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SuperBIT: A low-cost balloon-borne telescope to rival Hubble

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Durham, Toronto and Princeton Universities have teamed up with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency to build a new kind of astronomical telescope. SuperBIT flies above 99.5% of the Earth’s atmosphere, carried by a helium balloon the size of a football stadium.

The telescope will make its operational debut next April and when deployed should obtain high-resolution images rivalling those of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mohamed Shaaban, a PhD student at the University of Toronto, will describe SuperBIT in his talk today (Wednesday 21 July) at the online RAS National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2021). [Read more…] about SuperBIT: A low-cost balloon-borne telescope to rival Hubble

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  • Hubble data confirms galaxies lacking dark matter
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    Hubble data confirms galaxies lacking dark matterThe most accurate distance measurement yet of ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) NGC1052-DF2 (DF2) confirms beyond any shadow of a doubt that it is lacking in dark matter. The newly measured distance of 22.1 +/-1.2 megaparsecs was obtained by an international team of researchers led by Zili Shen and Pieter van Dokkum…
    Tags: matter, dark, hubble, space
  • NASA Invites Media to Northrop Grumman’s September Antares Launch from Virginia
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    NASA Invites Media to Northrop Grumman’s September Antares Launch from VirginiaMedia accreditation is open for the launch from Virginia of Northrop Grumman’s 14th commercial resupply services mission to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station aboard its Cygnus spacecraft. Northrop Grumman is targeting liftoff of its Antares launch vehicle for no earlier than 10:26 pm EDT Tuesday,…
    Tags: space, will, launch, technology, test

Two-thirds of romantic couples start out as friends, study finds

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Movies and television often show romance sparking when two strangers meet. Real-life couples, however, are far more likely to begin as friends. Two-thirds of romantic relationships start out platonically, a new study in Social Psychological and Personality Science finds.

This friends-first initiation of romance is often overlooked by researchers. Examining a sample of previous studies on how relationships begin, the authors found that nearly 75 percent focused on the spark of romance between strangers. Only eight percent centered on romance that develops among friends over time.

“There are a lot of people who would feel very confident saying that we know why and how people choose partners and become a couple and fall in love, but our research suggests that is not the case,” says lead author Danu Anthony Stinson, a psychology professor at the University of Victoria, Canada. [Read more…] about Two-thirds of romantic couples start out as friends, study finds

How climate change and fires are shaping the forests of the future

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Forest fires are already a global threat. “But considering how climate change is progressing, we are probably only at the beginning of a future that will see more and bigger forest fires,” explains Rupert Seidl, Professor of Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management in Mountain Landscapes at TUM.

In many places, fire is part of the natural environment, and many tree species have become naturally adapted to recurrent fires.

These adaptations range from particularly thick bark, which protects the sensitive cambium in the trunk from the fire, to the cones of certain types of pine, which open only due to the heat of fire, allowing a quick regeneration and recovery of affected woodland. [Read more…] about How climate change and fires are shaping the forests of the future

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  • How climate change and fires are shaping the forests of the future
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    How climate change and fires are shaping the forests of the futureForest fires are already a global threat. "But considering how climate change is progressing, we are probably only at the beginning of a future that will see more and bigger forest fires," explains Rupert Seidl, Professor of Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management in Mountain Landscapes at TUM. In many places,…
    Tags: forest, climate, fires, ecosystem, will, change, fire, yellowstone, forests, explains
  • Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change
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    Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental changeOn an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge fossil-tree buried in the cold, grassy plain. The plant fossil record from this high-altitude site in southern Peru contains dramatic reminders that the environment in the…
    Tags: climate, ecosystem, models, trees, region, will, tree, environment, change, forests

5D imaging of ultrafast phenomena

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Information-rich optical imaging can provide multidimensional information to enable observation and analysis of a detected target, contributing insights into mysterious and unknown worlds.

With its ability to capture dynamic scenes on picosecond – and even femtosecond – timescales, ultrafast multidimensional optical imaging has important applications in the detection of the ultrafast phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology.

While pump-probe-based ultrafast imaging can acquire high-resolution multidimensional information, it cannot adequately capture unstable or irreversible transient scenes. [Read more…] about 5D imaging of ultrafast phenomena

USC study shows dire impacts downstream of Nile River dam

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Rapid filling of a giant dam at the headwaters of the Nile River – the world’s biggest waterway that supports millions of people – could reduce water supplies to downstream Egypt by more than one-third, new USC research shows.

A water deficit of that magnitude, if unmitigated, could potentially destabilize a politically volatile part of the world by reducing arable land in Egypt by up to 72%. The study projects that economic losses to agriculture would reach $51 billion. The gross domestic product loss would push unemployment to 24%, displacing lots of people and disrupting economies.

“Our study forecasts dire water supply impacts downstream, causing what would be the largest water stress dispute in modern human history,” said Essam Heggy, a research scientist at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and lead author of the study. [Read more…] about USC study shows dire impacts downstream of Nile River dam

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  • Solar and wind power could mitigate conflict in northeast Africa
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    Solar and wind power could mitigate conflict in northeast AfricaA new study shows that several disagreements between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt around Africa's largest hydropower plant, the new Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), could be alleviated by massively expanding solar and wind power across the region. Adapting GERD operation to support grid integration of solar and wind power would…
    Tags: water, dam, egypt, study, nile, river, features

Ancient Islamic tombs cluster like galaxies

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Sudanese Islamic burial sites are distributed according to large-scale environmental factors and small-scale social factors, creating a galaxy-like distribution pattern, according to a study published July 7, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Stefano Costanzo of the University of Naples “L’Orientale” in Italy and colleagues.

The Kassala region of eastern Sudan is home to a vast array of funerary monuments, from the Islamic tombs of modern Beja people to ancient burial mounds thousands of years old.

Archaeologists don’t expect these monuments are randomly placed; their distribution is likely influenced by geological and social factors. Unraveling the patterns of the funerary landscape can provide insight into ancient cultural practices of the people who built them. [Read more…] about Ancient Islamic tombs cluster like galaxies

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  • Population dynamics and the rise of empires in Inner Asia
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    Population dynamics and the rise of empires in Inner AsiaFrom the late Bronze Age until the Middle Ages, the eastern Eurasian Steppe was home to a series of organized and highly influential nomadic empires. The Xiongnu (209 BCE - 98 CE) and Mongol (916-1125 CE) empires that bookend this period had especially large impacts on the demographics and geopolitics…
    Tags: eastern, ancient, study, region, university, features

Physicists describe sun’s electric field

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As the Parker Solar Probe ventures closer to the sun, we are learning new things about our home star.

In a new study, physicists led by the University of Iowa report the first definitive measurements of the sun’s electric field, and how the electric field interacts with the solar wind, the fast-flowing current of charged particles that can affect activities on Earth, from satellites to telecommunications.

The physicists calculated the distribution of electrons within the sun’s electric field, a feat made possible by the fact that the Parker Solar Probe jetted within 0.1 astronomical units (AU), or a mere 9 million miles, from the sun – closer than any spacecraft has approached. [Read more…] about Physicists describe sun’s electric field

Early Earth was bombarded by series of city-sized asteroids

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Scientists know that the Earth was bombarded by huge impactors in distant time, but a new analysis suggest that the number of these impacts may have been x10 higher than previously thought.

This translates into a barrage of collisions, similar in scale to that of the asteroid strike which wiped out the dinosaurs, on average every 15 million years between 2.5 and 3.5 billion years ago. Some of these individual impacts may have been much bigger, possibly ranging from city-sized to small province sized.

Researchers are also considering what effect the impacts may have had on the Earth’s evolving near-surface chemistry. This work is presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference. [Read more…] about Early Earth was bombarded by series of city-sized asteroids

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  • Dinosaurs were in decline before the end, according to new study
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    Dinosaurs were in decline before the end, according to new studyThe death of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was caused by the impact of a huge asteroid on the Earth. However, palaeontologists have continued to debate whether they were already in decline or not before the impact. In a new study, published today in the journal Nature Communications, an international…
    Tags: years, impact, ago, earth, huge, life, time, features
  • Water on ancient Mars
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    Water on ancient MarsThere's a long-standing question in planetary science about the origin of water on Earth, Mars and other large bodies such as the moon. One hypothesis says that it came from asteroids and comets post-formation. But some planetary researchers think that water might just be one of many substances that occur…
    Tags: years, billion, ago, impact, ancient, earth, life, time, universe

New electronic paper displays brilliant colours

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Imagine sitting out in the sun, reading a digital screen as thin as paper, but seeing the same image quality as if you were indoors. Thanks to research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, it could soon be a reality.

A new type of reflective screen – sometimes described as ‘electronic paper’ – offers optimal colour display, while using ambient light to keep energy consumption to a minimum.

Traditional digital screens use a backlight to illuminate the text or images displayed upon them. This is fine indoors, but we’ve all experienced the difficulties of viewing such screens in bright sunshine. Reflective screens, however, attempt to use the ambient light, mimicking the way our eyes respond to natural paper. [Read more…] about New electronic paper displays brilliant colours

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  • New material to treat wounds can protect against resistant bacteria
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    New material to treat wounds can protect against resistant bacteriaResearchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new material that prevents infections in wounds – a specially designed hydrogel, that works against all types of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant ones. The new material offers great hope for combating a growing global problem. The World Health Organization describes antibiotic-resistant…
    Tags: material, researchers, chalmers, technology, chemistry
  • Smart technology is not making us dumber
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    Smart technology is not making us dumberThere are plenty of negatives associated with smart technology – tech neck, texting and driving, blue light rays – but there is also a positive: the digital age is not making us stupid, says University of Cincinnati social/behavioral expert Anthony Chemero. "Despite the headlines, there is no scientific evidence that…
    Tags: technology, digital, paper, university, features

AR can improve the lives of older adults, so why are apps designed mainly with youngsters in mind?

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Augmented reality (AR) is poised to revolutionise the way people complete essential everyday tasks, yet older adults – who have much to gain from the technology – will be excluded from using it unless more thought goes into designing software that makes sense to them.

The danger of older adults falling through the gaps has been highlighted by research carried out by scientists at the UK’s University of Bath and the Bath-based charity Designability.

A Paper describing their work has received an honourable mention at this year’s Human Computer Interaction Conference (CHI2021) – the world’s largest conference of its kind. [Read more…] about AR can improve the lives of older adults, so why are apps designed mainly with youngsters in mind?

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  • Experiences of loneliness may differ by age
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    Experiences of loneliness may differ by ageLoneliness in adult life is experienced differently depending on age, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.   The research concludes that there can be no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to reducing loneliness, as factors associated with it, such as contact with friends and family, perceived…
    Tags: adults, features
  • The Earth is flat. Everything else is just fake news. Or is it?
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    The Earth is flat. Everything else is just fake news. Or is it?‘Is Western culture balancing on a tightrope between science and humanities?’ asks Carlos Elias, author of new book Science on the Ropes, which explains why science has been dethroned from its prestigious position in Western culture and replaced by pseudoscientific conjecture and fake news Pseudoscience is on the rise and…
    Tags: technology, features