145 articles from FRIDAY 28.10.2022
From NASA’s Moon Program to Climate Science, Space Agency Adds Big Boost to the Economy
NASA has been asked to do a lot of things in the 64 years it’s been a federal agency, and on the whole, it’s delivered the goods. Beat the Soviet Union to the moon? Check. Build a fleet of reusable space shuttles? Check. Oversee a 15-nation collaboration that built a football-field sized International Space Station? Check.
But there’s one thing NASA has never been asked to do,...
Ukraine Has Been Using Elon Musk’s Satellites And Russia Is Not Happy About It
Few people were thinking about a war in Ukraine when SpaceX began launching its constellation of Starlink satellites into space in 2019. The Starlink fleet, which now numbers more than 2,300, is designed to provide broadband connection to underserved parts of the world. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, the Ukrainian army has been making use of the satellites for battlefield...
NASA's Lunar Flashlight ready to search for the Moon's water ice
It's known that water ice exists below the lunar regolith (broken rock and dust), but scientists don't yet understand whether surface ice frost covers the floors inside these cold craters. To find out, NASA is sending Lunar Flashlight, a small satellite (or SmallSat) no larger than a briefcase. Swooping low over the lunar South Pole, it will use lasers to shed light on these dark craters—much...
NASA continues Psyche asteroid mission
NASA announced Friday the agency decided its Psyche mission will go forward, targeting a launch period opening on Oct. 10, 2023.
As Nations Prepare for COP27, Climate Science Is Stronger Than Ever
Scientists today can link specific ecological disasters with a changing climate—and assert with confidence what future impacts will be.
Here’s How Carbon Offsets Can Live up to Their Bold Promises
As the value of voluntary carbon markets closes in on $2 billion, figuring out which projects are legitimate can be tricky.
Hinode Sees Annular Solar Eclipse from Orbit
Portal origin URL: Hinode Sees Annular Solar Eclipse from OrbitPortal origin nid: 483680Published: Friday, October 28, 2022 - 15:02Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: On Oct. 25, the Hinode satellite used its X-ray Telescope to capture three passages of the Moon eclipsing the Sun.Portal image: A triple photo showcasingHinode view of the annular...
NASA Continues Psyche Asteroid Mission
Portal origin URL: NASA Continues Psyche Asteroid MissionPortal origin nid: 483679Published: Friday, October 28, 2022 - 15:00Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA announced Friday the agency decided its Psyche mission will go forward, targeting a launch period opening on Oct. 10, 2023.Portal image: NASA's Psyche...
Artificial intelligence and molecule machine join forces to generalize automated chemistry
Artificial intelligence, "building-block" chemistry and a molecule-making machine teamed up to find the best general reaction conditions for synthesizing chemicals important to biomedical and materials research—a finding that could speed innovation and drug discovery as well as make complex chemistry automated and accessible.
Team develops new method to determine flaws in rubber
A new method to ensure consistency and quality in rubber manufacturing, developed by a research team from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Eastman, is likely to show real-world impact on material sustainability and durability for products such as car tires.
Haunting portrait: Webb reveals dust and structure in pillars of creation
Why does mid-infrared light evoke such a somber, chilling mood in Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) image? Interstellar dust cloaks the scene. And while mid-infrared light specializes in detailing where dust is, the stars aren't bright enough at these wavelengths to appear. Instead, these looming, leaden-hued pillars of gas and dust gleam at their edges, hinting at the activity within.
NASA and ESA agree on next steps to return Mars samples to Earth
The next step in the unprecedented campaign to return scientifically selected samples from Mars was made on Oct. 19 with a formal agreement between NASA and its partner ESA (European Space Agency). The two agencies will proceed with the creation of a sample tube depot on Mars. The sample depot, or cache, will be at "Three Forks," an area located near the base of an ancient river delta in Jezero...
Empathy for the pain of the conflicting group is altered across generations in the aftermath of a genocide
Feeling empathy for others is deeply engrained into our biology, as seeing another individual in pain triggers an empathic response in the brain of the observer, which allows us to understand and feel what other feels. However, our capacity to feel empathy for the suffering of others is unfortunately not equal towards all human beings.
NASA laser project benefits animal researchers
- ScienceDaily
- 22/10/28 20:07
NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission can provide valuable information about the world's forests for wildlife scientists.
Tracking the pathway to immunity, one cell at a time
- ScienceDaily
- 22/10/28 20:07
Vaccines work their magic by effectively creating immune cells that are long lived, often for over decades. These immune cells create both a protective barrier that can prevent or minimize re-infection and a memory that allows us to recognize an old invader like a virus and to kill it before it causes disease. The antibody in our blood that is the barrier is made by 'long lived plasma cells' and...
New clues into a serious neurodegenerative disease
- ScienceDaily
- 22/10/28 20:07
A new study sheds light on the basic biology of frontotemporal dementia caused by a particular genetic mutation.
Inverted dancers have more acute visuomotor perception
- ScienceDaily
- 22/10/28 20:06
People with extended visuomotor experience with inverted movements -- such as vertical dancers -- can overcome the inversion effect in perceiving biological motion.
Climate crisis study finds heatwaves have cost global economy $16tn
Researchers examining data going back to 1990s find global south has borne brunt despite causing least emissionsHeatwaves brought on by human-caused climate breakdown have cost the global economy about $16tn since the 1990s, according to a study.The research calculates the financial impact of extreme heat on infrastructure, agriculture, productivity, human health and other areas. Continue...
Heat waves driven by climate change have cost global economy trillions since the 1990s
Massive economic losses due to sweltering temperatures brought on by human-caused climate change are not just a problem for the distant future. A study in the journal Science Advances has found that more severe heat waves resulting from global warming have already cost the world economy trillions of dollars since the early 1990s—with the world's poorest and lowest carbon-emitting nations...
Bacteria-based, fat-free whipped cream could be a food of the future
It's no secret that whipped cream is composed of 38% saturated fat, making it a not so fluffy caloric and climate issue as well. Therefore, a group of researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Food Science set out to develop a low-fat, more sustainable alternative.
Zombie worlds: Five spooky planets orbiting dead stars
All stars, including the sun, have a finite lifetime. Stars shine by the process of nuclear fusion in which lighter atoms, such as hydrogen, fuse together to create heavier ones. This process releases vast quantities of energy which counteracts the ever-present inward pull of the star's gravity. Ultimately, fusion helps stars to resist gravitational collapse.
Study examines how well-timed cover crops can suppress weeds in California orchards
California's commercial orchards are home to nearly 2.5 million acres of almonds, walnuts, stone fruit and similar crops. Growers focus their most intense weed management efforts on establishing a clear crop row so that weeds won't interfere with irrigation lines, compete with crops for water, or impede the use of sweepers and other harvesting equipment.
Dead crustaceans washing up on England's north-east coast may be victims of the green industrial revolution
Thousands of dead and dying crabs and lobsters washed up along a 50km stretch of England's north-east coast last autumn. Observers reported seeing the animals experience peculiar behaviors including convulsions, before suffering paralysis and death.
Scientists investigate using lunar soils to sustainably supply oxygen and fuels on the moon
Building up a lunar settlement has been the ultimate aim of lunar exploitation since humanity's first step on the moon. Yet, limited fuel and oxygen supplies restrict human survival on the moon.
How to improve microendoscopes? New probe design brings promises to improve biomedical imaging
Microendoscopes are the cornerstone of modern medical diagnostics—they allow us to see what we could not even describe two decades ago. The technology is constantly improving, with ICTER scientists contributing to the development of the probes.