Science! (5 Viewers)


different types of molecules absorb different colors of light; by detecting which colors of light are absorbed near specific frequencies, the comb can identify specific molecules in an air sample. In a recent study, scientists proved this tool can detect COVID from Breathalyzer-type tests in which subjects simply blow into a tube—potentially paving the way for fast, noninvasive diagnostic tests for a multitude of diseases.
 
It started as an unremarkable flicker in the night sky. But closer observations revealed that astronomers had captured the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed, an event thought to have been triggered by a giant cloud of gas being gobbled up by a supermassive black hole.

The flare-up, traced to 8bn light years away, is more than 10 times brighter than any known supernova and has so far lasted more than three years, making it the most energetic explosion on record.

“It went unnoticed for a year as it gradually got brighter,” said Dr Philip Wiseman, an astronomer at Southampton University who led the observations. It was only when follow-up observations revealed how distant it was that astronomers appreciated the event’s almost unimaginable scale.

“We’ve estimated it’s a fireball 100 times the size of the solar system with a brightness about 2tn times the sun’s,” Wiseman said. “In three years, this event has released about 100 times as much energy as the sun will in its 10bn-year lifetime.”

Scientists believe that the explosion, known as AT2021lwx, is the result of a vast cloud of gas, possibly thousands of times larger than our sun, plunging into the inescapable mouth of a supermassive black hole. The cloud of gas may have originated from the large dusty “doughnut” that typically surrounds black holes – although it is not clear what may have knocked it off course from its orbit and down the cosmic sinkhole……..

 
It started as an unremarkable flicker in the night sky. But closer observations revealed that astronomers had captured the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed, an event thought to have been triggered by a giant cloud of gas being gobbled up by a supermassive black hole.

The flare-up, traced to 8bn light years away, is more than 10 times brighter than any known supernova and has so far lasted more than three years, making it the most energetic explosion on record.

“It went unnoticed for a year as it gradually got brighter,” said Dr Philip Wiseman, an astronomer at Southampton University who led the observations. It was only when follow-up observations revealed how distant it was that astronomers appreciated the event’s almost unimaginable scale.

“We’ve estimated it’s a fireball 100 times the size of the solar system with a brightness about 2tn times the sun’s,” Wiseman said. “In three years, this event has released about 100 times as much energy as the sun will in its 10bn-year lifetime.”

Scientists believe that the explosion, known as AT2021lwx, is the result of a vast cloud of gas, possibly thousands of times larger than our sun, plunging into the inescapable mouth of a supermassive black hole. The cloud of gas may have originated from the large dusty “doughnut” that typically surrounds black holes – although it is not clear what may have knocked it off course from its orbit and down the cosmic sinkhole……..

There are russian soldiers in space?!!
 
This reminds me of some shows on the Discovery network where they were investigating the "Seneca Guns". For years people have been reporting booming sounds mainly on the east coast but also on the west coast and other places around the Earth. There are many theories on what causes them but never have been confirmed. This might just be what people have been hearing hearing.
 
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have created a stunning mosaic of baby star clusters hiding in our galactic backyard.

The montage, published Thursday, reveals five vast stellar nurseries less than 1,500 light-years away. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

To come up with their atlas, scientists pieced together more than 1 million images taken over five years by the European Southern Observatory in Chile. The observatory’s infrared survey telescope was able to peer through clouds of dust and discern infant stars.

“We can detect even the faintest sources of light, like stars far less massive than the sun, revealing objects that no one has ever seen before,” University of Vienna’s Stefan Meingast, the lead author, said in a statement.

The observations, conducted from 2017 to 2022, will help researchers better understand how stars evolve from dust, Meingast said…..


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The amount of adult speech children are exposed to in their early years may help to shape the structure of their brains, researchers say.

Studies have previously suggested there are benefits to talking to young children, with research suggesting it can help improve their language processing and boost their vocabularies.

Now researchers say they have found a relationship between the amount of adult speech children are exposed to and the concentration of a substance in the brain – known as myelin – that surrounds nerves and makes signals more efficient.

“I think the take-home message is, absolutely talk to your kids. And it matters,” said the lead author, Prof John Spencer of the University of East Anglia. “What’s pretty striking here is that it’s literally shaping the structure of the brain.”

Writing in the Journal of Neuroscience, Spencer and colleagues describe how they used a device fitted inside a vest to record the amount of speech 87 children aged about six months and 76 aged about 30 months were exposed to at home.

The team recorded 6,208 hours of language data, finding that children with more highly educated mothers were exposed to greater amounts of adult speech, and themselves produced more vocalisations.

The team then invited 84 of the children into hospital, where they fell asleep in a special quiet room.

“Once the kids were asleep, we basically crept in like ninjas and lifted the child up and put them on to a trolley and transported them into the MRI scanning room,” said Spencer.

The team then used the MRI scans to measure the amount of myelin in the children’s brains……..


 

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