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NASA Scientists Reveal Plan for European Clipper’s ‘Golden Record’

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NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will be launched in October 2024 and will carry a triangular metal plate with a special message written on it as it heads towards Jupiter’s moon Europa.

This side of a commemorative plaque on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft features the handwriting of U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. Mystery Praise: Poem to Europa. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Measuring approximately 18 x 28 cm (7 x 11 inches), the Europa Clipper’s metal plate, made from tantalum metal, features graphic elements on both sides.

At its center is a handwritten engraving of U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limon. Mystery Praise: Poem to Europaalong with a silicon microchip stenciled with the names of more than 2.6 million people submitted by the public.

A microchip will be the centerpiece of an illustration of a bottle inside the Jupiter system, a reference to NASA’s Message in a Bottle campaign.

The outward-facing panels feature art that emphasizes Europe’s connection to the Earth.

Linguists gathered Recording of the word “water” It is spoken in 103 languages ​​from language families around the world.

The audio file was converted into a waveform (a visual representation of a sound wave) and etched into the plate.

The waveform radiates from the symbol for “water” in American Sign Language.

Based on the spirit of Voyager spacecraft golden recordconveys sounds and images that convey the richness and diversity of life on Earth, while Europa Clipper’s multi-layered message aims to stimulate the imagination and provide a unifying vision.

“The content and design of the European Clipper vault plate is imbued with meaning,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters.

“This plate combines the best of what humanity has to offer to the entire universe: science, technology, education, art and mathematics.”

“The message of connection through water, which is essential to all forms of life as we know it, perfectly illustrates the connection between Earth and this mysterious ocean world that we seek to explore.”

In 2030, after a 2.6 billion km (1.6 billion mile) journey, Europa Clipper will begin orbiting Jupiter and make 49 close-bys to Europa.

To determine whether conditions are conducive to life, the spacecraft’s powerful suite of scientific instruments will collect data about the moon’s subsurface ocean, icy crust, thin atmosphere, and space environment.

The electronics of these devices are stored in giant metal vaults designed to protect them from Jupiter’s harsh radiation. A commemorative plate seals off the vault opening.

Because the mission is to find habitable conditions, drake equation It is also etched on the inside of the plate.

Astronomer Frank Drake developed a mathematical formulation in 1961 to estimate the possibility of advanced civilizations existing beyond Earth.

This equation has continued to inspire and guide research in astrobiology and related fields ever since.

In addition, the artwork on the inside of the plate includes references to radio frequencies that could be used for interstellar communications, symbolizing how humans use this radio band to listen to messages from space. Masu.

These particular frequencies correspond to radio waves emitted into space by water components and are known to astronomers as the “water hole.” On the plate, they are depicted as radio emission lines.

Finally, this plate includes a portrait of Ron Greeley, one of the founders of planetary science. Ron Greeley worked on the early efforts to develop the Europa mission 20 years ago, laying the foundation for the Europa Clipper.

“A lot of thought and inspiration went into the design of this plate, as did the mission itself,” said Robert Pappalardo, project scientist for Europa Clipper and a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. says.

“It’s been a long journey over many decades, and I can’t wait to see what the European Clipper has to show us in this world of water.”

Source: www.sci.news

Webb’s stunning images reveal the beauty of NGC 604

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NGC604 is comparable to renowned star-forming regions in the Milky Way, like the Orion Nebula, but is significantly larger and contains more recently created stars.

This image from the NIRCam instrument in Webb’s star-forming region NGC 604 shows how stellar winds from bright, hot young stars form cavities in the surrounding gas and dust. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI.

NGC 604 is a star-forming region situated 2.73 million light-years away in the Triangulum Galaxy.

Also identified as RX J0134.5+3047. discovered It was discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on September 11, 1784.

NGC 604 is believed to be approximately 3.5 million years old and spans about 1,300 light years in diameter.

In the recent image, near infrared camera (NIRCam) and Mid-infrared measuring instrument The (MIRI) experiment aboard NASA/ESA/CSA’s NGC 604 James Webb Space Telescope reveals cavernous bubbles and elongated filaments of gas that reveal a more detailed and complete representation of a star than ever seen before. Etched birth tapestry.

Sheltered within NGC 604’s dusty gases are more than 200 of the hottest and most massive types of stars, all in the early stages of their lives.

These types of stars include type B and type O, the latter of which can have a mass more than 100 times that of the Sun.

It is extremely rare to find such a large concentration of them in nearby space. In fact, there is no similar region within our Milky Way galaxy.

This concentration of massive stars, combined with its relatively close distance, means that NGC 604 offers astronomers the opportunity to study these objects early in their lives.

This image from NGC 604’s Webb MIRI instrument shows how large clouds of cooler gas and dust glow at mid-infrared wavelengths. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI.

“The most striking features in Webb’s near-infrared NIRCam images are bright red-appearing tendrils or clumps of luminescence extending from areas that appear to be open spaces or large bubbles in the nebula,” Webb astronomers said. Ta.

“Stellar winds from the brightest and hottest young stars carve out these cavities, and ultraviolet light ionizes the surrounding gas. This ionized hydrogen appears as a ghostly glow of white and blue.”

“The bright orange streaks in Webb’s near-infrared images indicate the presence of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).”

“This material plays an important role in the interstellar medium and in the formation of stars and planets, but its origin is a mystery.”

“If you move away from where the dust was immediately removed, a deeper red color represents hydrogen molecules. This cooler gas is the perfect environment for star formation.”

“Webb’s superior resolution also provides insight into functionality previously thought to be irrelevant to the main cloud,” they added.

“For example, the Webb image shows two bright, young stars burrowing into the dust above the central nebula, connected by a diffuse red gas.”

“These appeared as separate spots in visible-light images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.”

Webb’s observations at mid-infrared wavelengths also offer new perspectives on the region’s diverse and dynamic activities.

“MIRI observations of NGC 604 show a significantly lower number of stars,” the astronomers said.

“This is because hot stars emit much less light at these wavelengths, while large clouds of cooler gas and dust glow.”

“Some of the stars seen in this image belong to surrounding galaxies and are red supergiants. These stars are cold but very large, hundreds of times the diameter of the Sun.”

“Additionally, some of the background galaxies that appeared in the NIRCam images have also dimmed.”

“In the MIRI image, blue tendrils of material indicate the presence of PAHs.”

Source: www.sci.news

Stunning, enduring pictures reveal Kazakhstan’s abandoned nuclear testing grounds

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Ruins of the observation tower of Opitnoe pole

Eddo Hartmann, Netherlands, Finalist, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2024

These photos, all shortlisted for the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards, get to the heart of human vulnerability and the fragility of nature.

Eddo Hartmann was selected as a finalist in the Landscape category for his series. sacrifice zoneA remote area in Kazakhstan that was the main Soviet nuclear testing site from 1949 to 1989.

The image above shows a dosimeter measuring radiation levels at Lake Shagan in Kazakhstan. The area remains highly contaminated from around 450 nuclear tests conducted there. The featured photo (above) shows the remains of an observation tower at Russia's Opitnoye Pole, another area used for Soviet nuclear tests.

Hartmann photographed these landscapes using infrared light, whose red tint was reminiscent of radioactive contamination that is invisible to the naked eye. “Local scientists are using infrared technology to monitor the current status of contaminated sites,” he says. “Chlorophyll found in green plants reflects significant amounts of infrared radiation. The different shades of reflection provide valuable insight into the overall environmental health of a given area.”

Jonas Kako, finalist, professional competition, environment, Sony WPA 2024

In the Albanian village of Zales, a girl climbs onto an old oil tank (pictured above). This image, taken by Jonas Kakó, was shortlisted in the Environment category. The photo below was taken by wildlife and nature finalist Jasper Dost of an elephant charging through Livingstone, Zambia.

Jasper Dost, Finalist, Professional Contest, Wildlife and Wildlife Nature, Sony WPA 2024

The winner of the competition will be announced on April 18th, before the exhibition opens at Somerset House, London, from April 19th to May 6th.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Shrinking glaciers reveal desolate mountain landscape in Canada

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This frigid landscape in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, is a sight to behold, but it may not stay like this for long, so enjoy it while you can.

When snow falls in these places, it hardens into thick ice that flows over the land, forming glaciers, and when it melts, it creates huge reservoirs of water that sustain life. These are ancient and important resources.

Ice age processes have occurred throughout most of Earth's history. However, many of these icy relics are at risk. Photographer and artist Edward Burtynsky says he feels lost.. That's the message behind this photo. New work exhibition at Flower Gallery, London, February 28th to April 6th.

Photographing from a helicopter, Burtynsky was shocked to see that the glacier had retreated dramatically since his last visit 20 years ago. The history of glaciers in this range dates back 150,000 years, he said, but they are rapidly shrinking due to global warming caused by human activity.

“When it's gone, it's gone, and the whole ecosystem and the whole living system is changed forever,” Burtynsky says. His images, he says, are designed to remind us of what has been lost. New work It also focuses on soil erosion in Turkey and the impact of coal mining on Australia.

Burtynsky is currently exhibiting in another exhibition in London. extraction/abstraction. It also explores the impact humans have on the planet and is on display at Saatchi's gallery until May 6th.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Google to reveal oil and gas methane leak detected from space

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Google and the Environmental Defense Fund on Wednesday announced a partnership to uncover the sources of climate-warming emissions from oil and gas operations that will be detected from space by a new satellite.

MethaneSAT is scheduled to launch next month and is one of several satellites being deployed to monitor methane emissions around the world to identify the main sources of the invisible but powerful greenhouse gas. There is one. The partnership is led by EDF, the New Zealand Space Agency, Harvard University and others.

Data from the satellite will be available later this year, and Google Cloud will provide the computing power to process the information.

Google also announced that it will use artificial intelligence to map oil and gas infrastructure by identifying components such as oil tanks. MethaneSAT emissions data is overlaid with Google Maps to help you understand which types of oil and gas equipment are most likely to leak.

This information will be made available through Google Earth Engine, a geospatial analytics platform, later this year. Earth Engine is free to researchers, nonprofit organizations, and news organizations.

The satellite image above shows a map of points, correctly identified as oil well pads. Google used satellite and aerial imagery to apply AI to detect infrastructure components. Well pads are shown in yellow, oil pump jacks in red, and storage tanks in blue.
Google

“For energy companies, researchers, and the public sector, it's generally helpful to predict methane emissions in the most sensitive components,” Yael Maguire, Google's vice president of geographic sustainability, said on a call with reporters. “We believe this information is extremely valuable for mitigation efforts.”

The launch comes as governments crack down on short-lived sources of greenhouse gases and more than 50 major state-owned and independent oil and gas operators, from ExxonMobil to Saudi Aramco, pledge to reduce methane leakage to near zero at the COP28 climate change summit. This was done amid a promise to reduce the number of By the end of this decade.

The United States is one of the largest emitters of methane and has proposed enforcement measures to stop leaks from oil and gas operations. A new rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will allow the public to report large methane leaks to federal regulators if they have access to methane detection technology.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

British Safety Council’s findings reveal that AI safety devices are easily susceptible to breaches

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The UK’s new Artificial Intelligence Safety Authority has discovered that the technology can mislead human users, produce biased results, and lacks safeguards against the dissemination of harmful information.

Announced by the AI Safety Research Institute, initial findings of research into advanced AI systems, also known as large language models (LLMs), revealed various concerns. These AI systems power tools like chatbots and image generators.

The institute found that basic prompts can bypass LLM safeguards and be used to power chatbots such as ChatGPT for “dual-use” tasks, which refers to using a model for both military and civilian purposes.

According to AISI, “Using basic prompting techniques, users were able to instantly defeat the LLM’s safeguards and gain assistance with dual-use tasks.” The institute also mentioned that more advanced “jailbreak” techniques could be used by relatively unskilled attackers within a few hours.

The research showed that LLM models can be useful for beginners planning cyberattacks and are capable of creating social media personas for spreading disinformation.

When comparing AI models to web searches, the institute stated that they provide roughly the same level of information, but AI models tend to produce “hallucinations” or inaccurate advice.

The image generator was found to produce racially biased results. Additionally, the institute discovered that AI agents can deceive human users in certain scenarios.

AISI is currently testing advanced AI systems and evaluating their safety, while also sharing information with third parties. The institute focuses on the misuse of AI models, their impact on humans, and their ability to perform harmful tasks.

AISI clarified that it does not have the capacity to test all released models and is not responsible for declaring these systems “secure.”

The institute emphasized that it is not a regulator but conducts secondary checks on AI systems.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Albanian mines reveal large reserves of natural hydrogen gas underground

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Albanian mine where hydrogen naturally seeps through rocks

FV.Donze

The largest flow of natural hydrogen gas ever recorded has been measured deep in an Albanian mine. The discovery could help locate underground reserves of this clean fuel.

“The lather is really intense,” he says. Laurent Truche Researchers at France’s Grenoble-Alpes University measured gas in a pool of water about a kilometer underground. “It’s like a jacuzzi.”

Companies are currently searching for natural hydrogen deposits around the world as a source of clean fuel, but there is scant evidence that this “golden hydrogen” has accumulated in large quantities. Most claims about vast subsurface hydrogen deposits rely on extrapolation rather than direct measurements.

In search of more substantive evidence, Truche and his colleagues descended on Albania’s Balkizekromite mine. There, hydrogen gas escaping from the rocks has caused several explosions. The mine is also located in an outcrop of iron-rich rocks known as ophiolites. In other places, such as Oman, water is known to react with such rocks to produce hydrogen.

The researchers found that more than 80% of the gas bubbling out of the pool was hydrogen, mixed with methane and small amounts of nitrogen. That gas was flowing at a rate of 11 tons per year, almost an order of magnitude more than any other gas. Flow of hydrogen gas measured from a single point source elsewhere on the Earth’s surface.

To determine the source of the gas, the researchers also modeled various geological scenarios that could produce such flows. They found that the most likely scenario is that the gas is coming from a deeper reservoir of hydrogen accumulated in faults beneath the mine. Based on the geometry of the fault, they estimate that the reservoir contains at least 5,000 to 50,000 tons of hydrogen.

“This is one of the largest amounts of natural hydrogen ever measured,” he says. Eric Gaucher an independent geochemist focused on natural hydrogen.

But he says it’s still not a huge amount. Jeffrey Ellis At the U.S. Geological Survey. But evidence of stable hydrogen accumulation supports the idea that there is more hydrogen stored underground, he says. “We need to look deeper.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Bloodstains at crime scene reveal forensic evidence from tail

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Recent research published in fluid physics Scientists at Boston University and the University of Utah have introduced a new aspect of bloodstain analysis. This study focused on the “tail” of the bloodstain, which could provide additional information about the blood droplet’s size, velocity, and impact angle. These discoveries represent a major advance in forensic science, with implications for crime scene reconstruction and verification of eyewitness testimony.

New research in forensic science has revealed that the “tail” of a bloodstain provides important information about the origin of the blood droplet, enhancing crime scene analysis and evidence interpretation.

Forensic science has taken the public imagination by storm, as evidenced by the abundance of “true crime” media over the past decade or so. Evidence such as blood left at a crime scene can now reveal key information for investigating and understanding the circumstances of a crime, and scientific methods can help interpret that information. , now almost everyone knows.

in fluid physicsA group of scientists from Boston University and the University of Utah have demonstrated in AIP Publishing how bloodstains can yield even more valuable details than those typically collected by detectives, forensic scientists, and crime scene investigators. The researchers studied how these “tails” form by examining protrusions that deviate from the boundaries of oval bloodstains.

“These protrusions are typically only used to figure out the direction in which the droplet has moved, and are otherwise ignored,” says author James Byrd.

Within a few milliseconds, tiny droplets of blood impact the solid surface, forming the shape of a stain. Of particular interest is a protrusion that occurs on the right side and deviates from the boundaries of the oval stain.Credit: James C. Byrd

In fact, previous studies have mainly focused on large blood droplets that fall vertically onto flat or inclined surfaces, where gravity can distort the shape of the tail and make it difficult to see. In contrast, the new study involved a series of high-speed experiments in which droplets of human blood, less than a millimeter in diameter, were bombarded with horizontal surfaces at different angles.

“We showed that the precise flow that determines the length of the tail is different from the flow that is responsible for the size and shape of the oval part of the stain,” Bird said. “In other words, the tail length contains additional, independent information that helps analysts reconstruct where the blood drop actually came from.”

Indeed, the tail length may reflect information about the size, impact velocity, and impact angle of the blood droplet that formed the stain. Measuring multiple blood stains within a stain pattern allows the trajectory of the droplet to be traced back to its presumed origin.

Although their analysis only used horizontal planes to examine impact velocity dynamics, Byrd and colleagues hope this will spark further research focusing on the tail length of bloodstain patterns. Masu. They believe that incorporating tail length into standard bloodstain analysis will provide more robust evidence information.

“Knowing the origin of bloodstains at a crime scene can help detectives determine whether the victim was standing or sitting, and corroborate or challenge eyewitness testimony,” Byrd said. said.

Reference: “Bloodstain Tail: Asymmetry helps reconstruct oblique shocks” by Garam Lee, Daniel Attinger, Kenneth F. Martin, Samira Shiri, and James C. Byrd, November 2023 21st of the month fluid physics.
DOI: 10.1063/5.0170124

Source: scitechdaily.com