Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 331

For many years, astronomers have been questioning some of the fundamental parts of the universe, and now we have discovered the key component that can answer those questions.

According to a report from the BBC, scientists have collided atoms together and have found sub-atomic particles called muons. Researchers found that these sub-atomic particles don't behave under the current theory of sub-atomic particle physics, which leads researchers to believe that there is another force of nature influencing this sub-atomic particle.

At the moment, researchers agree that there are four fundamental forces of nature; gravity, electricity, magnetism, and two nuclear forces. All of these forces of nature help us measure and understand the universe. If researchers can prove the existence of a fifth force of nature, then it may explain some burning questions in many different scientific fields. If you want to watch a quick video on this topic/discover, check out this link here.

Two days an image from NASA went somewhat viral as thousands of people were interested in how Mars produced a "rainbow" with no water in its atmosphere.

The above image shows what seems to be to the normal eye a perfect rainbow hovering in the martian sky. This was quite puzzling to some people, as there shouldn't be any rainbows on Mars considering the lack of raindrops in the sky and how thin the atmosphere is. So, what are we looking at if it isn't a martian rainbow?

The answer is a bit of a mood-killer if you get excited about space things. Since there were so many people questioning the image that NASA released, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab gave an accurate answer to Futurism. JPL media relations specialist Andrew Good confirmed, "What you're seeing there is a lens flare. We have sunshades on the front Hazcams, which were considered mission critical (since we need them for driving forward, and we're usually driving forward)."

An announcement has come from a state health department has urged residents to stay indoors as a possibly serious threat has emerged.

According to an announcement from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on Tuesday, a resident of Barry County, Michigan, has been suspected of contracting Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). EEE is a potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness, and the Michigan resident isn't the only case of the disease, as 22 horses across 10 counties have been confirmed to have contracted EEE.

Due to the spread of the disease, authorities have urged Michigan residents to stay indoors after dark so they are protected against any potential mosquitos that could be carrying the disease. To counter the threat these mosquitos bring, the MDHHS has confirmed it will be spraying pesticide over high-risk areas in the state, which include the 10 counties that have confirmed cases in horses. The distribution of this pesticide is aimed at controlling the population of mosquitos in the respective areas.

While COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed out to millions of people around the country, one top virus expert has warned that the US is about to enter a "new pandemic".

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said on Sunday that in many ways, he believes that "we're almost in a new pandemic", as a result of the new strains of COVID-19 spreading. Dr. Osterholm explains that the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom is of much concern to public health experts for the following reasons.

"This is a virus that is now 50 to 100 percent more transmissible or infectious than the previous viruses. This is a virus that causes 50 to 60 percent more severe illnesses, and so what at one time wasn't as much of a problem-for example, in cases in young adult-are now becoming very serious cases. This is really a fourth wave, you might call it, with somewhat of a different picture than we've seen in the past waves of the pandemic."

Back in late February, NASA's new Mars rover safely touched down on the Red Planet, and now it's hard at work uncovering the mysteries of a new baron world.

Looking at the official Twitter account for the Perseverance rover, we can see that the rover is speaking from a first-person view and that it has recently found a strange rock that has scientists back on Earth puzzled. From the string of tweets that the Perseverance rover has sent, it's apparent that scientists aren't quite sure what or where this uniquely looking space rock has come from.

In one reply from Perseverance, it's stated that the team of scientists has proposed many different hypotheses about the rock, a couple of which are as follows; "is it something weathered out of the local bedrock? Is it a piece of Mars plopped into the area from a far-flung impact event? Is it a meteorite?". At the moment, your guess is as good as NASA's until more research into the strange rock is completed.

Russian researchers found two ancient nematodes (roundworms) in the Siberian permafrost, and now those worms have defrosted and returned back to life.

A new report from The Siberian Times indicates that Russian scientists "defrosted" and subsequently revived two roundworms that had been frozen in the Arctic permafrost for a staggering 40,000 years. Now that these worms have come back to life through a slow defrost, they are now the oldest living animals on the planet.

One research paper suggests that one worm originally came from an ancient squirrel burrow that was in a permafrost wall of the Duvanny Yar outcrop in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River. This worm is around 32,000 years old, and the other worm was found near Alazeya River earlier in 2015 and is around 41,700 years old. To read more on this interesting story, check out this link here for more information.

Sometimes it's nice to take a slow morning walk, and during that morning walk, you usually aren't expecting to find something that is truly confusing.

Well, a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey, was out for a morning stroll in a park near the Hudson River when she spotted hundreds of worms forming a spiral on the sidewalk. Tiffanie Fisher, a local councilperson, shared the images on her Twitter, calling the strange assortment of worms a "wormnado". Locals quickly began commenting on the images, one saying it "looks like a portal out of a horror movie".

Kevin Butt, a soil ecology expert at the University of Central Lancashire, said, "In short, worms have likely come to the soil surface due to excess rainwater, have been unable to burrow down due to movement on to a hard surface and the shape seen may well be a function of the water draining away, rather than specific behaviour of the earthworms."

Researchers discovered that back in 1582, a huge solar storm hit Earth and appeared in the skies over Europe and Asia.

Now, researchers are saying that a similar-sized solar mega-storm could hit Earth again this century, but this time around, it could rain destruction on the planet, knocking out power grids across the globe. Researchers from Cornell University discovered eyewitness reports of the previously mentioned 1582 solar storm and found that these old reports were similar to reports of modern-day solar storms that occurred back in 1909 and 1989.

According to the reports from back in 1582, the solar storm lasted for three days, and onlookers saw a "fiery red show in the sky". Additionally, Pero Ruiz Soares, an eyewitness of the 1582 solar storm, noted, "All that part of the sky appeared burning in fiery flames; it seemed that the sky was burning." Researchers believe that a solar storm of this magnitude occurs roughly every hundred years, which means that one is expected to happen sometime in the 21st century.

One of the White House health advisors has said that there is a "message" problem regarding what vaccinated people can now do.

That White House health advisor is Dr. Michael Osterholm, who recently stated that COVID-19 vaccines are not complete protection against the virus, thus the recommendation of fully vaccinated people avoiding air travel if it's "nonessential". Here's what Dr. Osterholm said, "It's not perfect, it's not 100 percent [protection from COVID-19]".

Dr. Osterholm also said that there is a problem with conveying this message to the public, stating, "We do have a problem right now from a public health standpoint nuancing that message." As for what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, fully vaccinated people can safely travel but are still recommended to wear masks.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is still in action capturing astonishing images of planets, galaxies, and other celestial sights.

Above we have an image of the Veil Nebula, and as BGR mentions, it looks like the image was created using special effects, but it's not. This is Mother Nature at her finest. On NASA's post, it details that the Veil Nebula is 2,100 light-years away from Earth and that the nebula was created as a result of a death of a star that is estimated to be 20 times the mass of our Sun.

What we are seeing in the image is ionized gas that has been left over after the star detonated around 10,000 years ago. While it may take some billions of years, eventually, all of this gas will clump together into tighter and tighter pieces. Dust and other materials in space will also clump together, which may form a brand new planetary system, and thus the cycle of stars and planets. For more information on this story, check out this link here.