Tag Archives: Heavy

ALMA Discovers Heavy Water in Planet-Forming Disk Surrounding Distant Protostar

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An astronomer utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) has discovered double deuterated water (D2O), commonly known as “heavy water,” in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the protostar V883 Orionis, situated 1,300 light-years away in the Orion constellation. This finding indicates that some of the water found in comets—and even on Earth—might predate the stars themselves, offering transformative insights into the history of water in our solar system.

This artist’s impression illustrates the evolution of heavy water molecules, previously detected in giant molecular clouds, planet-forming disks, and comets, before ultimately reaching Earth. Image credit: NSF / AUI / NRAO of NSF / P. Vosteen / B. Saxton.

Investigating the primordial material from the protoplanetary disk that gave rise to our solar system suggests that water may have been transported to Earth via comet or asteroid impacts.

However, it remains uncertain whether the water ice present on these celestial objects formed primarily during the protoplanetary disk phase or if it is considerably older, originating from parent molecular clouds.

“This detection clearly demonstrates that the water found in the planet-forming disk around V883 Orionis predates the central star and must have formed during the early phases of star and planet formation,” stated Dr. Margot Rehmker, an astronomer at the University of Milan.

“This marks a significant leap in our understanding of the journey of water throughout planet formation and how this water potentially reached the solar system, including Earth, through similar mechanisms.”

The chemical fingerprinting of heavy water indicates that these molecules have withstood the turbulent processes of star and planet formation, traversing billions of kilometers through the cosmos and ending up in planetary systems like ours.

Rather than being completely destroyed and reformed within the disk, a significant portion of this water is inherited from the earliest, most frigid stages of star formation, serving as a cosmic remnant that may still exist on Earth today.

“Until now, it was uncertain whether most of the water in comets and planets was newly formed in young disks such as Orionis V883 or whether it was ‘pure’ from ancient interstellar clouds,” remarked Dr. John Tobin, an astronomer at the NSF National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

“The detection of heavy water using sensitive isotopic isomer ratios (D2oh2O) validates that this water is an ancient relic, forming a crucial link between clouds, disks, comets, and planets.”

“This finding is the first direct evidence that water can traverse through stars unaltered and intact, moving from clouds to the materials that constitute planetary systems.”

The team’s paper is published in this week’s edition of Nature Astronomy.

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M. Riemker et al. Primitive ice within a planet-forming disk identified by heavy water. Nat Astron published online October 15, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02663-y

Source: www.sci.news

How Super Heavy Chemistry Can Transform the Periodic Table

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The heaviest atoms that form the molecule were observed

David Dixon, Sarah Sprouse/University of Alabama; Jennifer Pore/Berkeley Lab

Scientists have observed the heaviest atoms participating in chemical reactions and forming molecules. This groundbreaking discovery could potentially reshape the periodic table, advancing “super heavy” chemistry, which encompasses large-scale radioactive elements.

Some rare chemical elements are challenging to study, complicating their placement in the periodic table. For instance, the radioactive element copernicium is situated among transition metals but behaves like elements from various groups.

This challenge also affects the lower elements of the table. Heavy radioactive atoms known as actinides can be examined by Jennifer Pore at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. To better understand the properties of actinides, she and her team initiated a chemical reaction to produce a molecule featuring Nobelium, the heaviest actinide and element 102.

The researchers employed a particle accelerator to bombard highly energetic calcium atom beams into lead clusters. The collision resulted in the formation of Nobelium atoms, which subsequently reacted with nitrogen and water molecules present in the air. A swiftly operating detector, akin to a mass spectrometer, more accurately identified the resulting molecules than any prior chemical attempts.

Next, the team replicated the experiment using thorium instead of lead, creating an actinide called actinium (element 89). By comparing the reactions of actinium and nobelium, the researchers confirmed that these two elements behave similarly as they reside in the same column of the periodic table.

Nobelium not only has a rightful place in the periodic table, but it has also become the heaviest element directly observed forming new molecules. However, the heaviest element ever synthesized remains Oganesson, element 118. The techniques used to synthesize molecules containing nobelium and accurately identify them may open new avenues in research.

According to Sofia Heinz from the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Germany, this new experiment marks a significant technological leap in hyperheavy chemistry. Although molecules containing elements heavier than nobelium have been synthesized in the past, researchers were unable to directly identify them. “Being able to study a single molecule directly is a key advancement,” she states.

Peter Schwerdtfeger from Massey University in New Zealand remarked that this novel experiment “opens the door for future experiments involving a diverse range of superheavy elements.”

Even prior to conducting new experiments, the findings have already made an impact. Pore and her researchers originally believed that additional molecules were needed to facilitate reactions with actinium and nobelium. However, unexpectedly, the superheavy element reacted with substances already present. Anastasia Bolshevski at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands suggested that this could prompt scientists to reevaluate past experimental data that assumed they were examining single atoms. “This will keep theorists busy for some time,” Schwerdtfeger adds.

For Pore, the next hurdle involves studying even heavier elements like dubnium, which is element 105. To accomplish this, teams may need to accelerate the procedures to accommodate the heavier elements.

“If all goes well, I aim to explore larger elements at the end of the periodic table. We have yet to explore their heaviness limits with this methodology,” Pore remarks. Unlike nobelium, some of these larger elements may require a new positioning within the standard table.

Topics:

  • Chemistry /
  • Nuclear Physics

Source: www.newscientist.com

Disney and Universal Lawsuit Could Deal a Heavy Blow in the AI Copyright Battle

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The Minion character originates from films produced by Universal Pictures.

Movie/Aramie

Disney and Universal have initiated a lawsuit against the AI image generator Midjourney, alleging widespread copyright infringement that enables users to produce images that “explicitly incorporate and mimic well-known Disney and Universal characters.” This lawsuit could mark a significant shift in the ongoing legal discourse surrounding AI-related copyright issues faced by book publishers, news outlets, and other content creators.

The Midjourney tool, which generates images based on textual prompts, boasts around 20 million users on its Discord platform. Users provide their input for creation.

In the lawsuit, the two film production giants provide examples where Midjourney can generate images surprisingly similar to characters it does not own rights to, like the Disney-owned Minions and characters from The Lion King. They assert that these results stem from the AI being trained on their copyrighted materials. They also contend that Midjourney “disregarded” their attempts to resolve these issues before resorting to legal action.

The complaint states, “Midjourney is a classic copyright-free rider and an endless source of plagiarism.” Midjourney has not yet issued a response to New Scientist‘s request for comment.

The lawsuit is applauded by Ed Newton Rex, a nonprofit advocate for fairer training practices within AI companies. “This is a monumental day for creators globally,” he comments. “The government has displayed unsettling tendencies toward legalizing intellectual property theft, potentially yielding to the intense lobbying from Big Tech.

Newton-Rex alleges that Midjourney engineers previously justified their actions on the grounds that the art had become “ossified.” “Fortunately, this absurd defense is unlikely to hold up in court,” he adds.

Legal experts express candid perspectives on Midjourney’s likelihood of success. “It’s Disney; thus, Midjourney is in a precarious position, please excuse my bluntness,” remarks Andres Guadams from the University of Sussex, UK.

Guadams emphasizes Disney’s resolute approach to safeguarding its intellectual property—rarely, but effectively—underscoring the necessity of this intervention. The film studio took action several months following other entities, such as news publishers, in their pursuit against AI companies for the alleged unauthorized use of their creations. Many of those disputes were resolved through licensing agreements between the AI firms and copyright holders.

“Media conglomerates are excited about potential breaches. The models have improved to such an extent that they can effortlessly create characters that come to mind,” states Guadams. He believes Disney is biding its time because “unlike publishers, they’re not simply seeking licenses to survive.”

The involvement of these two media powerhouses signals a pivotal moment at the intersection of AI and copyright, according to Guadams. “The fact that they are targeting Midjourney sends a clear message,” he states. Midjourney specializes in image generation exclusively, making it relatively small compared to major AI corporations. “This acts as a warning to larger entities, urging them to implement stronger protective measures.”

While many major AI companies incorporate image-generating features in their chatbots, they tend to impose stricter controls on users’ abilities to produce images featuring copyrighted characters through considerable limitations.

Disney, which generated $91 billion in revenue last year, is not seeking to profit from Midjourney. “This could act as a call for negotiations. Since AI is not going away, Disney may be setting a precedent for future business interactions,” notes Guadams.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Magnetic Flares Could Be Key to the Formation and Distribution of Gold and Other Heavy Elements

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Since the Big Bang, the early universe has contained hydrogen, helium, and a minimal amount of lithium. Heavier elements, such as iron, were formed within stars. Yet, one of astrophysics’ greatest enigmas is how the first elements heavier than iron, like gold, were created and dispersed throughout the cosmos. A recent study by astronomers at Columbia University and other institutions suggests that a single flare from a magnetar could generate 27 equivalent masses of these elements simultaneously.

Impressions of Magnetar artists. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wesinger.

For decades, astronomers have theorized about the origins of some of nature’s heaviest elements, like gold, uranium, and platinum.

However, a fresh examination of older archival data indicates that up to 10% of these heavy elements in the Milky Way may originate from the emissions of highly magnetized neutron stars, known as magnetars.

“Until recently, astronomers largely overlooked the role that magnetars, the remnants of supernovae, might play in the formation of early galaxies,” remarked Todd Thompson, a professor at Ohio State University.

“Neutron stars are incredibly unique, dense objects known for their large size and strong magnetic fields. They are similar to black holes but not quite the same.”

The origin of heavy elements has long been a mystery, but scientists have understood that these elements can only form under specific conditions through a process known as the R process (or rapid neutron capture process).

This process was observed in 2017 when astronomers detected a collision between two super-dense neutron stars.

This event was captured using NASA telescopes and the LIGO gravitational wave observatory, providing the first direct evidence that heavy metals can be produced by celestial phenomena.

However, subsequent evidence suggests that neutron star collisions may not form heavy elements swiftly in the early universe, indicating that additional mechanisms might be necessary to account for all these elements.

Based on these insights, Professor Thompson and his colleagues realized that powerful magnetar flares could act as significant ejectors of heavy elements. This conclusion was validated by the observation of the SGR 1806-20 magnetar flare that occurred 20 years ago.

By analyzing this flare event, the researchers found that the radioactive decay of the newly formed elements aligns with theoretical predictions concerning the timing and energy released by magnetar flares after ejecting heavy R-process elements.

“This is the second time we’ve observed direct evidence of where these elements are produced, first linked to neutron star mergers,” stated Professor Brian Metzger from Columbia University.

“This marks a significant advancement in our understanding of heavy element production.”

“We are based at Columbia University,” mentioned Anildo Patel, a doctoral candidate at the institution.

The researchers also theorized that magnetar flares generate heavy cosmic rays and very fast particles, the origins of which remain unclear.

“I am always excited by new ideas about how systems and discoveries in space operate,” said Professor Thompson.

“That’s why seeing results like this is so thrilling.”

The team’s paper was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Anirudh Patel et al. 2025. Direct evidence for R-process nuclear synthesis in delayed MeV radiation from SGR 1806-20 magnetar giant flares. ApJL 984, L29; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ADC9B0

Source: www.sci.news

Studies suggest that stars break down into neutrons and combine to create heavy elements

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High-energy photons produced deep within gamma-ray burst jets emerge from decayed stars can dissolve the outer stellar layer into free neutrons, causing a series of physical processes that lead to the formation of heavy elements. paper It is published on Astrophysical Journal.

The high-energy photonic jet (white and blue) passes through a collapse with a black hole at its center. The red space around the jet represents a coco where free neutrons can be captured and caused the R process. Image credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The formation of the heaviest elements relies on astrophysical environments with large amounts of neutrons.

Neutrons are found in the medium under extreme pressure, either bound to the nucleus.

Free neutrons are rare because they have a half-life of less than 15 minutes.

“The creation of heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium requires extreme conditions,” says Dr. Matthew Mumpoir, a physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“There are several viable yet rare scenarios in the universe where these elements can form, and all such locations require a large number of neutrons. We propose a new phenomenon where these neutrons are not present and dynamically generated by stars.”

The key to generating the heaviest elements in the periodic table is known as the rapid neutron capture process or R process, and is believed to be responsible for the production of all thorium, uranium and plutonium that occur naturally in the universe.

The team’s framework takes on the challenging physics of the R process and solves them by proposing reactions and processes around the collapse of the stars.

In addition to understanding the formation of heavy elements, the proposed framework will help address key issues regarding neutron transport, multi-objective simulations, and observation of rare events. All of these are interesting for national security applications, which can gather insights from research.

In the scenario proposed by researchers, when nuclear fuel is exhausted, a large star begins to die.

It is no longer able to push its own gravity up, and a black hole forms in the center of the star.

If the black hole is spinning fast enough, the framedrazing effect from the very powerful gravity near the black hole will wind up the magnetic field and fire a powerful jet.

Subsequent reactions create a wide range of photons, some of which are high-energy.

“The jet blows stars before it, creating a hot coco of material around the jet, like a freight train plowing through the snow,” said Dr. Mumpower.

At the interface of jets with star materials, high-energy photons (i.e. light) can interact with the nucleus and convert protons into neutrons.

Existing nuclei can also be dissolved in individual nuclei, creating more free neutrons to power the R process.

Team calculations suggest that interactions with light can create neutrons very quickly in nanosecond order.

For charging, a strong magnetic field traps the protons in the jet.

The merciless neutrons are ploughed from the jet to the coco.

After experiencing relativistic shock, neutrons are very dense compared to the surrounding star material, which can lead to the R process, forging heavy elements and isotopes, and banished into space when the stars are torn apart.

The process of protons converted into neutrons and the free neutrons that escape to the surrounding coco to form heavy elements, encompasses all four basic forces of nature, accompanied by a wide range of physics principles. It combines the real multiword problems, the fields of nuclear and nuclear physics, with fluid mechanics and general relationships.

Despite the team’s efforts, more challenges remain as the heavy isotopes created during the R process have never been done on Earth.

Researchers know little about their properties, including atomic weights, half-life, and more.

The high energy jet framework proposed by the team may help explain the origin of kilonovas (the glow of optical and infrared electromagnetic radiation) associated with long gamma-ray bursts.

“Star melting via high-energy photon jets provides an alternative origin for gravity and the production of kilonova that can be produced. This may not have previously been thought to be related to star collapse,” the scientist said.

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Matthew R. Mumpoir et al. 2025. Make sure there are neutrons! Hadronic optical production from large fluxes of high energy photons. APJ 982, 81; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ADB1E3

Source: www.sci.news

Neutron stars merging form heavy elements, scientists find

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Since the 1920s, Edwin Hubble Ever since it was discovered that the universe is expanding, astrophysicists have been asking themselves the question, “Where does matter come from?” In the Big Bang theory, a possible explanation, not a TV show, astrophysicists propose that the universe began with an explosion, a single hot, dense point expanding, then cooling down to transform from pure energy into solid matter. But that origin story ends with the two smallest elements: hydrogen and helium. Not everything in the universe is made of these two elements, leaving scientists with a new question: “Where does other matter come from?”

The emergence of nuclear physics in the early 20th century gave astronomers their first big clue. Researchers studying stars noted that stars are very bright and require a large source of energy to produce that much light. Nuclear physicists, including Albert Einstein and his famous E = mc2 The equations showed that one of the most powerful sources of energy in the universe is the smashing of smaller atoms together to create larger ones – nuclear fusion. And that's exactly what stars do in the hot, dense regions at their centers, called “nuclear fusion.” coreBut there's a limit to this process in stars — specifically, iron, which is the 26th of the 92 naturally occurring elements. Stars create energy by colliding elements with each other, but elements bigger than iron need to generate more energy than they can give off, which is why elements heavier than iron, like gold and uranium, remain unexplained.

Researchers have discovered the next clue in a massive, bright stellar explosion in the night sky. SupernovaIt turns out that massive stars, more than 10 times the size of the Sun, burn up their accumulated elements to fuse rapidly. These stars not only shine, but also run out of energy to hold themselves together, exploding and scattering their outer layers of elements in all directions. This is a supernova explosion. For decades, astrophysicists thought that heavy elements were created from a chaotic mixture of light elements and free energy. However, careful observation of supernovae has shown that the amount of heavy elements produced in the explosion is less than what is needed to explain the abundance of heavy elements in the universe.

Astrophysicists got the final clue in 2017 when the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected the first binary neutron star (BNS) merger. RaigoThe final stage in the life cycle of a massive star, between 10 and 25 times the mass of the Sun, is Neutron StarDuring this stage, the star's core collapses, and the electrons and protons in atoms get so close together that they fuse into neutrons. Two neutron stars orbiting each other collide, scattering debris into the surrounding galaxy. Researchers propose that this phenomenon could provide the energy and matter needed to fuse heavy elements into the heaviest naturally occurring elements.

Researchers from Peking University and Guangxi University wanted to test whether BNS mergers could produce elements heavier than iron. Because the event is extremely rare, occurring only a few dozen times per year across our galaxy, they couldn't just point their telescopes into space and hope for luck. Instead, they used advanced nuclear physics software to simulate a BNS merger.

The researchers gave their simulations specific initial conditions, such as what atoms were present in the stars when the collision began, the rates of nuclear reactions and decay, the number of electrons mixing, and the sizes of the colliding neutron stars. They then mathematically described how temperature, volume, and pressure relate to matter. Equation of stateIt simulates the effects of the collision and calculates what elements would be formed and released into space.

The team found that these BNS mergers could produce huge amounts of very heavy elements, between 300 and 30,000 times the mass of the Sun, which is 10 to 1,000 times the amount produced by supernovae. The team believes that this result could explain the abundance of heavy elements observed in the Galaxy in relation to other cosmic effects, e.g. Galactic WindHowever, the researchers acknowledged that their findings cannot explain the abundance of all heavy elements, especially those at the lower end of the atomic mass range they studied. They explained that these elements are probably still being created in the cores of collapsing stars, but suggested that future researchers should further test this hypothesis.


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Source: sciworthy.com

Rare Flooding in Dubai Caused by Heavy Rainfall

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Parts of the Middle East were hit by heavy rains on Tuesday, leading to school closures in the United Arab Emirates and flooding at Dubai International Airport. Oman has reported at least 18 deaths in recent days due to the inclement weather.

The storm caused flooding on roads and dangerous conditions throughout the region. This area is typically dry and not used to heavy rainfall or flash floods.

Airport officials confirmed that flights to Dubai Airport had to be diverted temporarily due to the unusual weather events in the UAE. Statement

Cars drive through flooded roads in Dubai on Tuesday after a heavy rainstorm.
Abdel Hadi Ramahi/Reuters

Video footage showed Dubai’s tarmac flooded, with planes navigating through floodwaters and support vehicles almost submerged, according to reports from Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya news agency.

Over 4.7 inches of rain fell in a day in the UAE, causing road and property flooding in Dubai. Associated Press reported.

The UAE’s National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority advised people to stay home. Commenting on X’s post, they suggested parking vehicles in safe, elevated areas away from flood-prone zones.

Pedestrians cross a flooded road in Dubai on Tuesday.
Anadolu (via Getty Images)

Private schools in the UAE were closed before the storm and government employees were advised to work remotely.

While the UAE is known for its dry climate, rain does occur occasionally during the winter.

In neighboring Oman, recent storms and heavy rain have led to the deaths of 10 school children and an adult driver in a flooded car, as reported by the Associated Press.

Other parts of the Middle East, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, also experienced unusually wet weather this week.

It’s unclear if recent storms have been influenced by global warming, but the warming atmosphere from climate change can hold more moisture, leading to stronger storms and heavier rainfall. Studies have suggested this possibility.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

What is the reason behind science’s heavy reliance on mathematics?

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The following is an excerpt from the Lost in Space-Time newsletter. Every month, we Give a keyboard to a physicist or mathematician and let them talk about some fascinating ideas from their corner of the universe. You can sign up for Lost in Space-Time for free here.

“Science is written in the language of mathematics,” Galileo declared in 1623. And over the past few centuries, science has become increasingly mathematical. Mathematics now seems to have complete supremacy, especially in the fields of quantum physics and relativity. Modern physics education seems to include deriving theories such as…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Report: Apple Faces Potential Heavy Fines in App Store and Spotify Dispute

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European Union regulators are expected to impose a ban on the App Store rules affecting some music streaming services and potentially levy heavy fines on Apple, according to a report by Bloomberg News published on Wednesday.

Based on the report, EU authorities are in the process of finalizing a decision that would prevent Apple from blocking music services that redirect users from the App Store to alternative subscription options, citing sources familiar with the investigation.

An article by Bloomberg suggests that Apple could face fines of up to 10% of its annual revenue. Reuters
Spotify alleged that it had to raise monthly subscription prices to offset costs associated with Apple’s App Store regulations. AFP (via Getty Images)

The decision is expected to be announced early next year, with potential fines for Apple amounting to up to 10% of its annual revenue, as reported by Bloomberg.

The investigation was triggered by a complaint from Sweden’s Spotify Technology four years ago, claiming that it was compelled to raise monthly subscription prices due to costs related to Apple’s App Store rules.

Earlier this year, the European Commission filed a complaint against Apple, deeming the conditions to be unnecessary and potentially resulting in increased costs for customers.

The European Commission expressed that the App Store conditions were unnecessary and could lead to higher costs for customers. alamy stock photo

Apple did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and a spokesperson for the European Commission declined to comment on the matter.

Apple’s stock saw a slight increase in afternoon trading.

Source: nypost.com