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Sound waves to fight fires? At the very least it seems like something useful to use in conjunction with traditional firefighting tools
Science! (4 Viewers)
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Microplastics have been found in dolphin breath for the first time, according to a study that suggests the marine mammals are inhaling the potentially harmful contaminants when they come up for air.
The US research team, whose preliminary findings are published in the journal, Plos One, are concerned about the potential impact of inhaled plastics on the animals’ lungs.
The scientists collected samples of exhaled air from bottlenose dolphins in two sites: Sarasota Bay, Florida, an urban estuary, and Barataria Bay, Louisiana, a rural site. They found microplastics in the exhaled breath from all 11 bottlenose dolphins sampled, leading them to believe the inhaled plastics were airborne.
Studies have found microplastics everywhere, even in pristine locations such as Mount Everest,regardless of urbanisation or development. Transport of such particles by the wind is a key factor in their ubiquitous contamination.
Many of the microplastics found in the dolphin breath samples were polyester, a common polymer used to make clothes, which shed huge amounts of particles when washed, especially in hot cycles.
Leslie Hart, co-author and public health expert at the College of Charleston university in South Carolina, said: “Microplastic inhalation in humans is a budding field, but there have been few studies in wildlife.
“The fact that dolphins have a much larger lung capacity and are taking deep breaths may mean they are exposed to higher doses of microplastics than humans.”……
www.theguardian.com
The US research team, whose preliminary findings are published in the journal, Plos One, are concerned about the potential impact of inhaled plastics on the animals’ lungs.
The scientists collected samples of exhaled air from bottlenose dolphins in two sites: Sarasota Bay, Florida, an urban estuary, and Barataria Bay, Louisiana, a rural site. They found microplastics in the exhaled breath from all 11 bottlenose dolphins sampled, leading them to believe the inhaled plastics were airborne.
Studies have found microplastics everywhere, even in pristine locations such as Mount Everest,regardless of urbanisation or development. Transport of such particles by the wind is a key factor in their ubiquitous contamination.
Many of the microplastics found in the dolphin breath samples were polyester, a common polymer used to make clothes, which shed huge amounts of particles when washed, especially in hot cycles.
Leslie Hart, co-author and public health expert at the College of Charleston university in South Carolina, said: “Microplastic inhalation in humans is a budding field, but there have been few studies in wildlife.
“The fact that dolphins have a much larger lung capacity and are taking deep breaths may mean they are exposed to higher doses of microplastics than humans.”……
Microplastics found in dolphin breath for first time – study
Research suggests the marine animals are inhaling pollutants when they come up for air, with even rural populations affected
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Astronomers announced Wednesday that a decades-long mystery surrounding the first known brown dwarf — a “failed star” called Gliese 229B — has finally been solved.
Brown dwarfs are dim, celestial objects that are between the size of a planet like Jupiter and a small star.
In 1995, Caltech researchers first discovered Gliese 229B, which orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 229 about 18 light-years away from Earth.
Since then, scientists have found more than a couple thousand brown dwarfs, and research in 2017 suggests there could be 100 billion throughout the Milky Way.
Gliese 229B confused scientists because the orb was deemed too dim for its size, as it weighs about 70 times more than Jupiter but doesn’t shine that bright.
The reason for this, astronomers now say, is that the brown dwarf is actually one of two. Weighing around 38 and 34 times the mass of Jupiter, respectively, these brown dwarfs whirl around each other in a cycle every 12 days.
Their brightness now matches what is expected for two brown dwarfs of this size, researchers say.……
www.independent.co.uk
Brown dwarfs are dim, celestial objects that are between the size of a planet like Jupiter and a small star.
In 1995, Caltech researchers first discovered Gliese 229B, which orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 229 about 18 light-years away from Earth.
Since then, scientists have found more than a couple thousand brown dwarfs, and research in 2017 suggests there could be 100 billion throughout the Milky Way.
Gliese 229B confused scientists because the orb was deemed too dim for its size, as it weighs about 70 times more than Jupiter but doesn’t shine that bright.
The reason for this, astronomers now say, is that the brown dwarf is actually one of two. Weighing around 38 and 34 times the mass of Jupiter, respectively, these brown dwarfs whirl around each other in a cycle every 12 days.
Their brightness now matches what is expected for two brown dwarfs of this size, researchers say.……
Astronomers solve decades-long mystery of famous brown dwarf
After a breakthrough discovery in 1995, scientists have made the ‘most exciting and fascinating discovery in substellar astrophysics in decades’
www.independent.co.uk
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Scientists searching distant solar system for possible alien radio signals
Astronomers did not find signals of alien life – but study helped refine techniques that eventually could
www.independent.co.uk
fred8615
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Tracking the Ghost and the Darkness: DNA Decodes Deadly Diets of Tsavo’s Legendary “Man-Eater” Lions
Researchers analyzed DNA from hairs in the teeth of the infamous Tsavo man-eating lions, revealing that they consumed a diverse range of animals including giraffes and humans. The analysis indicated that the lions were siblings with a genetic makeup typical of Kenyan or Tanzanian lions. The Terr
scitechdaily.com
It's a pretty great movie.Tracking the Ghost and the Darkness: DNA Decodes Deadly Diets of Tsavo’s Legendary “Man-Eater” Lions
Researchers analyzed DNA from hairs in the teeth of the infamous Tsavo man-eating lions, revealing that they consumed a diverse range of animals including giraffes and humans. The analysis indicated that the lions were siblings with a genetic makeup typical of Kenyan or Tanzanian lions. The Terrscitechdaily.com
Sailorsaint
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It was based on Maneaters of Tsavo by Patterson, decent book. I like the books by Capstick that cover safaris and he wrote one that covered Patterson and his exploits. Both of them decent reads.
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If you mean The Ghost and The Darkness, I love that movie too, even though it's nowhere near historically accurate.
Or do you mean Bwana Hunter? That was a 3D movie (one of the very first 3D movies btw) made in the '50s about the incident.
Yes, The Ghost and the Darkness. It sent me down the rabbit hole for the whole story.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecrafthas set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth.
Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crustwhere an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface. It won’t search for life, but rather determine whether conditions there could support it. Another mission would be needed to flush out any microorganisms lurking there.
“It’s a chance for us to explore not a world that might have been habitable billions of years ago, but a world that might be habitable today — right now,” said program scientist Curt Niebur.
Its massive solar panels make Clipper the biggest craft built by NASA to investigate another planet. It will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter and will sneak within 16 miles (25 kilometers) of Europa’s surface — considerably closer than any other spacecraft.
Clipper lifted off Monday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Mission cost: $5.2 billion.……
apnews.com
Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crustwhere an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface. It won’t search for life, but rather determine whether conditions there could support it. Another mission would be needed to flush out any microorganisms lurking there.
“It’s a chance for us to explore not a world that might have been habitable billions of years ago, but a world that might be habitable today — right now,” said program scientist Curt Niebur.
Its massive solar panels make Clipper the biggest craft built by NASA to investigate another planet. It will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter and will sneak within 16 miles (25 kilometers) of Europa’s surface — considerably closer than any other spacecraft.
Clipper lifted off Monday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Mission cost: $5.2 billion.……
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will scour Jupiter moon for the ingredients for life
A massive NASA spacecraft has set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa. The craft named Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon's icy crust and determine whether conditions there could support life.
apnews.com
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Next step, field testing with some parkour people
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Scientists have developed a fluid that turns into a strong sticky fibre when shot out of a gadget to lift objects several times its weight – a breakthrough inspired by comic book superhero Spider-Man.
Researchers have long sought to create strong fibres that could be deployed as tethers, inspired by the silk secreted by moths, spidersand several other insects.
But developing such fibres with the stiffness, elasticity and adhesive properties of spider silk has been a challenge – until now, researchers at Tufts University say.
Fortified with the right additives, a silk moth protein, called fibroin, shot through a narrow needle can form a tough sticky fibre, according to a new “accidental breakthrough” described in Advanced Functional Materials. “I was working on a project making extremely strong adhesives using silk fibroin and while I was cleaning my glassware with acetone, I noticed a web-like material forming on the bottom of the glass,” study co-author Marco Lo Presti said.…….
www.independent.co.uk
========
Scientists have developed a fluid that turns into a strong sticky fibre when shot out of a gadget to lift objects several times its weight – a breakthrough inspired by comic book superhero Spider-Man.
Researchers have long sought to create strong fibres that could be deployed as tethers, inspired by the silk secreted by moths, spidersand several other insects.
But developing such fibres with the stiffness, elasticity and adhesive properties of spider silk has been a challenge – until now, researchers at Tufts University say.
Fortified with the right additives, a silk moth protein, called fibroin, shot through a narrow needle can form a tough sticky fibre, according to a new “accidental breakthrough” described in Advanced Functional Materials. “I was working on a project making extremely strong adhesives using silk fibroin and while I was cleaning my glassware with acetone, I noticed a web-like material forming on the bottom of the glass,” study co-author Marco Lo Presti said.…….
Scientists have finally developed a real-life Spider-Man sticky-web gadget
Silk fibre shot through needle lifts steel bolt, scalpel and wooden block
www.independent.co.uk
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Unexpected Link Between Menthol And Alzheimer's Discovered in Mice
A recent study found something strange: When mice with Alzheimer's disease inhale menthol, their cognitive abilities improve.
www.sciencealert.com
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In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted on the definition of a planet. Famously, Pluto no longer met the criteria and was demoted to a dwarf planet. Things have been a bit of a mess since then — so is it time to redefine the planet?
To be fair, Pluto had it coming. The word "planet" never had an official definition, and astronomers had always played fast and loose with its use. To the ancient Greeks, a planet was any "wandering star," which included the sun and the moon. With the Copernican revolution, the definition changed: Earth was considered a planet in its own right, the moon was demoted to a satellite, and the sun got promoted.
This worked for over 200 years, until William Herschel discovered Uranus and Giuseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Initially, both Uranus and Ceres were classified as planets. But once more objects were found to share similar orbits with Ceres, astronomers had to rethink things — surely, planets lived alone, after all. Herschel proposed the term "asteroids" for the small objects between Mars and Jupiter, while Uranus remained a planet (a situation that certainly benefited Herschel's own legacy).
Astronomers were comfortable with those classifications even when Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. But that new planet was a stretch — it had a really wonky orbit and was far smaller than the other planets, so it didn't take long for astronomers to start wondering if they should start reexamining how objects were classified.
Starting in the 1990s, astronomers began to find more objects that shared similar orbits with Pluto. But the real nail in the planetary coffin came in 2005, when astronomer Mike Brown discovered Eris, an object about the same size as Pluto orbiting beyond Neptune.
So, in 2006, when astronomers gathered at the IAU meeting in Prague, a large contingent moved to have that body define what a planet should be. There were two camps: the geophysicists who argued that planets should be defined by their appearance, and the dynamists who believed that planets should be defined by their properties.
In essence, the geophysicists argued that a planet should be anything that is large enough that its own self-gravity pulls it into a nearly spherical shape. The dynamists countered that a planet should be anything that can dominate and mostly clear its orbit of any debris. The first definition would allow Pluto, along with Ceres and all of Pluto's co-orbital friends, to become planets. The latter definition would exclude all of those smaller bodies.
In the end, the compromise included both definitions, which meant that effectively, the dynamists won. Pluto does not clear its orbit — it simply has too many neighbors — and thus was famously demoted............
To be fair, Pluto had it coming. The word "planet" never had an official definition, and astronomers had always played fast and loose with its use. To the ancient Greeks, a planet was any "wandering star," which included the sun and the moon. With the Copernican revolution, the definition changed: Earth was considered a planet in its own right, the moon was demoted to a satellite, and the sun got promoted.
This worked for over 200 years, until William Herschel discovered Uranus and Giuseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Initially, both Uranus and Ceres were classified as planets. But once more objects were found to share similar orbits with Ceres, astronomers had to rethink things — surely, planets lived alone, after all. Herschel proposed the term "asteroids" for the small objects between Mars and Jupiter, while Uranus remained a planet (a situation that certainly benefited Herschel's own legacy).
Astronomers were comfortable with those classifications even when Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. But that new planet was a stretch — it had a really wonky orbit and was far smaller than the other planets, so it didn't take long for astronomers to start wondering if they should start reexamining how objects were classified.
Starting in the 1990s, astronomers began to find more objects that shared similar orbits with Pluto. But the real nail in the planetary coffin came in 2005, when astronomer Mike Brown discovered Eris, an object about the same size as Pluto orbiting beyond Neptune.
So, in 2006, when astronomers gathered at the IAU meeting in Prague, a large contingent moved to have that body define what a planet should be. There were two camps: the geophysicists who argued that planets should be defined by their appearance, and the dynamists who believed that planets should be defined by their properties.
In essence, the geophysicists argued that a planet should be anything that is large enough that its own self-gravity pulls it into a nearly spherical shape. The dynamists countered that a planet should be anything that can dominate and mostly clear its orbit of any debris. The first definition would allow Pluto, along with Ceres and all of Pluto's co-orbital friends, to become planets. The latter definition would exclude all of those smaller bodies.
In the end, the compromise included both definitions, which meant that effectively, the dynamists won. Pluto does not clear its orbit — it simply has too many neighbors — and thus was famously demoted............
The Pluto problem: Is it time to rethink our definition of a planet?
Sailorsaint
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The region of the universe we live in may be significantly bigger than we thought. A new study reveals that the intergalactic supercluster holding the Milky Way may be part of an even bigger "basin of attraction" that's up to 10 times larger than the one we currently call home.
The universe is full of basins of attraction (BOAs) — regions within which everything is being pulled inward by the gravity of a massive object. BOAs can stack inside one another like nesting dolls. For example, the moon circles Earth, which in turn orbits the sun along with the rest of the solar system, which is itself spiraling around the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy.
But the story doesn't end there. The next layer of the BOA doll is the Local Group, which includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy, along with their smaller satellite galaxies such as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. After that, the next layers are the Virgo Cluster, which holds around 2,000 galaxies, and the larger Virgo Supercluster. The final known layer is Laniākea (meaning "immense heaven" in the Hawaiian language) — a supercluster first discovered in 2014, which holds around 100,000 galaxies and spans roughly 500 million light-years across.
But in the new study, published Sept. 27 in the journal Nature Astronomy, researchers analyzed the relative movements of more than 56,000 galaxies to create a 3D "probabilistic" map of all the BOAs surrounding the Milky Way. This revealed that there is a decent chance our home galaxy is part of an even larger BOA — the Shapley Concentration — that has a volume up to 10 times greater than Laniākea. (Scientists already knew the Shapley Concentration existed but did not previously believe it impacted the Milky Way.)...................
The universe is full of basins of attraction (BOAs) — regions within which everything is being pulled inward by the gravity of a massive object. BOAs can stack inside one another like nesting dolls. For example, the moon circles Earth, which in turn orbits the sun along with the rest of the solar system, which is itself spiraling around the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy.
But the story doesn't end there. The next layer of the BOA doll is the Local Group, which includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy, along with their smaller satellite galaxies such as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. After that, the next layers are the Virgo Cluster, which holds around 2,000 galaxies, and the larger Virgo Supercluster. The final known layer is Laniākea (meaning "immense heaven" in the Hawaiian language) — a supercluster first discovered in 2014, which holds around 100,000 galaxies and spans roughly 500 million light-years across.
But in the new study, published Sept. 27 in the journal Nature Astronomy, researchers analyzed the relative movements of more than 56,000 galaxies to create a 3D "probabilistic" map of all the BOAs surrounding the Milky Way. This revealed that there is a decent chance our home galaxy is part of an even larger BOA — the Shapley Concentration — that has a volume up to 10 times greater than Laniākea. (Scientists already knew the Shapley Concentration existed but did not previously believe it impacted the Milky Way.)...................
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