Newly discovered electrical activity within cells could change the way researchers think about biological chemistry - Phys.org

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The human body relies heavily on electrical charges. Lightning-like pulses of energy fly through the brain and nerves and most biological processes depend on electrical ions traveling across the membranes of each cell in our body.

These electrical signals are possible, in part, because of an imbalance in electrical charges that exists on either side of a cellular membrane. Until recently, researchers believed the membrane was an essential component to creating this imbalance. But that thought was turned on its head when researchers at Stanford University discovered that similar imbalanced electrical charges can exist between microdroplets of water and air.

Now, researchers at Duke University have discovered that these types of electric fields also exist within and around another type of cellular structure called biological condensates. Like oil droplets floating in water, these structures exist because of differences in density. They form compartments inside the cell without needing the physical boundary of a membrane.

Inspired by previous research demonstrating that microdroplets of water interacting with air or solid surfaces create tiny electrical imbalances, the researchers decided to see if the same was true for small biological condensates. They also wanted to see if these imbalances sparked reactive oxygen, "redox," reactions like these other systems.

Appearing on April 28 in the journal Chem, their foundational discovery could change the way researchers think about biological chemistry. It could also provide a clue as to how the first life on Earth harnessed the energy needed to arise.

"In a prebiotic environment without enzymes to catalyze reactions, where would the energy come from?" asked Yifan Dai, a Duke postdoctoral researcher working in the laboratory of Ashutosh Chilkoti, the Alan L. Kaganov Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Lingchong You, the James L. Meriam Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

"This discovery provides a plausible explanation of where the reaction energy could have come from, just as the potential energy that is imparted on a point charge placed in an electric field," Dai said.

When electric charges jump between one material and another, they can produce molecular fragments that can pair up and form hydroxyl radicals, which have the chemical formula OH. These can then pair again to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in tiny but detectable amounts.

"But interfaces have seldom been studied in biological regimes other than the cellular membrane, which is one of the most essential part of biology," said Dai. "So we were wondering what might be happening at the interface of biological condensates, that is, if it is an asymmetric system too."

Cells can build biological condensates to either separate or trap together certain proteins and molecules, either hindering or promoting their activity. Researchers are just beginning to understand how condensates work and what they could be used for.

Because the Chilkoti laboratory specializes in creating synthetic versions of naturally occurring biological condensates, the researchers were easily able to create a test bed for their theory. After combining the right formula of building blocks to create minuscule condensates, with help from postdoctoral scholar Marco Messina in? Christopher J. Chang's group at the University of California—Berkeley, they added a dye to the system that glows in the presence of reactive oxygen species.

Their hunch was right. When the environmental conditions were right, a solid glow started from the edges of the condensates, confirming that a previously unknown phenomenon was at work. Dai next talked with Richard Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Chemistry at Stanford, whose group established the electric behavior of water droplets. Zare was excited to hear about the new behavior in biological systems, and started to work with the group on the underlying mechanism.

"Inspired by previous work on water droplets, my graduate student, Christian Chamberlayne, and I thought that the same physical principles might apply and promote redox chemistry, such as the formation of hydrogen peroxide molecules," Zare said. "These findings suggest why condensates are so important in the functioning of cells."

"Most previous work on biomolecular condensates has focused on their innards," Chilkoti said. "Yifan's discovery that biomolecular condensates appear to be universally redox-active suggests that condensates did not simply evolve to carry out specific biological functions as is commonly understood, but that they are also endowed with a critical chemical function that is essential to cells."

While the biological implications of this ongoing reaction within our cells is not known, Dai points to a prebiotic example of how powerful its effects might be. The powerhouses of our cells, called mitochondria, create energy for all of our life's functions through the same basic chemical process. But before mitochondria or even the simplest of cells existed, something had to provide energy for the very first of life's functions to begin working.

Researchers have proposed that the energy was provided by thermal vents in the oceans or hot springs. Others have suggested this same redox reaction that occurs in water microdroplets was created by the spray of ocean waves.

But why not condensates instead?

"Magic can happen when substances get tiny and the interfacial volume becomes enormous compared to its volume," Dai said. "I think the implications are important to many different fields."

More information: Yifan Dai et al, Interface of biomolecular condensates modulates redox reactions, Chem (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2023.04.001

Journal information: Chem

Provided by Duke University

Citation: Newly discovered electrical activity within cells could change the way researchers think about biological chemistry (2023, April 28) retrieved 30 April 2023 from https://ift.tt/dO4XefZ

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Newly discovered electrical activity within cells could change the way researchers think about biological chemistry - Phys.org )
https://ift.tt/4y6ft7d
Science

NASA refuses goodbye to its old Voyager spacecraft - Mashable

A spacecraft can't live among the stars forever.

But NASA isn't quite ready to say goodbye to its 1970s-era Voyager 2, its second-farthest spacecraft exploring what lies beyond the solar system's outermost planets. It is slowly dying as it hurtles through interstellar space at more than 34,000 mph.

Voyager's team of engineers has already turned off heaters and other power vampires that aren't crucial for flying. The situation has become more dire, though. With the spacecraft's power supply dwindling, NASA was on the brink of shutting down one of its five onboard science instruments. That would mark the beginning of the end for the decades-long science mission(opens in a new tab).

In the nick of time, engineers devised a new plan(opens in a new tab) to squeeze more life out of Voyager 2. From 12 billion miles away, they've pinpointed a hidden trove of power within one of its parts that could prevent them from having to shut down a key instrument for another three years.

"The science data that the Voyagers are returning gets more valuable the farther away from the sun they go, so we are definitely interested in keeping as many science instruments operating as long as possible," said Linda Spilker, Voyager’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement(opens in a new tab).

SEE ALSO: How a NASA nuclear rocket engine could unleash the solar system

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

A Voyager spacecraft replica outstretches its platform with some of its attached science instruments in this 1976 archival photo. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Both Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, are way older than their original life expectancy(opens in a new tab). They were intended to study Jupiter and Saturn, their moons, and Saturn's rings. For the two-planet mission, they were built to last just five years.

After their initial success, engineers doubled the mission objectives(opens in a new tab) to include two more planets: Uranus and Neptune. Together they've explored four planets, 48 moons, and a host of planetary magnetic fields and rings.

Now the Voyager spacecraft are exploring the limits of the sun’s influence. They are the first probes to travel outside the so-called "heliosphere," the sun's protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields. The twins are helping scientists answer questions about its role in shielding Earth from radiation found in the interstellar environment. Scientists define interstellar space(opens in a new tab) as the place outside the sun’s constant flow of material affecting its surroundings.

In this diagram, NASA indicates the locations of the two Voyager spacecraft in interstellar space. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech illustration

Engineers found the extra stash of power in a part designed to protect the science instruments from changes in their voltage. Electrical fluctuations could potentially damage instruments, so a regulator triggers a backup circuit to access the reserved power from their generators. Now Voyager 2's instruments will use the power rather than set it aside.

Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter today.

Both Voyager probes work on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which turn heat from decaying plutonium(opens in a new tab) into electricity. The process yields less power each year.

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

As far as Voyager 1 goes, it is already operating one fewer science instrument than its sibling because one of its instruments failed early in the mission. That means NASA won't have to decide whether to turn another off until next year. If this new power strategy works for Voyager 2, the team will consider doing the same for Voyager 1.

Although Voyager 2 is now flying without a voltage safety net, engineers feel confident that its electricity is relatively stable, posing a small risk to the onboard instruments.

"The alternative offers a big reward of being able to keep the science instruments turned on longer," said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager’s project manager, in a statement(opens in a new tab). "We’ve been monitoring the spacecraft for a few weeks, and it seems like this new approach is working."

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( NASA refuses goodbye to its old Voyager spacecraft - Mashable )
https://ift.tt/FViKfLn
Science

UAE's Sultan Al-Neyadi Becomes 1st Arab Astronaut To Complete Spacewalk - NDTV

UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi has become the first Arab to undertake a spacewalk.

Dubai:

UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi has become the first Arab to undertake a spacewalk during Expedition 69 venturing out of the International Space Station (ISS) and completing his spacewalk.

The historic spacewalk lasted 7.01 hours in the vacuum of space on the starboard side of the ISS's truss structure, accomplishing two key objectives.

One of the objectives of the Extravehicular Activity (EVA), undertaken by Sultan Al-Neyadi along with NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen, was to work on a series of preparatory tasks which involved routing power cables, which was successfully concluded.

These cable works were completed as a precursor to the installation of the Space Station's fourth roll-out solar array, known as the International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA), which is scheduled to be delivered on the upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. The next objective was to retrieve a crucial Radio Frequency Group (RFG) unit.

This communications antenna, or RFG will stay bolted on the station for now due to the difficulty of removing it. Prior to embarking on their spacewalk, Sultan Al-Neyadi and Bowen underwent a two-hour oxygen purge to eliminate nitrogen from their bodies.

Following this, Warren Hoburg and Frank Rubio assisted the astronauts in donning their spacesuits - a major operation in itself. It took both Sultan Al-Neyadi and Bowen an additional hour to put on their spacesuits and safety gear before entering the airlock to gradually reduce the pressure to a safe level for opening the exterior hatch.

Prior to the spacewalk, a thorough set of checks were conducted to ensure the safety of the astronauts. During their high-altitude walk outside the ISS, Sultan Al-Neyadi and Bowen had to contend with two major challenges: radiation and extreme temperatures.

The surrounding environment in space can reach scorching temperatures of up to 120 degrees Celsius in the sunlight and drop as low as -150 degrees Celsius when the sun is out of sight.

While the spacesuit is geared to handle all this, careful management of the suit during the mission was also a task at hand.

Hamad Obaid Al-Mansoori, Chairman, MBRSC, said: "The UAE Mission 2 is a truly inspiring endeavour that embodies the spirit of Emirati excellence and determination to achieve greatness in all our pursuits."

"From its inception as the longest Arab space mission to the historic appointment of the first Arab increment lead on an ISS expedition, and now continuing with the ground-breaking achievement of the first Arab spacewalk by Sultan Al-Neyadi, this mission has set a new standard for excellence in space exploration."

Salem Humaid Al-Marri, Director General, MBRSC, said, "Sultan Al-Neyadi's spacewalk has generated an unprecedented level of excitement and interest within the public, underscoring the immense significance of this mission."

"While Sultan is conducting ground-breaking scientific experiments on the ISS, the addition of the spacewalk showcases yet another dimension of the UAE's remarkable expertise in space exploration. This milestone achievement will play a critical role in restoring the International Space Station to its full operational capability, cementing the UAE's position as a leading contributor to the global space community," Mr Al-Marri said.

Sultan Al-Neyadi will soon be completing two months in space after launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida with his Crew-6 team members on March 2. For his second month aboard the Space Station, Sultan Al-Neyadi conducted multiple experiments.

The UAE Astronaut Programme is one of the projects managed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre under the UAE's National Space Programme and funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, which aims to support research and development in the ICT sector in the UAE and promote the country's integration on the global stage.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( UAE's Sultan Al-Neyadi Becomes 1st Arab Astronaut To Complete Spacewalk - NDTV )
https://ift.tt/LdiJgp1
Science

Back Then, Baby Galaxies. Next, a Super-Mega Galactic Cluster? - The New York Times

The Webb telescope has spotted some of the oldest known collections of stars. They may have a very bright future.

Like basketball scouts discovering a nimble, super-tall teenager, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope reported recently that they had identified a small, captivating group of baby galaxies near the dawn of time. These galaxies, the scientists say, could well grow into one of the biggest conglomerations of mass in the universe, a vast cluster of thousands of galaxies and trillions of stars.

The seven galaxies they identified date to a moment 13 billion years ago, just 650 million years after the Big Bang.

“This could indeed have been the most massive system in the entire universe at the time,” said Takahiro Morishita, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. He described the proto-cluster as the most distant and thus earliest such entity yet observed. Dr. Morishita was the lead author of a report on the discovery, which was published on Monday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The scientists’ report is an outgrowth of a larger effort known as the Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space, organized by Tommaso Treu, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, to harvest early science results from the Webb telescope.

The telescope was launched into orbit around the sun on Christmas Day in 2021. With its infrared detectors and a booming primary mirror 21 feet wide, it is ideal for investigating the early years of the universe. As the universe expands, galaxies that are so distant in space and time are racing away from Earth so fast that most of their visible light, and the information about them, has been stretched into invisible infrared wavelengths, like receding sirens lowering in pitch.

In its first year, the Webb has already recovered a bounty of bright galaxies and big black holes that formed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

The latest infant galaxies had been detected over the years by the Hubble Space Telescope as red dots of light, visible at such great remove only because they had been magnified by the space-warping gravity of Pandora’s Cluster, an intervening cluster of galaxies in the constellation Sculptor.

Spectroscopic measurements with the Webb telescope confirmed that the seven dots were galaxies and were all equally far from Earth. They occupy a region of space 400,000 light-years across, or about one-sixth the distance from here to the Milky Way galaxy’s nearest cousin, the great spiral galaxy Andromeda.

“So, our efforts of following up on the formerly known potential proto-cluster finally paid off after almost 10 years!” Dr. Morishita wrote.

According to calculations based on prevailing models of the universe, gravity will eventually draw these galaxies together into a massive cluster containing at least a trillion stars. “We can see these distant galaxies like small drops of water in different rivers, and we can see that eventually they will all become part of one big, mighty river,” said Benedetta Vulcani of the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy and a member of the research group.

The spectroscopic data also allowed Dr. Morishita and his colleagues to determine that the stars populating some of these embryonic galaxies were surprisingly mature, containing sizable amounts of elements like oxygen and iron, which would have had to have been forged in the nuclear furnaces of generations of earlier stars. Others among the infant galaxies were more pristine. In theory, the very first stars in the universe would have been composed of pure hydrogen and helium, the first elements to emerge from the Big Bang.

Some of these galaxies were birthing stars at a prodigious rate, more than 10 times as fast as the Milky Way, which is 10 to 100 times as big. Others in the young group were barely generating one star a year, “which is an interesting diversity in a group of galaxies at this early epoch,” Dr. Morishita said.

All this adds to a suspicion among some cosmologists that the early universe was producing stars, galaxies and black holes much faster than the standard theory predicts. In an email, Dr. Morishita said there was not yet any “crisis” in cosmology.

“The easier explanation,” he wrote, “is that our prior understanding of star formation and dust production in the early universe, which are complex phenomena, was incomplete.”

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Back Then, Baby Galaxies. Next, a Super-Mega Galactic Cluster? - The New York Times )
https://ift.tt/t2BpKkX
Science

Sticky Situation: Critical Antenna on ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Fails To Deploy - SciTechDaily

Illustration of the JUICE spacecraft at Jupiter. The Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna on ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft has encountered an issue preventing its deployment. The 16-meter-long antenna, crucial for studying the surface and subsurface structure of Jupiter’s icy moons, is currently stuck in its mounting bracket due to a suspected tiny pin. Despite the setback, the antenna shows signs of movement and is partially extended. Credit: ESA

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) has encountered a deployment issue with its Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna. The issue, potentially caused by a stuck pin, is being addressed by ESA’s mission control teams with various strategies, including an engine burn and spacecraft rotations. Despite this, Juice’s other instruments are functioning properly, and there’s a two-month window to solve the problem.

Juice’s ice-penetrating RIME antenna has not yet been deployed as planned. During the first week of commissioning, an issue arose with the 16-meter-long Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna, which is preventing it from being released from its mounting bracket. Juice is currently 3.5 million km (2.2 million miles) from Earth.

Work continues to free the radar and teams at ESA’s mission control center in Darmstadt, Germany, along with partners in science and industry, have lots of ideas up their sleeves.

Every day the RIME antenna shows more signs of movement, visible in images from the Juice Monitoring Camera on board the spacecraft with a partial view of the radar and its mount. Now partially extended but still stowed away, the radar is roughly a third of its full intended length.

Juice’s stuck but moving RIME antenna is captured by the Juice Monitoring Camera on board the spacecraft. This animation shows the radar’s movements in five photos taken across April 17–21, as teams on Earth work through steps in Juice’s deployment. Four segments of the RIME antenna are visible here, folded on top of each other. This ‘stack’ of antenna elements is one half of the full antenna, next to the other half also in a folded stack. The other half has not yet begun deployment and becomes visible through the widening gaps between antenna segments. Credit: ESA/Juice/JMC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

The current leading hypothesis is that a tiny stuck pin has not yet made way for the antenna’s release. In this case, it is thought that just a matter of millimeters could make the difference to set the rest of the radar free.

Various options are still available to nudge the important instrument out of its current position. The next steps to fully deploy the antenna include an engine burn to shake the spacecraft a little followed by a series of rotations that will turn Juice, warming up the mount and radar, which are currently in the cold shadows.

Shortly after launch on April 14 , ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, captured this image with its Juice monitoring camera 2 (JMC2). JMC2 is located on the top of the spacecraft and is placed to monitor the multi-stage deployment of the 16 m-long Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna. RIME is an ice-penetrating radar that will be used to remotely probe the subsurface structure of the large moons of Jupiter. In this image, RIME is seen in stowed configuration. Credit: ESA/Juice/JCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Juice is otherwise performing excellently after the successful deployment and operation of its mission-critical solar arrays and medium gain antenna, as well as its 10.6-m magnetometer boom.

With two months of planned commissioning remaining, there is plenty of time for teams to get to the bottom of the RIME deployment issue and continue work on the rest of the powerful suite of instruments on their way to investigate the outer Solar System.

A 1:18 scale model of the Juice mission’s RIME antenna – Radar for Icy Moons Exploration, mounted on top of a simplified spacecraft model during tests in the Hertz facility at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. RIME is an ice-penetrating radar that will be used to remotely probe the subsurface structure of the large moons of Jupiter. Emitted by a 16-m long dipole antenna, the radar signals will penetrate the icy surfaces of the moons down to a depth of 9 km, providing a vertical resolution between 50 and 140 m. Credit: ESA–M.Cowan, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Updates will be shared as new information becomes available.

The RIME instrument is an ice-penetrating radar designed to study the surface and subsurface structure of Jupiter’s icy moons down to a depth of 9 km.

It is one of ten instruments on board ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, set to investigate the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants and the formation of our Solar System.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Sticky Situation: Critical Antenna on ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Fails To Deploy - SciTechDaily )
https://ift.tt/Y8g2A1E
Science

Europe's JUICE Jupiter probe has an antenna glitch in deep space - Space.com

Europe's flagship Jupiter mission is struggling to unfurl an antenna in deep space.

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer or JUICE spacecraft has a stuck antenna on one of its instruments, European Space Agency (ESA) officials reported Friday (April 28). The instrument is designed to penetrate the icy surface of Jupiter moons using radar, to seek signs of habitable conditions for life in the waters beneath.

"A matter of millimeters could make the difference to set the rest of the radar free," ESA officials wrote in an update (opens in new tab). Teams working on the partially deployed antenna "have lots of ideas up their sleeves" to free up the jam, they added.

Related: Europe successfully launches JUICE to study Jupiter's icy moons

The stuck antenna aboard JUICE's Radar for Icy Moons Exploration flaps about in an animation based on imagery obtained between April 17 and 21, 2023. (Image credit: ESA/Juice/JMC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

(opens in new tab)

The $1.1 billion (870 million euros) JUICE launched on April 14 for an expected arrival at Jupiter's system in July 2031, where it will spend years flying around the icy Jupiter moons and learning more about their potentially life-friendly environments.

While 10 of the 11 spacecraft instruments are working fine so far, the spacecraft's Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna is jammed in its mounting bracket. Engineers suspect a tiny stuck pin is holding it in place.

"Various options are still available to nudge the important instrument out of its current position," ESA officials wrote. "The next steps to fully deploy the antenna include an engine burn to shake the spacecraft a little, followed by a series of rotations that will turn JUICE, warming up the mount and radar, which are currently in the cold shadows."

RELATED STORIES:

Commissioning, or the first steps of getting a spacecraft ready for its mission, is ongoing for about the next two months. ESA officials emphasized there is "plenty of time for teams to get to the bottom of the RIME deployment issue" in the time remaining.

Assuming the 52-foot (16-meter) antenna unjams, it will allow JUICE to see as far as 20 feet (9 meters) underneath Jupiter moons like Ganymede or Europa. Europa in particular has shown signs of spewing water into space, suggesting the ice has exposure to the outside environment.

This is not the first time a Jovian mission faced antenna issues. NASA's Galileo mission never was able to deploy its high-gain antenna properly ahead of visiting Jupiter and its icy moons between 1995 and 2003. The mission still sent data back home, but at a lower rate than designed for.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller (opens in new tab)?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab).

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Europe's JUICE Jupiter probe has an antenna glitch in deep space - Space.com )
https://ift.tt/xguaV1Y
Science

Moment lightning strikes SpaceX launch pad caught on camera - Fox Business

A lightning bolt struck a Kennedy Space Center launch complex in Florida Thursday, delaying a SpaceX launch. (@LabPadre via Storyful)

Video captured the moment a bolt of lightning struck a Kennedy Space Center launch pad on Merritt Island, Florida, delaying a SpaceX launch.

Lightning struck the Kennedy Space Center's LC-39A launch pad on Thursday, forcing the space travel company to inspect the facility for damage ahead of its Falcon Heavy rocket launch.

The launch was rescheduled for Friday as crews evaluated the lightning strike and any damage from hail and severe winds.

SPACEX CONDUCTS ANOTHER STARLINK SATELLITE MISSION

A lightning bolt struck a Kennedy Space Center launch complex in Florida Thursday, delaying a SpaceX launch. (@LabPadre via Storyful / Fox News)

"Last night’s storm in Florida produced hail, tornadoes, and lightning," SpaceX said in a Friday message on Twitter. 

The company added, "Following this strike on the tower at 39A, teams performed additional checkouts of Falcon Heavy, the payloads, and ground support equipment."

JAPAN'S ISPACE LOSES CONTACT WITH LUNAR LANDER FOLLOWING HISTORIC LAUNCH

SpaceX later posted a status update to social media saying all systems were clear.

The company hopes to conduct a test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket on Friday, saying there's a 30% chance of favorable weather. 

SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES GIANT STARSHIP ROCKET, EXPLODES MINUTES LATER

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket lifts off from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on a brief uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, April 20, 2023, in a still image from video. (SpaceX/Handout via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)

SpaceX's Starship — the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built — blasted off from the southern tip of Texas on April 20.

However, just minutes later and awaiting stage separation, it experienced a failure and SpaceX initiated a self-destruction of the aircraft.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket explodes after launch from Starbase on April 20, 2023. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The rocket began to tumble and then exploded four minutes into the flight, plummeting into the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX said on Twitter that its teams would continue to review data and work toward the next flight test.

FOX Business' Julia Musto contributed to this report.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Moment lightning strikes SpaceX launch pad caught on camera - Fox Business )
https://ift.tt/kwE27Nt
Science

NASA issues alert as Asteroid 2023 HH3 rushes towards Earth at blistering pace - HT Tech

There are several asteroids that make their close approach towards Earth every week but not all of them can be considered dangerous. NASA classifies asteroids as Potentially Hazardous if they come within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth and have a size bigger than 150 meters. The space agency recently revealed that several space rocks passed Earth at extremely close distances recently, though none were potentially world-ending asteroids.

That could have changed with a slight deflection in the asteroid's trajectory due to interaction with Earth's gravitational field which could have sent it tumbling towards Earth. NASA has revealed that another asteroid is on its way towards Earth. So, how close will this space rock pass by and how fast is it going?

Asteroid 2023 HH3 details

NASA has issued an alert against an asteroid named Asteroid 2023 HH3. This asteroid is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today, April 25. Its distance of close approach will be just 402,000 kilometers which is almost the same distance as the Moon! NASA further revealed that the asteroid is already on its way towards Earth, travelling at a staggering speed of 48051 kilometers per hour.

Asteroid 2023 HH3 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are a group of Near-Earth asteroids named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s. In terms of size, the asteroid is almost 43 feet across, which makes it the same size as a bus.

How is an Asteroid Orbit Calculated?

An asteroid's orbit is computed by finding the elliptical path about the sun that best fits the available observations of the object using various space and ground-based telescopes such as NASA's NEOWISE telescope and its brand-new Sentry II algorithm. That is, the object's computed path about the sun is adjusted until the predictions of where the asteroid should have appeared in the sky at several observed times match the positions where the object was observed to be at those same time.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( NASA issues alert as Asteroid 2023 HH3 rushes towards Earth at blistering pace - HT Tech )
https://ift.tt/phw4i3d
Science

Japan's Ispace Attempts a Private Moon Landing: Live Updates - The New York Times

A race to the moon is back on, and this time, the visitors to the lunar surface will include private companies, not just national space agencies like NASA.

The first privately built visitor to land on the lunar surface intact could be a spacecraft called M1, the creation of Ispace, a start-up Japanese company. Here’s what you need to know about the mission.

When is the moon landing, and how can I watch it?

The M1 lander launched toward the moon in December, and it is already orbiting the moon. It will head to the surface on Tuesday around 12:40 p.m. Eastern time (it will be early Wednesday morning in Japan). The landing site is Atlas Crater, a 54-mile-wide crater in the northeast quadrant of the moon.

Ispace will start a livestream at 11:40 a.m. Eastern time.

What is Ispace, and what is it carrying?

The company started as a competitor for the Google Lunar X Prize, a competition that offered a $20 million prize for the first private spacecraft to land on the moon. The Lunar X Prize expired before any of the teams made it to the launchpad, but one of them, Team Hakuto, evolved into Ispace.

The company has attracted sizable investment, and Ispace plans to launch a series of commercial moon landers in the coming years.

On this mission, the Hakuto-R M1 lander carries the Rashid lunar rover from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai; a two-wheeled transformable lunar robot from JAXA, the Japanese space agency; a test module for a solid-state battery from NGK Spark Plug Company; an artificial intelligence flight computer; and 360-degree cameras from Canadensys Aerospace.

An artist’s concept of a lunar rover built by the company Ispace.Ispace

Why is Ispace trying to land on the moon?

In short, Ispace thinks there is money to be made on the moon.

Ispace is one of several companies building small robotic landers to carry scientific and commercial payloads there. That market is spurred in part by NASA’s current Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole in the coming years.

As a Japanese company, Ispace cannot directly compete in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, but its U.S. subsidiary is part of the team led by Draper, which last year won a $73 million contract to deliver three NASA-sponsored science payloads on the far side of the moon. The Draper mission will largely use a bigger Ispace lander design that will be built in the United States.

Why is landing on the moon so difficult?

The United States and the Soviet Union each successfully put robotic spacecraft on the moon more than 50 years ago. More recently, China has landed robotic spacecraft on the moon three times.

However, getting there on a slim budget has proved trickier.

In 2019, spacecraft built by India’s space agency and an Israeli nonprofit tried to land on the moon, but they crashed. That added to the list of lunar hard landings.

A soft landing like the one Ispace is attempting largely requires the spacecraft to operate autonomously. There is only a short amount of time, and the ground is not going to move out of the way.

It also takes 1.3 seconds for light, including radio signals, to travel from the moon to Earth, and another 1.3 seconds for a signal from Earth to reach the spacecraft. That makes any adjustments during descent tricky and dangerous.

Ispace’s spacecraft could have an advantage that improves its chances. The guidance and navigation software for M1 was developed by Draper Laboratory, which made the guidance computer used during NASA’s Apollo moon landings.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Japan's Ispace Attempts a Private Moon Landing: Live Updates - The New York Times )
https://ift.tt/jv5Q0fu
Science

China breaks silence over status of Mars rover Zhurong - Al Jazeera English

Zhurong should have woken from planned hibernation in December but a dust build-up has likely affected power generation.

China’s Mars rover, which has been in longer-than-expected hibernation on the red planet since May 2022, has likely suffered excessive accumulation of sand and dust, its mission designer has said, breaking months of silence about the status of the space vehicle.

The fully robotic Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, was expected to have woken up in December after entering a planned sleep mode in May 2022 as falling solar radiation due to the advent of winter on Mars cut its power generation.

A pile-up of dust most likely affected power generation and the rover’s ability to wake up, China’s state television CCTV reported on Tuesday, quoting Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China’s Mars exploration programme.

The Zhurong had explored the Martian surface for 358 days and travelled for 1,921 metres (2,100 yards), Zhang said, far exceeding its original mission time span of three months.

Images beamed back from Mars showed the Chinese rover had not changed its position since at least between September 8, 2022 and February 7, 2023, according to the University of Arizona, which manages a high-resolution camera on board NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The camera is the most powerful ever sent to another planet.

Andrew Jones, a reporter focused on China’s space programme, tweeted on Tuesday that an official update on the rover’s status was welcome, though it was not conclusive that the Zhurong might never reawaken.

“So, this is not conclusive. Hard to gauge dust coverage on Zhurong’s solar panels from orbit,” Jones said in a tweet, noting that it could still wake up with the summer solstice on Mars in July.

“If it can wake up, it can use active dust cleaning measures. It could already be doomed though,” he added.

Good to have an official update. So, this is not conclusive. Hard to gauge dust coverage on Zhurong's solar panels from orbit. Could still wake up, with summer solstice but until July 12 . If it can wake up, it can use active dust cleaning measures. It could already be doomed tho

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) April 25, 2023

The 240kg (530-pound) Zhurong, which has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera, was tasked with studying the planet’s surface soil and atmosphere after landing with no mishap in May 2021.

Powered by solar energy, Zhurong also looked for signs of ancient life, including any subsurface water and ice, using a ground-penetrating radar.

Aside from Zhurong, two other robotic rovers have been operating on Mars – NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity, with the former roaming the planet’s surface for more than two years and the latter for about a decade.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( China breaks silence over status of Mars rover Zhurong - Al Jazeera English )
https://ift.tt/pL0qyw1
Science

Astronomers make frightening new supernova discovery that would obliterate life on Earth - indy100

Supernovae (or supernovas, if you prefer) have long been a subject of intense interest and intensive research owing to the spectacular outbursts of energy they produce.

But new evidence collected by NASA’s Chandra Observatory suggest they could pose an even greater threat to life than was previously thought.

In Leyman’s terms, a supernova is what happens when a star reaches the end of its life – exploding with an unimaginably powerful burst of light.

They can radiate more energy than our sun will in its entire lifetime and, as the US energy department (DOE) points out, they are key to our very existence.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

“Supernovae are considered one of the original sources of the elements heavier than iron in the Universe,” the DOE states on its website. “Even the iron in your blood can be traced back to supernovae or similar cosmic explosions from long before our Sun had formed.”

However, we shouldn’t just feel grateful for these celestial phenomena, we should also feel a little concerned.

Observations of 31 supernovae made at the Chandra Observatory suggest that intense X-rays from exploded stars can have damaging effects on planets up to 160 light-years away.

This is because, although the supernova’s initial outburst fades in weeks, the X-rays it produces can last months or even decades, and extend much further than the blast itself.

And although these noxious rays probably wouldn’t reach the surface of a planet like Earth, with its oxygen-rich atmosphere, they would produce chemicals that greatly damage the ozone layer, as IFL Science points out.

As a result, this would allow ultraviolet light from the planet’s star (in our case, the sun) to infiltrate the biosphere, meaning humans and animals would be unlikely to survive other than in the deep ocean or underground.

“These events, while rare, maintain a notable influence in the radiation environment of the galaxy and pose a substantial threat to terrestrial biospheres as their ionizing radiation can induce significant alterations to a planet's atmospheric chemistry at formidable distance,” the study notes.

However, to quote The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, don’t panic.

“The Earth is not in any danger from an event like this now, because there are no potential supernovae within the X-ray danger zone,” one of the paper’s authors, Connor O’Mahoney of the University of Illinois, said in a statement.

And yet, our beloved planet has been close to supernovae in the past – indeed, evidence suggests such explosions preceded the birth of the Solar System.

“A nearby [supernova] has most certainly occurred in Earth's geological past, likely numerous times,” the authors point out.

“It is possible that one or more of these [supernovae] were interacting and thus inflicted a high dosage of X-ray radiation on Earth's atmosphere. This would imply that [supernova] X-ray emission has had a notable impact on Earth and potentially played a role in the evolution of life itself.”

They also stress that it’s important to consider supernova X-ray emission when assessing “how life can evolve elsewhere in our galaxy and other star-forming regions.”

“As we continue to detect more exoplanets and further the search for extraterrestrial life, [supernovca] X-ray emission needs to be considered in attempts to quantify habitability and/or locate potential biospheres.”

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Astronomers make frightening new supernova discovery that would obliterate life on Earth - indy100 )
https://ift.tt/BuC2lUx
Science

Simulations with a machine learning model predict a new phase of solid hydrogen - Phys.org

Phases of solid hydrogen. The left is the well-studied hexagonal close packed phase, while the right is the new phase predicted by the authors' machine learning-informed simulations. Image by Wesley Moore. Credit: The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is found everywhere from the dust filling most of outer space to the cores of stars to many substances here on Earth. This would be reason enough to study hydrogen, but its individual atoms are also the simplest of any element with just one proton and one electron. For David Ceperley, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, this makes hydrogen the natural starting point for formulating and testing theories of matter.

Ceperley, also a member of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center, uses computer simulations to study how hydrogen atoms interact and combine to form different phases of matter like solids, liquids, and gases. However, a true understanding of these phenomena requires quantum mechanics, and quantum mechanical simulations are costly. To simplify the task, Ceperley and his collaborators developed a machine learning technique that allows quantum mechanical simulations to be performed with an unprecedented number of atoms. They reported in Physical Review Letters that their method found a new kind of high-pressure solid hydrogen that past theory and experiments missed.

"Machine learning turned out to teach us a great deal," Ceperley said. "We had been seeing signs of new behavior in our previous simulations, but we didn't trust them because we could only accommodate small numbers of atoms. With our machine learning model, we could take full advantage of the most accurate methods and see what's really going on."

Hydrogen atoms form a quantum mechanical system, but capturing their full quantum behavior is very difficult even on computers. A state-of-the-art technique like quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) can feasibly simulate hundreds of atoms, while understanding large-scale phase behaviors requires simulating thousands of atoms over long periods of time.

To make QMC more versatile, two former graduate students, Hongwei Niu and Yubo Yang, developed a machine learning model trained with QMC simulations capable of accommodating many more atoms than QMC by itself. They then used the model with postdoctoral research associate Scott Jensen to study how the solid phase of hydrogen that forms at very high pressures melts.

The three of them were surveying different temperatures and pressures to form a complete picture when they noticed something unusual in the solid phase. While the molecules in solid hydrogen are normally close-to-spherical and form a configuration called hexagonal close packed—Ceperley compared it to stacked oranges—the researchers observed a phase where the molecules become oblong figures—Ceperley described them as egg-like.

"We started with the not-too-ambitious goal of refining the theory of something we know about," Jensen recalled. "Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, it was more interesting than that. There was this new behavior showing up. In fact, it was the dominant behavior at high temperatures and pressures, something there was no hint of in older theory."

To verify their results, the researchers trained their machine learning model with data from density functional theory, a widely used technique that is less accurate than QMC but can accommodate many more atoms. They found that the simplified machine learning model perfectly reproduced the results of standard theory. The researchers concluded that their large-scale, machine learning-assisted QMC simulations can account for effects and make predictions that standard techniques cannot.

This work has started a conversation between Ceperley's collaborators and some experimentalists. High-pressure measurements of hydrogen are difficult to perform, so experimental results are limited. The new prediction has inspired some groups to revisit the problem and more carefully explore hydrogen's behavior under extreme conditions.

Ceperley noted that understanding hydrogen under high temperatures and pressures will enhance our understanding of Jupiter and Saturn, gaseous planets primarily made of hydrogen. Jensen added that hydrogen's "simplicity" makes the substance important to study. "We want to understand everything, so we should start with systems that we can attack," he said. "Hydrogen is simple, so it's worth knowing that we can deal with it."

More information: Hongwei Niu et al, Stable Solid Molecular Hydrogen above 900 K from a Machine-Learned Potential Trained with Diffusion Quantum Monte Carlo, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.076102

Provided by University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering

Citation: Simulations with a machine learning model predict a new phase of solid hydrogen (2023, April 22) retrieved 23 April 2023 from https://ift.tt/tcpaGTB

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Simulations with a machine learning model predict a new phase of solid hydrogen - Phys.org )
https://ift.tt/PjFBW26
Science

Nearby Supernovas Pose An Extra Previously Unconsidered Threat To Life - IFLScience

Months or years after the immediate burst of radiation put out by supernovas has passed, nearby planets face a further threat. X-rays produced by core-collapse supernovas can damage planets up to 160 light-years away, according to new evidence collected by NASA’s Chandra Observatory. Although there are no supernova candidates anything like this close to Earth today, the discovery may be relevant for past extinction events and offer clues to the Fermi Paradox.

Releasing immense amounts of energy is central to being a supernova. Any planet orbiting one would be sterilized, if it survived at all. Even in nearby star systems habitable planets could become considerably less habitable, although there is debate about how far away one needs to be to be safe.

That initial outburst fades in weeks, but it seems hunkering down through the blast might not be enough. A new paper reveals a problem no one has previously studied. Before Type II supernovas explode, the progenitor star throws off a lot of gas and dust. When the blast wave hits this material X-rays bathe everything around. Based on observations of 31 supernovas by Chandra and other X-ray telescopes, this radiation could be deadly out to a much greater distance than the blast itself, and last considerably longer.

These X-rays probably wouldn’t reach the lower stratosphere, let alone the surface, of a planet with an oxygen-rich atmosphere, but would produce chemicals that greatly damage the ozone layer. This in turn would let in ultraviolet light from the planet’s star. Earth-like life would be unlikely to survive, other than in the deep ocean or underground.

X-ray production varies by supernova. One example considered in the study, SN 2010jl, produced enough X-rays to sterilize an Earth-like planet out to 100-160 light-years away. For others, including 1987a, the X-rays' lethal range would be much smaller than from the initial blast.

Four of the 31 supernovae. Their initial brightnesses were similar, allowing for distance, but you'd need to go almost 400 times further from SN 2010JL (bottom left) than SN 1987A (top right). Image Credits: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Illinois/I. Brunton et al.

“The Earth is not in any danger from an event like this now, because there are no potential supernovae within the X-ray danger zone,” said Connor O’Mahoney of the University of Illinois in a statement. 

Betelgeuse, after all, is 530 light-years away.  However, the absence of nearby threats reflects the Sun’s location in a fairly sparsely populated part of the galaxy between two spiral arms. It's been known for 70 years that being located closer to the galactic core comes with added dangers, but we might have been underestimating just how hard it is to survive in such locations.

The Earth has been close to supernovas in the past – indeed there is evidence both Type Ia and core-collapse explosions preceded the birth of the Solar System. The “Local Bubble” of gas 1,000 light-years or so wide is also thought to be the product of multiple supernova explosions in our vicinity. 

No one knows how close our ancestors were to these supernovas, with estimates ranging from the dangerous 60 light-years out to 500 light-years, where the only effect would be a dramatic light show. These, however, have been relatively recent events, the product of passing close to a star-forming region a few million years ago. Evidence of more ancient close passages, which may have reset the clock of life somewhat, may have been erased. We don’t know if we have ever been perilously close to an explosion.

Even after the X-ray threat has passed, nearby planets are not entirely safe. Highly charged particles represent a third, previously studied, danger. Because these are traveling slower than the speed of light they will reach the planet hundreds or thousands of years after the X-rays have faded. However, in some cases, the X-rays probably prove lethal at distances where both the initial light and the subsequently charged particles were mere annoyances.

The study is open access in The Astrophysical Journal

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Nearby Supernovas Pose An Extra Previously Unconsidered Threat To Life - IFLScience )
https://ift.tt/2eAHF49
Science

Dark Order in the Universe: Distant Galaxies Align To Support Einstein's General Relativity - SciTechDaily

3D position and shape information for each galaxy helped to measure the magnitude of alignment relative to distant galaxies. Credit: KyotoU/Jake Tobiyama

Scientists have confirmed that intrinsic alignments of galaxies can probe dark matter and dark energy on a cosmological scale, supporting general relativity at vast spatial scales. However, the nature of dark energy and cosmic acceleration remains unresolved.

Einstein would nod in approval. General relativity may apply even in the farthest reaches of the universe.

Now, scientists from international research institutions, including Kyoto University, have confirmed that the intrinsic alignments of galaxies have characteristics that allow it to be a powerful probe of dark matter and dark energy on a cosmological scale.

By gathering evidence that the distribution of galaxies more than tens of millions of light years away is subject to the gravitational effects of dark matter, the team succeeded in testing general theory of gravity at vast spatial scales. The international team analyzed the positions and orientations of galaxies, acquired from archived data of 1.2 million galaxy observations. With the help of available 3D positional information of each galaxy, the resulting statistical analysis quantitatively characterized the extent to which the orientation of distant galaxies is aligned.

“These alignments, which are primarily produced by interactions with nearby objects, have been regarded as systematic noise in measuring weak lensing effect,” states lead author Atsushi Taruya of KyotoU’s Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics.

“We have also successfully measured the rate at which the galaxy distribution gradually becomes denser due to gravity, which is consistent with the general theory of relativity,” says Teppei Okumura of the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

“Our research verified general relativity at the distant universe, but the nature of dark energy or the origin of cosmic acceleration still remains unresolved,” adds Okumura.

The archived data — obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey — consists of three galaxy samples selected for their brightness and distance. In addition, 3D positions and shape information for each galaxy helped to measure the magnitude of alignment relative to distant galaxies.

The results of the team’s model corroborated with theoretical calculations and gave Taruya and Okumura strong evidence that the orientations of these galaxies are related to each other, demonstrating a stronger case for general relativity on a cosmological scale.

“Current endeavors, such as the Subaru Telescope project, will provide extremely high-quality, high-precision observational data. These will spearhead innovative cosmological research using the intrinsic alignments to shed light on the nature of dark energy,” notes Taruya.

Reference: “First Constraints on Growth Rate from Redshift-space Ellipticity Correlations of SDSS Galaxies at 0.16 < z < 0.70” by Teppei Okumura and Atsushi Taruya, 13 March 2023, The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/acbf48

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Dark Order in the Universe: Distant Galaxies Align To Support Einstein's General Relativity - SciTechDaily )
https://ift.tt/uPJvw9a
Science

Mysterious case of Caribbean sea urchin die-off solved by scientists - Yahoo! Voices

There seemed to be a deadly plague lurking under the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean last year, killing sea urchins at a rate that hadn't been seen in decades. For months, no one knew what was causing it.

Now, scientists say they have identified the mysterious killer.

The giant issue was caused by none other than an organism so small, it's made up of only a single cell – a tiny parasite known as a ciliate.

A team of researchers uncovered the mystery, which saw long-spined sea urchins losing their spines in just a matter of days and dying in "droves," a press release from the University of South Florida said. Dive shops first started reporting the situation in February, but it's believed the "urchin graveyard," which covered thousands of miles between the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Caribbean to Florida's east coast, began a month earlier.

"This project in particular is a bit like a mystery novel, essentially whodunit? Who's killing off the urchins?" said Ian Hewson, Cornell microbiology professor and study co-author.

Pins showing the sites where diseased sea urchins were observed in 2022. / Credit: AGRRA Diadema Response Network

Scientists were immediately concerned about the event, as sea urchins – vital marine creatures that eat up the algae that would otherwise decimate coral reefs – were still recovering from another mass die-off in the area that had happened 40 years earlier. That event had killed off 98% of the long-spined sea urchin population in the region, scientists said. The cause for the early '80s die-off has yet to be determined.

"When urchins are removed from the ecosystem, essentially corals are not able to persist because they become overgrown by algae," Hewson said in the Cornell press release, an issue that is only increasingly important to address as global warming is expected to increase coral bleaching events so much so that the U.N. says it will be "catastrophic" for reef systems.

Mya Breitbart, the lead author of the study that was published in Science Advances on Wednesday, said her team is "beyond thrilled" but also "stunned" to have figured out what happened so quickly. What usually would take decades to determine, her team figured out in just four months.

"At the time we didn't know if this die-off was caused by pollution, stress, something else – we just didn't know," Hewson said in a USF release.

To solve the mystery, they looked at urchins from 23 different sites throughout the Caribbean. And there was a clear commonality between those that had been impacted by the event – ciliates. Ciliates are tiny organisms covered in cilia, which look like little hairs, that help them move around and eat.

"They are found almost anywhere there is water," a press release from the University of South Florida, where Breitbart works, says. "Most are not disease-causing agents, but this one is. It's a specific kind called scuticociliate."

On the left, a ciliate culture viewed under the microscope. On the right, an infected sea urchin is seen next to a healthy one in St. John in April 2022. / Credit: Makenzie Kerr, USF College of Marine Science (left) & Ian Hewson, Cornell University (right)

The breed of ciliate has been linked to mass killings of other marine species, scientists said, but this is the first time it's been linked to the rampant decline of sea urchins.

Researchers were excited to figure out what the cause was, but even though they figured out who the culprit is of the mystery, they have yet to figure out how or why it started in the first place.

One theory is that the ciliate saw an "explosive growth," researchers said in their study. But more research is needed to determine whether that was a leading cause.

The finding could also help answer other questions happening underneath the waters nearby. Microbiologist Christina Kellogg said that there is some overlap between where the urchins were dying and where stony coral tissue loss disease was wreaking havoc on coral populations.

"Almost never are we able in a wildlife setting, at least in marine habitats, to prove that a microorganism is actually responsible for disease," Hewson said. "...Knowing the pathogen's identity may also help mitigate risk to untouched Diadema through such things as boat traffic, dive gear, or other ways it may be moved around."

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

BeyGOOD's Ivy McGregor on how Beyoncé's Renaissance tour supports education and entrepreneurs

Sneak peek: Alisa Mathewson's Night Terrors

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Mysterious case of Caribbean sea urchin die-off solved by scientists - Yahoo! Voices )
https://ift.tt/WaPrX4i
Science