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Categories: Space: Cosmology, Space: General
Published Scientists, philosophers identify nature's missing evolutionary law
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new article describes 'a missing law of nature,' recognizing for the first time an important norm within the natural world's workings. In essence, the new law states that complex natural systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity. In other words, evolution is not limited to life on Earth, it also occurs in other massively complex systems, from planets and stars to atoms, minerals, and more.
Published NASA's Webb captures an ethereal view of NGC 346
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source One of the greatest strengths of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is its ability to give astronomers detailed views of areas where new stars are being born. The latest example, showcased here in a new image from Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), is NGC 346 -- the brightest and largest star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Published Removal of magnetic spacecraft contamination within extraterrestrial samples easily carried out, researchers say
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By demonstrating that spaceflight doesn’t adversely affect the magnetism of moon rocks, researchers underscore the exciting potential of studying the magnetic histories stored in these samples.
Published Researchers capture first-ever afterglow of huge planetary collision in outer space
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A chance social media post by an eagle-eyed amateur astronomer sparked the discovery of an explosive collision between two giant planets, which crashed into each other in a distant space system 1,800 light years away from planet Earth.
Published 'Starquakes' could explain mystery signals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are an astronomical mystery, with their exact cause and origins still unconfirmed. These intense bursts of radio energy are invisible to the human eye, but show up brightly on radio telescopes. Previous studies have noted broad similarities between the energy distribution of repeat FRBs, and that of earthquakes and solar flares. However, new research has looked at the time and energy of FRBs and found distinct differences between FRBs and solar flares, but several notable similarities between FRBs and earthquakes. This supports the theory that FRBs are caused by 'starquakes' on the surface of neutron stars. This discovery could help us better understand earthquakes, the behavior of high-density matter and aspects of nuclear physics.
Published Finding explanation for Milky Way's warp
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Though scientists have long known through observational data that the Milky Way is warped and its edges are flared like a skirt, no one could explain why. Now, astronomers have performed the first calculations that fully explain this phenomenon, with compelling evidence pointing to the Milky Way's envelopment in an off-kilter halo of dark matter.
Published Stellar fountain of youth with turbulent formation history in the center of our galaxy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An unexpectedly high number of young stars has been identified in the direct vicinity of a supermassive black hole and water ice has been detected at the center of our galaxy.
Published Source of electron acceleration and X-ray aurora of Mercury local chorus waves detected
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Observations during two flybys by the Mio spacecraft as part of the BepiColombo International Mercury Exploration Project have revealed that chorus waves occur quite locally in the dawn sector of Mercury. Mercury's magnetic field is about 1% of that of Earth, and it was unclear whether chorus waves would be generated like on Earth. The present study reveals that the chorus waves are the driving source of Mercury's X-ray auroras, whose mechanism was not understood.
Published Astronomers discover first step toward planet formation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have gotten very good at spotting the signs of planet formation around stars. But for a complete understanding of planet formation, we also need to study examples where planet formation has not yet started. Looking for something and not finding it can be even more difficult than finding it sometimes, but new detailed observations of the young star DG Taurus show that it has a smooth protoplanetary disk without signs of planet formation. This successful non-detection of planet formation may indicate that DG Taurus is on the eve of planet formation.
Published Pulsars may make dark matter glow
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A team of astrophysicists has now shown that if dark matter consists of axions, it may reveal itself in the form of a subtle additional glow coming from pulsating stars.
Published Scientists discover the highest energy gamma-rays ever from a pulsar
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have detected the highest energy gamma rays ever from a dead star called a pulsar. The energy of these gamma rays clocked in at 20 tera-electronvolts, or about ten trillion times the energy of visible light. This observation is hard to reconcile with the theory of the production of such pulsed gamma rays, as the international team reports.
Published Plot thickens in hunt for ninth planet
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A pair of theoretical physicists are reporting that the same observations inspiring the hunt for a ninth planet might instead be evidence within the solar system of a modified law of gravity originally developed to understand the rotation of galaxies.
Published New 'Assembly Theory' unifies physics and biology to explain evolution and complexity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of researchers has developed a new theoretical framework that bridges physics and biology to provide a unified approach for understanding how complexity and evolution emerge in nature. This new work on 'Assembly Theory' represents a major advance in our fundamental comprehension of biological evolution and how it is governed by the physical laws of the universe.
Published A prehistoric cosmic airburst preceded the advent of agriculture in the Levant
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Agriculture in Syria started with a bang 12,800 years ago as a fragmented comet slammed into the Earth’s atmosphere. The explosion and subsequent environmental changes forced hunter-gatherers in the prehistoric settlement of Abu Hureyra to adopt agricultural practices to boost their chances for survival.
Published Large mound structures on Kuiper belt object Arrokoth may have common origin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study posits that the large, approximately 5-kilometer-long mounds that dominate the appearance of the larger lobe of the pristine Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin. The study suggests that these “building blocks” could guide further work on planetesimal formational models.
Published Study quantifies satellite brightness, challenges ground-based astronomy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ability to have access to the Internet or use a mobile phone anywhere in the world is taken more and more for granted, but the brightness of Internet and telecommunications satellites that enable global communications networks could pose problems for ground-based astronomy. Scientists confirm that recently deployed satellites are as bright as stars seen by the unaided eye.
Published Bursts of star formation explain mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) first images of the universe’s earliest galaxies, the young galaxies appear too bright, too massive and too mature to have formed so soon after the Big Bang. Using new simulations, a team of astrophysicists now has discovered that these galaxies likely are not so massive after all. Although a galaxy’s brightness is typically determined by its mass, the new findings suggest that less massive galaxies can glow just as brightly from irregular, brilliant bursts of star formation.
Published Colliding neutron stars provide a new way to measure the expansion of the Universe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In recent years, astronomy has seen itself in a bit of crisis: Although we know that the Universe expands, and although we know approximately how fast, the two primary ways to measure this expansion do not agree. Now astrophysicists suggest a novel method which may help resolve this tension.
Published Ethical guidelines needed before human research in commercial spaceflight is ready for liftoff
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Before human research is conducted during commercial spaceflights, it should be 'ethically cleared to launch,' according to a global team of scientists, health policy experts and commercial spaceflight professionals.
Published Novel bacterial proteins from seafloor shine light on climate and astrobiology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have unveiled a remarkable discovery: the identification of novel bacterial proteins that play a vital role in the formation and stability of methane clathrates, which trap gigatons of greenhouse gas beneath the seafloor. These newfound proteins not only suppress methane clathrate growth as effectively as toxic chemicals used in drilling but also prove to be eco-friendly and scalable. This innovative breakthrough not only promises to enhance environmental safety in natural gas transportation but also sheds light on the potential for similar biomolecules to support life beyond Earth.