Tag Archives: investigates

Webb Investigates the Atmosphere of Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e in Its Habitable Zone

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Astronomers are making strides in exploring the TRAPPIST-1 system with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, showcasing its remarkable capability to glean detailed data about the exoplanet atmospheres and effectively utilize this information. The initial findings stem from Webb’s observation of TRAPPIST-1e. Although the first four observations by Webb are not adequate to fully assess the atmosphere, scientists are using the data to refine the possibilities for these planets, including the presence of oceans similar to those on Earth and a methane-rich environment akin to Saturn’s moon Titan. Meanwhile, additional innovative observations from Webb are ongoing, revealing the unique characteristics of TRAPPIST-1e.

The Earth-sized Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1E is illustrated in the bottom right as it eclipses the flare host star in this artist’s representation of the TRAPPIST-1 system. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/JOSEPH OLMSTED, STSCI.

TRAPPIST-1 is a cool dwarf star located in the Aquarius constellation, approximately 38.8 light-years away.

The stars are only slightly larger than Jupiter and possess a mere 8% of the solar mass. They rotate rapidly and emit UV energy flares.

TRAPPIST-1 harbors seven transiting planets designated TRAPPIST-1b, c, d, e, f, g, and h.

All these planets are comparable in size to Earth and Venus, or slightly smaller, with remarkably short orbital periods: 1.51, 2.42, 4.04, 6.06, 9.21, 12.35, and 20 days, respectively.

It is possible that they could be tidally locked, meaning the same side is always facing the host star, resulting in a perpetual day and night side for each TRAPPIST-1 planet.

Among the seven planets, TRAPPIST-1E is of particular interest if it possesses an atmosphere, as its surface water is situated at a theoretically viable distance from the star.

The Space Telescope Science Institute and colleague Dr. Néstor Espinoza aimed the Webb’s NIRSpec (near-infrared spectrometer) instrument at TRAPPIST-1e during its transits in front of the star.

As starlight filters through the planet’s atmosphere, it can be partially absorbed, revealing the specific chemicals present by the resulting dips in the light spectrum that reaches Webb.

As more transits are analyzed, the clarity regarding the atmospheric composition improves.

With only four transits analyzed thus far, numerous possibilities remain open for TRAPPIST-1E, though researchers speculate that it lacks a significant primary atmosphere.

Given TRAPPIST-1’s active nature and frequent flares, it’s not unexpected that the potential hydrogen-helium atmosphere of the planet could have been stripped away by stellar radiation.

However, many planets, like Earth, develop a denser secondary atmosphere after losing their initial one.

TRAPPIST-1E may not have the capacity for this and could potentially lack a secondary atmosphere.

“We have devised a novel method to analyze Webb’s data to assess the potential atmosphere and surface conditions of TRAPPIST-1E,” said the scientist.

It appears unlikely that TRAPPIST-1e’s atmosphere is largely composed of carbon dioxide, reminiscent of Venus’s thick atmosphere or Mars’s thinner one.

Nonetheless, astronomers should be cautious, as there are no direct parallels to our solar system.

“Because TRAPPIST-1 is significantly different from our Sun, the surrounding planetary systems also exhibit notable differences, posing challenges to both observational and theoretical frameworks,” remarked Dr. Nicole Lewis of Cornell University.

“If TRAPPIST-1E has liquid water, it would require a greenhouse effect. This effect incorporates various gases, especially carbon dioxide, which help stabilize the atmosphere and maintain a warm environment on the planet.”

“A minimal greenhouse effect is beneficial, and measurements do not exclude the presence of carbon dioxide necessary to preserve water on the surface.”

The team’s analysis suggests that water could exist as global oceans or be distributed in smaller, ice-encased regions at midday.

This is due to the size of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and their orbital sizes, all of which are thought to be tidally locked, with one side perpetually facing the star and the other shrouded in darkness.

“They’re remarkable,” stated Dr. Anna Glidden, an astronomer at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT.

“This is an astounding measurement of starlight around an Earth-sized planet located 40 light-years away, providing insights into potential life there if conditions permit.”

“It’s thrilling to be part of this new era of exploration.”

The latest findings from Webb are discussed in two new papers published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Néstor Espinoza et al. 2025. JWST-TST Dreams: NIRSpec/Prism transmission spectroscopy of the planet TRAPPIST-1e. ApJL 990, L52; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/adf42e

Anna Glidden et al. 2025. JWST-TST Dreams: Secondary atmosphere constraints of the habitable zone planet TRAPPIST-1e. ApJL 990, L53; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/adf62e

Source: www.sci.news

NCA Investigates Cyberattacks on UK Retailers Linked to Scattered Spiders | Hacking

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The hacker group referred to as the Scattered Spiders is a major focus in criminal investigations concerning cyberattacks against UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer, according to detectives.

The Scattered Spiders, a loosely organized collective of native English-speaking cybercriminals, have been strongly associated with hacking incidents involving M&S, cooperatives, and Harrods. M&S announced on Wednesday that it anticipates a financial impact of approximately £300 million following the recent system breach.

The UK’s National Crime Agency, tasked with combating cybercrime, stated that investigating this group is a priority.

“We are aware of groups publicly identified as Scattered Spiders, yet we maintain various theories as we pursue the evidence to identify the perpetrator,” I informed the BBC.

He added: “Given the extent of the damage we’re witnessing, apprehending the individual responsible for these attacks is our foremost objective.”

Last week, Google informed the Guardian that its UK-based members of the Scattered Spiders were actively “promoting” cyberattacks and warned the US that efforts to infiltrate the UK retailers’ systems were being mirrored in the US.

Targeting specific industries and locations is a common strategy among the Scattered Spider community, who utilize platforms like Discord and Telegram for communication.

Hackers affiliated with M&S deploy ransomware or malicious software that encrypts targeted files. This type of cybercrime is typically associated with Russian-speaking gangs, rather than native English speakers from the UK or the US.

“We are aware that Scattered Spiders predominantly communicate in English, but this does not necessarily imply that they are located in the UK. They engage in online discussions across a variety of platforms and channels.”

Reportedly, these hackers have utilized ransomware known as Dragon Force in their operations, functioning as a ransomware as a service that leverages another group of malware and infrastructure to distribute financial gains from attacks. Ransomware attackers generally request payment in cryptocurrency to unlock encrypted files and return stolen data.

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Insights into the suspected Scattered Spiders can be found in a report from the US Department of Justice, which charged five individuals last year for targeting an unnamed American company through a “phishing” text message.

All defendants were in their twenties at the time of the allegations, with ages ranging from 20 to 25. Among them was Tyler Buchanan, 23, hailing from Scotland, who was extradited from Spain to the US.

Google also mentioned that “younger members” of the network often carry out various tasks, such as calling the company’s IT help desk or impersonating employees or contractors to gain access to computer systems. A former teenage hacker cited by the BBC remarked that it “would not surprise me” if a teenage hacker was behind a retail attack.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Nuclear Physicist Investigates Tantalum Decay in 180m Isotope

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Tantalum-180m (180mTa) is a rare isotope of tantalum whose decay has never been observed, and whose lifetime is expected to be about a million times longer than the age of the universe.

Modified Majorana module in assembly glovebox with germanium detector crystal and tantalum sample installed. Image credit: Majorana Collaboration.

Tantalum, a chemical element with symbol Ta and atomic number 73, is a rare, hard, blue-gray, shiny transition metal with excellent corrosion resistance.

It has multiple stable isotopes: 2 stable radioisotopes and 35 artificial radioisotopes.

Tantalum-180, the least abundant isotope, occurs naturally in a long-lived excited state.

In an excited state, the protons or neutrons in the nucleus have a higher energy level than normal.

Although energetically possible, radioactive decay of this excited state in tantalum-180m has never been observed before.

Nuclear physicists from the Majorana collaboration are currently conducting experiments aimed at measuring this decay, which is expected to have a lifetime about a million times longer than the age of the universe.

For the experiment, they Majorana Demonstrator At Sanford Underground Research Facility.

Additionally, a significantly larger amount of tantalum samples were introduced compared to tantalum samples previously used in similar studies.

Over the course of a year, they collected data using a series of high-purity germanium detectors with exceptional energy resolution.

They also developed analytical methods specifically tailored to detect multiple expected decay signatures.

As a result of these combined efforts, we were able to establish unprecedented limits that fall within the range of 10.18 up to 1019 Year.

This level of sensitivity represents the first example in which half-life values ​​predicted from nuclear theory have become achievable.

Although the collapse process has not yet been observed, these advances have significantly enhanced existing limits by one to two orders of magnitude.

Additionally, this advance allowed the Majorana team to ignore certain parameter ranges associated with various potential dark matter particles.

“With a new limit of up to 1.5*1019 “This is the most sensitive search for a single β and electron capture decay achieved to date,” the authors said.

“Across all channels, you can exclude attenuation with T1/2<0.29*10.”18For years. ”

of result appear in the diary physical review letter.

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IJ Arnquist other. (Majorana collaboration).Constraints on collapse 180mTa. Physics.pastor rhett 131 (15): 152501; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.152501

Source: www.sci.news

Ofcom investigates TikTok for lack of parental control information | Science and Technology News

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Ofcom has initiated an inquiry into TikTok to determine if it provided false information about parental controls.

The UK’s media regulator has requested details from Chinese-owned apps and other online video platforms like Snapchat, to report on measures taken to protect children.

While they were generally commended for their efforts, Ofcom stated that it had “reasons to believe” that TikTok provided “inaccurate” information about the family pairing system.

This feature allows adults to link their account to their child’s account and control settings such as screen time limits.

Ofcom will now investigate whether the company “failed in its obligations” by not taking appropriate action.

TikTok attributed the issue to a technical problem, and Ofcom said it is aware and will provide the necessary data.

A spokesperson mentioned that the platform enforces an age requirement of 13 years and that the report notes the platform’s significant effort and resources in locating and removing underage users.

Ofcom’s report is the first in two years following guidance on video sharing apps about how to protect young users from encountering harmful content.

YouTube and Facebook were not covered in the report as they fall under Irish jurisdiction, a result of EU rules that the UK continues to follow, despite leaving the EU gradually through the online safety bill.

An Ofcom report published on Thursday found that TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitch all met the requirements set out two years ago.

All three platforms categorize and label content to ensure it is age-appropriate.

However, while Snapchat and TikTok offer parental controls, Twitch requires parents to supervise their children in real time as per its terms of service.

Ofcom stated that although steps were being taken to protect young users, “victims can still be victimized while using these platforms”.

Source: news.sky.com