On March 24th 2016, a new study published in the journal, Nature Communications, revealed evidence that suggests that the Earth could one day be hit by what is known as a super solar flare. A solar flare happens when magnetic energy that has built up within the sun's atmosphere is suddenly released. This occurrence sends highly charged particles hurtling toward the Earth where most of it is deflected by the electromagnetic field.
Here on Earth we witness these particles as the auroras that happen at the north and south poles. According to professor Christopher Karoff, of Aarhus University in Denmark, who led the team who researched the phenomenon, super solar flares are much more explosive events that are one to six orders-of-magnitude larger than the largest flare observed on the sun, through the space age.
Prof Karoff and his team used the Guo Shou Jing telescope in China to observe nearly 100,000 stars. What he and his team found, was that about one in ten of those stars were producing super solar flares, and that those stars had a magnetic field similar to, or weaker than our sun. Prof Karoff said that he and his team did not expect this finding. It leaves open the possibility that our sun could one day produce a super flare.
If the Earth were hit by a super flare eruption today, it would not only damage electronic equipment, but it would damage our atmosphere and the planet's ability to support life. However, there is evidence that the Earth has been hit by a super flare in the past. Tree rings from a geological archive, from 775 AD have shown an anomalously large amount of carbon 14 which is a radioactive isotope. Carbon 14 is formed when either cosmic rays or highly energetic protons from the sun enter the Earth's atmosphere.
On the bright side, if the Earth were hit by a super flare, it wouldn't necessarily be as bad as the ending of the 2009 movie, "Knowing." And, we would at least have some warning time. A Coronal Mass Ejection or CME, would take anywhere from 18 hours to five days to reach us.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
King Tut's Tomb May Hold A Surprise
On March 17th 2016, Egyptian antiquities minister, Mamdouh el-Damaty, announced that radar scans of King Tutankhamun's tomb have revealed the existence of two unexplored chambers. The scans also revealed that there are objects made of both metal and organic material inside those hidden rooms. While el-Damaty did not elaborate on what exactly might be within the two chambers, he did say that it could be a member of King Tut's family.
The radar scans were taken in November 2015 by Hirokatsu Watanabe. The initial results suggested a 90% certainty that another chamber is behind the north wall of the tomb. The radar findings were reviewed by outside researchers that included Remy Hiramoto, Jason Herrmann, and British archeologist Nicholas Reeves. It is Reeves who believes that the hidden chamber contains the remains of King Tut's mother, Queen Nefertiti.
Queen Nefertiti was the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten, King Tut's father. Akhenaten's tomb is believed to have been found in the Valley of the Kings, while Queen Nefertiti's grave has never been found. Reeves also believes that King Tut's tomb was originally built for the queen but was used to house the young king's body, after he died suddenly at age 19. El-Damaty said, "This would be like having the discovery of Tutankhamun again. It could be the discovery of the century."
The radar scans were taken in November 2015 by Hirokatsu Watanabe. The initial results suggested a 90% certainty that another chamber is behind the north wall of the tomb. The radar findings were reviewed by outside researchers that included Remy Hiramoto, Jason Herrmann, and British archeologist Nicholas Reeves. It is Reeves who believes that the hidden chamber contains the remains of King Tut's mother, Queen Nefertiti.
Queen Nefertiti was the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten, King Tut's father. Akhenaten's tomb is believed to have been found in the Valley of the Kings, while Queen Nefertiti's grave has never been found. Reeves also believes that King Tut's tomb was originally built for the queen but was used to house the young king's body, after he died suddenly at age 19. El-Damaty said, "This would be like having the discovery of Tutankhamun again. It could be the discovery of the century."
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Scientists Discover A New Bacteria That Eats Plastic
On March 11th 2015, scientists announced that they had discovered a new variety of bacteria that eats and digests plastic. The plastic in question is polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which is used in the making of, packaging trays, blister packs, bottles, and polyester clothing. The bacteria is named, Ideonella Sakaiensis, and was discovered by a team of researchers working at the Kyoto Institute of Technology and Keio University in Japan.
The new bacteria was discovered outside a bottle recycling plant. The research team took samples of the soil, sediment, and waste water from around the plant. All of the samples were contaminated by PET. When they tested the samples they found that a microbe was degrading the plastic. More tests revealed that the bacteria, Ideonella Sakaiensis did so through the use of two enzymes.
The team found that the first enzyme was used to create an intermediate chemical that the second enzyme uses to break down the plastic into carbon and energy. Their tests showed that this process allowed the bacteria to degrade low quality plastic in about six weeks. However, the bacteria has a harder time breaking down highly crystallized PET that is found in most hard plastic.
At this time, the potential applications of the research team's findings are not clear. While they are not certain that Ideonella Sakaiensis could be used to help clean up the environment, they do believe that it might lead to the creation of other biological agents that are capable of breaking down other types of plastics.
The new bacteria was discovered outside a bottle recycling plant. The research team took samples of the soil, sediment, and waste water from around the plant. All of the samples were contaminated by PET. When they tested the samples they found that a microbe was degrading the plastic. More tests revealed that the bacteria, Ideonella Sakaiensis did so through the use of two enzymes.
The team found that the first enzyme was used to create an intermediate chemical that the second enzyme uses to break down the plastic into carbon and energy. Their tests showed that this process allowed the bacteria to degrade low quality plastic in about six weeks. However, the bacteria has a harder time breaking down highly crystallized PET that is found in most hard plastic.
At this time, the potential applications of the research team's findings are not clear. While they are not certain that Ideonella Sakaiensis could be used to help clean up the environment, they do believe that it might lead to the creation of other biological agents that are capable of breaking down other types of plastics.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
NASA's Mars Insight Mission Delayed
On March 9th 2016, NASA announced that it will delay InSight, it's next Mars mission until 2018. InSight, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport, was originally scheduled for a March 2016 launch. The mission was cancelled when a vacuum leak was discovered in the spacecraft's seismometer. The new launch window will allow for a May 5th 2018 launch, with a November 26th 2018 landing on Mars.
InSight's goal is to understand how rocky planets, like the Earth and others, were formed. The mission will send a lander to the Martian surface. That lander's prime science instrument or SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures) was built with the cooperation of the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the European Space Agency's PRODEX program, the Max Planck institute for Solar System Research, and Imperial College in the UK.
Once on Mars, the lander will deploy a probe called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, which was built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The probe will be hammered into the ground next to the lander at about 16 feet deep. NASA hopes that this tool will provide them with precise measurements of the planets interior activity. Another instrument, RISE (Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment), which is being provided by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), will take precise measurements of the planet's rotation.
NASA says that though the InSight mission has been delayed, it is still on track with its other plans to visit the Red planet. Its future plans for Mars include another rover slated to land in 2020, and of course plans for human missions for the 2030s are still a go.
InSight's goal is to understand how rocky planets, like the Earth and others, were formed. The mission will send a lander to the Martian surface. That lander's prime science instrument or SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures) was built with the cooperation of the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the European Space Agency's PRODEX program, the Max Planck institute for Solar System Research, and Imperial College in the UK.
Once on Mars, the lander will deploy a probe called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, which was built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The probe will be hammered into the ground next to the lander at about 16 feet deep. NASA hopes that this tool will provide them with precise measurements of the planets interior activity. Another instrument, RISE (Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment), which is being provided by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), will take precise measurements of the planet's rotation.
NASA says that though the InSight mission has been delayed, it is still on track with its other plans to visit the Red planet. Its future plans for Mars include another rover slated to land in 2020, and of course plans for human missions for the 2030s are still a go.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
A New Study Cites Modern Influences Of Neanderthal DNA
On February 11th 2016, a study published in the journal Science concluded that Neanderthal DNA can effect everything from the health to the smoking habits of modern humans. The study revealed that humans mated with other hominids after leaving Africa some 50,000 years ago. Researchers say that they have found a Neanderthal genetic variant within the human genome.
The data used in the new study was compiled by the eMerge (Electronics Medical Records and Genomics) network of Vanderbilt University, and included the analysis of the data sets of 28,000 individuals. Genetic researcher Tony Capra of Vanderbilt University said, that after comparing the DNA of Neanderthal fossils to the DNA of the study subjects, he and his team found a link to several associated diseases.
Capra said that he and his team found a Neanderthal DNA variant that is associated with actinic keratosis, which is a condition that causes growths on the skin. They also found a link to an increased amount of blood clotting, which can lead to strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and pregnancy complications. The study also revealed a connection between Neanderthal DNA and some mood disorders, and a possible addiction to nicotine, and depression.
The researchers also found a less than 1% overall risk that a Neanderthal DNA variant is associated with having other disorders such as obesity, respiratory infections, and arteriosclerosis. The evidence in the study makes the case that humans and Neanderthals are more alike than once believed.
The data used in the new study was compiled by the eMerge (Electronics Medical Records and Genomics) network of Vanderbilt University, and included the analysis of the data sets of 28,000 individuals. Genetic researcher Tony Capra of Vanderbilt University said, that after comparing the DNA of Neanderthal fossils to the DNA of the study subjects, he and his team found a link to several associated diseases.
Capra said that he and his team found a Neanderthal DNA variant that is associated with actinic keratosis, which is a condition that causes growths on the skin. They also found a link to an increased amount of blood clotting, which can lead to strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and pregnancy complications. The study also revealed a connection between Neanderthal DNA and some mood disorders, and a possible addiction to nicotine, and depression.
The researchers also found a less than 1% overall risk that a Neanderthal DNA variant is associated with having other disorders such as obesity, respiratory infections, and arteriosclerosis. The evidence in the study makes the case that humans and Neanderthals are more alike than once believed.
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