Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 147

Ketamine has been the subject of research in recent years, highlighting its potential to treat and cure depression.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Kernel, a neurotech company that makes brain-scanning helmets, to work with Cybin, a startup investigating psychedelic-based therapeutics, on a ketamine pilot study in October 2021. As part of the tests, Bryan Johnson, the founder of Kernel, wore one of its devices after being administered ketamine.

Johnson received 57.75 milligrams of ketamine via intramuscular injection and wore the helmet to collect brain scans during his "trip." He also wore the helmet during the days leading up to and following his trip for comparison.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking proposals for nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engines.

The proposals are for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program, covering the design, development, fabrication, and assembly of the engines. The program's goal is to execute a flight demonstration using nuclear thermal propulsion in space in the fiscal year 2026.

Phase 1 of the program focused on preliminary designs for the rocket engine reactor and a conceptual in-orbit demonstration system, and proposals are being sought for Phases 2 and 3. Phase 2 will see the completion of designs for a demonstration system and the validation of an NTR flight engine, while Phase 3 will see the demonstration system built to handle a full-power, on-orbit flight test and the execution of that test.

The European Southern Observatory has taken to its website and social channels to share a new image snapped by the Very Large Telescope.

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) located in Chile has pointed its very impressive instruments at the spiral galaxy called NGC 3627, which is also called Messier 66. The spiral galaxy is located approximately 31 million light years from Earth and resides within the constellation Leo. Notably, the above image was taken using the VLT's Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), and is a result of multiple observations in different wavelengths of light.

Furthermore, the European Southern Observatory explains that instead of the typical stars that are seen in numerous spiral galaxy images, the above image of Messier 66 instead shows gas ionized by newly-born stars. Additionally, the ESO points out that hydrogen can be seen in red, oxygen in blue, and sulfur in orange. If you are interested in learning more about this image or more like it, check out the European Space Observatory website here.

The US House Intelligence Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee will be holding an open hearing on UFOs... or the politically correct term "unidentified aerial phenomena".

US House Intelligence Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee chairmen Congressman Andre Carson (D-Ind) will be an open hearing at first, before turning to a "closed, classified briefing". Chairman Carson explained: "The American people expect and deserve their leaders in government and intelligence to seriously evaluate and respond to any potential national security risks -- especially those we do not fully understand".

Chairman Carson continued: "Since coming to Congress, I've been focused on the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena as both a national security threat and an interest of great importance to the American people. And I'm pleased to chair the first open Intelligence Committee hearing on these events. It will give the American people an opportunity to learn what there is to know about these incidents. And I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on this critical matter".

A study on the magnetic reversal titled "A radio, optical, UV and X-ray view of the enigmatic changing look Active Galactic Nucleus 1ES~1927+654 from its pre- to post-flare states" has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

Researchers observed a rare, enigmatic outburst from the 1ES 1927+654 galaxy 236 million light-years away. The unusual characteristics of the eruption indicate that it may have been produced as a result of a magnetic reversal, where the magnetic field surrounding the central black hole of the galaxy spontaneously flips.

The eruption began near the end of 2017 and, by March 2018, had caused the galaxy's visible light to brighten by nearly 100 times. NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory noticed UV emissions were 12 times higher than normal in May 2018 and declining, indicating an earlier, unobserved peak. In June 2018, higher-energy X-ray emissions disappeared from the galaxy.

Rangers from the National Parks Service (NPS) have received reports of human remains found in Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

An ongoing drought has resulted in all-time low water levels, resulting in human remains turning up on two separate occasions in the last two weeks. On May 1st, a body was found inside a barrel that appeared as the lake dried up. On May 7th, around 2 p.m. EST, a second body was found, potentially the victim of a Las Vegas mob murder.

"The water level has dropped so much over the last 30 to 40 years that, where the person was located, if a person were to drop the barrel in the water and it sinks, you are never going to find it unless the water level drops. The water level has dropped and made the barrel visible. The barrel did not move. It was not like the barrel washed up," said Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

The now 17-year-old Benjamin Choi began working on the project in 2020 as a tenth-grader at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With lots of free time owing to the pandemic and inspiration from a 60 Minutes documentary on mind-controlled prostheses he watched in third grade, Choi set to work on a less-invasive version of a prosthetic arm than he had originally seen.

"I was really, really amazed at the time because this technology was so impressive. But I was also alarmed that they require this really risky open brain surgery. And they're so inaccessible, costing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars," said Choi.

SpinLaunch has completed another test on April 22nd, 2022, of its unconventional alternative to traditional rocket launches.

New footage from the company's eighth flight test shows an optical camera payload being launched from its Suborbital Accelerator Launch System at over 1,000 (1,609 kilometers) miles per hour. The payload is a 3-meter (9.8 feet) long flight test vehicle, equipped for the first time with an onboard camera to provide a unique perspective.

The Suborbital Accelerator Launch System contains a large, rotating carbon fiber arm within a steel vacuum chamber 300 feet (91.4 meters) in diameter. The arm is used to accelerate the payload-carrying launch vehicle to up to 5,000 miles (8046 kilometers) per hour, faster than six times the speed of sound (Mach 6).

A team of marine scientists have discovered fascinating geological formations while diving at Lili uokalani ridge in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) in the Pacific Ocean.

The team of researchers was studying seamounts, underwater mountains, or geologic landforms that were formed by extinct volcanoes rising abruptly. The team was inspecting the summit of Nootka Seamount with the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus and discovered a "dried lake bed" formation that featured hyaloclastite rock.

The geological formation was described as a "yellow brick road" that leads to the mythical city of Atlantis and is a prime example of ancient volcanic geology. The 90-degree brick-like fractures were likely caused by sharp heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions. The PNMM is located north of the Hawaiian islands and spans a whopping 583,000 square miles of ocean, making it one of the largest marine conversation areas on Earth.

NASA's asteroid detection system recorded an asteroid making its closest approach to Earth on Monday, May 9.

Data from the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory detailed the asteroid named 2006 JF42, which passed safely by Earth at a distance of 3.5 million miles, or about 14 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. The asteroid is estimated to have a diameter of 1,247 feet to 2,822 feet, and poses no future threat to Earth, according to current measurements of its orbit.

NASA has previously stated that while many asteroids are categorized as "potentially hazardous," it doesn't necessarily mean that Earth is in danger by them. Two factors determine an asteroid being categorized as potentially dangerous; its diameter and if its orbit comes within a certain distance of Earth. Previously NASA researchers have stated that the agency doesn't know of any asteroid 500+ feet in diameter that has a chance of impacting Earth within the next 100 years.