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NASA Astronaut Exits Space Station Early Over Health Concerns, Resulting in Droplets Falling

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Four astronauts successfully returned to Earth early Thursday morning, concluding an eventful and extraordinary week in space. The crew made an early departure from the International Space Station as a result of medical issues that emerged during their mission.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Finke, Japanese astronaut Kamiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov made a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at 3:41 a.m. ET after an 11-hour journey.

“On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome home, Crew-11,” mission controllers communicated to the astronauts shortly after the Dragon capsule’s touchdown.

This return marks a historic moment, being the first instance in the ISS’s 25-year history where a mission was terminated early due to medical complications.

On Thursday, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California.
NASA

Out of respect for medical privacy, NASA has not disclosed the identities of the crew members involved or specific details surrounding the medical incident. The situation remains stable and is not deemed an emergency.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated in a recent press conference that the early return decision was made with an emphasis on precaution.

The medical issue led to the cancellation of a planned spacewalk scheduled for January 8, during which Cardman and Finke were set to perform modifications outside the ISS.

The recovery team approaches the Dragon capsule.
NASA

Prior to leaving the space station, Finke reassured that he and his colleagues were “stable, safe, and well cared for.”

“This decision was made to facilitate proper medical evaluation in a controlled environment with complete diagnostic capabilities,” Finke mentioned in a statement on LinkedIn. “While it’s bittersweet, it’s the right call.”

The astronauts returned in the same SpaceX Dragon capsule that had transported them to the ISS.

The return mission proceeded without incident, with air traffic controllers reporting favorable weather conditions at the landing site off the California coast. The capsule’s drogue and main parachutes deployed successfully just before landing, ensuring a safe splashdown.

NASA’s Crew 11 Endeavor spacecraft during recovery efforts.
NASA

SpaceX recovery teams promptly arrived to assess the capsule and ensure it was safe to open the hatch. Dolphins were also spotted joyfully swimming in the vicinity.

The Crew-11 astronauts spent 165 days aboard the space station. For Cardman and Platonov, this represents their first spaceflight, while Yui has now completed her second journey. Finke has successfully finished four missions in total.

The astronauts were scheduled to stay on the ISS until late February but returned early, leaving only three crew members onboard: NASA’s Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev.

Inside the International Space Station’s Kibo Experiment Module: NASA astronaut Mike Finke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA astronaut Kamiya Yui.
NASA/AP

The next crew rotation for the space station is expected to launch by February 15, but NASA is exploring options for an expedited flight. Nonetheless, Williams is likely to be the only NASA astronaut responsible for U.S. scientific experiments and operations at the station for several weeks to come.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Falling Asleep: A Sudden Shift, Not a Gradual Process.

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We never just drift off; we abruptly enter slumber.

Dead Mitiei/Shutterstock

The brain doesn’t transition into sleep gradually. Instead, we hit a critical moment where we swiftly shift from being awake to asleep within just minutes. This finding could enhance the understanding and treatment of sleep-related issues like insomnia.

“Sleep is crucial to our existence, yet the mechanisms behind how our brain falls asleep have remained elusive,” states Nil Grossman from Imperial College London. It’s commonly thought that this change occurs gradually, with the brain smoothly moving from wakefulness to sleep; however, evidence for this phenomenon is sparse.

Grossman and his team have created a novel method to investigate how the brain functions during sleep by utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) data. This technique captures the brain’s electrical activity and provides insights into various sleep stages and wakefulness. The researchers analyzed 47 EEG signals using an abstract mathematical framework, treating each data point as if it were plotted on a map. This enabled them to visualize brain activity in its transition towards the designated sleep onset zone, correlating with the second phase of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

“Now we can accurately monitor brain activity and determine how close individuals are to falling asleep each second, with a level of precision never achieved before,” explains Grossman.

The method was applied to EEG data acquired during the sleep onset phase of over 1,000 participants, measuring the proximity of brain activity to sleep onset. Generally, this proximity remained stable until about 10 minutes prior to sleep, markedly decreasing in the final moments. Researchers determined that this critical transition occurs roughly 4.5 minutes before sleep, marking the distinct switch from wakefulness to slumber, as noted by Li Junheng, also from Imperial College London. “[This is] the point of no return,” he states.

These findings indicate that the shift from wakefulness to sleep is “not a slow progression, but rather a sudden, dramatic transformation occurring in the last few minutes,” asserts Grossman. Thus, when we “fall asleep,” it closely reflects the underlying activity in our brains. “This showcases nearly the feeling of entering a different state,” he adds.

The research team subsequently gathered brainwave information from another group of 36 individuals, tracking each participant’s sleep patterns over a week. They utilized some of those nights to accurately predict when participants would fall asleep, within a minute of the actual moment.

“This indicates that while individuals differ significantly, each person seems to follow a unique sleep trajectory that recurs night after night,” remarks Laura Lewis from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, she notes that it remains uncertain if these patterns alter when external conditions vary, like sleeping in a new environment.

While this framework does not explicitly identify the brain mechanisms responsible for the sleep transition, Lewis believes it could pave the way for future discoveries. “Identifying the precise moment of falling asleep has been quite challenging,” she states. “Once that is established, we can delve into the brain regions and circuits that facilitate sustained sleep.” Understanding the nuances of this transition could also aid in recognizing variations among individuals with insomnia, leading to innovative treatments.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Tips from Sleep Scientists for Falling Asleep More Easily

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A restless mind is a prevalent obstacle to achieving sleep

Andrii Lysenko/Getty Images

It might be due to age and warmer temperatures, but sleep is becoming increasingly elusive in my household. Between my husband’s insomnia, my child’s energy, and my own racing thoughts, our nights are filled with as much activity as our days. My social media feed has begun presenting videos featuring a technique known as “cognitive shuffle” for inducing sleep, prompting me to explore whether it actually works or if there are other mental tricks that could prove beneficial.

One major hindrance to restful sleep is a restless mind, the very challenge that cognitive shuffle aims to alleviate. Luc Beaudoin from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, has devised methods to help you divert your attention from spiraling thoughts and worries before drifting off.

How to Practice Cognitive Shuffling

The concept is straightforward. Pick a random word, such as “plonk,” and think of all the words you can generate from each letter. Examples include Primsol, Puma, Awards…lion, lemon, levitation, and more. As each word surfaces, spend some time visualizing it. This process creates a transitional phase between wakefulness and slumber, mirroring the spontaneous imagery seen in a “hypnotic state.”

Individuals who are good sleepers often report experiencing vivid images just before sleep, while poor sleepers tend to find themselves planning and problem-solving, as noted by Sophie Bostock, a doctor and sleep consultant. “It’s not that we need to empty our minds (which can actually be counterproductive), but rather we should steer our thoughts away from overly logical thinking,” she explains.

Cognitive shuffling seems to foster more fluid thinking. In a small study involving 154 students, those who reported struggling with “pre-sleep wakefulness” benefited from this technique, which shortened their time to sleep.

However, there lacks a gold-standard study on cognitive shuffling. Beaudoin himself conceded that there is no direct comparison between various cognitive techniques utilized at bedtime within the scientific literature.

Consequently, I turned to some of the world’s leading sleep scientists to inquire about their recommendations for anyone hoping to calm their minds at night.

Strategies for Insomnia Relief

Kevin Morgan from the Clinical Sleep Research Unit at Loughborough University in the UK directed me towards Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI). “CBTI is internationally recognized as the first evidence-based treatment for insomnia disorders,” he asserts.

This therapy focuses on training individuals to manage intrusive thoughts, which can otherwise lead to cognitive arousal (mental alertness), elevate hormones like adrenaline, and disrupt the normal sleep process. CBTI also tackles other facets of insomnia by assisting individuals in overcoming anxieties about sleeplessness and teaches meditation techniques.

While effective, acquiring CBTI techniques typically takes about 6–8 weeks, leading to a high dropout rate.

Nonetheless, various elements of CBTI may be beneficial on their own. A 2021 randomized controlled trial indicated that meditation apps may alleviate depression and anxiety in individuals with sleep disorders, potentially contributing to better pre-sleep relaxation.

Morgan mentions that the component of CBTI that appears to yield the greatest benefits is sleep restriction therapy. This counterintuitive method “has proven to be extremely effective” by reinforcing the idea of spending limited time in bed without sleeping.

This echoes the advice I received from Colin S.P., a professor of sleep medicine at Oxford University. He emphasized that “you cannot force sleep. It doesn’t exist in a tangible sense,” he notes. “You can only encourage sleep. It’s an involuntary process that occurs naturally, not something you can will into being. So rather than trying to sleep when you feel ‘slept and tired,’ focus on creating a conducive environment.”

Designing a Sleep Sanctuary

Another straightforward suggestion from several experts is to cultivate a sleep sanctuary in your bedroom. “Sleep-friendly environments are crucial,” advises Joseph Zielzevsky, Senior Vice President of Research and Science Affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. Others concur. “The top recommendation is to create a bedroom that promotes sleep—dark, cool, quiet, and uncluttered,” states Emerson Wickwire, Head of Sleep Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Many experts also highlighted the importance of avoiding screens before bedtime. The blue light emitted can inhibit melatonin production, disrupt circadian rhythms, complicate the process of falling asleep, and prompt unnecessary thoughts. However, Dzierzewski points out that many people engage with emotionally stimulating content, such as news and social media, right before bed. “Regrettably, over half of Americans admit to using screens within an hour of bedtime,” she mentions.

What I might implement with my children is a gratitude practice, as suggested by Bostock, backed by research indicating its efficacy in alleviating pre-sleep anxiety. “It’s remarkably difficult to feel grateful and stressed simultaneously,” she notes.

Perhaps the most significant advice I received wasn’t a trick or hint to quiet our racing thoughts at night but rather a prompt to genuinely prioritize sleep. Numerous specialists, including Aparajitha Verma, a sleep medicine neurologist in Houston, Texas, emphasized the necessity of treating sleep as a priority. Morgan reiterates that anyone dealing with insomnia should “seek expert help and engage in recommended treatment strategies as soon as possible.”

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to increased risks of dementia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. This reality alone is enough to keep anyone awake at night. Additionally, thoughts of “organizing” my child’s room linger in my mind. Yet, I am resolved to place it at the top of my to-do list as an immediate concern—hopefully, that will serve as a positive first step towards achieving a restful night for all.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Climate Change: A Major Concern Falling Off the Agenda in Canadian Elections

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Melting Arctic ice. Record-breaking wildfires across multiple states. Countries experiencing average warming are warming at a twice the rate of other regions worldwide.

Yet, when Canadians head to the polls on Monday, climate change isn’t even among the top ten issues for voters. Recent surveys indicate this shift.

“That’s not the focus of this election,” remarked Jessica Green, a political scientist at the University of Toronto specializing in climate-related topics.

The election revolves around a collective desire to choose a leader capable of standing up to Donald J. Trump, who poses a threat to Canada amidst a trade war, if not a full annexation as the “51st state.”

Leading the polls is liberal Mark Carney, who boasts decades of experience in climate policy. He served for five years as a UN envoy on climate action and finance, orchestrating a coalition of banks committed to halting carbon dioxide emissions through financing practices by 2050.

Despite his impressive background, Carney hasn’t prioritized climate change in his campaign. Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, one of Carney’s initial actions was to eliminate fuel taxes based on emission levels, including gasoline taxes.

While many Canadians have redirected the resulting funds into rebate checks, Mr. Carney appears to misunderstand the policy, labeling it as “too divided.”

This decision, coupled with similarities between his Conservative opponents, Pierre Poilievre and Trump, has contributed to Carney’s rise in the polls.

“Carney made a clever move by abolishing the consumer carbon tax, which was widely unpopular and essentially formed the basis of Poilievre’s campaign against him,” said Dr. Green. “It took the wind out of the Conservative Party’s sails.”

Mr. Carney is acutely aware of political dynamics. In a recent television discussion, he mentioned to Poilievre, “I spent years advocating for Justin Trudeau and the carbon tax.”

Poilievre is a staunch supporter of Canada’s vast oil and gas industry, making Canada the fourth-largest oil producer and the fifth-largest gas producer globally. Yet, unlike Trump, he recognizes the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.

“Canadian oil and clean natural gas must replace coal globally, allowing countries like India and others in Asia to utilize gas instead of dirty coal,” he stated at a recent press conference during his campaign.

However, Carney’s proposals don’t significantly differ. He envisions Canada as a “superpower of both traditional and clean energy.” His platform suggests reforms like bolstering the carbon market and expediting approvals for clean energy initiatives.

Perhaps the most significant distinction between the candidates lies in their views on Canada’s oil and gas emission caps and the tax on industrial emissions, both defended by Trudeau.

Poilievre aims to eliminate these in accordance with industry demands, whereas Carney intends to maintain them. The Canadian Climate Research Institute states that the Industrial Carbon Tax reduces emissions by at least three times more than the consumer tax, making it the most effective policy deployed to decrease emissions leading up to 2030.

Canada ranks among the world’s highest per capita greenhouse gas emitters and is not on track to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. By 2030, the aim is to achieve a minimum of 40-45% reductions from 2005 levels, but the latest national emissions Inventory Report indicates just an 8.5% decrease through 2023.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Falling in love with failure: Gen Z embraces the compact camera comeback in photography

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This week, New Google smartphone series Cameras with AI image generation capabilities are now available, but for an increasing number of people, the allure of a less cutting-edge gadget: a compact camera.

US soccer player Megan Rapinoe was spotted taking a photo from the stands at the Paris Olympics, with model Alexa Chung captioning the photo: A recent Instagram photo of her with her camera“I’m part of the photo-dependent millennial generation, and I’m fighting the digital threat with analog mode.” Recent Glimpse Photos of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s home life show disposable cameras placed amongst clutter, while Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift have both been photographed holding compact cameras.

While there’s still a mix of digital and film cameras from the early 2000s, the new generation is also embracing the older technology. On Instagram this week, Mihara, star of Industry, which just wrapped its third season, posted a selfie with a compact camera. Ayo Edebiri took her own camera to the Emmy Awards Both are 28. Model Bella Hadid, 27, is a fan. Online, Gen Z content creators are giving the camera a TikTok-esque treatment, stealing public clout from the latest It products and offering up expensive model dummies.

According to a Cognitive Market Research survey conducted earlier this year: The global film camera market is expected to reach £303 million by 2030, up from £223.2 million in 2023. Kodak has seen demand for film nearly double in recent years, and in July Harman, the UK’s only 35mm film maker, announced that Multi-million pound investment in new facilities announced Spurred by rising demand: Tesco, which still has more than 480 photo-printing locations, has seen demand for its film-developing services rise, with take-up up by nearly 10% this year.

The Pentax 17, released earlier this summer, was “the first film camera produced by a global camera brand in 21 years,” according to Paul McKay, co-founder of Analog Wonderland, a company that sells film products while seeking to support the growing analog film photography community. Pentax “has had to bring back retired engineers to mentor younger engineers because they believe this market is “growing and not going to go away.”

Stores targeting young people, such as Urban Outfitters, sell Hello Kitty-themed disposable cameras, lilac and matcha green Fujifilm Instax Minis and Lomography cameras.

But many younger people are looking for second-hand cameras, with searches on second-hand goods website Depop up by 51% since the start of the year. Sarah Kidwai, 25, captioned a TikTok video in which she tries to stop viewers from buying the Canon G7 X digital camera. “You don’t have to spend $700 on a camera, you can buy one on eBay and get a great camera.”

Part of the appeal of film cameras compared to digital cameras is the way the photos look. Dazed magazine’s art and photography editor Emily Dinsdale described the aesthetic as romantic: “Even the mistakes are romantic: the light leaks, the red-eye, the grain in the first few frames of a new roll of film.” In a feed full of glossy photos, analog commands attention.

Images taken with real film cameras often have a “nostalgic, grainy, film-like texture” and are full of charm and imperfections, says Eliza Williams, editor of Creative Review magazine.

For some older users, it’s nostalgia, but for younger people in particular, “part of what draws us to the camera is this idea of it as an object — it’s a beautiful thing to hold in your hand, and it looks really cool compared to other people holding their phones,” Williams says.

The camera is tapping into Gen Z’s resurgence in all things Y2K, from low-rise jeans to velour. “There’s a well-known resurgence of the ‘indie sleaze’ era of the mid-to-late 2000s,” says Louise Iames, strategy director at Digital Fairy, a creative agency that specializes in internet and youth culture. “Digital cameras have been pretty much ever-present during this period.”

She noted the re-emergence of nostalgic technologies across internet culture, This video From Super 8 photos of 80s parties to early internet design codes like Frutiger Aero, [that] is once again attracting attention.

The coolness of cameras is in play even when the technology isn’t being used: In the new season of “Emily in Paris,” which premiered this week to a furor of derision and delight, the protagonist’s phone case mimics the look of a point-and-shoot camera, cloaking her always-on smartphone with more analog flourishes.

According to Yems, “On a deeper level, Gen Z is the first generation that has the ability to document their lives in a completely seamless way. They never have to fill up their memory cards, and they don’t have to spend hours transferring videos and photos between devices and to Myspace and Facebook,” so, she said, “the process of using a point-and-shoot camera gives the output meaning, intention and tactility.”

In a survey McKay conducted this week, the most common reason cited for shooting with film was that it allowed them to slow down (66%). “There’s a mindfulness element to it,” McKay said. “When this generation talks about film photography, they talk a lot about mental health.” Those who choose to develop their own photos, rather than relying on snapshots, may be even slower.

Dinsdale believes the increased use of analog cameras indicates a desire for authenticity in an age when deepfakes mean a distrust of visual imagery. “People trust photos taken with a film camera more than digital photos,” he said, adding, “As AI-generated imagery becomes more prevalent, this sentiment will only increase.”

She continues, “Given how digital photography and smartphones have really changed the value of images, it comes back to the idea that photos taken on a phone are not as special as photos taken on film.”

For Williams, “at a time when all of us, especially Gen Z, are looking for relief from the pressures of daily life and the addictive nature of screens, cameras and taking photos bring nostalgic joy, give us a sense of wholesomeness and artistry, and make us look cool all at the same time.”


Source: www.theguardian.com

OnePlus 12: Falling behind top competitors in the smartphone market

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OnePlus' latest top smartphone can't shake the feeling of being left behind by its rivals.

The OnePlus 12 has a sleek look, fast software, and long battery life, but it lacks the much-touted AI tools built into devices from the likes of Samsung and Google. It feels more like a 2020 cell phone than a new era of artificial intelligence.

This may appeal to those looking for a pared-down, relatively clean experience. Its price of £849 (€969/$799) is also less than its £1,000 full-featured rival. But by modern standards, it feels lacking.




The curved glass and aluminum sides make the phone narrower than its competitors, but the OnePlus 12 is still a very large phone. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The design is very similar to last year's OnePlus 11 (which cost £120 less at launch), a sleek metal and glass sandwich that feels as slick as it looks. The huge 6.82-inch OLED screen is crystal clear, smooth, and very bright. The large circular camera bump on the back is a standout design element, along with the fan-favorite alert slider on the side.

Inside the OnePlus is Qualcomm's latest top Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is 30% faster and 20% more power efficient than its predecessor. This is a very powerful chip that is only found in a small number of new cell phones.

The OnePlus certainly feels fast and smooth in normal operation, but to get maximum performance, i.e. running at full tilt, you'll need to enable the “High Performance” mode embedded in the settings, or when playing games. must be used in mode. The phone is therefore tuned more for power efficiency than raw performance, resulting in extremely long battery life.

It lasts 52-55 hours between charges, and the default settings provide over 9 hours of active screen use. This is significantly longer than last year’s model, making it the best in the industry. OnePlus also charges very fast, reaching 100% within 30 minutes using his included 100W charger.




The aluminum frame has curved corners, but the top and edges of the phone are flat. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

specification

  • screen: 6.82 inch 120Hz QHD+ OLED (510ppi)

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 3rd generation

  • Ram: 12 or 16GB

  • storage: 256 or 512GB

  • operating system: OxygenOS 14 (Android 14)

sustainability

Oxygen OS 14




OxygenOS is generally smooth to use with a reasonable amount of customization, but it is noticeably lacking in advanced smart features. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The phone runs OxygenOS 14, a modified version of the latest Android 14 software. Overall it's very polished, with plenty of customization options covering everything from gestures, the look and feel of the software, and various multitasking tools. But it lacks the AI ​​tools and smart systems that have become the mainstay of rivals in both the Android camp and his iPhone camp.

Source: www.theguardian.com