tools will have mixed reactions among paleoanthropologists. Nevertheless, the age of Nesher Ramla materials, the discordant morphological and archaeological similarities , and the site’s location at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia make this a major discovery,” writes Marta Lahr in an accompanying Perspective.

For more information about this research, see Types of prehistoric humans previously unknown to science.

References:

“Middle Pleistocene Homo from Nesher Ramla, Israel” Israel Hershkovitz, Hilla May, Rachel Salig, Ariel Pokhodzhaev, Dominique Grimaud Hervé, Emiliano Bruner, Cinzia Fornai, Rolf Quam, Juan. Written by Luis Arzuaga, Victoria A. Crenn, and Maria Martinon Torres, José María Bermudez de Castro, Laura Martin Frances, Vivian Soulon, Lou Albesado Ball, Amelie Viale, and Tim Schuler , Giorgio Manzi, Antonio Profico, Fabio Di Vincenzo, Gerhard W. Weber, Yossi Seidner, June 25, 2021, science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3169

“Behavior and culture of Homo during the Middle Pleistocene, 140,000 to 120,000 years ago, and interaction with Homo sapiens” Yossi Seidner, Laura Senty, Marion Prevost, Norbert Mercier, Christophe Farguerre, Gilles Guerin, Hélène Valadas, Mairis Richard, Asmodee Ghaly, Christophe Pécherin, Olivier Tombre, Edwidge Pons-Branch, Naomi Porat, Ruth Shahak Gross, David E. Friesem, Reuven Yeshurun, Zohar Turdjman Yaffe, Amos Frumkin, Gadi Herzlinger, Ravid Eckstein, Maayan Shemar, Oz Valoner, Rachel Salig, Hila May, Israel Hershkovitz, June 25, 2021, science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3020

Source: scitechdaily.com

New Research from Yale University Uncovers Crucial Factor in 90% of Enigmatic Miscarriages

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A Yale University study reveals that placenta testing can identify the cause of 90% of previously unexplained miscarriages, providing a path to improved pregnancy care and emotional relief for affected families.

Researchers at Yale University have demonstrated that placenta testing can accurately pathologically determine more than 90% of previously unexplained miscarriages, a finding that researchers say could help inform future pregnancy care. say:

The results of this study were recently published in the journal Reproductive science.

Miscarriage statistics

Of the approximately 5 million pregnancies each year in the United States, 1 million end in miscarriage (miscarriage occurs before 20 weeks of pregnancy) and more than 20,000 end in stillbirth after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Up to 50% of these losses are classified as “unspecified.”

Emotional strain and research purpose

Patients who suffer from these pregnancy outcomes are often told that their loss is unexplained and that they can just try again, contributing to patients’ feelings of responsibility for the loss, said lead author and obstetrics department specialist. said researcher Dr. Harvey Kliman. Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine.

“Pregnancy loss is a tragedy, and to be told there is no explanation causes great pain to the families of those who have lost,” said Kliman, who is also director of the Reproduction and Placenta Research Unit. “Our goal was to extend the current classification system to reduce the number of cases that remain unidentified.”

Methodology and findings

For this study, Professor Kliman collaborated with Beatrix Thompson, currently a medical student at Harvard University, and Parker Holzer, a former graduate student in the Yale School of Statistics and Data Science, to explore the pathology of loss. We developed an expanded classification system for pregnancy loss based on clinical tests. placenta.

The team started with a series of 1,527 single-child pregnancies that ended up being losses and were sent to Kliman’s Consulting Services at Yale University for evaluation. After excluding cases for which there was insufficient material for testing, 1,256 placentas from 922 patients were tested. Of these, 70% were miscarriages and 30% were stillbirths.

Domenic Rice is 33 weeks pregnant with her fifth child, holding a photo frame of herself with her stillborn son, TJ.Credit: Photo by Nancy Borowicz

By adding distinct categories of “placenta with abnormal growth” (atypical placenta) and “small placenta” (less than 10 placentas);th For example, the authors were able to establish a pathological diagnosis for 91.6% of pregnancies, including 88.5% of miscarriages and 98.7% of abortions, based on existing categories such as cord accident, avulsion, thrombosis, and infection. I did. stillbirth.

The most common pathological feature observed in unexplained miscarriages was placental dysmorphism (86.2%), a marker associated with genetic abnormalities. The most common pathological feature observed in unexplained stillbirths was a small placenta (33.9%).

Impact and future recommendations

“This study suggests that more than 7,000 small placentas may be detected per year associated with stillbirth.” in the womb “Before the loss, we had flagged these pregnancies as high risk,” Kliman said. “Similarly, identifying placental dysmorphisms could be one way to potentially identify genetic abnormalities in the approximately 1 million miscarriages that occur in our country each year.”

Additionally, “having a specific explanation for the loss of a pregnancy can help families understand that the loss is not their fault, begin the healing process, and, if possible, prevent similar losses in the future, especially It can prevent stillbirths from occurring.”

When asked what the most effective way to prevent stillbirth is, Kliman replied, “Measure the placenta!”

References: “Placental Pathology in Unexplained Pregnancy Loss” by Beatrix B. Thompson, Parker H. Holzer, and Harvey J. Kliman, September 19, 2023. reproductive science.
DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01344-3

Source: scitechdaily.com