Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 197

All the latest Science, Space, Health & Robotics news with plenty of coverage on space launches, discoveries, rockets & plenty more - Page 197.

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Tonga volcanic eruption was so powerful NASA detected it in space

Jak Connor | Jan 20, 2022 1:32 AM CST

In a recent article published in The Conversation, Gareth Dorrian, a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Space Science, University of Birmingham, explains how the recent volcanic eruption was detected in space.

Tonga volcanic eruption was so powerful NASA detected it in space

On January 15, an underwater volcano located 40 miles north of the Tongan capital erupted with the power equivalent to 10 megatons of TNT exploding, or more than 500 times as powerful as the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. The eruption spawned a tsunami that has devastated Tongan islands, wiping out most houses and structures, the event has been caused an "unprecedented disaster" by the Tongan government.

Dorrian explains in the article that the eruption has generated "atmospheric gravity waves" that were detected by a NASA satellite. These waves that were detected will allow Dorrian and fellow researchers to better understand the top layers of Earth's atmosphere from events happening on Earth, and how volcanic eruptions can impact space, as opposed to the alternative perspective of how space impacts the top layer of Earth's atmosphere.

Continue reading: Tonga volcanic eruption was so powerful NASA detected it in space (full post)

NASA says Tonga eruption was 500 times as powerful than a nuclear bomb

Jak Connor | Jan 20, 2022 12:32 AM CST

A large underwater volcano eruption recently rocked tonga, and now the power of that eruption has been calculated by NASA researchers.

NASA says Tonga eruption was 500 times as powerful than a nuclear bomb

According to a new report by NPR, NASA researchers have estimated that the power generated by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano was equivalent to 10 megatons of TNT exploding. The eruption occurred 40 miles north of the Tonga capital and immediately spawned a large tsunami that has since wiped out the majority of the houses and structures across two islands.

"We come up with a number that's around 10 megatons of TNT equivalent," said James Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, told NPR. If NASA's estimations are correct, it means the eruption was more than 500 times as powerful as the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Michael Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said that the blast from the eruption was heard as far away as Alaska, and that it may be the loudest eruption since 1883.

Continue reading: NASA says Tonga eruption was 500 times as powerful than a nuclear bomb (full post)

NASA drops update for James Webb Telescope, new milestone achieved

Jak Connor | Jan 20, 2022 12:04 AM CST

The James Webb Space Telescope is not only nearing the end of its journey to Lagrange 2, it's also closing in on completing its deployment.

NASA drops update for James Webb Telescope, new milestone achieved

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) took off from Earth on Christmas Day, 2021, and has now spent a full month in space. Webb has completed the majority of its complicated deployment work, which has taken the observatory from a narrow configuration that was necessary for launch to an extremely expensive unfolded piece of origami that will hopefully be able to answer some of the biggest questions about the universe.

JWST has 18 primary mirrors, and each is hexagonal and is controlled by seven actuators that give teams back on Earth precise movement capabilities. Teams began deploying each of the mirrors on January 12, and now according to NASA administrator Bill Nelson, all 18 mirror segments are now fully deployed. This doesn't mean that the observatory is operational, as Space.com points out, NASA will need to alter each of the positions of the mirrors, so all of the segments combine to form one giant mirror.

Continue reading: NASA drops update for James Webb Telescope, new milestone achieved (full post)

NASA and HeroX launch waste reprocessing and air quality challenges

Adam Hunt | Jan 19, 2022 6:00 AM CST

The challenges were created by NASA's Tournament Lab in collaboration with crowdsourcing platform HeroX.

NASA and HeroX launch waste reprocessing and air quality challenges

The first challenge, Waste to Base Materials Challenge: Sustainable Reprocessing in Space, is seeking solutions to the problems caused by waste generated in space. Long spaceflights such as those to Mars, which for a round trip would take at least 12 to 18 months, would generate a lot of waste. Each submission for the challenge will be evaluated based on how it handles four categories: trash, fecal waste, foam packaging material, and carbon dioxide processing.

"This is exactly what our crowd is poised to do: solve intractable problems with an eye for efficiency and sustainability. I am eager to see the submissions," said HeroX President & CEO Kal K. Sahota.

Continue reading: NASA and HeroX launch waste reprocessing and air quality challenges (full post)

Tiny electricity-generating bandages show promise for helping recovery

Adam Hunt | Jan 19, 2022 5:30 AM CST

A new review on the technology was published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Tiny electricity-generating bandages show promise for helping recovery

Scientists in Taiwan reviewed the latest advances in small dressings that generate electricity, and can accelerate wound healing and tissue regeneration. In the mid-to-late 20th century, scientists found that stimulating tissue with an electric field could improve wound healing. Current research is focused on developing small patches that can achieve this without external electric equipment.

Candidate materials for these technologies are piezoelectric materials, which generate electric currents when exposed to mechanical stress. These include natural materials such as quartz, silk, wood, bone, hair, and rubber. Synthetic materials such as quartz analogs, ceramics, and polymers are also piezoelectric.

Continue reading: Tiny electricity-generating bandages show promise for helping recovery (full post)

Research shows we're adapting to climate change, but not quick enough

Adam Hunt | Jan 19, 2022 5:00 AM CST

A review of the current situation was published in an article in the journal Nature Climate Change by researchers from Concordia University.

Research shows we're adapting to climate change, but not quick enough

The article synthesizes findings from 1,682 articles distilled from over 50,000 scientific documents on adaptations made by humans and society to respond to climate change. It shows that humans are implementing strategies to combat climate change; however, there is insufficient data to ascertain whether any responses reduce the overall climate change risks. So far, no significant transformative change has arisen.

Some of the reviewed articles suggested a link between adaptation and mitigation, but the limited data doesn't show a direct influence on adverse outcomes such as extreme weather events resulting from the risk mitigation strategies currently in place. Lack of transformative adaptations such as moving communities out of high-risk areas or radically changing agricultural practices was a cause of concern for the researchers, who noted only relatively small steps being taken so far.

Continue reading: Research shows we're adapting to climate change, but not quick enough (full post)

Pollutants and plastics have exceeded safe planetary boundaries

Adam Hunt | Jan 19, 2022 4:30 AM CST

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology discusses the updated planetary boundaries framework.

Pollutants and plastics have exceeded safe planetary boundaries

In 2009, nine planetary boundaries were identified by researchers, which describe the relatively stable state of Earth since the dawn of civilization approximately 10,000 years ago. Some of the boundaries have yet to be quantified, but in 2015 scientists concluded that at least four of the boundaries have been breached. The boundary for novel entities is now being breached with significantly increased chemical and plastic production.

"There has been a 50-fold increase in the production of chemicals since 1950. This is projected to triple again by 2050. The pace that societies are producing and releasing new chemicals and other novel entities into the environment is not consistent with staying within a safe operating space for humanity," says co-author Patricia Villarubia-Gomez from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University.

Continue reading: Pollutants and plastics have exceeded safe planetary boundaries (full post)

ExxonMobil is targeting 'net zero' operational emissions by 2050

Adam Hunt | Jan 19, 2022 4:00 AM CST

ExxonMobil made its pledge on Tuesday, January 18th, 2022.

ExxonMobil is targeting 'net zero' operational emissions by 2050

The pledge covers what is known as "Scope 1" and "Scope 2" emissions, referring to the carbon emissions from ExxonMobil's operations and emissions associated with heating and cooling used at its facilities. "Scope 3" emissions are not covered by the pledge, which refers to those from the products sold, including gasoline purchased by consumers.

ExxonMobil has also announced other projects that will see more funding put into lower-emissions technologies, such as carbon capture and storage projects. "Detailed roadmaps" will be released by the end of 2022, addressing ninety percent of operations-related greenhouse gas emissions, with the remaining ten percent in 2023.

Continue reading: ExxonMobil is targeting 'net zero' operational emissions by 2050 (full post)

Coinbase secures Mastercard for its upcoming NFT marketplace

Jak Connor | Jan 19, 2022 3:13 AM CST

Mastercard has announced a new partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase for its upcoming NFT marketplace.

Coinbase secures Mastercard for its upcoming NFT marketplace

The new partnership with Mastercard is aimed at providing users with a way to make purchases on the NFT marketplace without having to purchase Ethereum or other cryptocurrencies. Mastercard's executive vice president of digital assets, Raj Dhamodharan, said that NFTs will be looked at as "digital goods," and this partnership will allow users to purchase NFTs with a credit card.

Dhamodharan explains that the process of purchasing an NFT with cryptocurrency is fairly simple for someone who is already involved in the space (trading, flipping, etc) but for the majority of people, the process is very new and not simple. Dhamodharan says that the process of purchasing an NFT "should be much easier", and "That will ensure NFTs can be for everyone [...] Getting more people involved safely and securely is perhaps the best way to help the NFT market thrive."

Continue reading: Coinbase secures Mastercard for its upcoming NFT marketplace (full post)

Tonga hit with volcanic eruption and tsunami, 'unprecedented disaster'

Jak Connor | Jan 19, 2022 2:57 AM CST

A recent volcanic eruption 40 miles off the coast of Tonga has rocked the nation, as a tsunami has destroyed countless homes, and ash blanketed the main island.

Tonga hit with volcanic eruption and tsunami, 'unprecedented disaster'

An underwater volcano erupted 40 miles north of the capital of Tonga, spawning a 49-foot tsunami that has almost wiped out all the homes on two islands. Tonga has experienced communication issues since the eruption as an undersea cable was severed. The Tongan government gave its first update on Saturday and announced its second today, describing the event as an "unprecedented disaster" and confirming the deaths of three people.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted with an ash cloud that reached the stratosphere (50 miles), covering the 170 islands where around 100,000 people live. The physical damage from the tsunami has caused major damage across most islands, and the volcanic ash is blanketing regions, contaminating drinking water.

Continue reading: Tonga hit with volcanic eruption and tsunami, 'unprecedented disaster' (full post)