Tag Archives: warm

Astronomers Say: Infant Space Is Warm, Not Cold, Before It Begins to Illuminate

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Astronomers utilizing CSIRO’s Murchison Wide Field Array (MWA) telescope are on the quest to uncover the elusive period of reionization. This early stage in the universe’s history has been theorized but remains undetected by radio telescopes. This period marks the end of the universe’s dark ages, occurring approximately a billion years post-Big Bang, during which intergalactic gases transform from opaque to transparent, enabling light from the first stars and galaxies to permeate the cosmos.

A glimpse of the sky observed in radio waves by the Murchison Wide Field Array. Image credit: Nunhokee et al. / ICRAR / Curtin University.

“Our research was conducted in two phases,” stated Dr. Riddhima Nunhokey, an astronomer at Curtin University Node of the International Center for Radio Astronomical Research for All Sky Astrophysics (ICRAR).

“In the initial phase, we discovered the first signs of heating in the intergalactic gas—the intergalactic medium—around 800 million years after the Big Bang.”

“To examine this primordial phase of the universe, we must isolate faint signals from this epoch while eliminating all other sources of cosmic radio emissions.”

“These sources include emissions from nearby celestial bodies, interference from Earth’s atmosphere, and even noise generated by the telescope itself.”

“Only after meticulously subtracting these ‘foreground signals’ can we discern the signals from the era of reionization.”

“From this study, we have developed methods to manage foreground contamination and remove unwanted signals, thus enhancing our understanding of telescopes and improving the clarity of detected signals.”

“We are also able to integrate nearly a decade’s worth of MWA data, allowing us to make observations over a longer timeframe than before.”

“This is another reason we are closer than ever to detecting the signals.”

The team asserts that the enhanced quality and quantity of this new dataset made this discovery feasible.

The cold universe is producing signals that resemble these new data.

This absence of signals indicates that reionization must have commenced from a “cold start,” implying that the universe was “preheated” prior to the reionization phase.

“As the universe expands, intergalactic gases cool down, and thus we expect them to become extremely cold,” explained Professor Cathryn Trott, an astronomer at ICRAR’s Curtin University Node, associated with Astro 3D and the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy.

“Our measurements suggest that there is a certain level of heating present. While it may not be substantial, it does indicate that extremely cold reionization is unlikely, and that’s quite intriguing.”

“This study implies that this heating is probably influenced by energy from early black holes and primordial X-ray sources resulting from stellar remnants spread across the universe.”

The findings are presented in two papers in the Astrophysical Journal.

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CD Nunhokee et al. 2025. The 21 cm power spectrum limit of z = 6.5–7.0 based on Murchison wide field array observations. APJ 989, 57; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adda45

Cathryn M. Trott et al. 2025. Utilizing Gaussian information to enhance the limit of the 21 cm signal at z = 6.5–7.0 using Murchison wide field array data. APJ 991, 211; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/adff80

Source: www.sci.news

New Research Indicates Mars Was Warm and Wet 3.7 Billion Years Ago

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Planetary scientists have identified over 15,000 km of ancient riverbeds in the Noachis Terra region of Mars’ southern highlands, indicating that the planet may have been significantly wetter than previously believed.

This image depicts a flat upper eroded river wavy ridge above Mars, with dunes moving over it. Image credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

The nature of Mars’ climate during the Noatian-Hesperian transition, which occurred around 3.7 billion years ago, is still being debated. This period saw significant geological and climatic changes, as well as the formation of surface features like valley networks and lakes associated with liquid water.

There are two prevailing theories: the first suggests that a warm and wet environment followed early Mars, allowing liquid water to persist on the surface for an extended time. The second posits that Mars has generally been cold and dry, with flowing water created sporadically by melting ice during brief climate shifts.

In Noachis Terra, climate models predicting “warm and humid” conditions suggest significant precipitation levels.

A recent study led by Open University Ph.D. student Adam Losekoot and his team analyzed the region’s wavy ridges, also known as inverse channels.

“These formations likely resulted from sediments laid down by rivers that solidified, later exposed through the erosion of surrounding materials,” noted the lead researcher.

“Similar ridges have been identified in various Martian terrains.”

“Their presence implies that flowing water once traversed the area, with precipitation being the most probable source,” he added.

The team found that river-wave ridges are widespread throughout Noachis Terra, amounting to over 15,000 km in total length.

While many segments are isolated, some systems extend several hundred kilometers.

“Exploring Mars, particularly less altered regions like Noachis Terra, is thrilling because they have remained relatively unchanged for billions of years,” Losekoot commented.

“It acts as a time capsule that captures fundamental geological processes in ways that are impossible to observe on Earth.”

In their investigation, the researchers utilized data from three orbital devices: the Context Camera (CTX), the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), and the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE).

These datasets enabled them to map the locations, lengths, and forms of the ridge systems across various areas.

“Our findings present new evidence indicating that Mars was once a much more dynamic and complex planet than we suppose,” they stated.

“The size and interconnectivity of these ridges suggest that liquid water existed for an extended period, indicating that Noachis Terra experienced warm, wet conditions for a geologically significant time.

“These results challenge the conventional belief that Mars has been predominantly cold and dry, with valleys formed only by sporadic, short-term meltwater from ice sheets.”

The scientists presented their results on July 10th at the National Astronomical Conference of the Royal Astronomical Society 2025 in Durham, England.

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Adam Losekoot et al. The history of the rivers of Noachis Terra, Mars. NAM 2025

Source: www.sci.news

Warm and Humid Climate Creates Ideal Conditions for Pterosaurs to Soar 220 Million Years Ago

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A recent study by paleontologists integrated data on the ancient climate of a specific region with fossil distribution information regarding Triassic eye pteraurauromorphs (pterosaurs + lagerpetids).

Foffa et al. Lagerpetids, alongside overall pterygoid morphospace, likely thrived in southwestern Pangaea (i.e. modern-day South America), indicating that pterosaurs may have originated at lower latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Image credit: James Kuether.

“Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight more than 60 million years ago—the oldest known birds,” stated Davide Foffa, a paleontologist from the University of Birmingham.

“Nevertheless, our comprehension of early pterosaur evolution is constrained by significant temporal and anatomical gaps separating these highly adapted flying reptiles from their closest terrestrial relatives.”

“The fossil records for pterosaurs and their related species remain incomplete, and fundamental aspects of early evolution, including timing, domains of existence, initial radiation, and the ecological context of paleontology, are not well understood compared to other contemporary groups such as dinosaurs.”

The researchers concentrated on the distribution of two closely related groups: Pterosaurs and Lagerpetids.

“Lagerpetids existed roughly 240 million years ago as a group of agile reptiles that lived in smaller land areas and among trees,” they noted.

“These small terrestrial reptiles are now recognized as the closest relatives to pterosaurs, and this study shows they endured a wider range of climatic conditions than their aerial counterparts, including the arid landscapes of ancient Pangaea.”

“This adaptability resulted in a broader distribution of this group.”

“Conversely, pterosaurs seemed to be restricted to humid environments found in limited regions of the ancient world, as evidenced by fossils discovered in modern-day Italy, Austria, and the southwestern United States.

During the late Triassic period, global climatic conditions began to change, with an increase in warm and humid environments outside the equatorial region.

This shift provided an opportunity for flying reptiles to expand across the globe, including present-day high-latitude areas such as Greenland and South America.

“While dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I find it fascinating to envision that these formidable reptiles ruled the skies during that era,” remarked Dr. Foffa.

“However, the origins of pterosaurs remain cloaked in mystery. Our research contributes new insights into this puzzle, proposing that early evolution among groups was likely influenced by shifting climates and environments during the Triassic.”

“Climate change significantly affects biodiversity, both today and throughout geological history,” stated Dr. Emma Dunn, a paleontologist at Friedrich Alexander Universitat Erlangen Nurnberg.

“Recent advancements in modeling techniques have enabled paleontologists to better understand how climate change has shaped the biodiversity of significant fossil groups like pterosaurs in just the past few years.”

“The combination of ecological models and fossil data is emphasized by Dr. Alessandro Chiarenza, paleontologist at University College London, who noted:

“Lagerpetids flourished as generalists, while pterosaurs, initially constrained to a humid tropical niche with possibly limited flight capabilities, occupied equatorial territories.”

“As the climate transformed and forest corridors emerged, their wings propelled them to every corner of the planet, ultimately allowing them to survive one of Earth’s greatest extinctions.”

“What started as a tale of lost fossils is evolving into a paradigmatic example of how paleoclimate, past climate, and evolutionary innovations intertwine, illuminating the complex history that has fascinated paleontologists for over two centuries.”

Study published in the journal Natural Ecology and Evolution.

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D. Foffa et al. Paleobiogeography of climate drivers and lagerpetids and early pterosaurs. Nat Ecol Evol published online on June 18th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41559-025-02767-8

Source: www.sci.news

Planetist scientists offer fresh insights into the warm and wet conditions on ancient Mars

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The team of the planetary researcher led by Caltech has decided on a chemical mechanism that can maintain sufficient warmth in the early days of ancient Mars, perhaps to host life.

Adams et al。 Mars has experienced a temporary warm period for the 40 million years of integration, estimating that each event lasted about 100 to 00 years. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO / N. risinger, Skysurvey.org.

“Because Mars is far from the sun, it was a very puzzle that Mars had liquid water on Mars. Dr. Adams said.

“Hydrogen was previously theoretical as a magical component, mixed with carbon dioxide in Mars, causing an episode of greenhouse warming.”

“However, the life of air hydrogen was short, so a more detailed analysis was needed.”

In this study, Dr. Adams and his colleagues used photochemical modeling to describe the details of the relationship with hydrogen in the early atmosphere of Mars and how the relationship has changed over time.

“The early Mars is a lost world, but if you ask the right question, you can reconstruct in detail,” said Professor Robin Wordworth at Harvard University.

“In this study, we will integrate the atmosphere and climate of the atmosphere for the first time and bring some impressive new predictions that can be tested if you bring back Mars to Earth.”

The authors changed the model called dynamics to simulate how the combination of hydrogen and other gas, which responded to both the ground and air, reacted the early Mars climate.

They discovered that Mars has been a warm episode of about 40 million years, 400 million to 3 billion years ago during the Noatian and Hesperian days in Mars, and that each event lasted more than 10000 years.

These estimated values ​​match today's geological characteristics of Mars.

During the warm and damp period, the hydrogen of the crust or the lost water on the ground was driven, and sufficient hydrogen was supplied to accumulate in the atmosphere for millions of years.

During the fluctuations between the warm climate and the cold climate, the chemistry of the atmosphere of Mars also fluctuated. Carbon dioxide is constantly attacked by sunlight and is converted to carbon monoxide.

During the warm period, carbon dioxide can return to carbon dioxide and control carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

However, if it is long enough, the recycling decelerates, accumulates carbon monoxide, and reduces the reduction, that is, less oxygen.

Therefore, the red oxidation state of the atmosphere changed dramatically over time.

“We have identified all of these alternate time scale,” said Dr. Adams.

“And I explained all the same parts of the same photochemical model.”

Modeling work gives a potential new insight into the conditions for supporting the pre -buiotics chemistry (the basis of life after we know), and to the end of its life at intervals between cold and oxidation. Lends issues.

Researchers are working to find evidence of these alternatives using isotopic chemical modeling.

They will compare these results with the rocks of the Mars Sample Return Mission in the future.

Since Mars has no plate tectonics, unlike the earth, the surface seen today resembles the surface long ago, making the history of lakes and rivers more interesting.

“It will be a really wonderful case study for how the planet evolves over time,” said Dr. Adams.

study Published in the journal Natural global science。

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D. Adams et al。 The warm climate of the early episode on Mars prepared by hydration of the crust. nut. GeosciReleased online on January 15, 2025. Doi: 10.1038/S41561-024-01626-8

Source: www.sci.news

Life & Style: Must-Have Cold Weather Essentials to Stay Warm From Electric Blankets to Cozy Coats

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aAfter a mostly mild and cloudy December, winter has finally arrived. We’ve rounded up some of the most popular and tried-and-true products to help you stay warm, especially when you don’t want to turn up the thermostat too much.


From slippers to coats and pajamas to top-of-the-line electric heaters and blankets, they’ll all help you beat the cold and even stay stylish.

The best cold weather essentials to beat the cold

electric blanket

OHS electric heated fleece overblanket

£20 at Online Home Shop

£34.99 on Amazon

This great value heater throw was rated the best budget option in 2008. emily peck Reviews of the best heated blankets. Available in blush, charcoal, forest green, and black, it comes with 9 temperature settings and a timer that turns it off after 9 hours.

heating airer

Dry: Quickly Deluxe 3-Stage Heated Airer and Cover

£149.99 on Amazon

£194.98 at Lakeland

Warm air dryers claim to dry clothes regardless of the weather without costing the earth any energy. jane hoskin We tested 12 and rated this one from Lakeland as the best overall. She says this dryer is for people who are tired of having to choose between the expense of noisy tumble dryers, dirty clothes on the radiator, and the smell of laundry that dries slowly in traditional clothes dryers. It is said to be for people who have.

electric heater

Duux Threesixty 2 Ceramic Heater

£89.99 at John Lewis

£99.99 at Currys

The mercury is dropping and the house is getting colder. But if you have your finger hovering over your central heating dial, an electric heater may be just what you need to efficiently heat your colander. pete wise We tested eight of the best, including this compact model that thoroughly heats a space while making less noise than standard fan models.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Unseasonably Warm Halloween Weather Sweeps Midwest and Northeastern Regions

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overview

  • Halloween is expected to be much warmer than usual in many parts of the country this year.
  • More than 30 cities in the Northeast could set new temperature records on Thursday.
  • Unseasonably warm weather arrives in the midst of a warmer-than-usual fall in various parts of the United States

For trick-or-treaters in many parts of the country, that familiar chill may not be in the air this Halloween.

More than 30 cities in the Northeast, including Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., could experience record high temperatures on Thursday. Many cities in the Midwest are also expected to see temperatures 10 to 30 degrees warmer than usual for this time of year.

High temperatures in Boston are expected to reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one of the warmest Halloweens in 80 years, said National Weather Service forecaster Caitlin Mensch. The city’s current high temperature of 81 degrees was set on October 31, 1946.

“We’re well above normal for this time of year,” Mensch said.

Given the unseasonably warm weather, she encouraged trick-or-treaters to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen if it’s still light.

The high temperature in New York City on Thursday is expected to be 78 degrees and in Washington, D.C., a high of 81 degrees.

Temperatures in the Midwest will be similarly mild in late October. Cleveland’s high temperature could reach 78 degrees, and St. Louis’ expected high of 68 degrees could make this year among the 30 hottest Halloweens in the region in the last 100 years, the National Weather Service says. said Jared Maples, a meteorologist with the St. Louis bureau. Louis.

Temperatures could reach up to 68 degrees in Chicago. If that happens, this year’s Halloween will be one of the 10 warmest days ever recorded, said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Chicago office. The normal weather for Halloween in the area is 56 degrees.

“We’ve had a pretty warm pattern over the last few weeks across the Great Lakes and much of the Midwest,” Yack said. “We’re tracking this high-pressure system, and high-pressure systems tend to have clearer skies and warmer temperatures most of the time.”

Forecasters expect temperatures to drop by the end of the week.

Autumn is generally warmer than usual in some parts of the country. In early October, much of the western United States was hit by an unusual heatwave, with temperatures soaring into triple digits in cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Napa, and San Jose, California. Dozens of new daily heat records were set across California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Last year was the hottest on record on Earth, and scientists say global temperature records are on track to be broken again in 2024.

randy richardson

Randy Richardson is a medical intern at NBC News Digital based in New York.

Dennis Chow

Dennis Chou is a science and space reporter for NBC News.

Steve Strauss contributed.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Simple (and unexpected) hacks for getting better sleep during warm nights

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Struggling to catch some shut-eye with temperatures soaring in your bedroom? As climate change intensifies and heatwaves become more common, researchers have observed that nighttime temperatures are rising at a faster rate compared to daytime temperatures.

This trend of climate change is affecting sleep quality, making it increasingly difficult to get a good night’s rest. Studies show that people lose an average of 44 hours of sleep due to heat every year, and this is not limited to specific regions. A recent global study revealed that higher temperatures are linked to shorter sleep durations across 68 countries, with individuals experiencing shortened sleep times with warmer temperatures.

The study involved 47,000 adults who used wrist-worn sleep trackers to monitor their sleep patterns compared to both the average and their personal baseline. The results confirmed that as temperatures increased, sleep durations decreased.

“People are going to bed later and waking up earlier than usual,” said Dr. Kelton Miner, a data scientist at Columbia University and the lead author of the study. “This shift in sleep patterns increases the likelihood of experiencing shorter sleep durations compared to one’s individual baseline.”

Research projections indicate that by the end of the century, individuals could lose an average of two weeks of sleep annually due to temperature-related disturbances, equating to 50 to 58 hours of lost sleep. Compensating for this significant sleep deficit becomes challenging for many.

Addressing the issue, Miner suggested that while air conditioning provides relief, the widespread adoption of this technology would significantly impact global energy consumption. Alternatively, using fans can be a more energy-efficient cooling option, promoting heat loss through convection and evaporation.

Adhering to optimal sleep temperatures, enhancing indoor ventilation, and adopting cooling measures like cold showers can aid in combating the adverse effects of rising nighttime temperatures on sleep quality. As the battle against heat-induced sleep loss continues, exploring innovative solutions such as cooling mattress toppers can provide additional relief.

About our experts

Dr. Kelton Miner: A data scientist at Columbia University specializing in climate and technological change research, encompassing studies like One Planet, Lancet, and Sleeping pills reviews.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Scientists suggest using heat-absorbing ‘glitter’ to warm Mars

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Ideas for change Mars Towards a more livable world Human settlements It's a common theme in science fiction, but could this happen in the real world?

Scientists are now proposing a new approach to warming up. Neighbors of Earth The idea is to release artificial particles made of iron or aluminum, the same size as commercial glitter, into the atmosphere as an aerosol, trapping escaping heat and scattering sunlight onto the Martian surface. Greenhouse effect On Mars, the plan is to raise the surface temperature by about 50 degrees (28 °C) over a 10-year period.

While this alone wouldn't make Mars habitable for humans, the scientists behind the proposal believe it could be a feasible first step.

“Terraforming is the process of changing a planet's environment to be more similar to Earth. In the case of Mars, heating the planet is a necessary first step, but it is not enough. Previous concepts have focused on releasing greenhouse gases, which requires large amounts of resources that are in short supply on Mars,” said University of Chicago planetary scientist Edwin Kite, who led the study published in the journal Nature this week. Scientific advances.

“The key elements of our paper are the novel proposal to use engineered nanoparticles to warm the Martian atmosphere, and the climate modelling which suggests this approach could be much more efficient than previous concepts. This is important as it offers a more feasible way to alter the Martian climate and could inform future Mars exploration strategies,” Kite added.

NASA has sent a robotic rover to explore the surface of Mars and the InSight lander to explore the planet's interior. Project Artemis The goal is to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 in the next few years, in preparation for future manned missions to Mars.

There are many challenges to living on Mars, including a lack of breathable oxygen, harmful ultraviolet rays due to the thin atmosphere, salty soil that is unsuitable for growing crops, and dust storms that sometimes cover large parts of the planet. But the planet's frigid temperatures are a serious obstacle.

“Our aim is to show that the idea of ​​warming Mars is not impossible. We hope that our findings will inspire the broader scientific community and the general public to explore this intriguing idea,” said Samaneh Ansari, a doctoral student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois and lead author of the study.

The average surface temperature of Mars is about minus 85 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 65 degrees Celsius). Because the Martian atmosphere is thin, solar heat on the surface easily escapes into space. This proposal aims to have liquid water on the surface of Mars, where water exists in the form of ice at the poles and underground.

The scientists proposed releasing tiny, rod-shaped particles (nanorods) into the atmosphere at a rate of about eight gallons (30 liters) per second continuously for many years.

“The surface of Mars has an abundance of iron and aluminum, so the idea is to transport the materials, or even better, the manufacturing tools, to make nanorods on Mars,” Ansari said.

Researchers are mindful of the potential unintended consequences of terraforming another planet for the benefit of humanity: For example, scientists want to know whether Mars was ever alive in the past, or whether it still exists today in the form of subsurface microbial life.

“Nanoparticles could potentially heat Mars, but both the benefits and potential costs of this course of action are currently unknown. For example, in the unlikely event that Martian soil contains irreparable compounds that are toxic to all Earth-derived life, the benefits of heating Mars would be zero,” Kite said.

“On the other hand, the establishment of a photosynthetic biosphere on the Martian surface may increase the likelihood of human thriving in the solar system,” Kite added. “On the cost side, if life exists on Mars, studying that life may be sufficiently beneficial to warrant vigorous protection of the habitat.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Land animals evolved in warm tidal nursery ponds 500 million years ago

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The evolution of the first animals to appear on land 500 million years ago has been revealed. The ancestors of millipedes, called euticalcinids, evolved from larval arthropods in warm tidal pools. Individuals that reached sexual maturity early and survived the harsh tidal zone passed on their genes to the next generation, evolving into arthropods that could crawl onto land when the tidal pools dried up.

Reconstruction of the first land animal to live on the ancient tidal flats of Blackberry Hill, Wisconsin (500 million years ago). A washed-up jellyfish (1 meter wide), Euticarcinoidea. Mosineia (Lower left, 15cm long), Phyllocarididae crustacean Arenosicalis (bottom right, green) and a large, slug-like mollusk (70 cm long). Some euticalcinids live in tide pools before they dry up. Image courtesy of Todd Gass.

All life first evolved in the sea, and because carcasses decay more easily on land than in the sea, fossils of early land animals are very rare.

Arthropods — creepy-looking animals with segmented bodies, jointed limbs, and hard exoskeletons, like spiders, crabs, and insects — were the first animals to move onto land.

The oldest known fossils of land animals are those called millipedes. Pneumodesmus pneumanii It dates back to the Late Wenlockian Stage of the Silurian Period in Scotland, approximately 428 million years ago (Ma).

Millipedes, centipedes and their relatives are called myriapods, and there are about 12,000 species of them.

There's another type of fossil that can give us clues about when ancient animals first emerged from the sea: trace fossils.

They are Represent These are traces of biological activity, including animal tracks and burrows.

Trace fossils reveal a time-honoured snapshot of extinct animals' behaviours and interactions, allowing us to bring extinct animals to life.

Fossil burrows in Pennsylvania (445 million years ago) and fossil tracks in Cumbria, England (450 million years ago) suggest that myriapods lived on land 22 million years before the oldest body fossils.

The oldest known footprints on land were left in ancient coastal dunes in New York and Ontario by ancestors of myriapod animals called euticalcinids. Tidal flats (Quebec and Wisconsin) Approximately 500 million years ago.

It may have been one small step for insects, but one giant leap for life on Earth.

of Eutic carcinoid It had a body length of 4 to 15 cm (up to 30 cm, judging from fossilized footprints), and lived between 500 million and 225 million years ago. It resembled a pill bug (woodlouse), but had spines on its tail.

During the Cambrian Period, a group of marine arthropods called Fuchsianidae lived in shallow seas.

Euticarcinoids resemble larval fuchsiafiids, Precocious maturity (i.e. the retention of juvenile characteristics in descendant species) was involved in the evolution of these earliest land animals.

Euticalcinids spawned in warm tide pools, presumably to protect the eggs from marine predators and speed up larval development.

These harsh tidal conditions gradually selected for individuals in the population that reached sexual maturity earlier, survived, and were able to pass on their genes to the next generation – juvenile traits.

Cambrian euticalcinoids had barrel-shaped bodies, short legs, and six telson segments.

As they evolved, the number of tail segments gradually decreased, from six to five during the Silurian and Carboniferous periods, and in some later species to four segments. Also, the legs developed thin spines.

One group of euthycarcinoids, called the Sotticcercidae, has a long, multi-segmented body and legs of similar length, making it more myriapod-like.

Campecarids are a rare and extinct group of myriapods that may represent an evolutionary link between Sotticcercidae and myriapods, as they share a legless neck and tail segment.

The euticalcinids were soon followed by the sea scorpions (Eurypterids), the ancestors of scorpions, which led to widespread animal invasion of land.

Our own (vertebrate, i.e. backbone) ancestors, called tetrapods, first came onto land in a breathtaking adventure 130 million years after the eucaryotic vertebrates.

Walter Garstang eloquently states: “The facts are much the same: whatever the name, any yolk-bearing arthropod must have once had an aquatic ancestor that laid tiny eggs and hatched as tiny legless larvae. So the larvae that are the predecessors of our millipedes and spiders (and centipedes and insects) cannot be outsiders.”

this paper Appeared in New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology.

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Braddy, S.J. 2024. Euthycarcinoid ecology and evolution. New Jarlbuch in Geology and Palaeontology,doi:10.1127/njgpa/2024/1199

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers say that a near, warm Neptune has a sulfurous atmosphere

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The warm Neptunian exoplanet, called GJ 3470b (Gliese 3470b), is 96 light years away and orbits a 2 billion year old red dwarf star in the direction of the constellation Cancer.

Artist's impression of the warm-Neptunian exoplanet GJ 3470b. Image courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Astronomy.

First discovered in 2012, GJ 3470b is the lightest and coolest (over 325 degrees Celsius, or 600 degrees Fahrenheit) exoplanet containing sulfur dioxide.

The compounds are likely a sign of active chemistry taking place in the planet's atmosphere, as radiation from a nearby star explosively breaks down hydrogen sulfide components, which then seek out new molecular partners.

“We never expected to see sulfur dioxide on such a small planet, so finding this new molecule in an unexpected place is exciting because it gives us new ways to understand how these planets formed,” said Professor Thomas Beatty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“And small planets are particularly interesting because their composition depends heavily on how the planet-formation process happened.”

Prof Beatty and his colleagues hope that by observing what exoplanets contain, they can shed light on the principles of planet formation and do just that.

“The discovery of sulphur dioxide on a small planet like GJ 3470b adds another important item to the list of ingredients for planet formation,” Prof Beatty said.

In the case of the GJ 3470b, there are also other interesting features that could help round out that recipe.

The planet orbits the star and passes nearly over the star's pole, meaning that it orbits at a 90 degree angle to the expected orbit of a planet in this system.

The moon is also incredibly close to its star, close enough that light from the star would blow a lot of GJ 3470b's atmosphere out into space.

The team says the planet may have lost around 40% of its mass since it formed.

The misaligned orbit suggests that GJ 3470b was once somewhere else in the system, and at some point, the planet became caught in the gravity of another planet, pulling it into a new orbit and eventually settling in a different neighborhood.

“The migration history that led to this polar orbit and how it has lost so much mass are things we don't typically know about other exoplanet targets that we study,” Prof Beattie said.

“These are important steps in the recipe that created this particular planet, and they help us understand how planets like this one are made.”

“Further analysis of the components remaining in the planet's atmosphere may help us understand why planets like GJ 3470b became so appetizing.”

This month, the authors 244th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society In Madison, Wisconsin.

Source: www.sci.news

Unveiling the creative process behind Monument Valley 2’s heartwarming music: Creating the sound of a warm hug

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'TThe part where the mother and child get separated on the Red Mountain is a level fairly early in the game where you have to go back and find the mother. I was completing the sound design and music in the hospital. She was right next to my mother as she slept while she was recovering from open heart surgery. ”

Todd Baker pauses for a moment. He recalls the development process for Monument Valley 2, a 2017 indie puzzle game. Biggest success stories It will remain in the history of mobile games. The second game is more experimental than the first. The number of stories has increased and the atmosphere has changed. While the first title was all optical illusions and impossible objects, the sequel moves away from his MC Escher-inspired towers and spiers to non-Euclidean geometry and brutalism.

At the center of it all are a mother and daughter, wordlessly walking back and forth in each other's paths, desperately trying to stay together as the world heaves and undulates and does its best to tear them apart. It's about women's heritage and relationships, and for Todd there were parallels between fiction and reality. “The fact that this game is about a mother and a child, and the fact that I lost my mother at the end of the year when I was making this game, is very heartbreaking.”

“I wanted the music to speak and tell the story”…Monument Valley 2. Photo: ustwo

Monument Valley 2's soundtrack is the kind of music you want to listen to when you're not playing. Even when separated from the parent game, it's still very enveloping, very rich and textured, and provides a comfortable background for whatever you're doing. Waves of warm, organic tones and ambient, soothing sounds wash over you. This was always Baker's intention. Even before the unfortunate coincidence of fictional and real losses, Monument Valley 2's soundtrack was designed to be soothing, familiar, and gorgeous.

“Basically, what I was trying to do was create the sound of a really warm hug,” Baker said with a laugh, referring to one of the early stages of the game, when the child first comes to his mother. He described the moment he was held in his mother's arms. “At that moment, the kid comes in and I hug him, and there’s a lot of bass going on…I needed a really warm, fuzzy feeling, like this is where I want to be right now. .”

This moment in the game is very important. It's all about setting what's at stake. Yes, this story is abstract and minimalistic, but this moment has such power. Baker creates an impromptu acoustic guitar melody that he layered on three tracks and played on an EBow for a slightly supernatural sound, all backed up by an intoxicating supporting bass note, but it's not unlike the visuals here. I am doing a very important job. Establish everything that's at risk, Apple/iOS friendly, “bright on white”. If you don't watch the game to the end, you'll never see these two reunite.

That resonated with the audience, Baker said. “What's amazing is that now I get messages from people saying, 'This was the soundtrack of my childhood,'” Baker laughs. “They talked to me as adults now who were playing this game when they were 11 or 12 years old and said this is nostalgic and it's a safe space for them. It touches people's hearts. , they have a lot of nostalgia for it now.”

'It touched people's hearts'…Todd Baker performs music from Monument Valley 2 at London's V&A. Photo: ustwo

Baker was responsible for not only the music for Monument Valley 2, but also the entire sound design. Things like how a chime sounds when you swipe or tap on certain interactive elements, or how a little music plays as you explore a curious geometric world. It gets sucked in. This was an opportunity for him to emulate the approach Martin Stig Andersen took with Limbo and Inside. Both games had a huge influence on Monument Valley 2's audio, even though they couldn't be more different in tone.

“From the beginning, I was confident that I could do this. We were able to do the whole project holistically, including discussions about whether to license the music or use other artists for the trailer.” But for this one…I had to bring it myself. I wanted the music to speak and tell the story, and I wanted the rest of the development team to be really excited about it.”

As Baker says this, he imitates a hug and brings it around himself, recreating the hug he tried to evoke in the hearts and ears of players in the game's early moments. A decade after the original game was released, Apple still promotes both Monument Valley and the sequel on the App Store, with the latter installed on at least 30 million of his devices. There's no doubt that millions of people heard echoes of that hug and Baker's relationship with his mother. If you've never played this game with the sound on, find your headphones, head over to the App Store, and give it a try. I promise you, it's worth the effort.

The Monument Valley series turns 10 this month, and to celebrate, developer ustwo Commemorative website.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Stay Warm in the Coldest Weather with a Polar Bear Fur Sweater

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Polar bear fur keeps animals warm even in arctic temperatures

Torsten Milse/Robersarding/Alamy

Fibers said to mimic polar bear fur may one day be used in the next generation of spacesuits, military uniforms and clothing for extremely cold environments.

Under the guidance of developers at China’s Zhejiang University, this man-made fiber has already been made into sweaters and is claimed to be as warm as down feathers, the best-known natural insulator. It’s just a small part of that warmth. thickness.

The researchers make claims about the sweater’s strength and stretch in their paper, but not everyone is convinced they’ve presented enough data to back them up.

HaobaiPolar bear fur consists of a highly porous core and a dense shell, team members said. “The porous structure traps large amounts of air to block heat transfer, and the dense shell provides the hair’s mechanical strength,” he says.

Man-made fibers, on the other hand, are composed of “aerogels,” materials with low density, high porosity, and high air content (more than 90 percent by volume) encased in a rubberized exterior.

In addition to being warm, the researchers tested the fabric for practicality by subjecting it to 10,000 stretching cycles and reported no loss of structure. It has an elasticity of up to 1,600 percent and is strong enough that a single fiber can lift a mass of 500 grams.

Sweaters knitted with this fiber are “about one-fifth as thick as down for the same warmth, and are easier to wash and dye,” the researchers wrote in their paper. “Such fibers have excellent insulation and multifunctionality, and have great potential in areas such as military uniforms and spacesuits used in extremely cold environments.”

lisa lake According to a research team at Australia’s University of Technology Sydney, people have long been interested in how polar bear fur keeps the animals warm in such frigid temperatures, and researchers are looking to create a synthetic It appears they have found a way to mimic that property using materials.

but christopher hullen Researchers from Australia’s Deakin University also question the claims based on the limited data presented.

There are also many animals with hollow fur similar to polar bears, such as beavers, camels, and the Australian green possum. One of the biggest benefits of polar bear fur is not its structure, but the transparency of the fibers, which reduces heat radiation.

“It’s a nice idea, but does it really mimic polar bear fur?” says Hulen. “Probably not.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com