Unusual clouds form on the Arcia Mon, a volcano on Mars every year.
ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/J. Cowart CC by-sa 3.0 Igo
The delicate clouds that appear on Mars annually have intrigued astronomers since their initial discovery, likely stemming from a water-rich atmosphere that seems implausible.
Each winter, clouds spanning 1,800 kilometers form near the Arsia Mons, located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, emerging and dissipating daily for nearly three months. The atmospheric conditions on Mars vastly differ from Earth’s, notably with an abundance of fine dust particles that can cause water vapor in the atmosphere to condense into cloud particles. This results in cloud patterns unique to Mars, yet simulations accounting for these high dust levels do not replicate the distinct features of the Arsia Mons Cloud.
Now, Jorge Hernandez Bernal from the University of Sorbonne in France and his team propose that an exceptionally high amount of water vapor in the atmosphere could recreate these cloud characteristics. Elevated levels of water vapor aid in cloud particle formation through alternative dust-free processes known as homogeneous nucleation.
When researchers conducted atmospheric simulations around Arsia Mons that featured increased water content, the resulting cloud formations bore a striking resemblance to the actual clouds.
“Uniform nucleation necessitates much greater water levels on Mars. [Water] saturation is required. Initially, I believed this to be improbable or extremely unlikely on Mars,” said Hernandez Bernal at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) on September 10th, held in Helsinki, Finland. “However, over the last decade, we’ve discovered that Mars can indeed exhibit supersaturation.”
A recent study by Professor Victor Pasco from Pennsylvania and his team reveals the method for determining the robust electric field associated with thunder, which collides with molecules such as nitrogen and oxygen, resulting in x-rays that trigger intense storms through additional electrons and high-energy photons.
NASA’s high-population ER-2 plane is equipped with instruments for the fly-eye Earth Intake Mapper Simulator and the Ground Gamma Ray Flash (ALOFT) Mission, which records gamma rays from ThunderClouds (illustrated in purple). Image credit: NASA/ALOFT team.
“Our research provides an accurate and quantitative explanation of the initial processes leading to lightning,” stated Professor Pasco.
“It connects the underlying physics of X-rays, electric fields, and electron avalanches.”
In their study, Professor Pasco and colleagues employed mathematical modeling to validate and elucidate field observations related to photoelectric phenomena within the Earth’s atmosphere.
This phenomenon, known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, consists of invisible, naturally occurring bursts of x-rays along with their associated radio emissions.
“By creating a simulation that mirrors the observed field conditions, we offered a comprehensive explanation of the x-rays and radio emissions occurring inside Thunderclouds,” added Professor Pasco.
“Our research illustrates how electrons, accelerated by lightning’s strong electric field, can generate x-rays upon colliding with air molecules like nitrogen or oxygen, leading to an avalanche of electrons that create high-energy photons to initiate lightning.”
Through their model, the researchers analyzed field observations gathered by various research teams utilizing ground-based sensors, satellites, and high-altitude surveillance platforms to simulate thunderstorm conditions.
“We elucidated the mechanisms of photoelectric events, the triggering conditions for electron cascades in thunder, and the sources of diverse radio signals detected in clouds preceding a lightning strike,” explained Professor Pervez.
“To validate the lightning initiation explanation, I compared our findings with previous models, observational studies, and my own investigations into lightning bolts, specifically intercompact cloud discharges that typically occur within limited regions of Thunderclouds.”
This process, termed photoelectric feedback discharge, models the physical conditions where lightning is likely to happen.
The equations employed to develop the model are available in the published papers, enabling other researchers to apply them in their own studies.
Besides elucidating the onset of lightning, the scientists clarified why ground-level gamma-ray flashes can often occur without the accompanying light and radio emissions that signify lightning in rainy conditions.
“In our simulations, the high-energy X-rays generated by relativistic electron avalanches create new seed electrons driven by photoelectric phenomena in the air, rapidly amplifying these avalanches,” Professor Pasco remarked.
“Moreover, while this runaway chain reaction is generated in a compact volume, it can happen across a varied range of intensities, often with minimal optical and radio emissions but detectable X-ray levels.”
“This explains why these gamma-ray flashes originate from regions that are visually dim and appear silent in wireless frequency.”
The team’s findings will be published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.
____
Victor P. Pasco et al. 2025. The photoelectric effect in the air accounts for the initiation of lightning and the occurrence of terrestrial gamma rays. JGR Atmosphere 130 (14): E2025JD043897; doi: 10.1029/2025JD043897
Fires typically consume fuel over hours, days, or even weeks. However, certain underground fossil fuel deposits can sustain a blaze for decades.
The gas crater in Darvaza, famously known as the “Gate of Hell,” has been burning for a remarkable 40 years within a 60-meter-wide (196 feet) pit located in Turkmenistan’s Karakham Desert.
The crater’s origin is a topic of debate. Some claim it resulted from an unauthorized Soviet gas drilling operation in the 1970s that inadvertently trapped an underground pocket of natural gas; others believe it was formed naturally in the 1960s.
Regardless of its origins, geologists detected methane leaking from the crater and attempted to ignite the gas to prevent environmental disasters. They expected it to extinguish within weeks, yet it has continued to burn for decades.
The Darvaza gas Crater is a 60m (196 feet) pit in the Karakham Desert in Turkmenistan. – Photo Credit: Getty Images
This crater sits atop extensive oil and gas fields that traverse Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, likely linked to a vast underground reservoir of methane, which fuels the fire almost indefinitely.
In 2013, Canadian explorer George Crunis embarked on an expedition to study the crater. Dressed in a heat-resistant suit, he descended to the crater’s depths to collect soil samples and found simple organisms capable of surviving in the extreme conditions at the bottom.
While the Gate of Hell may be the most famous fire, it is not the oldest. Underground coal seams can sustain fires for centuries.
One coal fire beneath Mount Wingen in Australia has been ablaze for over 5,000 years. Such fires might continue indefinitely until the vast underground fuel supply is depleted.
This article addresses the question posed by Dennis McCann of Derby: “What are the Gates of Hell, and why do they keep burning?”
Please email us your questions at Question@sciencefocus.com or message us onFacebook,Twitter, or Instagram (remember to include your name and location).
Explore our ultimateFun fact and discover more amazing science pages.
Meteorologists typically only name weather systems that are likely to have widespread and significant impacts. Think hurricanes and the massive winter “nor’easters” that hit the Atlantic Ocean in the United States and Canada. Hector is an exception. A simple thunderstorm, named after his reliability, not his power.
You can set your watch alongside Hector as it forms over the Tiwi Islands off the coast of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory. Hector appears at 3pm almost every day during the snowy and rainy seasons from September to March.
Map of the Tiwi Islands – Photo credit: Getty
His clockwork consistency is the result of the local microclimate created by sea breezes and Tiwi’s pyramid-like topography.
The islands are surrounded by tropical ocean air. When the morning sun hits, dry air on land warms up faster than moist air over the ocean. As the dry air heats up, it expands, creating a low-pressure system above the island that sucks in ocean air over land as the afternoon sea breeze.
Sea breezes blow in from all directions. When they gather at the top, they have nowhere to go but to rise, carrying moisture from the ocean with them. As the air column rises, it cools and condenses, forming water droplets and clouds, creating instability in the atmosphere and rapidly forming deep convective storms. Hence, Hector’s nickname is “Hector the Convector”.
It was named after World War II pilots who used its giant cumulonimbus thunderclouds as navigational aids when flying between Darwin and Papua New Guinea.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Hector is one of the most persistently large thunderstorms on Earth, regularly reaching heights of more than 12 miles (19 km) and sometimes reaching the stratosphere.
He is also one of the most well-studied figures. Thunderstorms tend to be unpredictable and short-lived. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where they occur, but since the 1980s scientists have used Hector’s exceptional reliability to investigate how storms form and to investigate phenomena such as lightning and updrafts. I’ve been investigating.
This article answers the question (asked via email by Dawn Greer): “What is Hector the Convector?”
If you have any questions, please email us at:questions@sciencefocus.comor send us a messagefacebook,×orInstagramPage (remember to include your name and location).
Check out our ultimatefun factsMore amazing science pages.
By 2023, the number of low-altitude clouds will have decreased dramatically.
Busa Photo/Getty Images
Changes in cloud cover may be the reason global temperatures have exceeded climate model predictions over the past two years.
Temperature records were broken repeatedly in 2023 and 2024, with average temperatures in both years about 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate change and El Niño weather patterns are partly to blame, but neither factor can completely explain the unusually warm weather.
Researchers now think the answer lies in a sharp decline in low-lying cloud cover in 2023. This change reduced Earth’s albedo, the planet’s ability to reflect solar radiation back into space, causing temperatures to rise.
Earth’s albedo has been decreasing since the 1970s. This is mainly due to the melting of polar ice sheets, which help reflect sunlight back into space. However, when analyzing satellite data, helge gosling and his colleagues at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute have revealed that the planet’s albedo in 2023 hit an all-time low.
Goessling and his colleagues then used a combination of weather observations and modeling to understand the cause of this decline, and found that the number of low-lying clouds decreased sharply in 2023. This change was particularly noticeable in the Atlantic Ocean. 2023 saw the most unusual temperature extremes.
“We were able to show where the clouds were actually changing and at what altitude in the atmosphere,” Gosling said. “It’s really surprising that this reduction in cloud cover is occurring primarily in the lower levels.”
The findings could explain an additional 0.2°C of heat loss that scientists have struggled to account for, once background climate change and the effects of El Niño in 2023 are added up. “This is another piece of the puzzle, but I think it’s a very important piece,” Goessling said. Although the study only evaluated data from 2023, the findings could also explain why global temperatures will remain extremely high through 2024, despite El Niño weakening earlier this year. be.
paulo ceppi Researchers at Imperial College London say the study is timely as climate scientists are keen to understand the causes of recent record warmth. “I think they make a pretty convincing case that changes in albedo, especially in low-level clouds, contribute significantly to changes in the radiation budget and, therefore, in temperature,” he says.
The next question is why low-altitude clouds disappear. There are three main explanations. This may be due to a global decrease in aerosol pollution, which promotes cloud formation and persistence. Alternatively, it could be the result of changes in cloud behavior due to global warming. Or it could just be natural fluctuations in climate.
Understanding which of these three factors is dominant is critical because it influences how sensitive Earth’s climate is to greenhouse gas pollution. If the lack of clouds is due to a climate change feedback, its effects will accelerate in the coming years, causing global temperatures to rise more than expected. “The answer has pretty deep implications for what we expect about future climate change,” Seppi says.
Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights and can sometimes be dangerous. It can result in emergency landings and even fatalities.
In May 2024, a flight from London to Singapore had to make an emergency landing after encountering severe turbulence over Myanmar. Sadly, one passenger died, and many others were hospitalized.
Shortly after this incident, another flight from Doha to Dublin experienced turbulence, leading to several passengers being hospitalized. These incidents raise concerns about the frequency and severity of turbulence.
Turbulence is typically caused by sudden changes in airflow due to various factors like storm clouds, fronts, and air movement over mountains. Pilots can often anticipate and avoid these known forms of turbulence.
However, clear-air turbulence, which occurs without warning due to speed differences between air masses, poses a more significant risk. This type of turbulence is invisible and challenging to detect, making it particularly dangerous for passengers and crew.
Experts predict that turbulence will increase with climate change, with clear-sky turbulence already on the rise. Studies show a significant increase in wind shear and severe turbulence on common flight routes, with projections indicating a further rise in turbulence incidents in the coming years.
While the risk of turbulence-related injuries remains relatively low, it is essential for passengers to always wear their seat belts during flights. This simple precaution can reduce the likelihood of injuries during turbulent conditions.
If you have any questions or concerns about turbulence or climate change’s impact on air travel, feel free to contact us via email at questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out to us on social media.
For more intriguing science facts and information, visit our website for engaging content.
This article (by Dominic Hamilton in London) addresses the impact of climate change on turbulence during flights.
For more updates and interesting science content, follow us on social media:Facebook,Twitter,Instagram
Stay informed with our fun facts and engaging science articles!
As the UK prepares for the clocks to change, two major shifts are on the horizon. Unfortunately, summer is coming to an end, but on the bright side, you’ll get an extra hour of sleep when the clocks go back in October.
But when exactly will this happen? And why do we turn the clocks back to March? Here’s everything you need to know.
undefined
When will the clocks change in October 2024?
The clocks will go back to 2am on Sunday, October 27, 2024, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) or British Summer Time (BST) and the switch to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
This adjustment means that the sun will set an hour earlier in London at 4:41pm on Sunday. However, the sunrise in London will also move back an hour from 7:45am to 6:45am, so you can expect a brighter morning.
Your smartphone will automatically update the time while you sleep, but get ready to reset your car, wall, and oven clocks the next day.
I hope this year I won’t have to keep pressing the minute button repeatedly to reset the time…
Why do the clocks change?
The practice of changing the clocks is more practical than scientific, allowing people to maximize daylight. Turning back the clocks in autumn means the sun sets earlier, giving us a head start on winter.
Where did daylight saving time originate?
The concept of daylight saving time can be traced back to George Hudson in New Zealand in 1895. He proposed adjusting the clocks to have more sunlight for activities. The idea was later supported by William Willett in the UK in 1907 to make better use of daylight hours.
Britain implemented daylight saving time in 1916 for energy conservation during World War I.
Why do some people want to end daylight saving time?
While many enjoy an extra hour in the fall, the spring clock change can disrupt sleep patterns and impact health. Studies have shown an increased risk of heart attack and decreased sleep quality during time transitions.
Experts suggest soaking up natural light and avoiding hitting the snooze button to adjust to the time change.
Are there benefits to abolishing daylight saving time?
Research has shown that serious traffic accidents decrease and crime rates lower with the adjustment of daylight saving time. Countries differ in their adoption of this practice.
Which countries do not use daylight saving time?
Most countries do not observe daylight saving time, including many in Africa. The EU is undecided on abolishing daylight saving time, while countries near the equator enjoy stable daylight hours.
Some individuals may not only be incorrect in their arguments but also in their self-assuredness, possibly due to psychological reasons. According to a recent study, it is crucial to believe that you possess all necessary information to formulate an opinion, even when you do not, as outlined in a paper published in the Pros One journal on Wednesday. “Our brains tend to be overly confident in reaching rational conclusions based on minimal information,” stated Angus Fletcher, a co-author of the study and a professor at Ohio State University.
Fletcher and two other psychology researchers sought to evaluate how individuals make judgments about situations and people, primarily based on their confidence in the information available to them. “People tend to make hasty judgments,” remarked Fletcher.
The researchers enlisted approximately 1,300 participants with an average age of around 40. They all read a fictional narrative about a school experiencing a water shortage due to the local aquifer drying up.
Of the group, 500 individuals read an article supporting the school’s merger with another school, presenting three pro-merger arguments and one neutral point. Another 500 read an article containing three arguments favoring separation and the same neutral viewpoint.
The remaining 300 participants in the control group read a comprehensive article outlining all seven arguments: three in favor of the merger, three favoring separation, and one neutral argument.
After reading the materials, the researchers questioned the participants on their opinions regarding the school’s course of action and how confident they felt about having all required information to make a decision.
Survey results demonstrated that most individuals were more inclined to align with the arguments they were presented with (either for merging or remaining separate) and were confident in having acquired sufficient information to form their opinions. Moreover, it became evident that individuals who only read one perspective were more likely to express confidence in their views compared to those in the control group who read both sets of arguments.
Subsequently, half of the participants from each group were exposed to opposing information contradicting the initial article they read. While individuals felt assured in their viewpoints after encountering arguments favoring one solution, they were generally open to changing their minds when presented with all facts, subsequently reporting lower confidence in their ability to form opinions on the topic.
Fletcher noted, “We anticipated individuals maintaining their original judgments even upon receiving contradictory information. However, once presented with plausible alternatives, they exhibited a significant shift in their thinking, signaling a readiness for change.” This study underscored that people may not always consider whether they possess all pertinent information on a particular matter.
However, the researchers acknowledged that their findings might not apply to scenarios where individuals have established preconceived notions, such as in politics.
“People exhibit more openness and willingness to revise their opinions than assumed,” Fletcher remarked, adding, “Yet, this flexibility is not as prevalent in enduring divides like political beliefs.” Todd Rogers, a behavioral scientist at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, likened the study’s conclusions to the concept of an “invisible gorilla,” illustrating how individuals can be fixated on one aspect and overlook the obvious — a phenomenon referred to as “blindness caused by blindness.”
Rogers further stated, “This study encapsulates that insight. There appears to be a cognitive inclination to overlook the inadequacy of our information.”
Barry Schwartz, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Swarthmore College, noted that the research indicated people often underestimate their knowledge on specific subjects, similar to the concept of the “illusion of explanatory depth.” This notion suggests that individuals might believe they understand a topic, like the functioning of a toilet, but when prompted to explain the process, realize their lack of comprehensive knowledge.
“It’s not merely about being wrong; it’s the unwavering confidence in that wrongness,” Schwartz emphasized, suggesting that cultivating curiosity and humility can be the antidote.
The researchers and Schwartz found it encouraging and unexpected that individuals who encountered new information were willing to reconsider their beliefs, given that the information appeared plausible. “It instills a degree of optimism that even in the face of presumed certainty, individuals remain receptive to evolving evidence,” concluded Schwartz.
A replica of the “Welcome Stranger,” a 100 kg gold nugget discovered in Australia in 1869.
Ian Dagnall/Alamy
Earthquakes can create electric fields that attract gold dissolved in liquids pushed up from deep within the earth, causing gold nuggets to form in the quartz.
Giant gold nuggets are often associated with quartz, a ubiquitous but chemically inert mineral. The world's largest gold nuggets can weigh nearly 100 kilograms, but until now no one has been able to explain how such masses of precious metal formed.
“The mystery was how someone could create such a large nugget of gold in one place without any obvious chemical or physical traps,” he said. Chris Voysey At Monash University, Melbourne.
Voysey and his colleagues discovered a possible mechanism: applying pressure to the quartz creates a voltage that attracts gold dissolved in water.
The secret lies in the structure of quartz, Voysey explains. Quartz is the only abundant mineral whose crystals have no center of symmetry. This means that when these crystals are strained or stressed by seismic activity, their internal electromagnetic makeup changes, generating electricity. Electricity generated in response to mechanical stress is known as piezoelectricity.
Gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids rise up through fissures during seismic activity from the mid-to-lower crust, 15-20 km below the surface, but gold is so dilute that it would take the equivalent of five Olympic swimming pools of hydrothermal fluid to produce 10 kg of gold.
Voysey and his colleagues hypothesized that the piezoelectric properties of quartz would cause the gold to concentrate in nodules within the veins during repeated earthquakes. To test this idea, the team performed experiments in which they placed quartz crystals in a gold-containing solution and applied moderate pressure from an actuator.
Quartz samples that were not subjected to pressure did not attract gold, but samples subjected to force generated a voltage and attracted the metal. Some of the samples were coated with iridium to accentuate the piezoelectric response of the quartz and artificially mimic the expansion of seismic activity. In these samples, large gold flakes grew, over 6000 nanometers, compared to 200-300 nanometers in uncoated quartz.
Once gold starts to deposit on the quartz, it quickly attracts other gold, Voysey says. “Gold is a conductor, so gold in solution tends to deposit on top of existing gold,” he says. “It becomes like a lightning rod that attracts more gold.”
Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, still wields influence over the cryptocurrency almost 14 years after vanishing.
This week, a protocol crafted by Nakamoto (an individual or group that went silent in December 2010) will trigger the “Bitcoin halving,” which has historically been tied to price increases. The upcoming halving is set to occur this Saturday.
Here’s a breakdown of what the Bitcoin halving entails and its potential ramifications.
What is Bitcoin halving?
It revolves around how Bitcoins are recorded and generated. Cryptocurrency transactions are recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain. These transactions are grouped into blocks by “miners,” solved, and linked. Miners use specialized hardware to solve cryptographic puzzles and, crucially, receive rewards in newly minted Bitcoins.
Nakamoto’s goal was to cap the total number of Bitcoins at 21 million, so the protocol adjusts to limit the influx of new coins into the market. This is accomplished by halving miners’ rewards every 210,000 blocks, approximately every four years.
The imminent halving is slated to take place early Saturday in the US and UK, reducing the reward for adding a new block to the blockchain from 6.25 Bitcoins to 3.125 Bitcoins. Bitcoin, currently with over 19 million coins in circulation, will continue halving until an estimated 21 million by 2140.
What impact will it have on the price of Bitcoin?
A halving leads to a decrease in the supply of new Bitcoin, potentially raising its price. It’s an economic principle that a decrease in supply with stable demand should drive up the price of an asset.
Data from 10x Research shows that the average prices following the past three halvings (2020, 2016, 2012) increased by 16% in the subsequent 60 days. The 2016 halving initially saw a 6% dip but then rebounded strongly in 2017.
Experts suggest that halvings usually lead to rising prices due to reduced supply, with a peak typically occurring around 500 days post-halving. However, markets have already factored in the halving, and significant price hikes aren’t expected immediately after.
Are there any negative effects?
Bitcoin mining companies, which bear energy and equipment costs to validate transactions, may face financial strain as rewards shrink.
Andrew O’Neill, managing director of digital assets research at S&P Global, notes that halving the block rewards can impact miners’ profitability significantly, leading to potential closures of unprofitable businesses.
For Bitcoin mining to be economically sustainable, broader adoption across the global economy is required to boost miners’ earnings from transaction fees. However, concerns are rising about the environmental unsustainability of energy-intensive Bitcoin mining.
Critics fear that amateur investors may be drawn into price spikes and hype surrounding the halving, adding another layer of negative impact.
Driver abandons car after rainstorm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 17
Christopher Pike/Bloomberg/Getty
Record rainfall has hit the Arabian Peninsula this week, causing flooding in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other coastal cities in the United Arab Emirates. The extreme weather sparked speculation on social media that the UAE’s long-standing cloud seeding program may have played a role. However, cloud seeding almost certainly does not have a significant impact on flooding.
How unusual was the recent rain in the Arabian Peninsula?
It was the most extreme event in the UAE since record-keeping began in 1949. according to to the state-run Emirates News Agency. From April 15th to 16th, some parts of the country received more than their normal annual rainfall in a 24-hour period. Heavy rains in desert regions are not uncommon, but they are not unheard of – as the UAE sees it. heavy rain and flooding For example, 2016.
A drainage system in a coastal city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been overwhelmed by spills, causing flooding. Dramatic images of a plane driving through stagnant water at Dubai International Airport have been widely shared online.
In neighboring Oman, died in flash flood At least 18 people. Parts of Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also experienced unusual rainfall.
What is cloud seeding? Did it affect extreme rain?
Cloud seeding is a way to increase precipitation, From about the 1940s. This involves spraying powders such as silver iodide onto clouds from airplanes or rockets, or burning them from stations on the ground. Droplets of supercooled water form around these particles and fall to the ground as rain or snow.
Since 2002, the UAE has maintained one of the largest cloud seeding programs in the world. Planes regularly fly cloud-seeding missions in an effort to increase freshwater resources in arid regions.
Meteorologists at the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology (NCM) have further fueled speculation that cloud formations may be responsible for the recent rains. Saidbloomberg news That in the days before the storm, planes had spread clouds over the country. However, NCM later stated: statement That no seed was sown during the storm.
“We take the safety of our employees, pilots and aircraft very seriously,” the company said. “NCM does not conduct cloud seeding operations during extreme weather conditions.”
Even if cloud formation had occurred during the storm, it would have had at most a small effect on precipitation and would have been localized. The extent of rainfall across several countries and the generally limited influence of cloud species suggest that cloud occurrence almost certainly does not play a significant role. “There is no technology that can create or even significantly alter this type of rainfall event.” Maarten Ambaum at the University of Reading, UK statement.
He noted that cloud seeding would have little impact on clouds that were already predicted to bring rain to the region. And that assumes that cloud seeding is effective at all.
“Many claims of successful cloud seeding are false, scientifically flawed, or actually fraudulent,” he says. Andrew Dessler at Texas A&M University. “This makes most atmospheric scientists very skeptical about cloud formation.”
What weather factors were behind the rain?
The extreme precipitation was caused by large storms called mesoscale convective systems. Suzanne Gray Researchers at the University of Reading say this happens “when many individual thunderstorms coalesce to form a single large high-level cloud shield.”
Forecasters had predicted a high risk of flooding in the area for at least a week before the storm.Writing in progress XJeff Berardelli, a meteorologist at WFLA-TV in Florida, linked the storm to a blocking pattern created by a slow-moving jet stream.
Has climate change made rain worse?
Further analysis is needed to link this particular event to climate change, but climate change likely plays a role.
“These types of heavy rainfall events are likely to become more extreme with climate change, as a warming atmosphere retains more water vapor,” Ambaum said. Changes in temperature can also affect atmospheric circulation patterns in the form of changes in precipitation.
For example, recent study The same type of storm that caused this extreme rainfall has occurred in the region 95 times since 2000, with the most frequent occurrences on the Arabian Peninsula in March and April, researchers found. However, it has also been found that the duration of these storms has increased over the UAE since 2000, which may be linked to rising temperatures.
Alternative climate modeling study They predict that annual rainfall in the UAE will increase by 10 to 25 percent by mid-century, characterized by more intense precipitation events.
I was going to start this article differently. But that was before my 10-year-old daughter intervened. In fact, I had already started writing when she got up and tried to trick me. She offered to bet me her ten pounds that I could write red with a regular pencil. Unfortunately for this budding entrepreneur, I turned down the bet. She was so confident that she suspected he was up to something. But I let her reveal the trick. She took her lead pencil in her hand and she wrote, “In red color.” Then she laughed like a hyena and went out to fool her mother.
Our bright little sparks have opinions on everything from video games to sports to books. She’s learning basic algebra and coding, but her Taylor Swift expertise far exceeds mine. But even with all this knowledge, she still has many years to go before she reaches adulthood. If she lives out her average lifespan, she will spend a quarter of her year as a minor.
It is truly strange that humans have long childhoods. No other primate takes this long to reach adulthood. During the evolution of our species, childhood has become significantly longer, along with more obvious physical changes. Traditionally, paleoanthropologists have paid little attention to children, but that is now changing. A series of interesting discoveries over the past few years are building a complete picture of human childhood. When did this seemingly unproductive life stage expand, why was it so long, and what did prehistoric children do? This discovery does more than just shed light on a dark corner…
A colony of black garden ants in a nest with several eggs, pupae, larvae and a large queen bee
Nick Bruning/Shutterstock
When a black ant queen notices that her young are sick, she eats them before the disease spreads to other parts of the nest.
Cannibal queens may not win the “Mother of the Year” award, but research suggests this strategy could be an effective way to protect the kingdom. The findings provide insight into the evolution of “filial cannibalism,'' the practice of parents consuming their children.
Ants and other colony-dwelling social insects can prevent the spread of disease by forcing workers to self-isolate when they become sick and by eliminating infected nestmates. These “social immunity” obligations are well known, he writes. Flynn Bizzell and christopher pull at Oxford University. But since the ant queen starts colonies alone, how does she protect herself from disease as she builds and grows her nest?
To find out, Bizell and Puru collected newly mated black ants (Lasius Niger) took the queen to the laboratory. Once the ants had laid eggs and started building nests, the researchers removed the larvae from the queen and exposed some to deadly ant spores. Metahydium A fungus that infects wild ant nests. After a period of time during which these larvae developed a potentially fatal infection, the researchers returned all of the larvae to their mothers, even though they were not yet contagious.
The queen ate 92 percent of the diseased larvae, but only 6 percent of the larvae were uninfected, indicating that the queen was able to detect infection and intervene. Failure to catch the infection can have dire consequences. When the researchers exposed the colonies to the carcasses of highly infectious larvae that had sprouted spore-producing fungi, all the larvae died. And even after spraying the carcasses with an acidic antibacterial toxin, only 20 percent of the queens survived.
Despite these risks, queen bees that feed on infected larvae appear to avoid harm. Researchers suggest that queen bees may be ingesting their own antimicrobial toxins to make their intestines hostile to fungal spores. Based on this conclusion, they Observation of worker ants before they swallow the poison The team then observed the queen bee tending to the openings of her venom glands.
“If the queen gets infected and dies, the colony dies as well,” he says. sebastian stockmeyer She is at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as she is the only one with the ability to reproduce. Therefore, it makes sense that evolved strategies to deal with disease would emphasize queen survival.
There are other benefits to eating sick babies as well. The researchers found that queens that ate sick offspring laid 55% more eggs than queens that did not, suggesting that they recycled these caloric resources. The researchers argue that this benefit and the elimination of disease risk could indicate how filial cannibalism evolves in some species.
Joel Meunier Researchers at the University of Tours in France believe that offspring that hatch after their older siblings are eaten may have immune systems that better protect against fungal infections. If so, proving this may reveal the “double benefit” of filial cannibalism for both mother and offspring.
This finding suggests that there is overlap in the behaviors needed to care for young and prevent disease in young colonies. As a result, Bizell and Pule argue that workers' disease prevention behaviors may have evolved from common parental care found in many types of insects.
Charlotte, a stingray residing in an aquarium with no male rays, surprised people worldwide with her sudden pregnancy, sparking interest in parthenogenesis, which refers to virgin conception in scientific terms.
While virgin births may seem rare, experts point out that many species, like zebra sharks, California condors, and Komodo dragons, can reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis. Understanding this process could aid in conservation efforts.
Mercedes Burns, a biologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, stated, “There’s nothing unnatural about asexual reproduction,” emphasizing the remarkable strategies animals employ for successful reproduction.
The buzz surrounding Charlotte’s pregnancy arose when the Aquarium and Shark Research Institute announced her condition. Speculation on social media suggested she was impregnated by a neighboring shark or through parthenogenesis.
Kevin Feldheim, a researcher at Chicago’s Field Museum, debunked the shark theory, emphasizing the genetic differences between sharks and stingrays. Genetic testing post-birth will confirm if the offspring resulted from parthenogenesis.
Researchers are just beginning to explore parthenogenesis in various species. This phenomenon has been observed in 15 elasmobranch species since 2007.
Although common in animals, parthenogenesis is rare in mammals due to genetic mechanisms preventing it. Meiosis and fusion with polar bodies are key in spontaneous parthenogenesis.
The prevalence of parthenogenesis in the wild remains unknown, but it is easier to detect in captive environments. Vertebrates’ ability to reproduce asexually remains a mystery.
Research suggests parthenogenesis could be an environmental response or a chance occurrence in cell division.
Imagine your body as a big sugar bowl. At birth, the bowl is empty. Over decades of eating sugar and refined carbohydrates, your bowl gradually fills up. And the next time you eat, the bowl is already full, so the sugar comes in and spills over the sides of the bowl.
The same situation exists in your body. When you eat sugar, your body secretes the hormone insulin to move the sugar into your cells, where it is used for energy. If we don’t burn enough sugar, after a few decades our cells will be completely full and we won’t be able to process it anymore.
The next time you eat sugar, insulin can’t push any more sugar into the overflowing cells, so it floods into your bloodstream. Sugar moves through the blood in a form called glucose, and too much of it (known as hyperglycemia) is the main symptom of type 2 diabetes.
When there’s too much glucose in the blood, insulin doesn’t seem to be doing its normal job of moving sugar into cells. Then you say your body has become insulin resistant, but it’s actually not the insulin’s fault. The main problem is that the cells are flooded with glucose.
High blood sugar is only part of the problem. Not only is there too much glucose in the blood, there is too much glucose in every cell. Type 2 diabetes is an overflow phenomenon that occurs when there is too much glucose throughout the body.
In response to excess glucose in the blood, the body secretes more insulin to overcome this resistance. This forces more glucose into the flooded cells to keep blood levels normal.
This works, but the effect is only temporary because it doesn’t address the problem of excess sugar. The excess was transferred from the blood to the cells, only worsening insulin resistance. At some point, your body can no longer push glucose into your cells, no matter how much insulin you increase.
read more:
What happens in the body if excess glucose is not removed? First, your body continues to produce more insulin to try to get more glucose into your cells. However, this only creates further insulin resistance, creating a vicious cycle.
When insulin levels can no longer keep up with the increased resistance, blood sugar levels spike. At this point the doctor is likely to diagnose her with type 2 diabetes.
Doctors may prescribe drugs such as insulin injections or a drug called metformin to lower blood sugar levels, but these drugs do not rid the body of excess glucose. Instead, they simply continue to take glucose from the blood and return it to the body.
It can then be carried to other organs such as the kidneys, nerves, eyes, and heart, where it can eventually cause other problems. Of course, the fundamental problem hasn’t changed.
Remember that bowl full of sugar? It’s still around. Insulin simply moves glucose from the visible blood into the invisible body. So the next time you eat, sugar will flood back into your bloodstream and you’ll end up injecting insulin to stuff it into your body.
The more glucose your body is willing to accept, the more insulin it needs to overcome its resistance to it. But as the cells swell more and more, this insulin only creates more resistance.
If you exceed the amount your body can produce naturally, drugs can take over. At first, you only need one type of medicine, but eventually the amount of medicine increases to two or three.
And the problem is that diabetes actually gets worse when you increase the amount of medication you take to keep your blood sugar levels at the same level.
Type 2 diabetes is reversible and preventable without drugs
Once you understand that type 2 diabetes is simply too much sugar in your body, the solution is obvious. Remove sugar. Don’t hide it. Let’s get rid of it. There are really only two ways to accomplish this.
Please add less sugar.
Burn off the remaining sugar.
that’s it. That’s all you need to do. The best part? All natural and completely free. No drugs. No surgery. No cost.
Step 1: Reduce the amount of sugar
The first step is to eliminate all sugar and refined carbohydrates from your diet. Added sugar has no nutritional value, so it’s safe to limit your intake. Complex carbohydrates, which are simply long chains of sugar, and highly refined carbohydrates, such as flour, are quickly digested into glucose.
The best strategy is to limit or eliminate bread and pasta made from white flour, as well as white rice and potatoes.
Protein intake should be kept moderate rather than high. When proteins such as meat are digested, they are broken down into amino acids. Adequate protein is necessary for good health, but excess amino acids cannot be stored in the body, so they are converted into glucose in the liver. Therefore, consuming too much protein adds sugar to your body. Therefore, highly processed and concentrated protein sources such as protein shakes, protein bars, and protein powders should be avoided.
What about dietary fat? Natural fats, found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil, which are key components of the Mediterranean diet, have little effect on blood sugar or insulin, and are well-known for their health benefits against both heart disease and diabetes. Masu. Eggs and butter are also good sources of natural fats.
It has been proven that the cholesterol contained in these foods has no negative effect on the human body. Eating dietary fat does not lead to type 2 diabetes or heart disease. In fact, it’s beneficial because it helps you feel full without adding sugar to your body.
To reduce the amount of sugar you put into your body, stick to natural, unprocessed whole foods. Eat a diet low in refined carbohydrates, moderate amounts of protein, and high in natural fats.
Step 2: Burn off the remaining sugar
Exercise (both strength training and aerobic training) has beneficial effects in type 2 diabetes, but its power to reverse the disease is much less than dietary intervention. And fasting is the easiest and surest way to force your body to burn sugar.
Fasting is just the flip side of eating. If you are not eating, you are fasting. When you eat, your body stores food energy. When you fast, your body burns food energy. And glucose is the most easily ingested food energy source. Therefore, a longer period of fasting allows you to burn stored sugar.
It may sound harsh, but fasting is literally the oldest diet known and has been practiced throughout human history without incident. If you are taking prescription medications, you should seek medical advice.
But the important question is: Will my blood sugar levels drop if I don’t eat? of course. Can you lose weight if you don’t eat? of course. So what’s the problem? I can’t see anything.
A common practice is to fast for 24 hours two to three times a week to burn off sugar. Another common approach is fasting for 16 hours five to six times a week. The secret to reversing type 2 diabetes is now in our hands.
All you need is an open mind to embrace new paradigms and the courage to challenge conventional wisdom.
read more:
This text was extracted from Diabetes Norm: Prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes naturally by Dr. Jason Huangon sale now (£14.99, Greystone Books).
Over the past four years, we’ve learned tough lessons about the balancing act of public health. Recent coronavirus research has highlighted the need to carefully weigh the benefits and harms of any action taken to mitigate the impact of the disease.
We need clarity on what has worked and what hasn’t in the fight against the coronavirus. One objective of a study was to understand more about this. Here’s what was found out…
Was the spread of the new coronavirus in nursing homes inevitable?
Early in the pandemic, being a resident or staff member in a care home carried the highest risk of death from coronavirus. The virus spread to nursing homes as elderly patients were discharged to make room for new hospitalizations. It was nearly impossible to stop infectious diseases from spreading within nursing homes, even if all patients were tested before being transferred to hospital, as tests can be negative until the person becomes infectious.
Did the personal protective equipment really work?
The importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of infection in hospitals and nursing homes was widely accepted even before COVID-19. The lack of availability of PPE was one of the main factors influencing coronavirus transmission in nursing homes.
Early in the pandemic, the benefits and risks of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the community were uncertain. NPIs such as closing schools and banning public gatherings were effective at reducing the spread of the virus.
Did wearing a mask help protect against coronavirus?
Wearing masks did reduce community transmission of coronavirus, at least until the Omicron variant emerged. The value of masks in schools is still debated, with some studies showing that mandatory mask-wearing in schools reduced infections at least for the first few weeks.
Has quarantine helped?
Testing and self-isolation should reduce coronavirus transmission, but studies have shown that for this to work, a significant proportion of infected people would need to self-isolate. Self-isolation rates may not have made a significant difference, as many infected people are never identified.
How effective was the lockdown?
Lockdowns have been associated with mental and musculoskeletal health problems. The overall impact of NPIs in relation to their harms is a broader societal debate beyond just a scientific question.
How effective has the vaccine rollout been?
Rapid development of effective vaccines has been a real success during the pandemic, preventing many more deaths. However, the vaccines did not create herd immunity and eradicated the virus. They also had side effects, such as blood clotting and heart inflammation. Advancements in vaccine science during the pandemic may benefit other infectious diseases for decades to come.
The US Department of Energy defines cosmology as the study of the origin and development of the entire universe. It is divided into observational and physical branches, with observational cosmology using telescopes and instruments for direct evidence of the universe’s structure and evolution, while physical cosmology studies the universe’s development and the physics that created it.
The origins of cosmology can be traced back to the 1500s when Copernicus observed the Earth’s revolution around the sun, and later in the 1600s when Newton discovered that objects in space follow the same physical laws as those on Earth. In the early 20th century, Einstein’s theory of relativity provided a model of space-time, leading to modern physical cosmology.
Modern cosmologists believe that dark matter and dark energy make up most of the universe, with dark energy accounting for more than two-thirds, and dark matter for a quarter of the universe. The study of cosmology encompasses various fields such as big bang, formation of large-scale structures, big bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave background, dark matter, and gravitational waves.
Scientists estimate that there are 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, and the earliest light to reach Earth was 13.77 billion years ago. The total energy balance of the universe consists of about 5 percent ordinary matter, 27 percent dark matter, and 68 percent dark energy.
The US Department of Energy’s Office of Science supports cosmology research through its Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics programs, which focus on the study of particles, dark matter, and dark energy to further understand the universe.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
