The Zen of Technology & Scientific Discovery! (& Robots)

[Jundo]

Good news, I would say personally ... since all composite things are impermanent, including us, but we don't want to rush things.

The DART mission successfully changed the motion of an asteroid

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully changed the trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphos when the NASA spacecraft intentionally slammed into the space rock on September 26, according to the agency.

The DART mission, a full-scale demonstration of deflection technology, was the world’s first conducted on behalf of planetary defense. The mission was also the first time humanity intentionally changed the motion of a celestial object in space.

Prior to impact, it took Dimorphos 11 hours and 55 minutes to orbit its larger parent asteroid Didymos. Astronomers used ground-based telescopes to measure how Dimorphos’ orbit changed after impact. Now, it takes Dimorphos 11 hours and 23 minutes to circle Didymos. The DART spacecraft changed the moonlet asteroid’s orbit by 32 minutes.

Initially, astronomers expected DART to be a success if it shortened the trajectory by 10 minutes.

“All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. After all, it’s the only one we have,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.https://us.cnn.com/2022/10/11/world/...scn/index.html

https://youtu.be/fFkePcWUMiM

https://youtu.be/nHBuVbGkmBY

That second video from NASA makes it sound like we are getting our revenge!

Darn you asteroids! REMEMBER THE DINOSAURS! ...

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Something for those who like to ponder and wander in logic on Emptiness.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ers-proved-it/

A very interesting interview with one of the prize-winners, explaining the history of thinking about "spooky action at a distance" aka "quantum entanglement, and these experiments which confirmed it and led to this prize award ...

A Q&A with Caltech alumnus John Clauser on his first experimental proof of quantum entanglement.

When scientists, including Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger, first discovered the phenomenon of entanglement in the 1930s, they were perplexed. Disturbingly, entanglement required two separated particles to remain connected without being in direct contact. In fact, Einstein famously called entanglement “spooky action at a distance,” because the particles seemed to be communicating faster than the speed of light.

To explain the bizarre implications of entanglement, Einstein, along with Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen (EPR), argued that “hidden variables” should be added to quantum mechanics. These could be used to explain entanglement, and to restore “locality” and “causality” to the behavior of the particles. Locality states that objects are only influenced by their immediate surroundings. Causality states that an effect cannot occur before its cause, and that causal signaling cannot propagate faster than light speed. Niels Bohr famously disputed EPR’s argument, while Schrödinger and Wendell Furry, in response to EPR, independently hypothesized that entanglement vanishes with wide-particle separation.

Unfortunately, at the time, no experimental evidence for or against quantum entanglement of widely separated particles was available. Experiments have since proven that entanglement is very real and fundamental to nature. Furthermore, quantum mechanics has now been proven to work, not only at very short distances but also at very great distances. Indeed, China’s quantum-encrypted communications satellite, Micius, (part of the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) research project) relies on quantum entanglement between photons that are separated by thousands of kilometers.

https://scitechdaily.com/first-experimental-proof-that-quantum-entanglement-is-real/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Cassie, a robot built by Agility Robotics, set the Guinness World Record for the fastest 100-meter run by a bipedal robot.

https://youtu.be/64hKiuJ31a4

More on Cassie and bi-pedal robots ...

https://youtu.be/o1liRaTzG-g

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Yummy! Magne-meat!

A Better Way To Grow Meat in the Lab: Zapping Cells With a Magnet

The new technique simplifies the production process of cell-based meat.

The new process is a more environmentally friendly, cleaner, safer, and cost-effective way to make cell-based meat.
By zapping animal cells with a magnet, researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a revolutionary method of producing cell-based meat. By using fewer animal products, this innovative method streamlines the production of cell-based meat and makes it safer, cleaner, and more cost-effective.

The benefits of cultured meat over traditional animal agriculture include a reduced carbon footprint and a lower chance of animal disease transmission. However, the current method of producing cultured meat needs the use of other animal products, which largely defeats the purpose, or drugs to stimulate the meat’s growth.

... The harvested secretomes can also be used for regenerative medicine. The NUS team used the secreted proteins to treat unhealthy cells and found that they help to accelerate the recovery and growth of unhealthy cells. Therefore, this method can potentially help to cure injured cells and speed up a patient’s recovery.

https://scitechdaily.com/a-better-wa...with-a-magnet/

... we are meat ...

New RNA Tool Can Illuminate Brain Circuits and Edit Specific Cells

Scientists at Duke University have developed an RNA-based editing tool that targets individual cells, rather than genes. It is capable of precisely targeting any type of cell and selectively adding any protein of interest. Researchers said the tool could enable modifying very specific cells and cell functions to manage disease.

Using an RNA-based probe, a team led by neurobiologist Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D. and postdoctoral researcher Yongjun Qian, Ph.D. demonstrated they can introduce into cells fluorescent tags to label specific types of brain tissue; a light-sensitive on/off switch to silence or activate neurons of their choosing; and even a self-destruct enzyme to precisely expunge some cells but not others. The work will be published today (October 5, 2022) in the journal Nature.

https://scitechdaily.com/new-rna-too...pecific-cells/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

All composite things are change ... a look at the future ...

New research has found that the world’s next supercontinent, Amasia, will most likely form when the Pacific Ocean closes in 200 to 300 million years.

A Curtin University-led research team used a supercomputer to simulate how a supercontinent forms. They discovered that because the Earth has been cooling for billions of years, the thickness and strength of the plates under the oceans reduce with time, making it difficult for the next supercontinent to assemble by closing the “young” oceans, such as the Atlantic or Indian oceans. The study was published recently in National Science Review

https://scitechdaily.com/behold-the-...tinent-amasia/.

... and the far past ...

Monstrous “Mega-Earthquake” Triggered by Impact That Killed the Dinosaurs

A 6-mile (10-kilometer) asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago, triggering the extinction of the dinosaurs. According to new evidence, the Chicxulub impact also triggered an earthquake that was so massive it shook the planet for weeks to months after the collision. This “mega-earthquake” released an incredible amount of energy, estimated at 1023 joules, which is about 50,000 times more energy than was released in the magnitude 9.1 Sumatra earthquake in 2004.

https://scitechdaily.com/monstrous-mega-earthquake-triggered-by-impact-that-killed-the-dinosaurs/

Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Triggered Monstrous Global Tsunami With Mile-High Waves

It also triggered a monstrous tsunami with mile-high waves that scoured the ocean floor thousands of miles from the impact site on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, according to a new University of Michigan-led study that was published online on October 4 in the journal AGU Advances. ...“This tsunami was strong enough to disturb and erode sediments in ocean basins halfway around the globe, leaving either a gap in the sedimentary records or a jumble of older sediments,” said lead author Molly Range. She conducted the modeling study for a master’s thesis under U-M physical oceanographer and study co-author Brian Arbic and U-M paleoceanographer and study co-author Ted Moore.

https://scitechdaily.com/dinosaur-killing-asteroid-triggered-monstrous-global-tsunami-with-mile-high-waves/

... and the even farther far past ...

Scientists Uncover the “Chemistry Behind the Origin of Life”

Purdue University chemists have discovered a mechanism for peptide-forming reactions to occur in water — something that has baffled scientists for decades.

“This is essentially the chemistry behind the origin of life,” said Graham Cooks. He is the Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in Purdue’s College of Science. “This is the first demonstration that primordial molecules, simple amino acids, spontaneously form peptides, the building blocks of life, in droplets of pure water. This is a dramatic discovery.”

Scientists have theorized for decades that life on Earth began in the oceans. However, the chemistry behind this remained an enigma. Raw amino acids — something that meteorites delivered to early Earth daily — can react and latch together to form peptides. These are the building blocks of proteins and, eventually, life. Strangely, the process requires the loss of a water molecule, which seems exceedingly improbable in a wet, aqueous, or oceanic environment. For life to form, it required water. However, it also needed space away from the water. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-fountai...rigin-of-life/

... and the farther even farther far past ...

Supercomputer Simulations Reveal How a Giant Impact Could Have Formed the Moon

HOMESPACE NEWS
Supercomputer Simulations Reveal How a Giant Impact Could Have Formed the Moon
TOPICS:AstrophysicsDurham UniversityMoonPopular

By DURHAM UNIVERSITY OCTOBER 6, 2022

Supercomputer Simulation Moon's Origin
Credit: Durham University

Pioneering scientists from Durham University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology used the most detailed supercomputer simulations yet to reveal an alternative explanation for the Moon’s origin, 4.5 billion years ago. It revealed that a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body could immediately place a Moon-like body into orbit around Earth. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/supercomputer-simulations-reveal-how-a-giant-impact-could-have-formed-the-moon/

https://youtu.be/l0xSzYCZBEQ

... and the fast and far away ...

Confirming a Decades-Old Prediction: Astronomers Discover a “Cataclysmic” Pair of Stars

The stars have the shortest orbit yet, circling each other every 51 minutes, confirming a decades-old prediction. ... A cataclysmic variable occurs when the two stars draw close, over billions of years, causing the white dwarf to start accreting, or eating material away from its partner star. This process can give off enormous, variable flashes of light that, centuries ago, astronomers assumed to be a result of some unknown cataclysm. ... ZTF J1813+4251 ... system [] resides about 3,000 light years from Earth, in the Hercules constellation.

The newly discovered system, which the team has tagged ZTF J1813+4251, is a cataclysmic variable with the shortest orbit detected to date. Unlike other such systems observed in the past, the astronomers caught this cataclysmic variable as the stars eclipsed each other multiple times, allowing the team to precisely measure properties of each star.

https://scitechdaily.com/confirming-...pair-of-stars/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Inshin]

Something for those who like to ponder and wander in logic on Emptiness.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-universe-is-not-locally-real-and-the-physics-nobel-prize-winners-proved-it/

[Jundo]

It's all connected, it is all one ...

A “Previously Unrecognized Link” – Land Plants Caused a Sudden Shift in Earth’s Composition

According to research from the University of Southampton, the Earth’s continents’ composition suddenly shifted as a result of the evolution of land plants. ... Around 430 million years ago, during the Silurian Period, when North America and Europe were connected to form the continent known as Pangaea, the evolution of land plants took place. ... Plants drastically modified Earth’s biosphere (those regions of the planet’s surface where life flourishes), laying the stage for the emergence of dinosaurs around 200 million years later.

[As well,] “Plants caused fundamental changes to river systems, bringing about more meandering rivers and muddy floodplains, as well as thicker soils,” ... “This shift was tied to the development of plant rooting systems that helped produce colossal amounts of mud (by breaking down rocks) and stabilized river channels, which locked up this mud for long periods.” ... The scientists recognized that plate tectonics connects the Earth’s surface and deep core: rivers wash mud into the oceans, and this mud is subsequently carried into the Earth’s molten interior (or mantle) at subduction zones, where it melts to produce new rocks. ... The team uncovered compelling evidence for a dramatic shift in the composition of rocks making up Earth’s continents, which coincides almost precisely with the onset of land plants. ... “It is amazing to think that the greening of the continents was felt in the deep Earth,” concludes Dr. Spencer.

https://scitechdaily.com/a-previousl...s-composition/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Where self-consciousness arises ... and why we are a feedback loop ...

Where Does Consciousness Reside in the Brain? New Discovery Helps Pinpoint Its Location

Jun Kitazono, a corresponding author of the study and project researcher at the Department of General Systems Studies at the University of Tokyo, conducted the study, which was published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

“Where in the brain consciousness resides has been one of the biggest questions in science,” said Associate Professor Masafumi Oizumi, corresponding author and head of the lab conducting the study. “Although we have not reached a conclusive answer, much empirical evidence has been accumulated in the course of searching for the minimal mechanisms sufficient for conscious experience, or the neural correlates of consciousness.” ...

... It has been suggested that the part of the brain network supporting consciousness brain regions should be bidirectionally connected because both feed-forward and feedback processes are necessary for conscious experience. For example, previous studies examining visual perception have shown that conscious perception does not arise when there is only feed-forward processing, whereas it arises when there is feedback as well as feed-forward processing.

... “Feed-forward processing alone is insufficient for subjects to consciously perceive stimuli; rather, feedback is also necessary, indicating the need for bidirectional processing. The feedback component disappears not only during the loss of specific contents of consciousness in awake states, but also during unconscious states where conscious experiences are generally lost, such as general anesthesia, sleep, and vegetative states,” said Kitazono. He also explained that it does not matter if you are looking at a human, monkey, mouse, bird, or fly; the bi-directionality of processing remains essential ... “We found that the extracted complexes with the most bidirectionality were not evenly distributed among all major regions, but rather are concentrated in the cortical regions and thalamic regions,” said Kitazono. “On the other hand, regions in the other major regions have low bi-directionality. In particular, regions in the cerebellum have much lower bidirectionality.”

These findings align with where scientists have long thought consciousness resides in the brain. The cerebral cortex, located on the surface of the brain, contains sensory areas, motor areas and association areas that are thought to be essential to consciousness experience. The thalamus, located in the middle of the brain, has likewise been thought to be related to consciousness, and in particular, the interaction between the thalamus and cortical regions, called the thalamocortical loop, is considered important for consciousness. These results support the idea that the bi-directionality in the brain network is a key to identifying the place of consciousness.
https://scitechdaily.com/where-does-...-its-location/

And ... seeing the birth process of stars like our sun (and a nifty film on what makes Webb shine over Hubble) ...

Webb Space Telescope’s first images of the Orion Nebula, the richest and closest star nursery in the solar system, have just been revealed by an international team of astronomers including University of Michigan (U-M) researchers.

Located in the constellation of Orion, roughly 1,350 light-years away from Earth, the Orion Nebula is an area rich in matter where many stars are formed. Its environment is thought to be similar to the environment in which our solar system was born more than 4.5 billion years ago. Therefore, studying the Orion Nebula allows scientists to understand the conditions in which our solar system formed.
https://scitechdaily.com/webb-space-...-solar-system/

https://youtu.be/jSOxCiYhbQY

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Sometimes the big science news comes from right here in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan ...

LIQUID WATER IN RYUGU SAND COLLECTED BY HAYABUSA2: FIRST EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL COLLECTION OF LIQUID WATER - ORIGIN OF EARTH'S OCEANS?

A research team including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will announce in the science journal Science on the 23rd that it has detected water in sand samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected by the spacecraft Hayabusa2. It is the first time in the world that liquid water was discovered in a sample collected outside the earth. It is believed that water contained in meteorites and other objects may have been the origin of the Earth's oceans, and this discovery raises that possibility.

A team of approximately 150 domestic and foreign researchers, including Professor Tomoki Nakamura of Tohoku University's Graduate School of Science, has collaborated with the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture [our local particle collider]) and the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex "J-PARC" (Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture). Village) in proceeding with the analysis.

According to Professor Nakamura, the water was carbonated water, which existed in the form of crystals of compounds of iron and sulfur, and contained salts and organic matter.

Liquid water has been found in meteorites that have fallen to Earth, but this is the first time it has been found in a sample brought back from space. During the analysis, they proceeded so as not to have contact [of the sample with] the Earth's atmosphere. The team compared and analyzed the carbonated water with water on Earth.

The surface of the sand also contained layered crystals of copper-sulphur compounds that resembled table coral (テーブルサンゴ). It seems that the structure could not have been formed without abundant water, and the team believes that an environment similar to the Earth's ocean existed inside Ryugu.

Furthermore, the hardness and density of 17 sand grains (up to 8 mm) were measured, and computer simulations were used to estimate the formation of Ryugu. According to the estimates, about 2 million years after the formation of the solar system, the original celestial body (mother body) with a diameter of about 100 kilometers containing ice was born. The maximum internal temperature was about 50 degrees Celsius, and chemical reactions with water progressed, but after that, an asteroid with a diameter of about 10 kilometers collided with it. Some of the many rocks from the broken parent body have regrouped and become Ryugu.

There was a lot of water in the parent body, but it gradually disappeared during the formation of Ryugu.

Professor Nakamura pointed out, "The liquid water is just one drop taken into a crystal, but it has a very big meaning." He said, "We have found evidence that is directly related to the origin of the earth's oceans and organic matter."

Analysis of Ryugu samples has been underway since June 2021 by six teams, including the same team investigating stone materials. It has also been found to contain amino acids, which are said to be the "source of life."

BELOW PICTURES:
(TOP) The third largest sample recovered from Ryugu. Maximum length 8.6 mm, weight 94 mg
(BOTTOM) Hexagonal iron sulfide crystals isolated from the Ryugu sample. There was liquid water in the hole on the left in the middle of the photo

Gassho, J

stlah

[Tomás ESP]

Fascinating stuff Jundo. The ants question is one I have had for some time now. I was expecting a very large number, but that is more than I thought it would be. We live in an incredible world.

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[Jundo]

Every once in awhile there is a science report so elegant that it feels truly spiritual. This podcast episode on the thymus is highly recommended to all, on the miracle of what we are. Perhaps for doctors, this is just nothing new ... but to hear it spoken in this way, truly breathtaking.

In this case, it shows that the "self/not self" divide is vital to our survival ...

My Thymus, Myself

[Radiolab] Today, we go to a spot that may be one of the most philosophical places in the universe: the thymus, an organ that knows what is you, and what is not you. Its mood may be existential, but its role is practical — the thymus is the biological training ground where the body learns to protect itself from outside invaders (think: bacteria, coronaviruses). But this training is not the humdrum bit of science you might expect. It’s a magical shadowland with dire consequences.

Then, we’ll leave the thymus to visit a team of doctors who are using this organ that protects you as a way to protect someone… else. Their work could change everything.
https://radiolab.org/episodes/my-thymus-myself

... and yet, Buddhists leap beyond the self/other divide!

Also, this ...

Scientists have estimated how many ants there are on Earth. Clue: It's a lot

Ants are tiny in size but not in number. There are about 20 quadrillion ants on the Earth at any given time, a new study has estimated. That's 20,000 trillion individuals.

The estimate is two to 20 times higher than previous ones, according to the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/20/w...scn/index.html

Yet, no matter how many ants there are, they are each and all you anting ... and you are them youing, and they are each other you them too ...

... as much as, inwardly, every t-cell and the thymus of your body is you ... and you are the thymus youing ...

... and you are dinosaur fossils too dinosaur fossiling ...

Scientists think they’ve found a rare ‘dinosaur mummy’ in Canada

... A so-called "dinosaur mummy" may be contained within a rocky hill in Canada, according to scientists.

In a statement issued earlier this month by the University of Reading, this rare type of fossil refers to finds where the entire skeleton of the dinosaur may be preserved.A so-called "dinosaur mummy" may be contained within a rocky hill in Canada, according to scientists. ... According to scientists, the exposed parts of the fossil, which include the animal’s tail and right hind foot, indicate it was likely a hadrosaur – a large, duck-billed, herbivorous dinosaur. ... What makes this find even more unique is that exposed parts of the fossil appear to be covered in fossilized skin, according to Caleb Brown, a Ph.D. at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which will take possession of the find once it is excavated.

"This suggests that there may be even more preserved skin within the rock, which can give us further insight into what the hadrosaur looked like," Brown said.

https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-th...204959750.html

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Not this "water world" ...

Surprise Finding: “Water Worlds” May Be More Common Than We Thought

New analysis finds evidence for many exoplanets made of water and rock around small stars.

Water is the one thing all life on Earth requires. Additionally, the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what maintains our planet’s stable and hospitable climate conditions. Planets with water are always at the top of the list when scientists discuss where to search for signs of life throughout the galaxy.

Many more planets may have large amounts of water than previously thought—as much as half water and half rock, according to a new study. The catch? All that water is likely embedded in the rock, rather than flowing as oceans, lakes, or rivers on the surface.

Many more planets may have large amounts of water than previously thought, according to new research. However, much of that water is likely embedded in rock, rather than in surface oceans as depicted in this illustration.

New analysis finds evidence for many exoplanets made of water and rock around small stars.
Water is the one thing all life on Earth requires. Additionally, the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what maintains our planet’s stable and hospitable climate conditions. Planets with water are always at the top of the list when scientists discuss where to search for signs of life throughout the galaxy.

Many more planets may have large amounts of water than previously thought—as much as half water and half rock, according to a new study. The catch? All that water is likely embedded in the rock, rather than flowing as oceans, lakes, or rivers on the surface.

“It was a surprise to see evidence for so many water worlds orbiting the most common type of star in the galaxy,” said Rafael Luque. He is first author on the new paper and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago. “It has enormous consequences for the search for habitable planets.”

Because of improved telescope instruments, scientists are finding signs of more and more exoplanets—planets in distant solar systems. With a larger sample size, scientists are better able to identify demographic patterns. This is similar to how looking at the population of an entire town can reveal trends that are hard to see at an individual level.

https://scitechdaily.com/surprise-finding-water-worlds-may-be-more-common-than-we-thought/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Meian]

Just one small tweak? ...



... and did we stand up for ourselves long before we thought? ...



Now, back to the stars, where this all began ...



Gassho, J

stlah

[emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]

Gassho2
stlh

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Just one small tweak? ...

What may have given modern humans an edge over Neanderthals, according to new research

From studying fossilized skulls, scientists know that the size of a Neanderthal's brain was the same as, if not slightly bigger than, that of a modern human. However, researchers have known little about Neanderthal brain development because soft tissue doesn't preserve well in the fossil record.

Now, an intriguing study released September 8 has revealed a potential difference that may have given modern humans, or Homo sapiens, a cognitive advantage over the Neanderthals, the Stone Age hominins who lived in Europe and parts of Asia before going extinct about 40,000 years ago. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, said they have identified a genetic mutation that triggered the faster creation of neurons in the Homo sapiens brain. The Neanderthal variant of the gene in question, known as TKTL1, differs from the modern human variant by one amino acid. "We've identified a gene that contributes to making us human," said study author Wieland Huttner, professor and director emeritus at the institute.

... [but not all agree] ...

https://us.cnn.com/2022/09/13/world/neanderthal-vs-human-brain-scn/index.html

... and did we stand up for ourselves long before we thought? ...

A new study reveals that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, the oldest representative species of humanity, was bipedal.

It is believed that the development of bipedalism was a turning point in human evolution. However, there is disagreement over its modalities and age, notably due to the fact there are no fossilized remains. Researchers from the University of Poitiers, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and its Chadian partners analyzed three limb bones from Sahelanthropus tchadensis, the earliest known representative of the human genus. The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature, supports the hypothesis that bipedalism was developed extremely early in human history, at a time still associated with the ability to move on four limbs in trees. ... Sahelanthropus tchadensis is considered the earliest representative species of humans, dating back 7 million years. Its description goes back to 2001 when the Franco-Chadian Paleoanthropological Mission (MPFT) uncovered the bones of three people at Toros-Menalla in the Djurab Desert (Chad), including a particularly well-preserved cranium. This cranium, particularly the orientation and anterior location of the occipital foramen where the spinal column is inserted, reveals a form of locomotion on two legs, implying that it was capable of bipedalism.

https://scitechdaily.com/7-million-y...nity-revealed/

Now, back to the stars, where this all began ...

Astronomers “Blown Away” by First Breathtaking Webb Space Telescope Images of Orion Nebula

James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has again demonstrated its incredible power by capturing the most detailed and sharpest images ever taken of the inner region of the Orion Nebula. This stellar nursery is situated in the constellation Orion and is located about 1,350 light-years away from Earth. ... “These new observations allow us to better understand how massive stars transform the gas and dust cloud in which they are born,” said Peeters. She is a Western astronomy professor and faculty member at the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration.

Planet forming disks of gas and dust around a young star. These disks are being dissipated or “photo-evaporated” due to the strong radiation field of the nearby stars of the Trapezium creating a cocoon of dust and gas around them. Almost 180 of these externally illuminated photoevaporating disks around young stars (aka Proplyds) have been discovered in the Orion nebula, and HST-10 (the one in the picture) is one of the largest known. The orbit of Neptune is shown for comparison.

Filaments: The entire image is rich in filaments of different sizes and shapes. The inset here shows thin, meandering filaments that are especially rich in hydrocarbon molecules and molecular hydrogen.

θ2 Orionis A: The brightest star in this image is θ2 Orionis A, a star that is just bright enough to be seen with the naked eye from a dark location on Earth. Stellar light that is reflecting off dust grains causes the red glow in its immediate surroundings.

Young star inside globule: When dense clouds of gas and dust become gravitationally unstable, they collapse into stellar embryos that gradually grow more massive until they can start nuclear fusion in their core – they start to shine. This young star is still embedded in its natal cloud.

https://scitechdaily.com/astronomers...-orion-nebula/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Our great-great-great grandma ...

A shrew-like creature that lived 225 million years ago is the oldest mammal ever identified

he world's oldest mammal has been identified using fossil dental records -- predating the previously confirmed earliest mammal by about 20 million years -- in a new discovery hailed as "very significant" by researchers.

Brasilodon quadrangularis was a small shrew-like creature, around 20 centimeters (8 inches) long, that walked the earth 225 million years ago at the same time as some of the oldest dinosaurs and sheds light on the evolution of modern mammals, according to a team of Brazilian and British scientists. ... Scientists relied on clues provided by fossils of hard tissues such as bones and teeth. This is because mammalian glands, which produce milk, have not been preserved in any fossils found to date.

Until now, the Morganucodon had been considered the first mammal, with isolated teeth showing that it dated back around 205 million years. The Morganucodon had a small gerbil-like body and a long face similar to those of shrews or civets.

The dental records in the study published Tuesday in the Journal of Anatomy date Brasilodon quadrangularis to 225 million years ago -- 25 million years after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event -- the third and biggest mass extinction, when more than 90% of species in the ocean disappeared and 70% of land animals died out.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/06/world/earliest-mammal-teeth-scn-scli-intl/index.html

A kind of genetic Karma ...

Rewriting Our Understanding of Epigenetics: Scientists Reveal We Inherit More Than Previously Thought

A fundamental discovery concerning a driver of healthy development in embryos might rewrite our understanding of what we can inherit from our parents and how their life experiences shape us. The new study reveals that epigenetic information, which sits on top of DNA and is typically reset between generations, is more commonly passed down from mother to child than previously thought.

The research, led by researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, greatly expands our knowledge of which genes have epigenetic information passed from mother to offspring and which proteins are critical for controlling this peculiar process.

Epigenetics is a rapidly expanding field of science that studies how our genes are turned on and off to enable one set of genetic instructions to produce hundreds of different cell types in our body. Environmental factors such as our nutrition can impact epigenetic changes, but these changes do not alter DNA and are not generally passed down from parent to child.

Despite the fact that a small subset of “imprinted” genes may pass epigenetic information down the generations, relatively few other genes have up to this point been shown to be influenced by the mother’s epigenetic state. According to recent research, the supply of a certain protein in the mother’s egg may have an impact on the genes that drive the skeletal patterning of children.

Chief investigator Professor Marnie Blewitt said the findings initially left the team surprised.

“It took us a while to process because our discovery was unexpected,” Professor Blewitt, Joint Head of the Epigenetics and Development Division at WEHI, said. “Knowing that epigenetic information from the mother can have effects with life-long consequences for body patterning is exciting, as it suggests this is happening far more than we ever thought. It could open a Pandora’s box as to what other epigenetic information is being inherited.”

https://scitechdaily.com/rewriting-o...ously-thought/

Gassho, J

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