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1Dec

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Astronomers surprised to find planet ‘too massive for its star’ – Times of India

WASHINGTON: Our Milky Way galaxy's most common type of star is called a red dwarf - much smaller and less luminous than our sun. These stars - or so it was thought - simply are not big enough to host planets much larger than Earth. But the discovery of a planet at least 13 times Earth's mass orbiting very close to a red dwarf only 11% of the sun's mass has astronomers going back to the drawing board on planetary formationtheory involving this prevalent type of star.The mass ratio of this planet with its star is more than 100 times greater than that of Earth and the sun. "We discovered a planet that is too massive for its star," said Penn State astronomer Suvrath Mahadevan, one of the leaders of the study published this week in the journal Science. The star, called LHS 3154, is relativel...

1Dec

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Archaeological breakthrough: 400,000-year-old bones reveal Hominins preyed on beavers – Times of India

Archaeologists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Leibniz Zentrum für Archäologie, and Leiden University have made a groundbreaking discovery at the 400,000-year-old hominin open-air site of Bilzingsleben in central Germany, reported Sci.news. The researchers identified cut marks on bones belonging to two beaver species, challenging conventional wisdom about the dietary choices of Middle Pleistocene hominins.The findings, published in a recent study, suggest a greater diversity in prey choices by early hominins than previously acknowledged. Contrary to the common assumption of a narrow subsistence base focused on large ungulates, the research indicates a broader spectrum of prey choices, including small animals, plants, and aquatic foods, dating back 400,000 years.Study lead Sabi...

1Dec

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Seismic signals predicted Turkey’s devastating earthquake months in advance – Times of India

A recent overseas study has unveiled a groundbreaking revelation in earthquake prediction, as seismic signals were found to provide advanced clues leading up to a devastating quake that struck Turkey earlier this year, reported RNZ. The signals, unique in their nature, were detected up to eight months before the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February, which resulted in widespread damage across southern Turkey and Syria, claiming tens of thousands of lives.According to GNS Science seismologist Dr. Matt Gerstenberger, scientists had previously observed "predictable patterns of really tiny micro earthquakes" in laboratory earthquake simulations. However, this marked the first time such signals were observed in real-world seismic activity.In an interview with Morning Report, Dr. Gerstenberger...

1Dec

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People who experienced childhood adversity had poorer Covid-19 outcomes, new study shows – Times of India

PITTSBURGH: Adults who faced adversity during childhood were significantly more likely to die from or be hospitalized because of Covid-19. That's the key finding of my team's recent study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The study of 150,000 adults in the United Kingdom found those reporting the most childhood traumahad a 25% greater likelihood of death associated with Covid-19, as well as a 22% increase in hospitalisation after contracting Covid-19.These figures held up even after accounting for demographics and health conditions.Childhood trauma includes physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, household dysfunction and what many call "toxic stress." Our study relied on the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database with more than 500,000 volunteers ag...

30Nov

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Gamma-ray burst from distant supernova creates unprecedented ionospheric disturbance on earth – Times of India

In a surprising turn of events, a gamma-ray burst (GRB) originating from a supernova explosion nearly 2 billion light-years away has left a lasting impact on Earth. Contrary to the belief that such astronomical phenomena wouldn't affect our planet, the burst, named GRB 221009A, lasted a remarkable 800 seconds and managed to disturb Earth's ionosphere, even activating lightning detectors in India.This extraordinary GRB, occurring on average only once every 10,000 years, caught the attention of scientists worldwide. Mirko Piersanti from the University of L'Aquila, Italy, the lead author of a paper analyzing the event, described it as "probably the brightest gamma-ray burst we have ever detected."Ionospheric Disturbance UnveiledTraditionally, the ionosphere, an atmospheric layer filled wit...

30Nov

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Nanoplastics Linked to Parkinson’s and Some Types of Dementia: New Study

The researchers showed that nanoplastics found in the environment can interact with a protein called alpha-synuclein. Source link

30Nov

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XPoSat set to revolutionize x-ray astronomy: Isro – Times of India

BENGALURU: India is on the verge of a groundbreaking leap in space-based x-ray astronomy with the imminent launch of the first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), Isro said Thursday. Unlike previous missions that focused predominantly on imaging, time-domain studies, and spectroscopy, XPoSat aims to explore the polarisation of intense x-ray sources, introducing a novel dimension to x-ray astronomy, the space agency said in a special page created for the mission.Isro Chairman S Somanath had told TOI earlier this month that Isro is targetting at least two more launches this year, one on its workhorse, the PSLV, which will launch the Xposat and the other on the GSLV-Mk2, which will launch the Insat-3DS..“The mission's objectives include measuring x-ray polarisation and conducting long-te...

29Nov

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In a first, newborn star’s spinning disk seen in another galaxy – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Astronomers have identified a circumstellar disk around a star that surpasses the size and luminosity of the sun. This phenomenon, where a dense clump of interstellar gas and dust collapses under its own gravitational force, marks the birth of stars. The residual material forms a swirling disk around the nascent star, contributing to its growth and potentially giving rise to planets.Remarkably, such newborn stars with circumstellar disks were previously observed exclusively within our Milky Way galaxy.However, researchers have now extended this observation to a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our closest neighbouring galaxies. The finding opens new avenues for understanding stellar formation and planetary systems beyond our galactic borders.In a celestial spectacle...

29Nov

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Global marine life on the move due to rising sea temperatures: Study – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Rising sea temperatures due to climate changeare causing tropical marine species to move from the equator towards the poles, according to a study. The research, published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, also shows that temperate species are receding as it gets too warm, they face increased competition for habitat, and new predators arrive on the scene. This mass movement of marine life, termed tropicalisation, is changing the ecological landscape of our oceans and leading to a cascade of consequences for ecosystems, biodiversity, and potentially the global economy, the researchers said. The publication of the study coincides with the start of COP28 in Dubai, where global policymakers congregate and make pledges to tackle the impact of global warming. In rece...

29Nov

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Researchers give insight into repairing nerve cells after injury, in chronic disease – Times of India

LA JOLLA: Each year, more than 3 million people in the United States suffer from peripheral neuropathy, a condition in which nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord are destroyed, resulting in pain and loss of feeling in the afflicted areas. Diabetes, injuries, genetically inherited disease, infection, and other factors can all cause peripheral neuropathy.Salk researchers have discovered a method in mice for mending injured nerves during peripheral neuropathy. They discovered that the protein Mitf aids in the activation of the repair function of specialised Schwann cells in the nervous system.The findings, which will be published in Cell Reports, have the potential to inspire new therapies that improve repair function and heal peripheral neuropathy."We wanted to know what mechanisms...

29Nov

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Lizards and Other Species Are Evolving With Climate Change, but Not Fast Enough – The Wire Science

Temperature sensitivity makes western fence lizards vulnerable to climate change. Photo: Greg Shine/BLM, CC BY 4.0 Climate change is threatening the survival of plants and animals around the globe as temperatures rise and habitats change. Some species have been able to meet the challenge with rapid evolutionary adaptation and other changes in behaviour or physiology. Dark-coloured dragonflies are getting paler in order to reduce the amount of heat they absorb from the sun. Mustard plants are flowering earlier to take advantage of earlier snowmelt. Lizards are becoming more cold-tolerant to handle the extreme variability of our new climate. However, scientific studies show that climate change is occurring much faster than species are changing. What is evolution...