Macron’s awkward embrace with Iceland PM Kristrún Frostadóttir goes viral – What happened?

‘I hope you die…’: Jensen Huang told Indian-origin Nvidia VP in an outburst during meeting

Lakshya Sen becomes first Indian to clinch Kumamoto Masters title

‘I wanted to do justice to her performance’: Ami Trivedi reveals how she prepared to voice Sai Pallavi’s Sita in Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana

US flight chaos: Transport chief warns 'some delays, cancellations' to continue as thousands stranded after flight disruption

Why is the United States trying to control China's access to advanced AI chips?

Mumbai: 20-year-old arrested for allegedly surveying 26/11 target Chabad House, probe points to overseas links

Iran plotting to target Trump? Report claims Mossad shared intel with CIA

Panchayat 5 delayed? Prime Video's latest post leaves fans disappointed

US-Iran war | Iran: Targeted US early-warning radar in Bahrain

Why are liquid-cooled GPUs becoming important for modern AI data centres?

ASEAN Summit 2026: PM Modi to Grace 3-Day ASEAN-India & East Asia Summit in Manila

Shape-shifting UFO sighting in Oregon leaves mother-daughter sick: 'Fell like a dead bird'

'Currently has no role...': Megaspeed breaks silence on former boss Alice Huang and ex-Nvidia CEO's affair

'Democracy was destroyed in 2014': Rahul Gandhi questions legitimacy of elections at Bharat Summit in Hyderabad

'We are missing...': Copa jet loses left wingtip after collision with cargo plane at Miami airport, pilot's desperate call goes viral

Why do AI GPUs consume so much electricity?

IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Pune after mid-air scare – What happened?

Indian ambassador to ASEAN Srinivas Gotru backs freedom of navigation in South China Sea, opposes isolating Myanmar

Netanyahu warns against Eisenkot's minority government plans

'I don’t negotiate with terrorists'- US school district faces lawsuit over teacher's remark to student

India backs death penalty at UN, says can't equate it with torture

AUS vs ENG: Perth hero Mahli Beardman rested for 2nd ODI; Nathan Ellis ruled out of T20I series

WPL 2027: BCCI moves Mumbai leg from Brabourne to Wankhede Stadium

How is China trying to build its own Nvidia to challenge the US chip industry?

Blasts, sirens rock Bahrain as Iran claims drone attack on US military base

Gurugram restaurant ordered to pay Rs 31,000 for forcing 10% service charge

Oak Ridge Boys' Richard Sterban dies at 83 after battle with cancer, tributes pour in

Jensen Huang seen with wife Lori in Paris in photos shared by daughter Madison

'No civic sense': Viral video shows family bursting crackers inside highway tunnel, sparks outrage | Watch

Why do Nvidia and Apple depend so heavily on Taiwan?

Paris protests | Interior Ministry: 106,000 take part in protests, 121 arrested

WATCH | SpaceX catches Starship spacecraft midair for first time after 22-hour orbital flight

Blinken says US ties with India, Pakistan are ‘fundamentally different’

Meta fined €805 million in Italy over alleged access to users’ phone galleries

Woman honey-trapped by Pak handler, associate arrested in Rajasthan rail track blast case

'He promised me a green card': Lebanese woman accuses Texas ICE officer of sexually assaulting her in detention

Aaryavir Sehwag chants ‘Sita Ram’ to stay calm during India-Pakistan U19 Asia Cup final | WATCH

Israel-Gaza war: Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital kills 6, wounds 20

Indian student sentenced to 30 years in UK for online grooming of over 70 children

Harry Potter: HBO series unveils new Hogwarts scene, Dumbledore's conversation with McGonagall grabs attention

In stunning research, scientists have observed that Antarctica has been losing weight and the continent is rising from the ocean.

The process is known as post-glacial uplift and as per the new research, this will massively impact the global sea level rise in the future.

This can reduce the contribution of Antarctica by up to 40 per cent or can make things worse depending on how much heat-trapping and ice-melting fossil fuels we are losing.

"With nearly 700 million people living in coastal areas and the potential cost of sea-level rise reaching trillions of dollars by the end of the century, understanding the domino effect of Antarctic ice melt is crucial,"&nbsp;said McGill University glaciologist Natalya Gomez, who carried out the study.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/antarctica-is-turning-green-heres-what-first-continent-wide-map-tells-about-plant-life-750130">Antarctica is turning green! Here's what first continent-wide map tells about plant life</a>

In the last few years, the ice in Antarctica has been very low. Gomez, along with their colleagues, examined the mantle of the Earth beneath the ice sheet of Antarctica and discovered that it was squishy in some areas. 
&nbsp; 
According to the seismic data, this high level of viscosity is leading to an unexpected rise in the land.

"Our measurements show that the solid earth that forms the base of the Antarctic ice sheet is changing shape surprisingly quickly,"&nbsp;Ohio State University geologist Terry Wilson said.

"The land uplift from reduced ice on the surface is happening in decades, rather than over thousands of years," he added.

<h2>Scientists use 3D models to simulate sea level rise</h2>

The team used 3D modelling to understand how the sea level is rising because of the changing landmass in Antarctica.

"This study marks a breakthrough in our ability to better predict the impacts of&nbsp;climate change&nbsp;on rising seas and to inform effective environmental policy,"&nbsp;University of Massachusetts glaciologist Rob DeConto said.&nbsp;

Since Earth does not have a smooth sphere, unique sea-level impacts will be seen in different parts of our planet because of gravitational, rotational, and geological quirks.

Watch:&nbsp;Antarctic faces melting 'tipping point' as oceans warm: Study

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/antarctic-faces-melting-tipping-point-as-oceans-warm-study-735604/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Our results further support&nbsp;recent&nbsp;findings&nbsp;that low-latitude islands and coastal sites already being affected by sea level rise will experience higher than average sea level rise associated with Antarctic ice loss, regardless of the ice loss scenario," explained Gomez and team.

"This finding highlights the&nbsp;climate injustice&nbsp;toward nations whose emissions are low, while their exposure and vulnerability to sea level rise is high," they added.

According to researchers, there is a lot of uncertainty in the model, because of the lack of seismic data from West Antarctica.&nbsp;

"To document how fast our world is changing, it's very important to continue advancing our ability to make predictions that are more certain, which is the only path that will allow us to tend to our future in a meaningful way,"&nbsp;Wilson said.

(With inputs from agencies)

In stunning research, scientists have observed that Antarctica has been losing weight and the continent is rising from the ocean. The process is known as post-glacial uplift and as per the new research, this will massively impact the global sea level rise in the future.

In stunning research, scientists have observed that Antarctica has been losing weight and the continent is rising from the ocean. The process is known as post-glacial uplift and as per the new research, this will massively impact the global sea level rise in the future. This can reduce the contribution of Antarctica by up to 40 per cent or can make things worse depending on how much heat-trapping and ice-melting fossil fuels we are losing. "With nearly 700 million people living in coastal areas and the potential cost of sea-level rise reaching trillions of dollars by the end of the century, understanding the domino effect of Antarctic ice melt is crucial," said McGill University glaciologist Natalya Gomez, who carried out the study. Also Read: Antarctica is turning green! Here's what first continent-wide map tells about plant life In the last few years, the ice in Antarctica has been very low. Gomez, along with their colleagues, examined the mantle of the Earth beneath the ice sheet of Antarctica and discovered that it was squishy in some areas. According to the seismic data, this high level of viscosity is leading to an unexpected rise in the land. "Our measurements show that the solid earth that forms the base of the Antarctic ice sheet is changing shape surprisingly quickly," Ohio State University geologist Terry Wilson said. "The land uplift from reduced ice on the surface is happening in decades, rather than over thousands of years," he added. Scientists use 3D models to simulate sea level rise The team used 3D modelling to understand how the sea level is rising because of the changing landmass in Antarctica. "This study marks a breakthrough in our ability to better predict the impacts of climate change on rising seas and to inform effective environmental policy," University of Massachusetts glaciologist Rob DeConto said. Since Earth does not have a smooth sphere, unique sea-level impacts will be seen in different parts of our planet because of gravitational, rotational, and geological quirks. Watch: Antarctic faces melting 'tipping point' as oceans warm: Study "Our results further support recent findings that low-latitude islands and coastal sites already being affected by sea level rise will experience higher than average sea level rise associated with Antarctic ice loss, regardless of the ice loss scenario," explained Gomez and team. "This finding highlights the climate injustice toward nations whose emissions are low, while their exposure and vulnerability to sea level rise is high," they added. According to researchers, there is a lot of uncertainty in the model, because of the lack of seismic data from West Antarctica. "To document how fast our world is changing, it's very important to continue advancing our ability to make predictions that are more certain, which is the only path that will allow us to tend to our future in a meaningful way," Wilson said. (With inputs from agencies)

Antarctica is rising from ocean and losing weight. Here's how it will impact Earth

Scientists have now figured out that 95 per cent of water present on any exoplanet may be trapped deep inside the planet's iron core, making it more potentially habitable.

"It is only in recent years that we have begun to realize that planets are more complex than we had thought. Planets&nbsp;are much more water-abundant than previously assumed," said Caroline Dorn, professor of&nbsp;exoplanets&nbsp;at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, in a&nbsp;statement.

Initially, they are made of hot worlds of oceans of molten magma which have not yet cooled. After cooling, they form a solid mantle of silicate bedrock.&nbsp;

In such magma oceans, water dissolves easily, unlike carbon dioxide, which outgasses and rises in the atmosphere.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/james-webb-telescope-captures-one-of-the-coldest-exoplanets-six-times-the-size-of-jupiter-12-light-years-away-744049">James Webb telescope captures one of the coldest exoplanets, 6 times the size of Jupiter, 12 light years away</a>

Dorn, along with Haiyang Luo and Jie Deng from Princeton University, investigated how the water gets distributed between the silicates and the&nbsp;iron.&nbsp;

Explaining the results of the study, Dorn said, "The iron core takes time to develop. A large share of the iron is initially contained in the hot magma soup in the form of droplets."&nbsp;

<h2>Here's how water enters the iron core of rocky planets</h2>

The water then combines with the iron droplets and carries them to the core. "The iron droplets behave like a lift that is conveyed downward by the water," Dorn said.

"This is one of the key results of our study. The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core. Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H2O molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen," Dorn said.

Watch:&nbsp;Mercury's Diamonds: What lies beneath the planet's crust?&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mercurys-diamonds-what-lies-beneath-the-planets-crust-743204/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The scientists used a computer model to understand how water reacts with molten magma on a young planet and found that much of the water, even on super-earth, can end up in its interior.&nbsp;

"The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core," Dorn said.&nbsp;

"Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H20 molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen. So if we find water in a planet's atmosphere, there is probably a great deal more in its interior," she explained.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Scientists have now figured out that 95 per cent of water present on any exoplanet may be trapped deep inside the planet's iron core, making it more potentially habitable.

Scientists have now figured out that 95 per cent of water present on any exoplanet may be trapped deep inside the planet's iron core, making it more potentially habitable. "It is only in recent years that we have begun to realize that planets are more complex than we had thought. Planets are much more water-abundant than previously assumed," said Caroline Dorn, professor of exoplanets at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, in a statement. Initially, they are made of hot worlds of oceans of molten magma which have not yet cooled. After cooling, they form a solid mantle of silicate bedrock. In such magma oceans, water dissolves easily, unlike carbon dioxide, which outgasses and rises in the atmosphere. Also Read: James Webb telescope captures one of the coldest exoplanets, 6 times the size of Jupiter, 12 light years away Dorn, along with Haiyang Luo and Jie Deng from Princeton University, investigated how the water gets distributed between the silicates and the iron. Explaining the results of the study, Dorn said, "The iron core takes time to develop. A large share of the iron is initially contained in the hot magma soup in the form of droplets." Here's how water enters the iron core of rocky planets The water then combines with the iron droplets and carries them to the core. "The iron droplets behave like a lift that is conveyed downward by the water," Dorn said. "This is one of the key results of our study. The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core. Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H2O molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen," Dorn said. Watch: Mercury's Diamonds: What lies beneath the planet's crust? The scientists used a computer model to understand how water reacts with molten magma on a young planet and found that much of the water, even on super-earth, can end up in its interior. "The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core," Dorn said. "Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H20 molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen. So if we find water in a planet's atmosphere, there is probably a great deal more in its interior," she explained. (With inputs from agencies)

Water on exoplanets? Earth-like planets may be holding water in molten cores

NASA is on alert as massive 110-feet asteroid 2020 RL is about to make its close approach to Earth on August 27.

The asteroid, which is around the size of a commercial aeroplane, will pass the Earth at a scary distance of 2.91 million miles.

This is a close approach but it is not dangerous as this is more than 12 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, which is a safe distance as per the cosmic standards.

The asteroid is hurtling towards Earth at a staggering speed of about 20,000 miles per hour. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Programme, which tracks space rocks, marked 2020 RL as not being a potential threat to Earth.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-issues-warning-as-huge-asteroid-set-to-come-dangerously-close-on-this-date-750066">NASA issues warning as huge asteroid set to come dangerously close on THIS date</a>

Asteroid 2020 RL, even though it is not the largest or closest space rock to fly by Earth, is significant because of its size and proximity.&nbsp;

Such asteroids are not uncommon and provide opportunities for scientists to study the trajectory, composition and potential impact risks of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

The observations of such objects help in refining models of their orbits and also help in decoding the behaviour of asteroids when they come close to the Earth.

NASA and other space agencies have been monitoring NEOs to ensure they are able to identify any potential threats in advance.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-space-rocket-blows-up-causes-massive-fireball-736905/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On August 28, the 92-foot asteroid 2021 RA10 will fly by Earth and asteroid 2012 SX49, which is 110 feet wide, will make its close approach on August 29.

<h2>How is NASA tracking asteroids?</h2>

NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs).&nbsp;

Even though many of the NEOs don't come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention.&nbsp;

Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks.

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA is on alert as massive 110-feet asteroid 2020 RL is about to make its close approach to Earth on August 27. The asteroid, which is around the size of a commercial aeroplane, will pass the Earth at a scary distance of 2.

NASA is on alert as massive 110-feet asteroid 2020 RL is about to make its close approach to Earth on August 27. The asteroid, which is around the size of a commercial aeroplane, will pass the Earth at a scary distance of 2.91 million miles. This is a close approach but it is not dangerous as this is more than 12 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, which is a safe distance as per the cosmic standards. The asteroid is hurtling towards Earth at a staggering speed of about 20,000 miles per hour. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Programme, which tracks space rocks, marked 2020 RL as not being a potential threat to Earth. Also Read: NASA issues warning as huge asteroid set to come dangerously close on THIS date Asteroid 2020 RL, even though it is not the largest or closest space rock to fly by Earth, is significant because of its size and proximity. Such asteroids are not uncommon and provide opportunities for scientists to study the trajectory, composition and potential impact risks of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The observations of such objects help in refining models of their orbits and also help in decoding the behaviour of asteroids when they come close to the Earth. NASA and other space agencies have been monitoring NEOs to ensure they are able to identify any potential threats in advance. Watch: China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball On August 28, the 92-foot asteroid 2021 RA10 will fly by Earth and asteroid 2012 SX49, which is 110 feet wide, will make its close approach on August 29. How is NASA tracking asteroids? NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs). Even though many of the NEOs don't come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention. Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA is on alert as a massive aeroplane-sized asteroid closely approaches Earth

Success has often been defined as the desire to stand out in a crowd and be unique. People work&nbsp;to appear special, and different from others. But, not anymore. According to a recent study, human beings have lost the will to be unique and prefer blending in and being just another face.&nbsp;

William Chopik, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University, conducted a study that shows a decline in the desire to be different. He also presents evidence for the same, and the change has largely happened in the last 20 years.&nbsp;

The study spans a period of 20 years, from 2000 to 2020, and tries to understand the wish for individualism in one million people. The study divided uniqueness into three parts: worry over others’ perceptions, the urge to break established norms, and the readiness to publicly uphold personal beliefs.&nbsp;

The study noticed a steady decline in all three elements over the 20-year period.&nbsp;

However, the biggest drop was seen in people's desire to defend their personal beliefs. It saw a 6.52 per cent decline, while an increasing concern about public opinion saw a 4.28 per cent fall. Chopik says, “A 6.52% decline is a dramatic population change in as short as 20 years.”

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/someone-is-killing-stray-cats-with-steel-darts-in-china-they-might-go-unpunished-751913">Someone is killing stray cats with steel darts in China. They might go unpunished</a>

The reason for this decline, as per data, is that people fear standing out or having a different opinion about something than others might push them out of social groups. People might no longer accept them, or cancel them out altogether.&nbsp;

Chopik says trying to hide one's true self might harm the individual, physically and mentally. People who, in a bid to fit in, drop their opinions and personal beliefs might start to harbour hostility. They can also experience anxiety and guilt for following something they don't believe in and hiding their own beliefs.

He says it is "really important to have people willing to go against the grain – say the occasional unpopular thing, challenge groupthink, highlight the need to compromise with people different than us, and not cover up the diversity of opinions and people because they’re too scared to stand out."

<h2>Social media hampering the desire to be unique</h2>

Social media platforms are likely playing a massive role in all this. They are places where people can express their opinions or how they feel about something. While it sounds simple, often having a different opinion invites criticism from others on the internet. What the majority thinks about something becomes the rule and those who do not conform to it fear being cancelled out.&nbsp;

Chopik's study presents the picture that digital trends are probably shaping how people think, instead of how they actually feel about something. They are hiding their true selves to fit in, which hinders true self-expression.

He suggests people should celebrate diversity of opinions to create an empathetic society where individuals can grow.

Success has often been defined as the desire to stand out in a crowd and be unique. People work to appear special, and different from others. But, not anymore. According to a recent study, human beings have lost the will to be unique and prefer blending in and being just another face.

Success has often been defined as the desire to stand out in a crowd and be unique. People work to appear special, and different from others. But, not anymore. According to a recent study, human beings have lost the will to be unique and prefer blending in and being just another face. William Chopik, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University, conducted a study that shows a decline in the desire to be different. He also presents evidence for the same, and the change has largely happened in the last 20 years. The study spans a period of 20 years, from 2000 to 2020, and tries to understand the wish for individualism in one million people. The study divided uniqueness into three parts: worry over others’ perceptions, the urge to break established norms, and the readiness to publicly uphold personal beliefs. The study noticed a steady decline in all three elements over the 20-year period. However, the biggest drop was seen in people's desire to defend their personal beliefs. It saw a 6.52 per cent decline, while an increasing concern about public opinion saw a 4.28 per cent fall. Chopik says, “A 6.52% decline is a dramatic population change in as short as 20 years.” Also Read: Someone is killing stray cats with steel darts in China. They might go unpunished The reason for this decline, as per data, is that people fear standing out or having a different opinion about something than others might push them out of social groups. People might no longer accept them, or cancel them out altogether. Chopik says trying to hide one's true self might harm the individual, physically and mentally. People who, in a bid to fit in, drop their opinions and personal beliefs might start to harbour hostility. They can also experience anxiety and guilt for following something they don't believe in and hiding their own beliefs. He says it is "really important to have people willing to go against the grain – say the occasional unpopular thing, challenge groupthink, highlight the need to compromise with people different than us, and not cover up the diversity of opinions and people because they’re too scared to stand out." Social media hampering the desire to be unique Social media platforms are likely playing a massive role in all this. They are places where people can express their opinions or how they feel about something. While it sounds simple, often having a different opinion invites criticism from others on the internet. What the majority thinks about something becomes the rule and those who do not conform to it fear being cancelled out. Chopik's study presents the picture that digital trends are probably shaping how people think, instead of how they actually feel about something. They are hiding their true selves to fit in, which hinders true self-expression. He suggests people should celebrate diversity of opinions to create an empathetic society where individuals can grow.

People are shunning their true beliefs for fear of being cancelled, study finds

In a more controversial claim, famous ufologist Jaime Maussan said that the experts have discovered rare metals and alloys in the chests of the "alien mummies"&nbsp;from Peru.&nbsp;

The ufologist said that mobile phone-like devices were in the bodies of the mysterious corpses.

According to the ufologist, these metals were most probably the interstellar communication devices.

Among those rare metals found, one was osmium which can prove lethal to humans. "I believe this is a device for communication. I don't really know how it works, but the experts will have to go in-depth to understand why they put this inside the body," said Maussan, as reported by The Mirror.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/is-vatican-hiding-alien-secrets-expert-claims-pope-knew-about-ufo-that-crashed-in-1933-749343">Alien secrets at Vatican? Expert claims Pope helped US procure UFO that crashed in 1933</a>

"My guess is this was for health, to communicate something or a kind of cellular phone. The metal is made of osmium, which is used for telecommunications and satellites in the space field. It is very rare. It's not easy to find and it's very, very expensive and besides it's very toxic. For a human to have that inside them could create a big injury in the body or probably could kill the body," he added.

"So it's difficult to understand why they did it. If you are going to create a hoax like this, are you going to put a very rare metal inside?" said the ufologist.

The bodies are being currently tested by scientists. Maussan has claimed that they were first found in a cave in Nazca, Peru, in 2017.

It has also been claimed that these centuries-old bodies with elongated skulls have "30 per cent unknown" DNA.&nbsp;

<h2>Ufologist claim 'alien mummies' not created on Earth</h2>

Maussan has claimed that the bodily compounds found in the alien mummies suggest "the possibility that this is from somewhere else or was created by someone else."

Investigative filmmakers Serena DC and Michael Mazzola have joined Maussan in documenting the scientific investigations of these mummies.

Watch:&nbsp;Peru's 'Alien Mummies' under fresh scrutiny

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/perus-alien-mummies-under-fresh-scrutiny-743890/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"My initial takeaway from looking at these beings is that these bodies are a new species unknown to mankind previously. It is a major discovery for mankind," Michael said.&nbsp;

"It is completely bizarre to me that these discoveries have been ignored, dismissed and ridiculed; instead of being considered as the biggest story in the&nbsp;world&nbsp;of science. People are always eager to invoke some kind of conspiracy theory to explain why some injustices have happened. But in my experience you do not need a conspiracy theory when human frailty or failure will do just fine," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a more controversial claim, famous ufologist Jaime Maussan said that the experts have discovered rare metals and alloys in the chests of the "alien mummies" from Peru.

In a more controversial claim, famous ufologist Jaime Maussan said that the experts have discovered rare metals and alloys in the chests of the "alien mummies" from Peru. The ufologist said that mobile phone-like devices were in the bodies of the mysterious corpses. According to the ufologist, these metals were most probably the interstellar communication devices. Among those rare metals found, one was osmium which can prove lethal to humans. "I believe this is a device for communication. I don't really know how it works, but the experts will have to go in-depth to understand why they put this inside the body," said Maussan, as reported by The Mirror. Also Read: Alien secrets at Vatican? Expert claims Pope helped US procure UFO that crashed in 1933 "My guess is this was for health, to communicate something or a kind of cellular phone. The metal is made of osmium, which is used for telecommunications and satellites in the space field. It is very rare. It's not easy to find and it's very, very expensive and besides it's very toxic. For a human to have that inside them could create a big injury in the body or probably could kill the body," he added. "So it's difficult to understand why they did it. If you are going to create a hoax like this, are you going to put a very rare metal inside?" said the ufologist. The bodies are being currently tested by scientists. Maussan has claimed that they were first found in a cave in Nazca, Peru, in 2017. It has also been claimed that these centuries-old bodies with elongated skulls have "30 per cent unknown" DNA. Ufologist claim 'alien mummies' not created on Earth Maussan has claimed that the bodily compounds found in the alien mummies suggest "the possibility that this is from somewhere else or was created by someone else." Investigative filmmakers Serena DC and Michael Mazzola have joined Maussan in documenting the scientific investigations of these mummies. Watch: Peru's 'Alien Mummies' under fresh scrutiny "My initial takeaway from looking at these beings is that these bodies are a new species unknown to mankind previously. It is a major discovery for mankind," Michael said. "It is completely bizarre to me that these discoveries have been ignored, dismissed and ridiculed; instead of being considered as the biggest story in the world of science. People are always eager to invoke some kind of conspiracy theory to explain why some injustices have happened. But in my experience you do not need a conspiracy theory when human frailty or failure will do just fine," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Mobile phone-like devices implanted in Peru's 'alien mummies', claims ufologist

Paleontologists have made a startling discovery according to which, giant sea scorpions, some as large as an adult human being, once existed on Earth. Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, the Australian Museum Research Institute, and the WB Clarke Geoscience Center, in Australia, present new evidential data about pterygotid eurypterids from the Silurian and Devonian in New South Wales in their paper published in the journal Gondwana Research.

These giant sea scorpions belonged to a group of arthropods called eurypterids. They lived around 444 million years ago and went extinct mainly due to environmental changes since no evidence of them has been found since 393 million years ago.

The team worked to uncover details about the existence of pterygotids in what is now Australia. Upon studying rock formations in New South Wales, they found evidence that these ancient creatures lived in the region once upon a time.&nbsp;

<h2>New sea scorpion species</h2>

Two new examples of pterygotid eurypterids - one from the Silurian era and the other from the Devonian era were also found. Notably, the Silurian era was the period 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago, while the Devonian era was 443.8 to 419.2 million years ago.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/worlds-oldest-penis-belongs-to-a-425-million-year-old-crab-751850">World's oldest penis belongs to a 425-million-year-old crab</a>

Most of the fossils found were of exoskeletons, while one was of a Pterygotus. Jaekelopterus, the largest sea scorpion species, made up the rest of the fossils.

Several fossils have been found around the supercontinent Gondwana in the past. The recent discoveries were nearly identical to the past discoveries made in the area. Researchers say that this means the scorpions navigated and crossed the ocean which would have ideally been thousands of kilometres.

Since these scorpions were extremely huge, they could have played a role in easily crossing the ocean. However, the need to migrate might have played a role in their size as well. These giant scorpions have not been around for millions of years. Changes in the composition of the climate and environment likely killed them all. However, there is no scientific proof available about why they went extinct. Scientists are hoping to uncover the answer soon.

Paleontologists have made a startling discovery according to which, giant sea scorpions, some as large as an adult human being, once existed on Earth. Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, the Australian Museum Research Institute, and the WB Clarke Geoscience Center, in Australia, present new evidential data about pterygotid eurypterids from the Silurian and Devonian in New South Wales in their paper published in the journal Gondwana Research.

Paleontologists have made a startling discovery according to which, giant sea scorpions, some as large as an adult human being, once existed on Earth. Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, the Australian Museum Research Institute, and the WB Clarke Geoscience Center, in Australia, present new evidential data about pterygotid eurypterids from the Silurian and Devonian in New South Wales in their paper published in the journal Gondwana Research. These giant sea scorpions belonged to a group of arthropods called eurypterids. They lived around 444 million years ago and went extinct mainly due to environmental changes since no evidence of them has been found since 393 million years ago. The team worked to uncover details about the existence of pterygotids in what is now Australia. Upon studying rock formations in New South Wales, they found evidence that these ancient creatures lived in the region once upon a time. New sea scorpion species Two new examples of pterygotid eurypterids - one from the Silurian era and the other from the Devonian era were also found. Notably, the Silurian era was the period 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago, while the Devonian era was 443.8 to 419.2 million years ago. Also Read: World's oldest penis belongs to a 425-million-year-old crab Most of the fossils found were of exoskeletons, while one was of a Pterygotus. Jaekelopterus, the largest sea scorpion species, made up the rest of the fossils. Several fossils have been found around the supercontinent Gondwana in the past. The recent discoveries were nearly identical to the past discoveries made in the area. Researchers say that this means the scorpions navigated and crossed the ocean which would have ideally been thousands of kilometres. Since these scorpions were extremely huge, they could have played a role in easily crossing the ocean. However, the need to migrate might have played a role in their size as well. These giant scorpions have not been around for millions of years. Changes in the composition of the climate and environment likely killed them all. However, there is no scientific proof available about why they went extinct. Scientists are hoping to uncover the answer soon.

Giant sea scorpions, some as big as humans, lived 444 million years ago

Cocaine likely was being used in Europe 200 years earlier than previously recorded, as per a new study. A 17th-century crypt in Milan, Italy, has thrown open a well-kept secret about the drug, as per New Scientist.&nbsp;Surprisingly, the mummified brain tissue of two people found in the crypt contains traces of cocaine.

South America is home to coca leaves, from which cocaine is derived. People have been chewing the leaves for thousands of years in the region. But in Europe, it was chemically isolated from the plant in the 19th century and that is when Europeans started using cocaine.&nbsp;

Coca leaves were found to have psychoactive and therapeutic properties, but Spanish conquerors didn't want the information to spread. So they tried to stop the news from leaving the empire. However, in the 16th century, clues suggest that they tried to export the plant. But history says that the plants didn't travel well, so the project didn't materialise.

But it seems cocaine did move to Europe much earlier than thought. Gaia Giordano at the University of Milan and her colleagues have uncovered data that suggests the same. She and her team studied the remains of nine people who died in the 1600s. They were buried in a crypt that belonged to a hospital that treated the poor.&nbsp;

They studied tiny brain tissue samples of the dead to understand what kind of drugs were being used during the time. What they found was shocking. Two brains, despite having endured almost four centuries of decay, still carry traces of cocaine. Normally, the drug disappears from the body within a few months.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/fossil-hunter-finds-7-foot-long-mammoth-tusk-sticking-out-of-a-creek-in-mississippi-751577">Fossil hunter finds 7-foot-long mammoth tusk sticking out of a creek in Mississippi</a>

So the discovery was quite shocking for Giordano and her team. “It’s very extraordinary to find that molecule,” she said.

<h2>Medicinal or leisurely use of cocaine?</h2>

They also found hygrine, a substance that is released when one chews on coca leaves. These people were patients at the former Ca’ Granda hospital, and its records don't show cocaine being prescribed as a medicine. It was only in the 19th century that it was prescribed by the hospital.&nbsp;

Giordano believes that either these two people were self-medicating, or chewed the leaves for leisure. But how did they get their hands on the leaves considering the Spanish Empire didn't send them out?

This is the big question the researchers are trying to answer. Since the two people belonged to a poor community, it means the leaves must have been easily available for them to chew on. They also likely knew the effects they have on humans.&nbsp;

The finding suggests that coca leaves did survive the journey from South America to Europe and&nbsp;also reached Milan.&nbsp;

Cocaine likely was being used in Europe 200 years earlier than previously recorded, as per a new study. A 17th-century crypt in Milan, Italy, has thrown open a well-kept secret about the drug, as per New Scientist.

Cocaine likely was being used in Europe 200 years earlier than previously recorded, as per a new study. A 17th-century crypt in Milan, Italy, has thrown open a well-kept secret about the drug, as per New Scientist. Surprisingly, the mummified brain tissue of two people found in the crypt contains traces of cocaine. South America is home to coca leaves, from which cocaine is derived. People have been chewing the leaves for thousands of years in the region. But in Europe, it was chemically isolated from the plant in the 19th century and that is when Europeans started using cocaine. Coca leaves were found to have psychoactive and therapeutic properties, but Spanish conquerors didn't want the information to spread. So they tried to stop the news from leaving the empire. However, in the 16th century, clues suggest that they tried to export the plant. But history says that the plants didn't travel well, so the project didn't materialise. But it seems cocaine did move to Europe much earlier than thought. Gaia Giordano at the University of Milan and her colleagues have uncovered data that suggests the same. She and her team studied the remains of nine people who died in the 1600s. They were buried in a crypt that belonged to a hospital that treated the poor. They studied tiny brain tissue samples of the dead to understand what kind of drugs were being used during the time. What they found was shocking. Two brains, despite having endured almost four centuries of decay, still carry traces of cocaine. Normally, the drug disappears from the body within a few months. Also Read: Fossil hunter finds 7-foot-long mammoth tusk sticking out of a creek in Mississippi So the discovery was quite shocking for Giordano and her team. “It’s very extraordinary to find that molecule,” she said. Medicinal or leisurely use of cocaine? They also found hygrine, a substance that is released when one chews on coca leaves. These people were patients at the former Ca’ Granda hospital, and its records don't show cocaine being prescribed as a medicine. It was only in the 19th century that it was prescribed by the hospital. Giordano believes that either these two people were self-medicating, or chewed the leaves for leisure. But how did they get their hands on the leaves considering the Spanish Empire didn't send them out? This is the big question the researchers are trying to answer. Since the two people belonged to a poor community, it means the leaves must have been easily available for them to chew on. They also likely knew the effects they have on humans. The finding suggests that coca leaves did survive the journey from South America to Europe and also reached Milan.

Mummified brains found in Milan crypt unravel secrets about cocaine use in Europe

In an unexpected discovery, scientists have stumbled upon an ancient ocean which once sunk in the inner core of the Earth.&nbsp;

What now is left of this ancient ocean is an enigmatic layer of ocean floor which is filled with secrets of the past.

According to scientists, the hidden layer was formed millions of years ago and is filled with sediment and minerals and helps in understanding the geological history of the Earth.

The discovery of this ancient ocean was made by a seasoned geophysicist from the&nbsp;University of Alabama&nbsp;and the lead author of the study Dr Samantha Hansen.

<h2>What lies hidden in the beefy crust of Earth?</h2>

In the Earth's crust, some of the tectonic plates - which were remnants of the ocean floor - got placed at the core-mantle boundary and formed what was known as an ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZ).

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/martian-rocks-containing-signs-of-life-to-be-brought-to-earth-can-reveal-750758">Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth, can reveal...</a>

This ULVZ layer, which is just tens of kilometres thick, is dense in comparison to the surrounding mantle.

“As seismic investigators. Our work is like a high-resolution snapshot of the Earth’s inner structure, and boy, is it more complex than we ever thought!" explained Dr. Hansen.

The scientists have been shocked by the activity going on at the core-mantle boundary. However, the breadth and intricacy of these zones were not known till Arizona State University geophysicist Dr. Edward Garnero and his team started making seismic recordings from Antarctica.

The scientists carried out high-definition imaging which helped them discover gigantic ‘mountains’ at the core, which is five times the height of Mount Everest.

<h2>How will the submerged ocean impact Earth?</h2>

The lost ocean gives a crucial glance into the heat escape mechanisms of our planet which is important for operating its magnetic field.

The subducted ocean floors, which have now formed ULVZs, will be playing a major role in heat regulation.

Watch:&nbsp;Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/earth-slows-down-by-133-milliseconds-741345/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

These layers can also be instrumental in creating mantle plumes or columns of hot rock that form from the core-mantle boundary to the surface of Earth.&nbsp;

Dr. Garnero said, “It’s incredible how much we can unravel about our Earth by simply listening to the whispers of earthquakes.”

(With inputs from agencies)

In an unexpected discovery, scientists have stumbled upon an ancient ocean which once sunk in the inner core of the Earth. What now is left of this ancient ocean is an enigmatic layer of ocean floor which is filled with secrets of the past.

In an unexpected discovery, scientists have stumbled upon an ancient ocean which once sunk in the inner core of the Earth. What now is left of this ancient ocean is an enigmatic layer of ocean floor which is filled with secrets of the past. According to scientists, the hidden layer was formed millions of years ago and is filled with sediment and minerals and helps in understanding the geological history of the Earth. The discovery of this ancient ocean was made by a seasoned geophysicist from the University of Alabama and the lead author of the study Dr Samantha Hansen. What lies hidden in the beefy crust of Earth? In the Earth's crust, some of the tectonic plates - which were remnants of the ocean floor - got placed at the core-mantle boundary and formed what was known as an ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZ). Also Read: Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth, can reveal... This ULVZ layer, which is just tens of kilometres thick, is dense in comparison to the surrounding mantle. “As seismic investigators. Our work is like a high-resolution snapshot of the Earth’s inner structure, and boy, is it more complex than we ever thought!" explained Dr. Hansen. The scientists have been shocked by the activity going on at the core-mantle boundary. However, the breadth and intricacy of these zones were not known till Arizona State University geophysicist Dr. Edward Garnero and his team started making seismic recordings from Antarctica. The scientists carried out high-definition imaging which helped them discover gigantic ‘mountains’ at the core, which is five times the height of Mount Everest. How will the submerged ocean impact Earth? The lost ocean gives a crucial glance into the heat escape mechanisms of our planet which is important for operating its magnetic field. The subducted ocean floors, which have now formed ULVZs, will be playing a major role in heat regulation. Watch: Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds These layers can also be instrumental in creating mantle plumes or columns of hot rock that form from the core-mantle boundary to the surface of Earth. Dr. Garnero said, “It’s incredible how much we can unravel about our Earth by simply listening to the whispers of earthquakes.” (With inputs from agencies)

A lost, sunken ocean has been found at Earth's inner core. Will it emerge?

Scientists have found the world's oldest penis and it belongs to an ancient crustacean. It has remained well-preserved for 425 million years wrapped by volcanic ash. It is a surprising discovery considering soft tissue is not known to fossilise. The discovery was made by Professor Siveter on a rock in 2003.&nbsp;

The fossil is of the ostracod, a class of crustaceans. Upon inspection, researchers learned that has species did not evolve much with time and the anatomy of this genus hasn’t changed a lot, as per a report in Science. It also states that ostracods still exist and are known as seed shrimp. &nbsp;

Professor Siveter told ABC News that the animal’s hard and soft tissue did not disintegrate or decay because of volcanic ash, which makes the fossil specimen “an exceptional preservation". The discovery is rare and Siveter says that it is not every day that you can assign a gender to a fossil.

This tiny crustacean is only 1 mm long but has surprised Siveter and others. He not only found a fully intact tiny fossil but also several other features on it that reveal more details about the crustacean. This includes the penis which has survived the brunt of time and has fossilised. According to ABC, the penis is quite large in proportion to the ostracod's body and is supposedly a third of the animal’s total size.&nbsp;

“This fossil had all the appendages intact. We had the gills that the animal used to breathe. We had the eyes and we had the penis, which was lovely because it’s very rare that you can gender fossils,” ABC quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mummified-brains-found-in-milan-crypt-unravel-secrets-about-cocaine-use-in-europe-751846">Mummified brains found in Milan crypt unravel secrets about cocaine use in Europe</a>

The discovery of the penis led it to be named Colymbosathon ecplecticos, or “outstanding swimmer with large penis” in Greek.

According to Science, after Professor Siveter found the fossil in the West of England, &nbsp;a digital model of the ostracod was made by grinding the rocks and then the body was reconstructed in 3D.&nbsp;

Professor Siveter told ABC that the sperm produced by the crustacean was impressively large at 10mm long.&nbsp;

Notably, the fossil is “the only known undoubted gills in a fossil ostracode and provides the earliest direct evidence of a respiratory-cum-circulatory system in the group." So, this ancient crab has been breathing and mating in the same way for thousands of years.

Scientists have found the world's oldest penis and it belongs to an ancient crustacean. It has remained well-preserved for 425 million years wrapped by volcanic ash.

Scientists have found the world's oldest penis and it belongs to an ancient crustacean. It has remained well-preserved for 425 million years wrapped by volcanic ash. It is a surprising discovery considering soft tissue is not known to fossilise. The discovery was made by Professor Siveter on a rock in 2003. The fossil is of the ostracod, a class of crustaceans. Upon inspection, researchers learned that has species did not evolve much with time and the anatomy of this genus hasn’t changed a lot, as per a report in Science. It also states that ostracods still exist and are known as seed shrimp. Professor Siveter told ABC News that the animal’s hard and soft tissue did not disintegrate or decay because of volcanic ash, which makes the fossil specimen “an exceptional preservation". The discovery is rare and Siveter says that it is not every day that you can assign a gender to a fossil. This tiny crustacean is only 1 mm long but has surprised Siveter and others. He not only found a fully intact tiny fossil but also several other features on it that reveal more details about the crustacean. This includes the penis which has survived the brunt of time and has fossilised. According to ABC, the penis is quite large in proportion to the ostracod's body and is supposedly a third of the animal’s total size. “This fossil had all the appendages intact. We had the gills that the animal used to breathe. We had the eyes and we had the penis, which was lovely because it’s very rare that you can gender fossils,” ABC quoted him as saying. Also Read: Mummified brains found in Milan crypt unravel secrets about cocaine use in Europe The discovery of the penis led it to be named Colymbosathon ecplecticos, or “outstanding swimmer with large penis” in Greek. According to Science, after Professor Siveter found the fossil in the West of England, a digital model of the ostracod was made by grinding the rocks and then the body was reconstructed in 3D. Professor Siveter told ABC that the sperm produced by the crustacean was impressively large at 10mm long. Notably, the fossil is “the only known undoubted gills in a fossil ostracode and provides the earliest direct evidence of a respiratory-cum-circulatory system in the group." So, this ancient crab has been breathing and mating in the same way for thousands of years.

World's oldest penis belongs to a 425-million-year-old crab

In a rare cosmic event, a "two-way highway" was opened up between Earth and the Sun through which they exchanged charged particles. This caused the skies to light up&nbsp;with auroras in the US states of&nbsp;Arizona and Arkansas along with parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Generally, auroras are created on Earth when the planet is engulfed by a solar storm. However, that was not the case last April when a rare cosmic event occurred between the Earth and the Sun.

The wind of the Sun generally punches into the magnetic field of Earth and the planet creates a bow shock towards the Sun.

But on April 24, 2023, charged particles were released from the Sun and lit the skies of Arizona and Arkansas and parts of Australia and New Zealand.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earth-gets-hit-by-shocking-severe-g4-geomagnetic-storm-was-our-planet-prepared-749702">Earth gets hit by shocking 'severe' G4 geomagnetic storm. Was our planet prepared?</a>

For a moment, these particles were able to switch off the bow shock of the Earth which opened up a "two-way highway" between the planet and its star through which charged particles were also exchanged between the two and created a solar light show.

In comparison to the brightness of the Sun, those auroras were comparatively far too dim.&nbsp;

"Particles trapped by Earth's magnetism suddenly had an escape — a direct path to the sun!" wrote NASA&nbsp;last week on social media.&nbsp;

<h2>How was Earth's bow shock switched off?</h2>

The "two-way highway" was formed because of solar wind's plasma-rich component known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) which generally travels faster in comparison to the speed at which magnetic waves called Alfvén waves pass through plasma. The speed is called the&nbsp;Alfvén speed.

Watch:&nbsp;Is there life on mars? Scientists find 'oceans' of water miles beneath surface

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/is-there-life-on-mars-scientists-find-oceans-of-water-miles-beneath-surface-749934/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

During the solar eruption in April, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft observed that the CMEs were faster than usual which led to the temporary disappearance of the bow shock.&nbsp;

NASA explained that the Alfvén "wings" magnetically connected the Earth to the portion of the Sun which had erupted recently.

The instruments of the spacecraft recorded plasma getting released from Earth and entering the Sun for nearly two hours, said the American space agency, in its social media post. "The data revealed unprecedented insights about the sun-Earth connection," NASA stated.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a rare cosmic event, a "two-way highway" was opened up between Earth and the Sun through which they exchanged charged particles. This caused the skies to light up with auroras in the US states of Arizona and Arkansas along with parts of Australia and New Zealand.

In a rare cosmic event, a "two-way highway" was opened up between Earth and the Sun through which they exchanged charged particles. This caused the skies to light up with auroras in the US states of Arizona and Arkansas along with parts of Australia and New Zealand. Generally, auroras are created on Earth when the planet is engulfed by a solar storm. However, that was not the case last April when a rare cosmic event occurred between the Earth and the Sun. The wind of the Sun generally punches into the magnetic field of Earth and the planet creates a bow shock towards the Sun. But on April 24, 2023, charged particles were released from the Sun and lit the skies of Arizona and Arkansas and parts of Australia and New Zealand. Also Read: Earth gets hit by shocking 'severe' G4 geomagnetic storm. Was our planet prepared? For a moment, these particles were able to switch off the bow shock of the Earth which opened up a "two-way highway" between the planet and its star through which charged particles were also exchanged between the two and created a solar light show. In comparison to the brightness of the Sun, those auroras were comparatively far too dim. "Particles trapped by Earth's magnetism suddenly had an escape — a direct path to the sun!" wrote NASA last week on social media. How was Earth's bow shock switched off? The "two-way highway" was formed because of solar wind's plasma-rich component known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) which generally travels faster in comparison to the speed at which magnetic waves called Alfvén waves pass through plasma. The speed is called the Alfvén speed. Watch: Is there life on mars? Scientists find 'oceans' of water miles beneath surface During the solar eruption in April, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft observed that the CMEs were faster than usual which led to the temporary disappearance of the bow shock. NASA explained that the Alfvén "wings" magnetically connected the Earth to the portion of the Sun which had erupted recently. The instruments of the spacecraft recorded plasma getting released from Earth and entering the Sun for nearly two hours, said the American space agency, in its social media post. "The data revealed unprecedented insights about the sun-Earth connection," NASA stated. (With inputs from agencies)

A 'two-way highway' opened between Earth and Sun to exchange charged particles. Here's what happened next

NASA has spotted a rouge space body moving at extremely high speed in the Milky Way. This hyper-speed object is over 27,306 times the size of Earth and might exit our galaxy pretty soon, as per the scientists. A group of citizen scientists working with NASA's 'Backyard Worlds: Planet 9' project made the spectacular and shocking discovery.

The hypervelocity object was cruising at a speed of one million miles per hour at the time it was spotted. Right now, it is more than 400 light-years from Earth.&nbsp;

Its high speed means that it will soon break free of Milky Way’s gravity and shoot into intergalactic space. The scientists aren't fully sure what the celestial object is, but it is likely a brown dwarf. Such bodies are stars that are larger than a planet but have so little mass that they can't sustain long-term nuclear fusion like our sun.

German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a part of NASA's Backyard Worlds programme, said in a statement, "I can't describe the level of excitement."

"When I first saw how fast it was moving, I was convinced it must have been reported already."

If the object does turn out to be a brown dwarf, it would be the first time that such a body would have been documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit and capable of escaping our galaxy.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/martian-rocks-containing-signs-of-life-to-be-brought-to-earth-can-reveal-750758">Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth</a>

Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle and Dan Caselden first spotted the object a few years ago. Several ground-based telescopes were used to confirm the discovery after which it was characterised and named CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 in the books, and is known as CWISE J1249 in short.

<h2>What created the hyper-velocity object?</h2>

The object seems to be from one of the first generations of stars in our galaxy. Data gathered using the WM Keck Observatory in Maunakea, Hawaii, shows that the quantity of iron and other metals in it is far less compared to other stars and brown dwarfs. This means that it is likely quite old.&nbsp;

Scientists believe that the supposed brown dwarf was once part of a two-star or binary-star system. However, after its white dwarf sister star died off, a nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova was triggered, leading to it becoming a runaway cosmic body.

Another theory suggests that CWISE J1249 originated inside a globular cluster of stars from where the pull of a black hole led it to run off.

Astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer, who is working with the team to understand the object, said in a statement, "When a star encounters a black hole binary, the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular cluster."

NASA has spotted a rouge space body moving at extremely high speed in the Milky Way. This hyper-speed object is over 27,306 times the size of Earth and might exit our galaxy pretty soon, as per the scientists.

NASA has spotted a rouge space body moving at extremely high speed in the Milky Way. This hyper-speed object is over 27,306 times the size of Earth and might exit our galaxy pretty soon, as per the scientists. A group of citizen scientists working with NASA's 'Backyard Worlds: Planet 9' project made the spectacular and shocking discovery. The hypervelocity object was cruising at a speed of one million miles per hour at the time it was spotted. Right now, it is more than 400 light-years from Earth. Its high speed means that it will soon break free of Milky Way’s gravity and shoot into intergalactic space. The scientists aren't fully sure what the celestial object is, but it is likely a brown dwarf. Such bodies are stars that are larger than a planet but have so little mass that they can't sustain long-term nuclear fusion like our sun. German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a part of NASA's Backyard Worlds programme, said in a statement, "I can't describe the level of excitement." "When I first saw how fast it was moving, I was convinced it must have been reported already." If the object does turn out to be a brown dwarf, it would be the first time that such a body would have been documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit and capable of escaping our galaxy. Also Read: Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle and Dan Caselden first spotted the object a few years ago. Several ground-based telescopes were used to confirm the discovery after which it was characterised and named CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 in the books, and is known as CWISE J1249 in short. What created the hyper-velocity object? The object seems to be from one of the first generations of stars in our galaxy. Data gathered using the WM Keck Observatory in Maunakea, Hawaii, shows that the quantity of iron and other metals in it is far less compared to other stars and brown dwarfs. This means that it is likely quite old. Scientists believe that the supposed brown dwarf was once part of a two-star or binary-star system. However, after its white dwarf sister star died off, a nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova was triggered, leading to it becoming a runaway cosmic body. Another theory suggests that CWISE J1249 originated inside a globular cluster of stars from where the pull of a black hole led it to run off. Astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer, who is working with the team to understand the object, said in a statement, "When a star encounters a black hole binary, the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular cluster."

Mysterious object cruising at scary speed inside our galaxy baffles scientists

From The Bible to The Satanic Verses, several books were banned in parts of the world at various points in time due to the perception that they poison minds. But some books can be poisonous quite literally, as the chemicals used in their making are harmful to humans.

According to a study done by a team of researchers at Lipscomb University in the US, some of the bright-coloured, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era onwards might contain&nbsp;such chemicals.

These colours come from dyes that might be a health risk to readers, collectors or librarians, said a release on the study.

Chronic exposure to inhaled lead or chromium could lead to even cancer, lung damage or fertility issues, said the researchers.&nbsp;

Pigments from the cloth covers can be harmful if rubbed onto hands or become airborne and are inhaled, they added.&nbsp;

WATCH: Toxic chemicals found in clean energy batteries, threat of PFAS in Lithium-ion cells

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/toxic-chemicals-found-in-clean-energy-batteries-threat-of-pfas-in-lithium-ion-cells-741062/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

The study will be presented at American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting&nbsp;on August 18–22.

“These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries and private collections,”&nbsp;Abigail Hoermann, a chemistry student at Lipscomb University, who was part of the study, was quoted as saying in the study.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/health-and-wellness/common-bandages-may-contain-harmful-chemicals-reveals-study-708288">Common bandages may contain harmful chemicals, reveals study</a>

“I find it fascinating to know what previous generations thought was safe, and then we learn, oh, actually, that might not have been a great idea to use these brilliant dyes,” the release quoted Joseph Weinstein-Webb, an assistant chemistry professor at Lipscomb, who did the study along with his students, as saying.

<h2>How poisonous books were detected&nbsp;</h2>

The study examined some 19th- and early 20th-century fabric-covered books from the university’s Beaman Library.&nbsp;

The poisons were detected using three spectroscopic techniques: XRF or X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, ICP-OES or Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and XRD or X-ray diffraction technology.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/led-lights-in-room-temperature-can-clean-up-forever-chemicals-overnight-suggests-study-745516">LED lights in room temperature can 'clean up' forever chemicals overnight, suggests study</a>

XRF was used&nbsp;for checking arsenic or other heavy metals on the book covers. ICP-OES examined the concentration of those metals. XRD was used to identify the pigment molecules that contain those metals.

Researchers found lead and chromium present in some of the Lipscomb books.&nbsp;

In some instances, these heavy metals were in the form of lead (II) chromate, a compound that was used for the chrome yellow pigment by Vincent van Gogh in his sunflower paintings, said the release.

In some cases, metal concentrations were found to be above acceptable limits for chronic exposure as set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lead was more than double the CDC limits, and chromium almost six times the cap.

Such poisonous and potentially harmful books were sealed in plastic bags for handling and storage or removed from public circulation.

<h2>How the 'Poison Book Project' was started</h2>

Earlier, the Winterthur Museum, Garden &amp; Library in Delaware found copper acetoarsenite, an arsenic compound, in some 19th-century books in its collection.

This emerald-green pigment was used in Victorian-era wallpaper, garments and cloth book covers.&nbsp;

This discovery led to the launch of the 'Poison Book Project', a crowdsourced research effort.&nbsp;The project uses various imaging and chemical processing techniques to trace the&nbsp;toxic pigments in books around the world.&nbsp;

The researchers at&nbsp;Lipscomb University hope to contribute their findings to the Poison Book Project.

(With inputs from agencies)

From The Bible to The Satanic Verses, several books were banned in parts of the world at various points in time due to the perception that they poison minds. But some books can be poisonous quite literally, as the chemicals used in their making are harmful to humans.

From The Bible to The Satanic Verses, several books were banned in parts of the world at various points in time due to the perception that they poison minds. But some books can be poisonous quite literally, as the chemicals used in their making are harmful to humans. According to a study done by a team of researchers at Lipscomb University in the US, some of the bright-coloured, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era onwards might contain such chemicals. These colours come from dyes that might be a health risk to readers, collectors or librarians, said a release on the study. Chronic exposure to inhaled lead or chromium could lead to even cancer, lung damage or fertility issues, said the researchers. Pigments from the cloth covers can be harmful if rubbed onto hands or become airborne and are inhaled, they added. WATCH: Toxic chemicals found in clean energy batteries, threat of PFAS in Lithium-ion cells × The study will be presented at American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting on August 18–22. “These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries and private collections,” Abigail Hoermann, a chemistry student at Lipscomb University, who was part of the study, was quoted as saying in the study. Also read: Common bandages may contain harmful chemicals, reveals study “I find it fascinating to know what previous generations thought was safe, and then we learn, oh, actually, that might not have been a great idea to use these brilliant dyes,” the release quoted Joseph Weinstein-Webb, an assistant chemistry professor at Lipscomb, who did the study along with his students, as saying. How poisonous books were detected The study examined some 19th- and early 20th-century fabric-covered books from the university’s Beaman Library. The poisons were detected using three spectroscopic techniques: XRF or X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, ICP-OES or Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and XRD or X-ray diffraction technology. Also read: LED lights in room temperature can 'clean up' forever chemicals overnight, suggests study XRF was used for checking arsenic or other heavy metals on the book covers. ICP-OES examined the concentration of those metals. XRD was used to identify the pigment molecules that contain those metals. Researchers found lead and chromium present in some of the Lipscomb books. In some instances, these heavy metals were in the form of lead (II) chromate, a compound that was used for the chrome yellow pigment by Vincent van Gogh in his sunflower paintings, said the release. In some cases, metal concentrations were found to be above acceptable limits for chronic exposure as set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lead was more than double the CDC limits, and chromium almost six times the cap. Such poisonous and potentially harmful books were sealed in plastic bags for handling and storage or removed from public circulation. How the 'Poison Book Project' was started Earlier, the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in Delaware found copper acetoarsenite, an arsenic compound, in some 19th-century books in its collection. This emerald-green pigment was used in Victorian-era wallpaper, garments and cloth book covers. This discovery led to the launch of the 'Poison Book Project', a crowdsourced research effort. The project uses various imaging and chemical processing techniques to trace the toxic pigments in books around the world. The researchers at Lipscomb University hope to contribute their findings to the Poison Book Project. (With inputs from agencies)

Some books are poisonous, quite literally, and can even cause cancer. Here is how

A recent study by Stanford Medicine researchers suggests that humans don't age over time but rather our bodies age in bursts, in particular, rapid changes take place in our mid-40s and 60s.&nbsp;

The study is based on the data collected after tracking the different molecules in people aged between 25 and 75. The researchers had sought to understand the reason why after a certain age, humans become more prone to diseases like musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease.

Professor Michael Snyder, a geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study said, “We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some theatrical changes.”&nbsp;

“It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s – and that’s true no matter what class of molecules you look at,” he added.&nbsp;

Scientists tracked 108 volunteers, who were asked to submit blood and other samples, including skin, oral, and nasal swabs, every few months for almost seven years.

Researchers found that the molecules and microbes did not change gradually and the most distinguished shift was observed when the participants were in their mid-40s and early 60s.

A former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford Medical School and first author of the study who is now based at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Dr Xiaotao Shen, said, “This suggests that while menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes observed in women in their mid-40s, other, more significant factors are likely influencing these changes in both men and women”.

According to the study, the first change occurs in the molecules linked to cardiovascular disease and caffeine and alcohol metabolism. &nbsp;

The second wave of ageing hits immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism, and kidney function. The ageing of the skin, however, is seen at both points, according to the study.&nbsp;

It was found that these changes can also take place due to lifestyle or behavioural factors. For example, a change in a person’s alcohol metabolism depends on their consumption of it in their mid-40s.

Mike Snyder, PhD, chair of the Department of Genetics and the study's senior author said, “I’m a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.”&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A recent study by Stanford Medicine researchers suggests that humans don't age over time but rather our bodies age in bursts, in particular, rapid changes take place in our mid-40s and 60s.

A recent study by Stanford Medicine researchers suggests that humans don't age over time but rather our bodies age in bursts, in particular, rapid changes take place in our mid-40s and 60s. The study is based on the data collected after tracking the different molecules in people aged between 25 and 75. The researchers had sought to understand the reason why after a certain age, humans become more prone to diseases like musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease. Professor Michael Snyder, a geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study said, “We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some theatrical changes.” “It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s – and that’s true no matter what class of molecules you look at,” he added. Scientists tracked 108 volunteers, who were asked to submit blood and other samples, including skin, oral, and nasal swabs, every few months for almost seven years. Researchers found that the molecules and microbes did not change gradually and the most distinguished shift was observed when the participants were in their mid-40s and early 60s. A former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford Medical School and first author of the study who is now based at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Dr Xiaotao Shen, said, “This suggests that while menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes observed in women in their mid-40s, other, more significant factors are likely influencing these changes in both men and women”. According to the study, the first change occurs in the molecules linked to cardiovascular disease and caffeine and alcohol metabolism. The second wave of ageing hits immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism, and kidney function. The ageing of the skin, however, is seen at both points, according to the study. It was found that these changes can also take place due to lifestyle or behavioural factors. For example, a change in a person’s alcohol metabolism depends on their consumption of it in their mid-40s. Mike Snyder, PhD, chair of the Department of Genetics and the study's senior author said, “I’m a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.” (With inputs from agencies)

We are not ageing gradually over time; significant changes only occur in our 40s and 60s: Study

A new study has found hidden reasons behind why cats scratch furniture. Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas, a veterinary researcher from Ankara University, shared that factors like the presence of children at home, the personality of the cat, and their activity levels greatly influence how much a cat scratches.

"We show that certain factors – such as the presence of children at home, personality traits of cats, and their activity levels – significantly impact the extent of scratching behaviour," Science Alert quoted&nbsp;Salgirli Demirbas as saying.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/martian-rocks-containing-signs-of-life-to-be-brought-to-earth-can-reveal-750758">Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth, can reveal...</a>

Although scratching is a natural behaviour for cats, it can become problematic when it leads to furniture damage. Demirbas and her research team from Portugal, Canada and France discovered that stress plays a major role in increasing this behaviour. When owners become upset with their cats, it can escalate social tension in the home, prompting cats to scratch even more frequently.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-two-way-highway-opened-between-earth-and-sun-to-exchange-charged-particles-heres-what-happened-next-750783">A 'two-way highway' opened between Earth and Sun to exchange charged particles. Here's what happened next</a>

<h2>Study findings</h2>

The study surveyed over 1,200 cat owners and showed a strong connection between stress and increased scratching. "Cats living with children, being more active during play or at night, are more likely to scratch," Demirbas explained. Cats with aggressive or disruptive behaviour also scratched more often.

<h2>How to handle scratching</h2>

To manage this behaviour, experts suggest using positive strategies rather than punishing the cat. Placing a scratching post near the area where the cat prefers to scratch can help. Cats often scratch in meaningful areas to express how they feel. It’s also important to play with your cat in a way that doesn’t overstimulate them, as too much excitement can lead to more scratching.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/ireland-and-scotland-still-have-rocks-which-carry-rare-evidence-of-snowball-earth-750757">Ireland and Scotland STILL have rocks which carry rare evidence of 'snowball Earth'</a>

"Understanding these behaviours can help cat owners guide their pets to scratch in the right places, making home life more peaceful," Demirbas concluded.

The research was published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new study has found hidden reasons behind why cats scratch furniture. Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas, a veterinary researcher from Ankara University, shared that factors like the presence of children at home, the personality of the cat, and their activity levels greatly influence how much a cat scratches.

A new study has found hidden reasons behind why cats scratch furniture. Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas, a veterinary researcher from Ankara University, shared that factors like the presence of children at home, the personality of the cat, and their activity levels greatly influence how much a cat scratches. "We show that certain factors – such as the presence of children at home, personality traits of cats, and their activity levels – significantly impact the extent of scratching behaviour," Science Alert quoted Salgirli Demirbas as saying. Also read | Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth, can reveal... Although scratching is a natural behaviour for cats, it can become problematic when it leads to furniture damage. Demirbas and her research team from Portugal, Canada and France discovered that stress plays a major role in increasing this behaviour. When owners become upset with their cats, it can escalate social tension in the home, prompting cats to scratch even more frequently. Also read | A 'two-way highway' opened between Earth and Sun to exchange charged particles. Here's what happened next Study findings The study surveyed over 1,200 cat owners and showed a strong connection between stress and increased scratching. "Cats living with children, being more active during play or at night, are more likely to scratch," Demirbas explained. Cats with aggressive or disruptive behaviour also scratched more often. How to handle scratching To manage this behaviour, experts suggest using positive strategies rather than punishing the cat. Placing a scratching post near the area where the cat prefers to scratch can help. Cats often scratch in meaningful areas to express how they feel. It’s also important to play with your cat in a way that doesn’t overstimulate them, as too much excitement can lead to more scratching. Also read | Ireland and Scotland STILL have rocks which carry rare evidence of 'snowball Earth' "Understanding these behaviours can help cat owners guide their pets to scratch in the right places, making home life more peaceful," Demirbas concluded. The research was published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. (With inputs from agencies)

Study reveals why cats scratch furniture and tips for managing it

Indian astronaut candidates and Air Force Test pilots, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair&nbsp;— who have now spent more than a week at NASA's Johnson Center, Houston, Texas&nbsp;— will be training at the American astronaut training facility for three months or longer, ISRO Chief Dr S. Somanath exclusively told WION.

In July, WION had exclusively reported that Indian astronaut candidates would commence their US-based training in early August. The duo have been in the US since 5th&nbsp;August.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/exclusive-indian-astronauts-us-training-from-august-spaceflight-by-year-end-740415">Exclusive: Indian astronauts' US training from August; spaceflight by year-end</a>

For more than half a century, NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston has played a lead role in human exploration, discovery and achievement. Since the 1960s Apollo-era to the contemporary Artemis crewed Lunar exploration efforts, and everything in between, Johnson Center has been the hub of human-led space exploration in the US.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My excl: 🇮🇳 Astronaut candidates Gp Capts S. Shukla(L) &amp; PB Nair(R) have been training at <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_Johnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_Johnson</a> for a week+ now..Their advanced Astronaut training in USA will be for "3months or more, depending on the mission requirement". In 2025, one of them will fly to <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> <a href="https://t.co/5uCfJJ0yeX">pic.twitter.com/5uCfJJ0yeX</a>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1824686756576526371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The Indian duo are training to take part in a US-led mission to the International Space Station, an orbiting lab that circles 425kms above the earth. Recently, India's Human Spaceflight Centre (HSFC) had entered into a spaceflight agreement (SFA) with Axiom Space Inc, an American firm that has been identified by NASA.

Axiom is a private firm that facilitates a ride to space for paying customers. In this case, Axiom will facilitate the spaceflight of a chosen Indian&nbsp;astronaut, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Falcon 9 is the only contemporary American rocket with a proven track record of performing multiple&nbsp;astronaut-ferrying missions.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/isro-chairman-dr-s-somnath-elaborates-on-gaganyaan-mission-750668/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

According to ISRO, India's primary Gaganyatri (space traveller) for this mission will be Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the backup candidate will be Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair. One among them will be later approved to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) which is responsible for choosing the Indian candidate who will fly to the ISS.&nbsp;

During his stay in space, as part of the Axiom-4 mission, the chosen Indian&nbsp;astronaut&nbsp;will be undertaking scientific research and technology demonstration experiments aboard the ISS.&nbsp;

<h2>What is Gaganyaan? What is India prepping its&nbsp;astronaut&nbsp;candidates for?</h2>

India has revealed the names of four&nbsp;astronaut&nbsp;candidates who are to fly on the country's homegrown 'Gaganyaan' programme that aims to fly an&nbsp;astronaut-carrying capsule to earth orbit (400kms above the planet's surface) and bring them back safely for an oceanic splashdown landing. Gaganyaan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, as India's maiden mission to fly humans (trained&nbsp;astronauts) to space.&nbsp;

Gaganyaan would be carried out by the Indian Space Agency ISRO, with test pilots of the Indian Air Force, serving as the crew members. The four candidates (Group Captains Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, Shubhanshu Shukla, Ajit Krishnan, and Angad Pratap) have already completed their training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Moscow.

In recent years, they have also been undergoing training at ISRO and Indian Air Force facilities, while also assisting ISRO teams in designing and developing some systems required for Gaganyaan.&nbsp;

Gaganyaan is the first step in a series of sustained human spaceflight missions that India wants to carry out in a phased manner. By the end of this decade, India hopes to put an uncrewed space station in Earth orbit. By 2035, it would be used as a crewed Indian outpost that's circling the earth.

India also plans to land its&nbsp;astronauts on the moon by 2040, a feat that only America has accomplished in 1969, and China hopes to do so by the end of this decade.&nbsp;

<h2>Soviets flew 1st Indian to space in 1984; US to fly 2nd Indian to space in 2025</h2>

40 years ago, in 1984, Indian Air Force Pilot Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew to space as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. He is the only Indian to have flown to space. He did so on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission to the Salyut-7 space station, a lab that circles above the Earth.

<img alt="Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, flight engineer Gennady Strekalov and commander Yury Malyshev alongside screengrabs of the-then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's interaction with Rakesh Sharma" src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202023-07-09T123411.047.png" />

Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (centre), flight engineer Gennady Strekalov (L) and commander Yury Malyshev (R) alongside the screengrabs of the-then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's interaction with Rakesh Sharma |&nbsp;spacefacts.de/YouTube via Indian National Congress

<section>Gaganyaan is India's own attempt at launching&nbsp;astronauts to space on a largely homegrown mission, with support from the US, Russia, and France, among others. Of these, Russia(erstwhile Soviet Union) and the US are the pioneers of human spaceflight, since the Cold War era.&nbsp;</section>

In 2023, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State visit to the US, President Joe Biden had announced that 'NASA would provide advanced training to Indian&nbsp;astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024'.&nbsp;

Given that India's only experience of human spaceflight comes from Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma who flew fourty years ago, the 2024 mission to the ISS is expected to offer significant insights and experiences related to contemporary spaceflight and relevant technologies. This would offer crucial lessons to ISRO and its chosen candidate, as it prepares for the homegrown Gaganyaan mission.

At present, India is in the process of gradually testing various systems and technologies required to execute an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, slated for later this year or in early 2025. After a couple of flawless uncrewed missions, India will embark on the&nbsp;astronaut-carrying mission, perhaps, by 2026.&nbsp;

<h2>Maiden Gaganyaan flight trial in Dec 2024</h2>

Following the successful launch of the SSLV-D3/EOS-08 mission, ISRO Chief Dr S.Somanath said that the agency is looking to launch the maiden uncrewed trial of the Human-rated Gaganyaan rocket and its crew module. ISRO has dubbed this mission 'G1'.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIONExclusive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIONExclusive</a> | ISRO chairman Dr S. Somanath speaks to WION on NASA training of Indian astronauts. 
 
What does the US-India collaboration mean for both countries? 
 
WION's <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sdhrthmp</a> brings us this exclusive interview. <a href="https://twitter.com/AnanyaDutta97?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnanyaDutta97</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpaceNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISRONews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISRONews</a> <a href="https://t.co/SMqAS49BQd">pic.twitter.com/SMqAS49BQd</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1824398042386006167?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

ISRO has readied much of the hardware required for this high-profile mission, including the S200 solid motors, the core L110 stage and the cryogenic C32 stage, which respectively serve as the first, second and third stages of the Human-rated LVM3 rocket.

"The Gaganyaan rocket’s three stages have come to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The integration of the crew module is happening at VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram)."

ISRO expects that all systems for the 'G1' flight will reach the Indian spaceport by November, for a planned launch in December.

Indian astronaut candidates and Air Force Test pilots, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair — who have now spent more than a week at NASA's Johnson Center, Houston, Texas — will be training at the American astronaut training facility for three months or longer, ISRO Chief Dr S.

Indian astronaut candidates and Air Force Test pilots, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair — who have now spent more than a week at NASA's Johnson Center, Houston, Texas — will be training at the American astronaut training facility for three months or longer, ISRO Chief Dr S. Somanath exclusively told WION. In July, WION had exclusively reported that Indian astronaut candidates would commence their US-based training in early August. The duo have been in the US since 5th August. Also read | Exclusive: Indian astronauts' US training from August; spaceflight by year-end For more than half a century, NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston has played a lead role in human exploration, discovery and achievement. Since the 1960s Apollo-era to the contemporary Artemis crewed Lunar exploration efforts, and everything in between, Johnson Center has been the hub of human-led space exploration in the US. My excl: 🇮🇳 Astronaut candidates Gp Capts S. Shukla(L) & PB Nair(R) have been training at @NASA_Johnson for a week+ now..Their advanced Astronaut training in USA will be for "3months or more, depending on the mission requirement". In 2025, one of them will fly to @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/5uCfJJ0yeX — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) August 17, 2024 × The Indian duo are training to take part in a US-led mission to the International Space Station, an orbiting lab that circles 425kms above the earth. Recently, India's Human Spaceflight Centre (HSFC) had entered into a spaceflight agreement (SFA) with Axiom Space Inc, an American firm that has been identified by NASA. Axiom is a private firm that facilitates a ride to space for paying customers. In this case, Axiom will facilitate the spaceflight of a chosen Indian astronaut, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Falcon 9 is the only contemporary American rocket with a proven track record of performing multiple astronaut-ferrying missions. × According to ISRO, India's primary Gaganyatri (space traveller) for this mission will be Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the backup candidate will be Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair. One among them will be later approved to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) which is responsible for choosing the Indian candidate who will fly to the ISS. During his stay in space, as part of the Axiom-4 mission, the chosen Indian astronaut will be undertaking scientific research and technology demonstration experiments aboard the ISS. What is Gaganyaan? What is India prepping its astronaut candidates for? India has revealed the names of four astronaut candidates who are to fly on the country's homegrown 'Gaganyaan' programme that aims to fly an astronaut-carrying capsule to earth orbit (400kms above the planet's surface) and bring them back safely for an oceanic splashdown landing. Gaganyaan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, as India's maiden mission to fly humans (trained astronauts) to space. Gaganyaan would be carried out by the Indian Space Agency ISRO, with test pilots of the Indian Air Force, serving as the crew members. The four candidates (Group Captains Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, Shubhanshu Shukla, Ajit Krishnan, and Angad Pratap) have already completed their training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Moscow. In recent years, they have also been undergoing training at ISRO and Indian Air Force facilities, while also assisting ISRO teams in designing and developing some systems required for Gaganyaan. Gaganyaan is the first step in a series of sustained human spaceflight missions that India wants to carry out in a phased manner. By the end of this decade, India hopes to put an uncrewed space station in Earth orbit. By 2035, it would be used as a crewed Indian outpost that's circling the earth. India also plans to land its astronauts on the moon by 2040, a feat that only America has accomplished in 1969, and China hopes to do so by the end of this decade. Soviets flew 1st Indian to space in 1984; US to fly 2nd Indian to space in 2025 40 years ago, in 1984, Indian Air Force Pilot Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew to space as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. He is the only Indian to have flown to space. He did so on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission to the Salyut-7 space station, a lab that circles above the Earth. Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (centre), flight engineer Gennady Strekalov (L) and commander Yury Malyshev (R) alongside the screengrabs of the-then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's interaction with Rakesh Sharma | spacefacts.de/YouTube via Indian National Congress Gaganyaan is India's own attempt at launching astronauts to space on a largely homegrown mission, with support from the US, Russia, and France, among others. Of these, Russia(erstwhile Soviet Union) and the US are the pioneers of human spaceflight, since the Cold War era. In 2023, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State visit to the US, President Joe Biden had announced that 'NASA would provide advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024'. Given that India's only experience of human spaceflight comes from Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma who flew fourty years ago, the 2024 mission to the ISS is expected to offer significant insights and experiences related to contemporary spaceflight and relevant technologies. This would offer crucial lessons to ISRO and its chosen candidate, as it prepares for the homegrown Gaganyaan mission. At present, India is in the process of gradually testing various systems and technologies required to execute an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, slated for later this year or in early 2025. After a couple of flawless uncrewed missions, India will embark on the astronaut-carrying mission, perhaps, by 2026. Maiden Gaganyaan flight trial in Dec 2024 Following the successful launch of the SSLV-D3/EOS-08 mission, ISRO Chief Dr S.Somanath said that the agency is looking to launch the maiden uncrewed trial of the Human-rated Gaganyaan rocket and its crew module. ISRO has dubbed this mission 'G1'. #WIONExclusive | ISRO chairman Dr S. Somanath speaks to WION on NASA training of Indian astronauts. What does the US-India collaboration mean for both countries? WION's @sdhrthmp brings us this exclusive interview. @AnanyaDutta97 #SpaceNews #ISRONews pic.twitter.com/SMqAS49BQd — WION (@WIONews) August 16, 2024 × ISRO has readied much of the hardware required for this high-profile mission, including the S200 solid motors, the core L110 stage and the cryogenic C32 stage, which respectively serve as the first, second and third stages of the Human-rated LVM3 rocket. "The Gaganyaan rocket’s three stages have come to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The integration of the crew module is happening at VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram)." ISRO expects that all systems for the 'G1' flight will reach the Indian spaceport by November, for a planned launch in December.

Exclusive: Indian astronauts' US training to go on for three months

The scientists at NASA and MIT have decided to bring to Earth seven rock samples in which minerals have been found that were said to be&nbsp;formed when there is water present in a specific area on Mars.&nbsp;&nbsp;

These rock samples were found in the “fan front” of Mars’ Jezero Crater and it suggests that such rocks were either formed in watery environments or deposited by water which underlines the presence of water in the crater's past.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-and-jupiter-to-get-closest-in-this-spectacular-astronomical-event-of-decade-749099">Mars and Jupiter to get closest in this spectacular astronomical event of decade</a>

In 2022, the seven samples were collected by the Perseverance rover when it was exploring the western slope of the crater where it was suspected by the scientists that some rocks were present which were likely to have originated from an ancient lake which had since dried up.&nbsp;

<h2>Signs of life in Martian&nbsp;rocks?</h2>

The Perseverance science team looked into the images and chemical data of the rover and confirmed that the rocks actually have signs of water.

On the basis of the data, the theory that Jezero Crater was at one point watery and had a habitable environment has also been strengthened.&nbsp;

The minerals present in the rocks give the best opportunity for scientists to search for&nbsp;signs of ancient Martian life.

Professor of geobiology in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) and study’s lead author Tanja Bosak said, “These rocks confirm the presence, at least temporarily, of habitable environments on Mars."&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Is there life on mars? Scientists find 'oceans' of water miles beneath surface

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/is-there-life-on-mars-scientists-find-oceans-of-water-miles-beneath-surface-749934/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“What we’ve found is that indeed there was a lot of water activity. For how long, we don’t know, but certainly for long enough to create these big sedimentary deposits," he added.

According to the scientists, some of these samples were likely deposited in the ancient lake nearly 3.5 billion years ago.

Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT and co-author Benjamin Weiss said, “These are the oldest rocks that may have been deposited by water that we’ve ever laid hands or rover arms on."

“That’s exciting, because it means these are the most promising rocks that may have preserved fossils and signatures of life," he added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The scientists at NASA and MIT have decided to bring to Earth seven rock samples in which minerals have been found that were said to be formed when there is water present in a specific area on Mars.

The scientists at NASA and MIT have decided to bring to Earth seven rock samples in which minerals have been found that were said to be formed when there is water present in a specific area on Mars. These rock samples were found in the “fan front” of Mars’ Jezero Crater and it suggests that such rocks were either formed in watery environments or deposited by water which underlines the presence of water in the crater's past. Also Read: Mars and Jupiter to get closest in this spectacular astronomical event of decade In 2022, the seven samples were collected by the Perseverance rover when it was exploring the western slope of the crater where it was suspected by the scientists that some rocks were present which were likely to have originated from an ancient lake which had since dried up. Signs of life in Martian rocks? The Perseverance science team looked into the images and chemical data of the rover and confirmed that the rocks actually have signs of water. On the basis of the data, the theory that Jezero Crater was at one point watery and had a habitable environment has also been strengthened. The minerals present in the rocks give the best opportunity for scientists to search for signs of ancient Martian life. Professor of geobiology in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) and study’s lead author Tanja Bosak said, “These rocks confirm the presence, at least temporarily, of habitable environments on Mars." Watch: Is there life on mars? Scientists find 'oceans' of water miles beneath surface “What we’ve found is that indeed there was a lot of water activity. For how long, we don’t know, but certainly for long enough to create these big sedimentary deposits," he added. According to the scientists, some of these samples were likely deposited in the ancient lake nearly 3.5 billion years ago. Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT and co-author Benjamin Weiss said, “These are the oldest rocks that may have been deposited by water that we’ve ever laid hands or rover arms on." “That’s exciting, because it means these are the most promising rocks that may have preserved fossils and signatures of life," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Martian rocks containing signs of life to be brought to Earth, can reveal...

In a stunning discovery, UCL (University College London) researchers have found that Ireland and Scotland are hosting a rock formation which may be carrying the rare and complete record of "snowball Earth".&nbsp;

The research, which was published&nbsp;in the&nbsp;Journal of the Geological Society of London, discovered that the Port Askaig Formation is filled with layers of rock which are up to 1.1km thick and were probably deposited between 662 to 720 million years ago when the Sturtian glaciation occurred.&nbsp;

This was the first time the world had frozen and led to the development of complex and&nbsp;multicellular organisms.

In this rock formation, an exposed outcrop on Scottish islands, which was known as the Garvellachs, was unique because it shows how there was the transition of warm and tropical Earth into "snowball Earth".

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/esas-juice-mission-is-set-to-attempt-first-ever-lunar-earth-flyby-heres-how-it-will-impact-planet-749165">ESA's JUICE mission is set to attempt first-ever Lunar-Earth flyby. Here's how it will impact planet</a>

Some other rocks which were formed at a similar time in North America and Namibia have been missing this transition.

<h2>Here's how Earth sustained life in deep freeze</h2>

UCL Earth Sciences senior author Professor Graham Shields said, "These rocks record a time when Earth was covered in ice. All complex, multicellular life, such as animals, arose out of this deep freeze, with the first evidence in the&nbsp;fossil record&nbsp;appearing shortly after the planet thawed."

UCL Earth Sciences PhD candidate and first author Elias Rugen said, "Our study provides the first conclusive age constraints for these Scottish and Irish rocks, confirming their global significance."

Watch:&nbsp;Astronaut records Moon setting behind Earth amid auroras

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/astronaut-records-moon-setting-behind-earth-amid-auroras-750162/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"The layers of rock exposed on the Garvellachs are globally unique. Underneath the rocks laid down during the unimaginable cold of the Sturtian glaciation are 70 meters of older carbonate rocks formed in tropical waters. These layers record a tropical marine environment with flourishing cyanobacterial life that gradually became cooler, marking the end of a billion years or so of a temperate climate on Earth," he added.

"Most areas of the world are missing this remarkable transition because the ancient glaciers scraped and eroded away the rocks underneath, but in Scotland, by some miracle, the transition can be seen," Rugen said.

The Sturtian glaciation period lasted for 60 million years on Earth and was one of the two major freezing periods in the Cryogenian Period (between 635 and 720 million years ago).&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a stunning discovery, UCL (University College London) researchers have found that Ireland and Scotland are hosting a rock formation which may be carrying the rare and complete record of "snowball Earth".

In a stunning discovery, UCL (University College London) researchers have found that Ireland and Scotland are hosting a rock formation which may be carrying the rare and complete record of "snowball Earth". The research, which was published in the Journal of the Geological Society of London, discovered that the Port Askaig Formation is filled with layers of rock which are up to 1.1km thick and were probably deposited between 662 to 720 million years ago when the Sturtian glaciation occurred. This was the first time the world had frozen and led to the development of complex and multicellular organisms. In this rock formation, an exposed outcrop on Scottish islands, which was known as the Garvellachs, was unique because it shows how there was the transition of warm and tropical Earth into "snowball Earth". Also Read: ESA's JUICE mission is set to attempt first-ever Lunar-Earth flyby. Here's how it will impact planet Some other rocks which were formed at a similar time in North America and Namibia have been missing this transition. Here's how Earth sustained life in deep freeze UCL Earth Sciences senior author Professor Graham Shields said, "These rocks record a time when Earth was covered in ice. All complex, multicellular life, such as animals, arose out of this deep freeze, with the first evidence in the fossil record appearing shortly after the planet thawed." UCL Earth Sciences PhD candidate and first author Elias Rugen said, "Our study provides the first conclusive age constraints for these Scottish and Irish rocks, confirming their global significance." Watch: Astronaut records Moon setting behind Earth amid auroras "The layers of rock exposed on the Garvellachs are globally unique. Underneath the rocks laid down during the unimaginable cold of the Sturtian glaciation are 70 meters of older carbonate rocks formed in tropical waters. These layers record a tropical marine environment with flourishing cyanobacterial life that gradually became cooler, marking the end of a billion years or so of a temperate climate on Earth," he added. "Most areas of the world are missing this remarkable transition because the ancient glaciers scraped and eroded away the rocks underneath, but in Scotland, by some miracle, the transition can be seen," Rugen said. The Sturtian glaciation period lasted for 60 million years on Earth and was one of the two major freezing periods in the Cryogenian Period (between 635 and 720 million years ago). (With inputs from agencies)

Ireland and Scotland STILL have rocks which carry rare evidence of 'snowball Earth'

The infamous and deadly asteroid that slammed into Earth some 66 million years ago and wiped out an entire species of dinosaurs has its origin in our solar system, beyond Jupiter to be precise. At least a recent report published on Aug 16 claims so.&nbsp;

The impact of this asteroid left geochemical fingerprints, such as elevated levels of the element iridium, in a thin layer of rock found in multiple countries around the globe.

The chemical analyses of these rock sediments, which mark the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods (also known as KPg), are helping to create a forensic profile of the killer asteroid. The asteroid, which cratered into Chicxulub in present-day Mexico, was a C-type asteroid.

This new research refutes the earlier claims that say it was a comet that hit the Earth and destroyed dinosaurs.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/is-our-universe-expanding-at-a-doomsday-rate-james-webbs-new-analysis-says-750443">Is our universe expanding at a 'doomsday' rate? James Webb's new analysis says so</a>

Geochemist Mario Fischer-Gödde of the University of Cologne in Germany along with his colleagues measured five isotopes, or forms, of ruthenium in the KPg rock layers, as well as in five impact craters that occurred between 36 million and 470 million years ago and in Earth-based platinum ores.&nbsp;

"Our lab in Cologne is one of the rare labs that can do these measurements," Fischer-Godde stated adding&nbsp;"and it was the first time such study techniques were used on impact debris layers."

Ruthenium is a platinum-group element, rarely found in Earth’s crust but quite abundant in asteroids and other space rocks, just like iridium. However, the relative abundance of ruthenium isotopes varies among space objects depending on where they originate.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-astronauts-to-start-livestream-from-moon-heres-how-it-will-work-750369">NASA astronauts to start livestream from Moon. Here's how it will work</a>

The ruthenium signatures in the KPg rocks were recognisable from one another, which links them all to the same event, the team said. The event was definitely extraterrestrial, not from ashfall due to intense volcanic eruptions that have also been implicated in the dinosaurs’ demise.

Most meteorites found on Earth are siliceous or stony, which are asteroids originating from the nearby asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This belt was also the origin of the five non-Chicxulub impactors. But the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid, which originated in the outer reaches of the solar system- the place that is an ancient asteroid belt beyond Jupiter.

"Now we can, with all this knowledge... say that this asteroid initially formed beyond Jupiter," Fischer-Godde told AFP.

(With inputs from agencies)

The infamous and deadly asteroid that slammed into Earth some 66 million years ago and wiped out an entire species of dinosaurs has its origin in our solar system, beyond Jupiter to be precise.

The infamous and deadly asteroid that slammed into Earth some 66 million years ago and wiped out an entire species of dinosaurs has its origin in our solar system, beyond Jupiter to be precise. At least a recent report published on Aug 16 claims so. The impact of this asteroid left geochemical fingerprints, such as elevated levels of the element iridium, in a thin layer of rock found in multiple countries around the globe. The chemical analyses of these rock sediments, which mark the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods (also known as KPg), are helping to create a forensic profile of the killer asteroid. The asteroid, which cratered into Chicxulub in present-day Mexico, was a C-type asteroid. This new research refutes the earlier claims that say it was a comet that hit the Earth and destroyed dinosaurs. Also Read | Is our universe expanding at a 'doomsday' rate? James Webb's new analysis says so Geochemist Mario Fischer-Gödde of the University of Cologne in Germany along with his colleagues measured five isotopes, or forms, of ruthenium in the KPg rock layers, as well as in five impact craters that occurred between 36 million and 470 million years ago and in Earth-based platinum ores. "Our lab in Cologne is one of the rare labs that can do these measurements," Fischer-Godde stated adding "and it was the first time such study techniques were used on impact debris layers." Ruthenium is a platinum-group element, rarely found in Earth’s crust but quite abundant in asteroids and other space rocks, just like iridium. However, the relative abundance of ruthenium isotopes varies among space objects depending on where they originate. Also Read | NASA astronauts to start livestream from Moon. Here's how it will work The ruthenium signatures in the KPg rocks were recognisable from one another, which links them all to the same event, the team said. The event was definitely extraterrestrial, not from ashfall due to intense volcanic eruptions that have also been implicated in the dinosaurs’ demise. Most meteorites found on Earth are siliceous or stony, which are asteroids originating from the nearby asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This belt was also the origin of the five non-Chicxulub impactors. But the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid, which originated in the outer reaches of the solar system- the place that is an ancient asteroid belt beyond Jupiter. "Now we can, with all this knowledge... say that this asteroid initially formed beyond Jupiter," Fischer-Godde told AFP. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists find origin of asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs from Earth

Researchers have decoded the largest animal genome, and it doesn't belong to giants like whales or elephants, but to a humble but strange-looking fish. The lungfish genome was found to be 30 times the size of the human genome.

The sequencing was carried out by an international team of researchers led by Konstanz evolutionary biologist Axel Meyer and Würzburg biochemist Manfred Schartl.

<h2>Why is lungfish so special? The living fossil</h2>

The lungfish is called so because it actually has lungs, unlike most other fish species, a characteristic it retained from its ancestors who could move and breathe on land. The freshwater fish come in mainly three varieties: South American, African and Australian.

Lungfish are known as 'living fossils' because they retain some of the traits of their ancient ancestors from hundreds of millennia ago.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwjtwqOnqfmHAxVTjK8BHTyyAegQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/online-outrage-over-sexist-hostess-lampshade-outfits-indian-origin-ceo-responds-750657" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/trending/online-outrage-over-sexist-hostess-lampshade-outfits-indian-origin-ceo-responds-750657&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjtwqOnqfmHAxVTjK8BHTyyAegQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE">Online outrage over `sexist` hostess lampshade outfits, Indian-origin CEO responds</a>

The Australian lungfish retain&nbsp;the limb-like structures that once enabled their ancestors to move on land. These are absent in their African and South American relatives, having evolved into fin-like structures for swimming.

Lungfish&nbsp;share ancestors with all other four-limbed vertebrates known as tetrapods.

<h2>Why does lungfish have such big genome?</h2>

According to a press release from the researchers, the South American lungfish breaks all records for size, with its DNA having more than&nbsp;90 gigabases. One gigabase is&nbsp;90 billion bases.

Earlier, the record was held by its cousin, the Australian lungfish, which had around half that number. "18 of the 19 chromosomes of the South American lungfish are each individually larger than the entire human genome with its almost 3 billion bases,” said Meyer, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Konstanz in Germany.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwjtwqOnqfmHAxVTjK8BHTyyAegQxfQBKAB6BAgIEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/video-13-year-old-chinese-girl-stuns-audience-with-bharatnatyam-debut-750111" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/trending/video-13-year-old-chinese-girl-stuns-audience-with-bharatnatyam-debut-750111&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjtwqOnqfmHAxVTjK8BHTyyAegQxfQBKAB6BAgIEAE">Video: 13-year-old Chinese girl stuns audience with Bharatnatyam debut</a>

The cause for such enlarged DNA is 'autonomous transposons'.&nbsp;Autonomous transposons are DNA sequences that “replicate” and then change their position in the genome, which in turn causes the genome to grow, said the study, with the South American lungfish showing the fastest rate of such expansion. 
 
The researchers estimated that the lungfish genome grew by the size of the entire human genome every million years.

“And it continues to grow. We have found evidence that the transposons responsible are still active,” said Meyer.

In spite of the expansion, the lungfish genome is remarkably stable, similar to their ancestral tetrapods, said a release on the study. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Researchers have decoded the largest animal genome, and it doesn't belong to giants like whales or elephants, but to a humble but strange-looking fish. The lungfish genome was found to be 30 times the size of the human genome.

Researchers have decoded the largest animal genome, and it doesn't belong to giants like whales or elephants, but to a humble but strange-looking fish. The lungfish genome was found to be 30 times the size of the human genome. The sequencing was carried out by an international team of researchers led by Konstanz evolutionary biologist Axel Meyer and Würzburg biochemist Manfred Schartl. Why is lungfish so special? The living fossil The lungfish is called so because it actually has lungs, unlike most other fish species, a characteristic it retained from its ancestors who could move and breathe on land. The freshwater fish come in mainly three varieties: South American, African and Australian. Lungfish are known as 'living fossils' because they retain some of the traits of their ancient ancestors from hundreds of millennia ago. Also read: Online outrage over `sexist` hostess lampshade outfits, Indian-origin CEO responds The Australian lungfish retain the limb-like structures that once enabled their ancestors to move on land. These are absent in their African and South American relatives, having evolved into fin-like structures for swimming. Lungfish share ancestors with all other four-limbed vertebrates known as tetrapods. Why does lungfish have such big genome? According to a press release from the researchers, the South American lungfish breaks all records for size, with its DNA having more than 90 gigabases. One gigabase is 90 billion bases. Earlier, the record was held by its cousin, the Australian lungfish, which had around half that number. "18 of the 19 chromosomes of the South American lungfish are each individually larger than the entire human genome with its almost 3 billion bases,” said Meyer, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Konstanz in Germany. Also read: Video: 13-year-old Chinese girl stuns audience with Bharatnatyam debut The cause for such enlarged DNA is 'autonomous transposons'. Autonomous transposons are DNA sequences that “replicate” and then change their position in the genome, which in turn causes the genome to grow, said the study, with the South American lungfish showing the fastest rate of such expansion. The researchers estimated that the lungfish genome grew by the size of the entire human genome every million years. “And it continues to grow. We have found evidence that the transposons responsible are still active,” said Meyer. In spite of the expansion, the lungfish genome is remarkably stable, similar to their ancestral tetrapods, said a release on the study. (With inputs from agencies)

This lungfish, known as 'living fossil', has largest-ever genome decoded, 30 times bigger than ours

The Sun has had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years this month, according to the US agencies observing the star.

The estimated Sunspot Number or SNN for 8 August may have reached 299, said the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado.

This is the largest number since at least July 2002, it said on its website.&nbsp;These sunspots occurred in a 24-hour period.

The current solar cycle, which is numbered as Solar Cycle 25, "likely reached its highest SSN thus far on August 8, a value of perhaps 299," it said. A solar cycle, estimated to last 11 years, is how the Sun alternates between its so-called solar minimum and solar maximum.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/volcanic-eruption-in-536-spewed-so-much-ash-that-it-went-dark-for-18-months-749711">Volcanic eruption in 536 spewed so much ash that Sun didn't shine for 18 months</a>

The official SSN data is released by global agencies in September, though 299 appears to be a possible number. The final number will come from the World Data Center - Sunspot Index and Long-Term Solar Observations (WDC-SILSO).

In fact, the SWPC had recorded the SSN higher at 337, a value not observed since March 2001.&nbsp;

<h2>What are sun spots?</h2>

Each sunspot is the size of the whole earth. These are relatively darker areas on the Sun.&nbsp;

The rotations of the Sun in each solar cycle lead to areas of magnetic energy on the star. When these areas are very strong, they become visible as sunspots.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the result of sunspots?</h2>

Sunspots have strong magnetic fields that cause coronal mass ejections or CMEs.&nbsp;CMEs release large amounts of plasma and magnetic fields&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Sun's corona region.&nbsp;

These cause solar flares that send out electromagnetic radiation and are experienced as geomagnetic 'solar storms' on Earth.

As sunspots increase, a corresponding rise in solar flares&nbsp;is observed.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-strange-highway-formed-between-sun-and-earth-in-2023-nasa-says-747914">Aurora on Sun? It happened in 2023 when Earth spewed back particles</a>

Warnings were issued for geomagnetic storms&nbsp;in the August 11-12 period, around the time when sunspots were estimated at the highest since 2002. 
 
"Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be much more active than originally forecast by the scientist experts who predicted the cycle back in 2019 or so," Space.com quoted Shawn Dahl of SWPC as saying.

The Solar Cycle 25 has already caused intense geomagnetic storms, and auroras on Earth.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The Sun has had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years this month, according to the US agencies observing the star. The estimated Sunspot Number or SNN for 8 August may have reached 299, said the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado.

The Sun has had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years this month, according to the US agencies observing the star. The estimated Sunspot Number or SNN for 8 August may have reached 299, said the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado. This is the largest number since at least July 2002, it said on its website. These sunspots occurred in a 24-hour period. The current solar cycle, which is numbered as Solar Cycle 25, "likely reached its highest SSN thus far on August 8, a value of perhaps 299," it said. A solar cycle, estimated to last 11 years, is how the Sun alternates between its so-called solar minimum and solar maximum. Also read | Volcanic eruption in 536 spewed so much ash that Sun didn't shine for 18 months The official SSN data is released by global agencies in September, though 299 appears to be a possible number. The final number will come from the World Data Center - Sunspot Index and Long-Term Solar Observations (WDC-SILSO). In fact, the SWPC had recorded the SSN higher at 337, a value not observed since March 2001. What are sun spots? Each sunspot is the size of the whole earth. These are relatively darker areas on the Sun. The rotations of the Sun in each solar cycle lead to areas of magnetic energy on the star. When these areas are very strong, they become visible as sunspots. What is the result of sunspots? Sunspots have strong magnetic fields that cause coronal mass ejections or CMEs. CMEs release large amounts of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's corona region. These cause solar flares that send out electromagnetic radiation and are experienced as geomagnetic 'solar storms' on Earth. As sunspots increase, a corresponding rise in solar flares is observed. Also read | Aurora on Sun? It happened in 2023 when Earth spewed back particles Warnings were issued for geomagnetic storms in the August 11-12 period, around the time when sunspots were estimated at the highest since 2002. "Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be much more active than originally forecast by the scientist experts who predicted the cycle back in 2019 or so," Space.com quoted Shawn Dahl of SWPC as saying. The Solar Cycle 25 has already caused intense geomagnetic storms, and auroras on Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

The Sun probably just had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years: What does it mean?

A man in the US who suffers from the muscle degeneration disease ALS was able to 'speak' using a brain-computer interface, offering hope to thousands of people who are unable to speak because of such conditions.&nbsp;

Casey Harrell, 45, used the brain-computer interface or BCI that interpreted his brain signals and turned them into text, which was then read by a computer, with 97 per cent accuracy, which makes this device the most accurate of its kind.

“Our BCI technology helped a man with paralysis to communicate with friends, families and caregivers,” said neurosurgeon David Brandman of University of California, Davis, where the experiment was conducted.

Brandman described it as "the most accurate speech neuroprosthesis (device) ever reported.”

Also read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-when-does-ageing-really-kick-in-scientists-find-two-specific-ages-when-signs-show-up-they-are-750381">When does ageing really kick in? Scientists find two specific ages when signs show up. They are...</a>

Harrell used the system in both prompted and spontaneous conversational settings, a release from UC Davis said on Wednesday (Aug 15).

In both cases, speech decoding happened in real time, it said.

"The decoded words were shown on a screen and read aloud in a voice that sounded like Harrell’s before he had ALS. The voice was composed using software trained with existing audio samples of his pre-ALS voice," it said.

<h2>How the man with ALS was able to 'speak'</h2>

The 45-year's speech was hard to understand and he required others to help interpret for him.&nbsp;

For the experiment, sensors from the BCI were implanted in Harrel's&nbsp;brain in July 2023. These included four microelectrode arrays inserted in the part of his brain responsible for coordinating speech, which could record brain activity from 256 cortical electrodes.

The researchers essentially 'recorded' him from the part of the brain that’s trying to send commands to the muscles.

"We are basically listening into that, and we’re translating those patterns of brain activity into a phoneme — like a syllable or the unit of speech — and then the words they’re trying to say,” said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky.&nbsp;“We’re really detecting their attempt to move their muscles and talk.”

The brain signals are then interpreted by machine-learning programmes in the device.

<h2>Why this is a breakthrough</h2>

The experiment offers hope for people who want to speak but can’t.

“Previous speech BCI systems had frequent word errors. This made it difficult for the user to be understood consistently and was a barrier to communication,” Brandman said. “Our objective was to develop a system that empowered someone to be understood whenever they wanted to speak.”&nbsp;

"The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was trying to say correctly appeared on-screen. We all did," said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky who was part of the study.

 
“At this point, we can decode what Casey is trying to say correctly about 97 per cent of the time,” Brandman said.&nbsp;

“It has been immensely rewarding to see Casey regain his ability to speak with his family and friends through this technology,” said the study’s lead author, Nicholas Card.

&nbsp;

<h2>What is ALS?</h2>

ALS is a progressive muscle degeneration disease. Also known as&nbsp;Lou Gehrig's disease, it inhibits the ability of nerve cells that control movement over a period of time, leading to the&nbsp;weakening of muscles.

Over time, patients become unable to stand, walk and use their hands.

In some cases, ALS can&nbsp;impair speech as it affects muscles and nerves that control speaking movements.

(With inputs from agencies)

A man in the US who suffers from the muscle degeneration disease ALS was able to 'speak' using a brain-computer interface, offering hope to thousands of people who are unable to speak because of such conditions.

A man in the US who suffers from the muscle degeneration disease ALS was able to 'speak' using a brain-computer interface, offering hope to thousands of people who are unable to speak because of such conditions. Casey Harrell, 45, used the brain-computer interface or BCI that interpreted his brain signals and turned them into text, which was then read by a computer, with 97 per cent accuracy, which makes this device the most accurate of its kind. “Our BCI technology helped a man with paralysis to communicate with friends, families and caregivers,” said neurosurgeon David Brandman of University of California, Davis, where the experiment was conducted. Brandman described it as "the most accurate speech neuroprosthesis (device) ever reported.” Also read:When does ageing really kick in? Scientists find two specific ages when signs show up. They are... Harrell used the system in both prompted and spontaneous conversational settings, a release from UC Davis said on Wednesday (Aug 15). In both cases, speech decoding happened in real time, it said. "The decoded words were shown on a screen and read aloud in a voice that sounded like Harrell’s before he had ALS. The voice was composed using software trained with existing audio samples of his pre-ALS voice," it said. How the man with ALS was able to 'speak' The 45-year's speech was hard to understand and he required others to help interpret for him. For the experiment, sensors from the BCI were implanted in Harrel's brain in July 2023. These included four microelectrode arrays inserted in the part of his brain responsible for coordinating speech, which could record brain activity from 256 cortical electrodes. The researchers essentially 'recorded' him from the part of the brain that’s trying to send commands to the muscles. "We are basically listening into that, and we’re translating those patterns of brain activity into a phoneme — like a syllable or the unit of speech — and then the words they’re trying to say,” said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky. “We’re really detecting their attempt to move their muscles and talk.” The brain signals are then interpreted by machine-learning programmes in the device. Why this is a breakthrough The experiment offers hope for people who want to speak but can’t. “Previous speech BCI systems had frequent word errors. This made it difficult for the user to be understood consistently and was a barrier to communication,” Brandman said. “Our objective was to develop a system that empowered someone to be understood whenever they wanted to speak.” "The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was trying to say correctly appeared on-screen. We all did," said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky who was part of the study. “At this point, we can decode what Casey is trying to say correctly about 97 per cent of the time,” Brandman said. “It has been immensely rewarding to see Casey regain his ability to speak with his family and friends through this technology,” said the study’s lead author, Nicholas Card. What is ALS? ALS is a progressive muscle degeneration disease. Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, it inhibits the ability of nerve cells that control movement over a period of time, leading to the weakening of muscles. Over time, patients become unable to stand, walk and use their hands. In some cases, ALS can impair speech as it affects muscles and nerves that control speaking movements. (With inputs from agencies)

Brain-computer interface helps man with ALS 'speak' again: 'He cried with joy, we all did'

The universe is known to have been expanding from the day it existed but the rate of expansion has remained in debate till now.&nbsp;

James Webb Space Telescope's new measurements are now hinting that perhaps the "Hubble tension" which was believed to be causing the expansion of the universe may not have existed at all.&nbsp;

In a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, University of Chicago cosmologist Wendy Freedman along with her colleagues looked into the data collected by NASA's powerful James Webb Space Telescope.&nbsp;

They considered the distance to 10&nbsp;nearby galaxies&nbsp;and took measure of a new value for the rate at which the expansionism is happening presently in the universe.&nbsp;

They calculated the measurement of expansion of the universe at 70 kilometres per second per megaparsec which overlapped the other major method related to the Hubble constant.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-astronauts-facing-life-altering-risks-in-space-heres-what-can-happen-to-them-if-they-remain-stranded-749137">NASA astronauts facing 'life-altering' risks in space. Here's what can happen to them if they remain stranded</a>

"Based on these new JWST data and using three independent methods, we do not find strong evidence for a Hubble tension," said Freedman, who is a renowned astronomer and the John and Marion Sullivan University professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.

"To the contrary, it looks like our standard cosmological model for explaining the evolution of the universe is holding up," he added.

<h2>What is Hubble constant and how does it explain the expansion of the universe?</h2>

Since 1929 when the measurement was made of stars of the most distant galaxies, which were moving away from Earth at a speedy rate in comparison to the nearby galaxies, by UChicago alum Edwin Hubble (SB 1910, PhD&nbsp;1917) it was known that the universe is expanding.

However, scientists have always found it difficult to get the exact number of how fast the universe is expanding currently.

This number is called the Hubble constant and is important to decode the history of the universe. It is an important part of the process in which the universe is evolving over time.

"Confirming the reality of the Hubble constant tension would have significant consequences for both fundamental physics and modern cosmology," said Freedman.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Since the Hubble constant is difficult but important to determine, scientists are trying to test them with the help of different methods to make sure the exact numbers are achieved.

Scientists have tried to study the remnant light after the Big Bang, which is called the&nbsp;cosmic microwave background, to determine the numbers.&nbsp;

Using this method, the best estimate of the Hubble constant found by the scientists is 67.4 kilometres per second per megaparsec.

The second method adopted by them is measuring the expansion of galaxies present in Earth's local cosmic neighbourhood with the help of stars whose brightnesses have been identified.

Earlier, when this method was used to determine the Hubble constant, measurements came closer to 74 kilometres per second per megaparsec.

(With inputs from agencies)

The universe is known to have been expanding from the day it existed but the rate of expansion has remained in debate till now. James Webb Space Telescope's new measurements are now hinting that perhaps the "Hubble tension" which was believed to be causing the expansion of the universe may not have existed at all.

The universe is known to have been expanding from the day it existed but the rate of expansion has remained in debate till now. James Webb Space Telescope's new measurements are now hinting that perhaps the "Hubble tension" which was believed to be causing the expansion of the universe may not have existed at all. In a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, University of Chicago cosmologist Wendy Freedman along with her colleagues looked into the data collected by NASA's powerful James Webb Space Telescope. They considered the distance to 10 nearby galaxies and took measure of a new value for the rate at which the expansionism is happening presently in the universe. They calculated the measurement of expansion of the universe at 70 kilometres per second per megaparsec which overlapped the other major method related to the Hubble constant. Also Read: NASA astronauts facing 'life-altering' risks in space. Here's what can happen to them if they remain stranded "Based on these new JWST data and using three independent methods, we do not find strong evidence for a Hubble tension," said Freedman, who is a renowned astronomer and the John and Marion Sullivan University professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. "To the contrary, it looks like our standard cosmological model for explaining the evolution of the universe is holding up," he added. What is Hubble constant and how does it explain the expansion of the universe? Since 1929 when the measurement was made of stars of the most distant galaxies, which were moving away from Earth at a speedy rate in comparison to the nearby galaxies, by UChicago alum Edwin Hubble (SB 1910, PhD 1917) it was known that the universe is expanding. However, scientists have always found it difficult to get the exact number of how fast the universe is expanding currently. This number is called the Hubble constant and is important to decode the history of the universe. It is an important part of the process in which the universe is evolving over time. "Confirming the reality of the Hubble constant tension would have significant consequences for both fundamental physics and modern cosmology," said Freedman. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August Since the Hubble constant is difficult but important to determine, scientists are trying to test them with the help of different methods to make sure the exact numbers are achieved. Scientists have tried to study the remnant light after the Big Bang, which is called the cosmic microwave background, to determine the numbers. Using this method, the best estimate of the Hubble constant found by the scientists is 67.4 kilometres per second per megaparsec. The second method adopted by them is measuring the expansion of galaxies present in Earth's local cosmic neighbourhood with the help of stars whose brightnesses have been identified. Earlier, when this method was used to determine the Hubble constant, measurements came closer to 74 kilometres per second per megaparsec. (With inputs from agencies)

Is our universe expanding at a 'doomsday' rate? James Webb's new analysis says so

The largest 'bluestone' of the ancient Stonehenge, a six-tonne rock, had been moved from some 750 kilometres away in Scotland to its current location in Salisbury, England, according to a new study that scientists found fascinating.

The study puts to question not only how ancient people were able to move such a big megalith for hundreds of kilometres, but also how human populations interacted in the Neolithic period. 
 
Neolithic period, also known as New Stone Age, ran from 10,000 BC to 2200 BC

<h2>How did scientists trace origin of Stonehenge bluestone&nbsp;to Scotland?</h2>

As per a study published in Nature journal, the scientists tested the chemical composition and age of minerals within the bluestone. Bluestone is the name given to rocks that are not native to the area.&nbsp;

The &nbsp;stone’s chemical composition and the age of minerals within it, when taken together, give an “age fingerprint”.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/lunar-standstill-illuminates-stonehenges-celestial-connections-734668">Lunar 'standstill' illuminates Stonehenge's celestial connections</a>

Based on the analysis, the scientists are now positing that the largest bluestone was moved by water from some 750km&nbsp;away in northeast Scotland. 
 
The area of its origin is probably around Orkney Islands, according to the study.&nbsp;

It assumes that the blue stone, which is called 'altar stone', was sourced from red sandstone deposits of northeast Scotland.

So far, the origin of blue stones in Stonehenge had been traced to Preseli hills in Wales. The larger sarsen stones - the ones that stand tall at the peripheral circle of Stonehenge, are from West Woods, near Marlborough.

WATCH: Stonehenge to celebrate Summer Solstice: Movement of the sun to be live-streamed

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/stonehenge-to-celebrate-summer-solstice-movement-of-the-sun-to-be-live-streamed-489773/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

 
Sarsens stones are sourced relatively nearby, estimated to be 25 km.&nbsp;

<h4>Also read: &nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/experts-believe-rare-lunar-event-may-be-linked-to-stonehenges-alignment-711657">Experts believe rare lunar event may be linked to Stonehenge's alignment</a></h4>

<h2>What is the significance of the study?</h2>

"The difficulty of long-distance overland transport of such massive cargo from Scotland, navigating topographic barriers, suggests that it was transported by sea," said the study.

 
"Such routing demonstrates a high level of societal organization with intra-Britain transport during the Neolithic period," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)

The largest 'bluestone' of the ancient Stonehenge, a six-tonne rock, had been moved from some 750 kilometres away in Scotland to its current location in Salisbury, England, according to a new study that scientists found fascinating.

The largest 'bluestone' of the ancient Stonehenge, a six-tonne rock, had been moved from some 750 kilometres away in Scotland to its current location in Salisbury, England, according to a new study that scientists found fascinating. The study puts to question not only how ancient people were able to move such a big megalith for hundreds of kilometres, but also how human populations interacted in the Neolithic period. Neolithic period, also known as New Stone Age, ran from 10,000 BC to 2200 BC How did scientists trace origin of Stonehenge bluestone to Scotland? As per a study published in Nature journal, the scientists tested the chemical composition and age of minerals within the bluestone. Bluestone is the name given to rocks that are not native to the area. The stone’s chemical composition and the age of minerals within it, when taken together, give an “age fingerprint”. Also read: Lunar 'standstill' illuminates Stonehenge's celestial connections Based on the analysis, the scientists are now positing that the largest bluestone was moved by water from some 750km away in northeast Scotland. The area of its origin is probably around Orkney Islands, according to the study. It assumes that the blue stone, which is called 'altar stone', was sourced from red sandstone deposits of northeast Scotland. So far, the origin of blue stones in Stonehenge had been traced to Preseli hills in Wales. The larger sarsen stones - the ones that stand tall at the peripheral circle of Stonehenge, are from West Woods, near Marlborough. WATCH: Stonehenge to celebrate Summer Solstice: Movement of the sun to be live-streamed × Sarsens stones are sourced relatively nearby, estimated to be 25 km. Also read: Experts believe rare lunar event may be linked to Stonehenge's alignment What is the significance of the study? "The difficulty of long-distance overland transport of such massive cargo from Scotland, navigating topographic barriers, suggests that it was transported by sea," said the study. "Such routing demonstrates a high level of societal organization with intra-Britain transport during the Neolithic period," it added. (With inputs from agencies)

A six-tonne stone in Stonehenge was transported from 750km away. Scientists wonder how

NASA astronauts will soon be able to livestream their movements from the Moon during future Artemis missions and this will be made possible because of laser technology.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The space communication method is being tested by NASA in which they are using a laser beam for connecting astronauts on&nbsp;the moon with ground control on&nbsp;Earth.&nbsp;

In the first test, the scientists sent a video of Taters the cat using a laser communications streaming service.&nbsp;

The second round of experiments&nbsp;started in early June in which NASA's Pilatus PC-12&nbsp;plane was featured. &nbsp;

In July, a 4K video on a roundtrip journey from an aircraft to the International Space Station&nbsp;(ISS) was sent.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-plans-to-connect-earth-with-the-moon-through-a-communication-superhighway-742685">China plans to connect Earth with the moon through a communication superhighway</a>

Another set of experiments was completed on July 30 and a test run of the so-called High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking system (HDTN) was completed, as reported by Space.com.

"HDTN has actually broken several world records and achieved some firsts for&nbsp;space&nbsp;in general and the United States," said Rachel Dudukovich, lead engineer for HDTN at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com.&nbsp;

“We've demonstrated a secure file transfer from the ISS, which is the first&nbsp;time&nbsp;that's been demonstrated ever. We demonstrated over 900 megabits per second over the laser communications link from ISS, which is also the first time that's ever been demonstrated in space," he added.

<h2>How will this live-streaming technology work?</h2>

In this type of networking, a solar-system-wide internet which is secure, reliable and able to transmit automated data at high data rates will be created.

"We address challenges of the environment such as long delays and disruptions caused by weather; the protocols that we use are specifically designed to meet those needs," said Dudukovich.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists find underground caves on moon

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-find-underground-caves-on-moon-741666/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"What we do is we store data when the link has been disrupted, and once it resumes, then we go ahead and we continue to transmit data. It's a buffering capability, essentially, at high rates," he added.

Along with sending and live-streaming videos and data, the technology will also be able to create a space-wide web which will help the astronauts in space to remain more connected to Earth.

"We have protocols and standards that make a space network act like the internet we all enjoy with our connectivity. When we put these two things together, we can start to provide services to spacecraft," said Daniel Raible, who is an electronics engineer and principal investigator at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA astronauts will soon be able to livestream their movements from the Moon during future Artemis missions and this will be made possible because of laser technology.

NASA astronauts will soon be able to livestream their movements from the Moon during future Artemis missions and this will be made possible because of laser technology. The space communication method is being tested by NASA in which they are using a laser beam for connecting astronauts on the moon with ground control on Earth. In the first test, the scientists sent a video of Taters the cat using a laser communications streaming service. The second round of experiments started in early June in which NASA's Pilatus PC-12 plane was featured. In July, a 4K video on a roundtrip journey from an aircraft to the International Space Station (ISS) was sent. Also Read: China plans to connect Earth with the moon through a communication superhighway Another set of experiments was completed on July 30 and a test run of the so-called High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking system (HDTN) was completed, as reported by Space.com. "HDTN has actually broken several world records and achieved some firsts for space in general and the United States," said Rachel Dudukovich, lead engineer for HDTN at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com. “We've demonstrated a secure file transfer from the ISS, which is the first time that's been demonstrated ever. We demonstrated over 900 megabits per second over the laser communications link from ISS, which is also the first time that's ever been demonstrated in space," he added. How will this live-streaming technology work? In this type of networking, a solar-system-wide internet which is secure, reliable and able to transmit automated data at high data rates will be created. "We address challenges of the environment such as long delays and disruptions caused by weather; the protocols that we use are specifically designed to meet those needs," said Dudukovich. Watch: Scientists find underground caves on moon "What we do is we store data when the link has been disrupted, and once it resumes, then we go ahead and we continue to transmit data. It's a buffering capability, essentially, at high rates," he added. Along with sending and live-streaming videos and data, the technology will also be able to create a space-wide web which will help the astronauts in space to remain more connected to Earth. "We have protocols and standards that make a space network act like the internet we all enjoy with our connectivity. When we put these two things together, we can start to provide services to spacecraft," said Daniel Raible, who is an electronics engineer and principal investigator at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA astronauts to start livestream from Moon. Here's how it will work

The researchers for the first time have created a continent-wide map of Antarctica for studying the rampant changes in its ecosystem and spreading plant life.

Antarctica has always been expected to be all white with huge icebergs, however, what is shocking is the greens emerging from the mini pockets of the&nbsp;ice-covered land.

Amid warming temperatures and climate change, the ice-covered continent is undergoing a major transformation and is likely to now witness the growth of more vegetation.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/antarctic-temperatures-rise-10c-above-average-experts-are-calling-it-a-near-record-heatwave-746539">Antarctic temperatures rise 10C above average, experts are calling it a near-record heatwave</a>

The search for green patches in Antarctica was carried out by an international team of scientists, headed by the University of Edinburgh with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, with the help of the satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA).

<h2>Here's what the scientists found in Antarctica</h2>

In the study, the scientists detected nearly 45 square kilometres (17.3 square miles) of vegetation and nearly 80 per cent of them were located in the Antarctic Peninsula and neighbouring islands. The green space in Antarctica is only just 0.12 per cent.

“Our continent-scale map provides key information on vegetation presence in areas that are rarely visited by people. This will have profound implications for our understanding of where vegetation is located across the continent, and what factors influence this distribution,” said Charlotte Walshaw, who is a PhD researcher from the University of Edinburgh, in a&nbsp;statement.

The plant life is not able to spread easily in Antarctica's harsh wilderness. But the shifting landscapes and warming temperatures are now making it easier for plant life to spread across the continent.

Only two vascular plants are the continent's native which are Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Antarctic faces melting 'tipping point' as oceans warm: Study

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/antarctic-faces-melting-tipping-point-as-oceans-warm-study-735604/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In the past, these plants were rare in the ice-dominated continent, but they have now turned common&nbsp;in the last couple of years because of rising temperatures.

Notably,&nbsp;more than 100 plant species invaded Antarctica recently, including common lawn grass, which has spread rapidly across sub-Antarctic Islands and is now moving towards the Antarctic Peninsula.

“Getting an accurate map of the photosynthetic life of the continent gives us a baseline for assessing future change. As the continent warms and ice melts, we expect that areas of rock outcrop will expand, and vegetation will colonize more ground. This new map enables us to monitor these consequences of climate change,” said Peter Fretwell, who is the co-author of the paper and remote sensing expert at BAS.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The researchers for the first time have created a continent-wide map of Antarctica for studying the rampant changes in its ecosystem and spreading plant life. Antarctica has always been expected to be all white with huge icebergs, however, what is shocking is the greens emerging from the mini pockets of the ice-covered land.

The researchers for the first time have created a continent-wide map of Antarctica for studying the rampant changes in its ecosystem and spreading plant life. Antarctica has always been expected to be all white with huge icebergs, however, what is shocking is the greens emerging from the mini pockets of the ice-covered land. Amid warming temperatures and climate change, the ice-covered continent is undergoing a major transformation and is likely to now witness the growth of more vegetation. Also Read: Antarctic temperatures rise 10C above average, experts are calling it a near-record heatwave The search for green patches in Antarctica was carried out by an international team of scientists, headed by the University of Edinburgh with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, with the help of the satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA). Here's what the scientists found in Antarctica In the study, the scientists detected nearly 45 square kilometres (17.3 square miles) of vegetation and nearly 80 per cent of them were located in the Antarctic Peninsula and neighbouring islands. The green space in Antarctica is only just 0.12 per cent. “Our continent-scale map provides key information on vegetation presence in areas that are rarely visited by people. This will have profound implications for our understanding of where vegetation is located across the continent, and what factors influence this distribution,” said Charlotte Walshaw, who is a PhD researcher from the University of Edinburgh, in a statement. The plant life is not able to spread easily in Antarctica's harsh wilderness. But the shifting landscapes and warming temperatures are now making it easier for plant life to spread across the continent. Only two vascular plants are the continent's native which are Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. Watch: Antarctic faces melting 'tipping point' as oceans warm: Study In the past, these plants were rare in the ice-dominated continent, but they have now turned common in the last couple of years because of rising temperatures. Notably, more than 100 plant species invaded Antarctica recently, including common lawn grass, which has spread rapidly across sub-Antarctic Islands and is now moving towards the Antarctic Peninsula. “Getting an accurate map of the photosynthetic life of the continent gives us a baseline for assessing future change. As the continent warms and ice melts, we expect that areas of rock outcrop will expand, and vegetation will colonize more ground. This new map enables us to monitor these consequences of climate change,” said Peter Fretwell, who is the co-author of the paper and remote sensing expert at BAS. (With inputs from agencies)

Antarctica is turning green! Here's what first continent-wide map tells about plant life

NASA issued an alert after spotting asteroid 2024 PZ3 that will come scarily close to Earth on August 15 at 01:39 UTC (7:09 AM IST).&nbsp;

The 96-foot asteroid, which is roughly as big as a large aeroplane, will zoom past our planet at the dangerous speed of 43,867 km/h.&nbsp;

Asteroid 2024 PZ3 has been classified as an Apollo asteroid, which is one of the categories of near-Earth objects (NEOs) which have orbits that cross the path of the Earth.

Generally, NEOs are not a threat because their orbits do not bring them close to the Earth.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-on-alert-after-410ft-massive-asteroid-suddenly-spotted-hurtling-towards-earth-if-it-hits-747083">NASA on alert after 410ft massive asteroid suddenly spotted hurtling towards Earth. If it hits...</a>

However, some of them get labelled as potentially hazardous asteroids, because of their scary distance and need to be monitored.&nbsp;

Such asteroids are larger than nearly 460 feet (140 metres) and have orbits which are likely to bring them at a distance of 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometres) from Earth’s orbit.&nbsp;

Asteroid 2024 PZ3 has not been labelled as a potentially hazardous asteroid, however, its close approach distance of only 277,018 kilometres from Earth makes it important to be monitored.&nbsp;

<h2>What will happen if asteroid 2024 PZ3 hits Earth?</h2>

If asteroid 2024 PZ3 hits Earth, its impact will depend on its size and the location at which it hits the planet.

A 96-foot asteroid has the capability to cause localised damage and a noticeable explosion.&nbsp;

Although 2024 PZ3 will pass close from Earth, it will not be dangerous for the planet.&nbsp;

<h2>How is NASA tracking asteroids?</h2>

NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs).&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;China proposes information superhighway between Earth and Moon

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-proposes-information-superhighway-between-earth-and-moon-742722/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Even though many of the NEOs don't come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention.&nbsp;

Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks.

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA issued an alert after spotting asteroid 2024 PZ3 that will come scarily close to Earth on August 15 at 01:39 UTC (7:09 AM IST). The 96-foot asteroid, which is roughly as big as a large aeroplane, will zoom past our planet at the dangerous speed of 43,867 km/h.

NASA issued an alert after spotting asteroid 2024 PZ3 that will come scarily close to Earth on August 15 at 01:39 UTC (7:09 AM IST). The 96-foot asteroid, which is roughly as big as a large aeroplane, will zoom past our planet at the dangerous speed of 43,867 km/h. Asteroid 2024 PZ3 has been classified as an Apollo asteroid, which is one of the categories of near-Earth objects (NEOs) which have orbits that cross the path of the Earth. Generally, NEOs are not a threat because their orbits do not bring them close to the Earth. Also Read: NASA on alert after 410ft massive asteroid suddenly spotted hurtling towards Earth. If it hits... However, some of them get labelled as potentially hazardous asteroids, because of their scary distance and need to be monitored. Such asteroids are larger than nearly 460 feet (140 metres) and have orbits which are likely to bring them at a distance of 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometres) from Earth’s orbit. Asteroid 2024 PZ3 has not been labelled as a potentially hazardous asteroid, however, its close approach distance of only 277,018 kilometres from Earth makes it important to be monitored. What will happen if asteroid 2024 PZ3 hits Earth? If asteroid 2024 PZ3 hits Earth, its impact will depend on its size and the location at which it hits the planet. A 96-foot asteroid has the capability to cause localised damage and a noticeable explosion. Although 2024 PZ3 will pass close from Earth, it will not be dangerous for the planet. How is NASA tracking asteroids? NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs). Watch: China proposes information superhighway between Earth and Moon Even though many of the NEOs don't come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention. Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA issues warning as huge asteroid set to come dangerously close on THIS date

science

Science, News on Science, stories on Science, articles on Science, Science stories at Wion, Science news, Science latest news