Science, Space, & Robotics - Page 129

A galactic jet has been ejected from the only black hole that humans have ever taken an image of, and researchers believe it's shaped like a helix.

Messier 87 galactic jet helix structure.

According to a statement from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the black hole is located 55 million light-years from Earth at the center of the elliptical galaxy called Messier 87, which is the same and only black hole ever to be photographed. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory states it operated the Very Large Array and found that the jet is shaped by a corkscrew-shaped magnetic field that stretches from the center of the black hole out at a distance close to 3,300 light-years.

The annual Germinid meteor shower is happening right now as Earth's orbit takes it through a debris field left by an asteroid.

If you are living in an area that has unfortunate viewing conditions such as cloud cover, or dust, you will be glad to know that you can still participate in the viewing of the Germinid meteor shower online via NASA's livestream. NASA is live streaming the Germinid meteor shower from a camera located at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. The meteor shower is expected to have anywhere between 100 and 150 meteors per hour.

While there are many meteors expected to be seen, NASA warns that the Moon will be about 80% full and may reduce visibility due to its brightness, bringing down the expected amount of meteors per hour to 30 or 40. However, the Moon is expected to set at around 2:00 am on December 14. After 2:00 am is what is being considered as the best viewing opportunity.

NASA has posted a new image on its blog that showcases a stunning spiral galaxy located 250 million years from Earth.

NASA has posted the images on its social channels and explains that the spiral galaxy is named UGC 11537 and is located in the constellation Aquilla. The Hubble Space Telescope has pointed its Wide Field Camera 3 at the galaxy and has captured the large spiral arms, as well as two prominent stars located in the foreground of the image.

NASA notes that the spikes seen on each of the stars are a result of the starlight interacting with Hubble's camera - defined as "diffraction spikes". Additionally, the space agency explains that the image showcases large amounts of dark dust clouds. This image of UGC 11537 comes from a set of observations designed to assist astronomers in measuring supermassive black holes that are located at the center of galaxies such as UGC 11537.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced to his nearly 70 million Twitter followers plans on developing technology that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Elon Musk took to his Twitter account to announce that SpaceX is currently developing a program that will focus on removing CO2 from Earth's atmosphere and converting it into fuel that will be used to power rockets. Musk ended the Tweet by asking the public to "join" if they are interested, which I can only imagine everyone will be, as there has been quite a lot of focus put on the environmental impact, or carbon footprint of rocket launches.

Musk also added that this new technology would be necessary to colonize Mars, saying this "will also be important for Mars". For those that don't know, Mars' atmosphere consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, with traces of oxygen and other gases. Having technology capable of converting CO2 into rocket fuel would provide massive utility to colonists on the surface, as they would be able to perform multiple launches at a cost-efficient price.

One of the best meteor showers of 2021 is scheduled to happen later today, as Earth's orbit passes through debris from an asteroid.

In a recent video posted to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory YouTube channel, the space agency explains that the meteor shower viewing is highly dependant on the brightness of the Moon, and this year the Moon will be at 80% full during the peak on December 13 - 14. However, at 2 am the Moon will set, leaving some hours for meteor showering viewing before sunrise. If you are planning on seeing some meteors, you will need to look out towards the

The Geminid meteor shower is an annual meteor shower that happens in December when Earth's orbit passes into a debris field created by an asteroid called Phaethon. NASA says that Phaethon is stretching the definitions of what a comet and an asteroid are, as it was discovered that Phaethon emits fizzing sodium that plays the same role as vaporizing ice on a comet. Below you will find some advice from NASA on viewing meteor showers.

A team of researchers observed a galaxy for forty hours and didn't detect any trace of dark matter being present, breaking current theories.

A team of researchers published the results of the study on the pre-print server arXiv, and it's expected to be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, details the galaxy named AGC 114905, located around 250 million light-years from Earth. For some time, dark matter has been one of the main mysteries of the universe, and while researchers can directly see it, they can detect it by measuring the interaction between celestial objects.

If an object behaves in a way that normal matter can't explain, researchers infer that dark matter is present. As Science Alert reports, an example of this would be stars spinning at velocities higher that can't be explained with normal matter. According to the researchers behind the recent paper, previous measurements of AGC 114905 suggested that the galaxy didn't contain any dark matter, which their forty-hour observation only confirmed, only deepening the mystery of dark matter.

NASA space probe sent to investigate the planet Jupiter has relayed back some incredible images of gigantic storms.

NASA's Juno mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 5 August 2011 and arrived at its destination in 2016. Recently, Juno sent back a batch of images to Earth that it snapped using its visible-light camera called JunoCam. The images showcase storms so massive they are difficult to comprehend. The SETI Institute, a not-for-profit research organization founded by Carl Sagan, explained that Earth could likely fit in the white storm located in the bottom left-hand corner of the image.

Universe Today reports that citizen scientists behave as the JunoCam's virtual imaging team by making suggestions for what area of the planet the camera should be pointed at and doing post-processing image work. If you are interested in checking out the images in full resolution, head on over to the JunoCam website, where you will find a gallery of images showcasing Jupiter's regions from a range of different angles.

Researchers have penned a study that surveyed centuries of planet literature and found that the decision to demote Pluto should be reversed.

Researchers from the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida (UCF) published the study in the astronomy journal Icarus, and it details an examination of hundreds of years of planet literature that revealed a timeline of events that led up to the demotion of Pluto. According to the researchers under definitions created by Galileo, widely considered the "father" of observational astronomy, Pluto would have been defined as a planet between 1600 and 1900 as it had geological activity.

The researchers write that the definition began to change when there was a decline in planetary science papers and an increase in the printing of almanacs. Futurism reports that the Galilean definitions changed due to astrology requiring a set number of planets in the solar system in order to make predictions, as well as "astrologically-derived weather forecasts of almanacs". Under the Galilean definitions, many moons and asteroids could be considered planets, as they would be geologically active.

A new sleeping bag has been developed that may prevent one of the most serious medical issues that come from prolonged stays in zero gravity.

A study published in 2011 in the journal American Academy of Ophthalmology detailed that astronauts who had prolonged stays of six months or more could risk having their vision impacted with flattened eyeballs, swollen optic nerves, and a general decrease in eyesight quality. The study details that a lack of gravity causes a build-up of fluid pressure around the brain, which can put pressure on the eyeballs and results in a medical condition called neuro-ocular syndrome.

As a way to solve this problem, researchers have developed a sleeping bag that is essentially a large vacuum. In a new study published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers detail testing on a dozen participants over three days with and without the sleeping bag, and according to the study's results, the new hi-tech sleeping bags were found to prevent the body fluids from building up and changing shape of eyeballs.

Sky-watchers around the world will be able to see Comet Leonard safely pass by Earth in a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event.

Comet Leonard or C/2021 A1 was first discovered in January 2021 by astronomer and research specialist Gregory J. Leonard. The comet has been making a 35,000-year journey towards the Sun and will soon be making its closest approach to Earth on December 13. After Leonard makes passes Earth, it will make its closest approach with Venus on December 18.

During the two aforementioned dates is the best time to view Leonard, which will be found just below the Bigger Dipper constellation and the star Arcturus. It's recommended that if you are planning on viewing Leonard, to come equipped with a decent pair of binoculars as the comet will be difficult to locate depending on weather conditions and visibility from your location. The below images were captured by photographers based in the UK and Texas.

A comet that no one currently alive will ever see again will soon be passing by Earth, with it being brightest over the weekend and following days.

For the last 35,000 years comet Leonard has been traveling towards the Sun at a ridiculous speed of 158,084 miles per hour, and as it makes its way closer it will begin to appear brighter to observers as the crust on the large ice ball increasingly vaporizes. After it passes the Sun it will be ejected from our solar system for millions of years, making this viewing opportunity a truly once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event.

The comet will make its closest approach with Earth on December 12, and on December 18 it will make its closest approach with Venus. If you are interested in viewing the rare comet, looking just below the Bigger Dipper constellation and the star Arcturus. It's also recommended to have a pair of binoculars (10x50 preferably), as viewing Leonard with the unaided eye may be difficult depending on your location and weather. Comet Leonard is renowned as the best comet for 2021, but something is "wrong" with it.

Erdal Yigit of the George Mason University has published a recent paper in the journal Science, suggesting loss of surface water on Mars is due to more than just solar wind inter

The paper suggests three other factors to consider: gravity waves, convection, and dust storms. Planetary scientists have concluded that Mars' surface used to have lots of water, but it was slowly lost to space as hydrogen over billions of years.

Some prior research suggests that sunlight through the lower Martian atmosphere separated water molecules, leading to hydrogen dissipating away into space. Yigit has suggested there is insufficient evidence for such a straightforward answer.

Researchers from the Oregon State University (OSU) have shown potential for new catalysts to help cleanly produce hydrogen with greater efficiency and lower cost than currently available catalysts.

Electrochemical catalytic processes like water electrolysis can produce hydrogen more cleanly and more sustainably than other processes such as methane-steam reforming, which produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct.

In this latest study, researchers have produced a new catalyst to facilitate hydrogen production. Catalysts are substances that increase the rate of chemical reactions without themselves undergoing any permanent chemical change. However, catalysts often undergo structural changes, whether reversible or irreversible, that can lead to a loss of catalytic activity and a subsequent reduction in reaction efficiency.

Using heavy elements, researchers from Florida State University have discovered the potential for a new family of chemical compounds.

Ligands are molecule groups that bind to others to form more complex compounds with metals. The researchers discovered unexpected results when designing ligands from molecules typically used in solar cell technologies and bonding them with radioactive elements. Pairing the ligand with berkelium, the 97th element on the periodic table, shifted the electron density of the compound significantly.

While Mars dominates talk of interplanetary travel, Venus has some upcoming missions to expand our understanding of the second rock from the Sun.

MIT researchers have just released a new report laying out their plans for future Venus exploration, dubbed the Venus Life Finder Missions. The first of the missions is due to launch in 2023, managed and funded by Rocket Lab. Rocket Lab will launch a 50 pound (~22 kilograms) probe aboard its Photon spacecraft with one of its Electron rockets on a five-month trip to Venus covering 38 million miles (61 million kilometers).

In a study published earlier this year in Physical Review Letters, researchers from RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program predicted the existence of a particle combining six quarks.

While atoms are made of subatomic particles such as protons and neutrons, these particles are made from elementary particles known as quarks. A particle that comprises three quarks is known as a baryon. Therefore protons and neutrons, each made of three quarks, are baryons.

Systems containing two baryons, named dibaryons, have been speculated to exist by scientists. Deuteron, the nucleus of deuterium, is the only known dibaryon to exist in nature. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen which typically has one proton in its nucleus, referred to in isolation as protium. Deuteron instead has an additional neutron to accompany the lone hydrogen.

New technology developed by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) allows the activity of CRISPR to be seen with the naked eye and an ultraviolet flashlight.

In a paper published in ACS Synthetic Biology, scientists describe the development and function of this technology. Their process involves redirecting CRISPR from its target sequence of DNA to a section of the genome that encodes for a non-functioning green fluorescent protein (GFP). CRISPR edits the genes in this sequence, allowing the production of functioning GFP, which leads to a green glow signaling CRISPR activity.

A recent paper published in The Planetary Science Journal indicates that at least one volcano on Venus may still be active, helping shape the planet's landscape around it.

More volcanoes are found on Venus than any other planet in our solar system, with more than 1,600 hundred major volcanoes and potentially up to around a million smaller ones. So far, it has been unclear whether any remain active currently, as the planet is difficult to analyze both from space or on the surface due to the extremely hostile environment.

However, Piero D'Incecco of D'Annunzio University in Pescara, Italy, in his study of Idunn Mons, a Venusian volcanic peak roughly 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) high and 125 miles (200 km), has shown signs of potential recent activity. The volcano is located in the Imdr Regio, a region in southern Venus rich in volcanoes.

In a new study posted in the journal Cell, researchers have identified how cells in the immune system communicate and coordinate with one another to fight cancer.

Patients struggling with cancer have undergone immunotherapy to help boost their natural immune response to cancer in their bodies. However, sustained benefits from this therapy only continued in about twenty percent of patients who received them.

Scientists have found in recent years that those most likely to survive lung cancer developed structures similar to lymph nodes around tumors. Much like lymph nodes, the structures produce immune system cells like CD4 helper T cells, CD8 killer T cells, and B cells, which can identify, attack, and produce antibodies against cancer cells and tumors, respectively.

Nanoparticles dubbed "Cornell dots" are entering their first therapeutic trial, used in the treatment of advanced, recurrent, and refractory cancers.

Developed in Ulrich Wiesner's lab at Cornell University, the C'Dots are silica-encased, fluorescent nanoparticles first unveiled in 2005. They have since been used in creating the world's smallest laser and are shown to have great potential as biological markers. Since proving itself capable of finding cancerous tumors, a new version was created equipped with antibody fragments that allowed them to kill cancer cells in tumors.

After three diagnostic human clinical trials, C'Dots have been proven safe and effective and now begin their first therapeutic trial. Elucida Oncology, Inc. is a biotechnology company co-founded by Wiesner based out of New Jersey, which has iterated on C'Dots to make C'Dot drug conjugates (CDCs), which are nanoparticles attached to dozens of drug molecules.