Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 172

All the latest Science, Space, Health & Robotics news with plenty of coverage on space launches, discoveries, rockets & plenty more - Page 172.

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New species of ancient vampire-squid discovered, named after Joe Biden

Adam Hunt | Mar 9, 2022 4:43 AM CST

A paper on the new species titled "Fossil coleoid cephalopod from the Mississippian Bear Gulch Lagerstätte sheds light on early vampyropod evolution" has been published in the journal Nature.

New species of ancient vampire-squid discovered, named after Joe Biden

A research team from the American Museum of Natural History and Yale has discovered a new species of vampyropod using a 328-million-year-old fossil. The discovery uncovers one of the oldest ancestors of the group of animals that includes octopuses and vampire squids and shows their ancestors had ten arms instead of eight. The newly discovered species extends the fossil record of this group extends by about 82 million years.

"The arm count is one of the defining characteristics separating the 10-armed squid and cuttlefish line (Decabrachia) from the eight armed octopus and vampire squid line (Vampyropoda). We have long understood that octopuses achieve the eight arm count through elimination of the two filaments of vampire squid, and that these filaments are vestigial arms," said lead author Christopher Whalen, a postdoctoral researcher in the Museum's Division of Paleontology and a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in Yale's Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences.

Continue reading: New species of ancient vampire-squid discovered, named after Joe Biden (full post)

First ever NASA photographs taken on the Moon are up for auction

Adam Hunt | Mar 9, 2022 4:22 AM CST

The photos will be auctioned at Copenhagen's Bruun Rasmussen auction house on March 9th, 2022.

First ever NASA photographs taken on the Moon are up for auction

An anonymous foreign collector contacted the auction house to sell their collection of 74 photos, including photographs from the missions Apollo 8 through Apollo 17 and more, with 26 of the photos being taken on the moon. Each photograph is being auctioned off individually, and the entire collection is estimated to be around 1.4 million kroner in value, or almost 190,000 euros ($205,000).

"One of my favourite photos from this fantastic collection depicts a photo of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong, and you can actually see Neil Armstrong being reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor," Kasper Nielsen, the head of the Bruun Rasmussen auction house's valuation team, told AFP.

Continue reading: First ever NASA photographs taken on the Moon are up for auction (full post)

Global carbon dioxide emissions rebounded to highest ever in 2021

Adam Hunt | Mar 9, 2022 4:01 AM CST

The new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) is part of its Global Energy Review, titled "Global Energy Review: CO2 Emissions in 2021".

Global carbon dioxide emissions rebounded to highest ever in 2021

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions worldwide rose by 6% in 2021 to their highest ever level, 36.3 billion tonnes (36.3 Gt, or gigatonnes). The increase in emissions was by more than 2 billion tonnes, marking the largest absolute increase year-to-year, and more than offset the decline in emissions from the previous year attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The recovery of the global economy led to recovering energy demand in 2021. However, factors such as increased natural gas prices led to more coal being burned for energy, despite the largest recorded growth in renewable power generation.

Continue reading: Global carbon dioxide emissions rebounded to highest ever in 2021 (full post)

Earth may be hit with a blast from the Sun very soon

Jak Connor | Mar 9, 2022 2:02 AM CST

Spaceweather reported that a coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed after an eruption of a magnetic filament.

Earth may be hit with a blast from the Sun very soon

According to the report, the CME departed the Sun on March 7, 2022 and is expected to hit Earth on sometime on March 10. The coronal mass ejection is expected to cause relatively weak geomagnetic storms at a rating of G-1, which means there little chance that satellites and electric grids will be taken offline by the storm.

While the storm is expected to be weak, there is still the increased chance for auroras to be spotted in the night sky. Previous Sun blasts have caused auroras to be spotted across Europe, Scandinavia and as far south in the US as Washington State. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has provided an area where auroras as expected to be seen. If you are interested in reading more about this story, check out this link here.

Continue reading: Earth may be hit with a blast from the Sun very soon (full post)

NASA astronaut takes aim at head of Russia's space agency

Jak Connor | Mar 9, 2022 1:33 AM CST

A NASA astronaut has taken to Twitter to voice his opinion on the recent comments from the head of Russia's space agency.

NASA astronaut takes aim at head of Russia's space agency

The leader of Roscosmos, Russia's equivalent to NASA, has been the target of former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman who critized Russia's space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin over his comments amid Russia's invasion into Ukraine. Rogozin is no stranger to making outlandish comments on social media, as the Roscosmos head recently threatened to crash the ISS into the US over the sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion.

The comments from Rogozin have caused international partners to pull out of relationships with the Russian space agency, which is essentially jeopardizing any future space exploration-ties between Russia and prominent space-advancing countries. Additionally, Rogozin has warned that if any Russian satellites are hacked or infiltrated that it is "a reason to go to war" with those who organized the attack.

Continue reading: NASA astronaut takes aim at head of Russia's space agency (full post)

CIA director says whether or not he thinks Putin is 'crazy'

Jak Connor | Mar 9, 2022 1:03 AM CST

The director for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been asked if he thinks Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, is "crazy".

CIA director says whether or not he thinks Putin is 'crazy'

The question came from US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and was aimed at CIA Director William Burn's who spoke at a House Intelligence Committee hearing. According to the head of the CIA, he doesn't believe Putin is crazy, but instead is becoming increasingly insulated and hardened in his views, which makes him "extremely difficult to deal with".

According to Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, who is the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, estimates measure Russian casualties to be somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000. However, Berrier noted that this estimation was made with "low confidence". Additionally, director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said that the US hasn't seen any notable movement from Russia's nuclear force despite concerning warnings from Putin.

Continue reading: CIA director says whether or not he thinks Putin is 'crazy' (full post)

Russia just shelled yet another nuclear site in Ukraine

Adam Hunt | Mar 8, 2022 2:35 AM CST

Russian forces have already attacked and captured the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Russia just shelled yet another nuclear site in Ukraine

The target of the latest attack was the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT), resulting in the destruction of the lab and its neutron generator. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, says the inventory of radioactive material was small, and no radiation release has been detected following the site's destruction.

The lab was used for research and provided medical isotopes for health care workers. Grossi has said he is ready to meet with Ukrainian and Russian officials to ensure the safety of atomic sites as the war escalates. Other facilities are at risk of damage in addition to any one of Ukraine's fifteen nuclear power plants, such as nuclear-waste storage sites in Kyiv that have already been damaged.

Continue reading: Russia just shelled yet another nuclear site in Ukraine (full post)

Elon Musk says its 'obvious' Europe needs to return to nuclear energy

Adam Hunt | Mar 8, 2022 1:03 AM CST

Musk believes that increasing nuclear energy output is "critical to national and international security."

Elon Musk says its 'obvious' Europe needs to return to nuclear energy

Musk also went on to taunt "those who (mistakenly) think this is a radiation risk" by asking them to say what they thought was the worst location, and that he would then go there and eat locally grown food on television. Musk mentioned going to Japan shortly after the Fukushima nuclear disaster and doing the same thing, and claimed the radiation risk is significantly lower than most people believe.

The tweet has come in the days following a Russian attack on Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which meets 20 percent of Ukraine's energy needs alone. According to the World Nuclear Association, 440 nuclear power plants across 33 countries generated 2553 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2020, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the global energy consumption.

Continue reading: Elon Musk says its 'obvious' Europe needs to return to nuclear energy (full post)

Brain shrinkage observed in even mild COVID-19 cases

Adam Hunt | Mar 8, 2022 12:32 AM CST

A study on the brain changes titled "SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank" has been published in the journal Nature.

Brain shrinkage observed in even mild COVID-19 cases

Researchers found that, on average, middle-aged and older adults who had been afflicted with COVID-19 had tissue shrinkage in areas of the brain related to the sense of smell. Another effect most prevalent among older adults was increased difficulty in completing complex mental tasks after having COVID-19, compared to individuals who had not contracted the disease.

The researchers had access to brain scans before and after people became infected with COVID-19, allowing them to distinguish between expected brain changes and those resulting from COVID-19.

Continue reading: Brain shrinkage observed in even mild COVID-19 cases (full post)

SpaceX is so busy with Starlink in Ukraine that it will delay Starship

Adam Hunt | Mar 8, 2022 12:01 AM CST

Elon Musk expects "slight delays" on the road to Starship's first orbital test flight.

SpaceX is so busy with Starlink in Ukraine that it will delay Starship

It is not the first time Starship has been delayed, with previous delays coming from an ever-shifting deadline for a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The expected delay comes after Musk has redirected SpaceX resources to assist Ukraine in its ongoing defense against the Russian invasion.

Musk has been in contact with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy since sending Starlink equipment to Ukraine to help the country maintain an internet connection amidst the conflict.

Continue reading: SpaceX is so busy with Starlink in Ukraine that it will delay Starship (full post)