Scientists have discovered that 'Fireball' meteorite that fell to Earth in January 2018 has a rich inventory of extraterrestrial organic compounds, that is, compounds that formed in outer space. The meteorite is 12 million-year-old and was collected soon after it fell on Earth in 2018. Scientists were able to obtain a piece of the fallen meteorite relatively quickly before it got contaminated by conditions prevalent on the Earth.

The meteorite lit up the sky as it fell on Earth on January 16, 2018. What helped in its quick discovery was weather radar. Usually weather radar is used for weather-related predictions and observations. But the size-range of the meteorite made it detectable by weather radar.

A piece of the meteorite was found by the scientists on a frozen lake in Michigan. The rock was found to be in a 'pristine' condition.

Early detection and collection of extraterrestrial objects is essential for accurate analysis of their contents and chemical composition. The pieces of meteorite on Earth start get affected due to Oxygen, water and other elements and agents on the Earth's surface. Researchers were able to scoop the piece of the meteorite two days after it had fallen to Earth. The chemical composition was found to be largely unaltered. The findings have been published in Meteoritics &amp; Planetary Science journal.

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Philipp Heck, professor at University of Chicago and lead author of the study said that the meteorite was found to have rich inventory of extraterrestrial compounds. He was quoted by CNN.

As per one theory of origin of life on Earth, basic building blocks for life were delivered to Earth by meteorites. Earth has been battered by countless meteorites even before it had life. It is believed by school of scientists that meteorites were responsible for initiation of life on Earth.

Scientists have discovered that 'Fireball' meteorite that fell to Earth in January 2018 has a rich inventory of extraterrestrial organic compounds, that is, compounds that formed in outer space.

Scientists have discovered that 'Fireball' meteorite that fell to Earth in January 2018 has a rich inventory of extraterrestrial organic compounds, that is, compounds that formed in outer space. The meteorite is 12 million-year-old and was collected soon after it fell on Earth in 2018. Scientists were able to obtain a piece of the fallen meteorite relatively quickly before it got contaminated by conditions prevalent on the Earth. The meteorite lit up the sky as it fell on Earth on January 16, 2018. What helped in its quick discovery was weather radar. Usually weather radar is used for weather-related predictions and observations. But the size-range of the meteorite made it detectable by weather radar. A piece of the meteorite was found by the scientists on a frozen lake in Michigan. The rock was found to be in a 'pristine' condition. Early detection and collection of extraterrestrial objects is essential for accurate analysis of their contents and chemical composition. The pieces of meteorite on Earth start get affected due to Oxygen, water and other elements and agents on the Earth's surface. Researchers were able to scoop the piece of the meteorite two days after it had fallen to Earth. The chemical composition was found to be largely unaltered. The findings have been published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science journal. Also Read | Strange cluster of lights spotted in Hawaii skies over the weekend. What is it? Philipp Heck, professor at University of Chicago and lead author of the study said that the meteorite was found to have rich inventory of extraterrestrial compounds. He was quoted by CNN. As per one theory of origin of life on Earth, basic building blocks for life were delivered to Earth by meteorites. Earth has been battered by countless meteorites even before it had life. It is believed by school of scientists that meteorites were responsible for initiation of life on Earth.

'Fireball' meteorite in Michigan found to have extraterrestrial compounds

Evidence of a 'lost' river that ran through Thar Desert in India have been found. The river flowed though the desert 172 thousand years ago near present-day Bikaner. Researchers say that the river may have been a life-line to human population inhabiting the region.

The study was carried out by researchers from Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany along with Anna University in Tamil Nadu, and IISER Kolkata. The study indicates that Stone Age populations lived in Thar Desert landscape that was distinctly different than today.

The findings, published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, represent the oldest directly dated phase of river activity at Nal Quarry in the central Thar Desert.

The evidence indicates a river flowed with phases of activity dating to approximately up to 172 thousand years ago, nearby to Bikaner, Rajasthan, which is over 200 kilometres away from the nearest modern river.

These findings predate evidence for activity in modern river courses across the Thar Desert as well as dried up course of the Ghaggar-Hakra River, the researchers said.

The presence of a river running through the central Thar Desert would have offered a life-line to Paleolithic populations, and potentially an important corridor for migrations, they said.

The researchers noted that the potential importance of 'lost' rivers for earlier inhabitants of the Thar Desert have been overlooked.

"The Thar Desert has a rich prehistory, and we've been uncovering a wide range of evidence showing how Stone Age populations not only survived but thrived in these semi-arid landscapes," said Jimbob Blinkhorn from The Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

"We know how important rivers can be to living in this region, but we have little detail on what river systems were like during key periods of prehistory," Blinkhorn said.

Studies of satellite imagery have shown a dense network of river channels crossing the Thar Desert, according to the researchers.

"These studies can indicate where rivers and streams have flowed in the past, but they can't tell us when," explained Professor Hema Achyuthan of Anna University.

"To demonstrate how old such channels are, we had to find evidence on the ground for river activity in the middle of the desert," Achyuthan said.

The team studied a deep deposit of river sands and gravels, which had been exposed by quarrying activity near the village of Nal.

The researchers were able to document different phases of river activity by studying the different deposits.

"We immediately saw evidence for a substantial and very active river system from the bottom of the fluvial deposits, which gradually decreased in power through time," Achyuthan said.

The researchers used a method called luminescence dating to understand when quartz grains in the river sands were buried.

The results indicated that the strongest river activity at Nal occurred at approximately 172 and 140 thousand years ago, at a time when the monsoon was much weaker than today in the region.

River activity continued at the site between 95 to 78 thousand years ago, after which only limited evidence for the presence of a river at the site, with evidence for a brief reactivation of the channel 26 thousand years ago, the study found.

The river was flowing at its strongest during a phase of weak monsoonal activity in the region, and may have been a life-line to human populations enabling them to inhabit the Thar Desert, the researchers said.

The timeframe over which this river was active also overlaps with significant changes in human behaviour in the region, which have been linked with the earliest expansions of Homo sapiens from Africa into India, they said.

"This river flowed at a critical timeframe for understanding human evolution in the Thar Desert, across South Asia and beyond," said Blinkhorn.

"This suggests a landscape in which the earliest members of our own species, Homo sapiens, first encountered the monsoons and crossed the Thar Desert may have been very different to the landscape we can see today," he added. 
&nbsp;

Evidence of a 'lost' river that ran through Thar Desert in India have been found. The river flowed though the desert 172 thousand years ago near present-day Bikaner.

Evidence of a 'lost' river that ran through Thar Desert in India have been found. The river flowed though the desert 172 thousand years ago near present-day Bikaner. Researchers say that the river may have been a life-line to human population inhabiting the region. The study was carried out by researchers from Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany along with Anna University in Tamil Nadu, and IISER Kolkata. The study indicates that Stone Age populations lived in Thar Desert landscape that was distinctly different than today. The findings, published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, represent the oldest directly dated phase of river activity at Nal Quarry in the central Thar Desert. The evidence indicates a river flowed with phases of activity dating to approximately up to 172 thousand years ago, nearby to Bikaner, Rajasthan, which is over 200 kilometres away from the nearest modern river. These findings predate evidence for activity in modern river courses across the Thar Desert as well as dried up course of the Ghaggar-Hakra River, the researchers said. The presence of a river running through the central Thar Desert would have offered a life-line to Paleolithic populations, and potentially an important corridor for migrations, they said. The researchers noted that the potential importance of 'lost' rivers for earlier inhabitants of the Thar Desert have been overlooked. "The Thar Desert has a rich prehistory, and we've been uncovering a wide range of evidence showing how Stone Age populations not only survived but thrived in these semi-arid landscapes," said Jimbob Blinkhorn from The Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. "We know how important rivers can be to living in this region, but we have little detail on what river systems were like during key periods of prehistory," Blinkhorn said. Studies of satellite imagery have shown a dense network of river channels crossing the Thar Desert, according to the researchers. "These studies can indicate where rivers and streams have flowed in the past, but they can't tell us when," explained Professor Hema Achyuthan of Anna University. "To demonstrate how old such channels are, we had to find evidence on the ground for river activity in the middle of the desert," Achyuthan said. The team studied a deep deposit of river sands and gravels, which had been exposed by quarrying activity near the village of Nal. The researchers were able to document different phases of river activity by studying the different deposits. "We immediately saw evidence for a substantial and very active river system from the bottom of the fluvial deposits, which gradually decreased in power through time," Achyuthan said. The researchers used a method called luminescence dating to understand when quartz grains in the river sands were buried. The results indicated that the strongest river activity at Nal occurred at approximately 172 and 140 thousand years ago, at a time when the monsoon was much weaker than today in the region. River activity continued at the site between 95 to 78 thousand years ago, after which only limited evidence for the presence of a river at the site, with evidence for a brief reactivation of the channel 26 thousand years ago, the study found. The river was flowing at its strongest during a phase of weak monsoonal activity in the region, and may have been a life-line to human populations enabling them to inhabit the Thar Desert, the researchers said. The timeframe over which this river was active also overlaps with significant changes in human behaviour in the region, which have been linked with the earliest expansions of Homo sapiens from Africa into India, they said. "This river flowed at a critical timeframe for understanding human evolution in the Thar Desert, across South Asia and beyond," said Blinkhorn. "This suggests a landscape in which the earliest members of our own species, Homo sapiens, first encountered the monsoons and crossed the Thar Desert may have been very different to the landscape we can see today," he added.

'Lost' river that flowed through Thar Desert 172k years ago found

Black holes are perhaps the most famous celestial bodies in popular culture. There are theories like black holes being portals of time travel, a passage to another universe etc. It's not surprising that the mysterious black holes hold great importance in popular perception.

Everyone knows that there is a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. But that's too far away. There 'was' a black hole closer to home, about 1120 light-years away. Now, a study has said that there may not be a black hole here at all.

Earlier hypothesis

It was considered that a binary star system HR 6819 had a black hole in it. But now, scientists have discovered that there is no black hole there at all.

One of the two stars in the system is a Be spectral type and the other is B3 III star. Both the stars were considered to have equal mass.

In a binary system, when two stars have equal mass, they orbit around each other. However, in this star system, it was observed that the Be spectral star was almost spinning in one place while the B3 III star was in orbit.

This defied the science of binary star systems having stars of equal masses. Both of these stars should have been in orbit. But they weren't

It was hence concluded that a black hole was exerting its gravitational effect on the star system and was holding Be spectral star in its place

The competing theory

This theory suggested that there was mistake in calculating masses of the stars and that they were NOT equal.

In reality, the theory said, the Be spectral star (which spun in one place) was bigger than B3 III star. Not only that, the bigger star took away huge chunk of stellar material off the smaller star.

If this was true then there should have been variations in the disc of Hydrogen gas being emanated from the bigger star.

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These variations have now been found

“This indicates that HR 6819 is a binary system consisting of a massive Be star and a low-mass companion that is the stripped-down remnant of a former mass donor star in a mass transfer binary,” wrote Douglas Gies and Luqian Wang, astronomers from Georgia State University.

They have hence concluded that there is no black hole in this binary star system. The title of nearest black hole from earth may hence be now changing hands.

Black holes are perhaps the most famous celestial bodies in popular culture. There are theories like black holes being portals of time travel, a passage to another universe etc.

Black holes are perhaps the most famous celestial bodies in popular culture. There are theories like black holes being portals of time travel, a passage to another universe etc. It's not surprising that the mysterious black holes hold great importance in popular perception. Everyone knows that there is a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. But that's too far away. There 'was' a black hole closer to home, about 1120 light-years away. Now, a study has said that there may not be a black hole here at all. Earlier hypothesis It was considered that a binary star system HR 6819 had a black hole in it. But now, scientists have discovered that there is no black hole there at all. One of the two stars in the system is a Be spectral type and the other is B3 III star. Both the stars were considered to have equal mass. In a binary system, when two stars have equal mass, they orbit around each other. However, in this star system, it was observed that the Be spectral star was almost spinning in one place while the B3 III star was in orbit. This defied the science of binary star systems having stars of equal masses. Both of these stars should have been in orbit. But they weren't It was hence concluded that a black hole was exerting its gravitational effect on the star system and was holding Be spectral star in its place The competing theory This theory suggested that there was mistake in calculating masses of the stars and that they were NOT equal. In reality, the theory said, the Be spectral star (which spun in one place) was bigger than B3 III star. Not only that, the bigger star took away huge chunk of stellar material off the smaller star. If this was true then there should have been variations in the disc of Hydrogen gas being emanated from the bigger star. Also Read | NASA's Osiris-Rex grabs a piece of asteroid Bennu in historic mission These variations have now been found “This indicates that HR 6819 is a binary system consisting of a massive Be star and a low-mass companion that is the stripped-down remnant of a former mass donor star in a mass transfer binary,” wrote Douglas Gies and Luqian Wang, astronomers from Georgia State University. They have hence concluded that there is no black hole in this binary star system. The title of nearest black hole from earth may hence be now changing hands.

Closest 'black hole' to earth has lost its status as one

Back in 2015, students in Maggie Samudio’s second-grade class at Cumberland Elementary School in West Lafayette, Indiana, were contemplating an offbeat science question: If a firefly went to space, would it still be able to light up as it floated in zero gravity?

Samudio said she would ask a friend of hers, Steven Collicott, an aerospace professor at nearby Purdue University, for the answer.

“He teaches a class on zero gravity, and he would be the perfect person to answer the question,” Samudio recalled in an email.

A day later, Collicott replied, and Samudio was surprised by his answer: Instead of guessing, why not actually build the experiment and send it to space?

Blue Origin, the rocket company started by Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon, was planning to offer the ability for schools to fly small experiments on its New Shepard suborbital spacecraft for as little as $8,000.

“That is a game-changer,” said Erika Wagner, the payload sales director at Blue Origin. “Kids as young as elementary school are flying things to space.”

Collicott, who had sent several fluid flow experiments on New Shepard launches, pointed Samudio and her second-graders to Blue Origin.

“For the small payload 4 inches square by 8 inches tall, we’re able to fly that for half the cost of high school football uniforms,” Collicott said. “So really any school district now that affords football can afford spaceflight.”

Cumberland Elementary has not been the only school to see the value of paying for an experiment aboard the New Shepard rocket. A Montessori middle school in Colorado sent up a sensor package designed and programmed by the students. An Alabama high school launched an experiment to test temperature fluctuations in microgravity. And this past December, an elementary school in Ohio sent up baby jellyfish.

On board for the latest flight, which launched last Tuesday, were 1.2 million tomato seeds, which will be distributed to students in 15,000 classes, kindergarten through high school, across the United States and Canada.

Following Collicott’s suggestion, Samudio’s children at Cumberland got to work, collaborating with Purdue students in Collicott’s classes.

“For the next two years, I had aeronautical engineers in my second-grade classroom teaching mini-lessons on basic principles of flight and propulsion as well as the basic principles of ‘firefly’ chemistry,” Samudio said.

On Dec. 12, 2017, the firefly experiment was on board New Shepard. It did not contain any actual fireflies. “It appears when scared, fireflies don’t light up,” Collicott said. “And we were concerned that the boost would scare them. And then there are also issues of I don’t know how to keep fireflies alive and keep them happy.”

Instead, the apparatus replicated the chemistry of how fireflies generate light, with syringes mixing the glow-creating substances together as the capsule reached the top of the trajectory more than 60 miles above West Texas. A tiny video camera recorded what happened in the payload box.

Collicott attended the launching, and two days later, was back in Samudio’s classroom presenting the results.

Fireflies can indeed glow in space.

“That kind of turnaround is just amazing, that spaceflight to these students is not distant,” Collicott said. “It happens fast. It’s kind of cool.”

The space experiment wrapped into a larger project undertaken by Samudio’s classes. One of her students, Kayla Xu, had noted with distress that most states had a state insect, and Indiana did not; she wanted to fix that.

That effort succeeded, too. On March 23, 2018, Gov. Eric Holcomb went to Cumberland Elementary School to sign a bill that declared the Say’s firefly, a species native to the area, the state insect of Indiana.

“Several parents told me that the simple question of asking their child what they had done in school that day exploded into amazing family conversations, extra reading and research, and the contemplation of future personal pursuits and goals,” Samudio said.

Back in 2015, students in Maggie Samudio’s second-grade class at Cumberland Elementary School in West Lafayette, Indiana, were contemplating an offbeat science question: If a firefly went to space, would it still be able to light up as it floated in zero gravity?

Back in 2015, students in Maggie Samudio’s second-grade class at Cumberland Elementary School in West Lafayette, Indiana, were contemplating an offbeat science question: If a firefly went to space, would it still be able to light up as it floated in zero gravity? Samudio said she would ask a friend of hers, Steven Collicott, an aerospace professor at nearby Purdue University, for the answer. “He teaches a class on zero gravity, and he would be the perfect person to answer the question,” Samudio recalled in an email. A day later, Collicott replied, and Samudio was surprised by his answer: Instead of guessing, why not actually build the experiment and send it to space? Blue Origin, the rocket company started by Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon, was planning to offer the ability for schools to fly small experiments on its New Shepard suborbital spacecraft for as little as $8,000. “That is a game-changer,” said Erika Wagner, the payload sales director at Blue Origin. “Kids as young as elementary school are flying things to space.” Collicott, who had sent several fluid flow experiments on New Shepard launches, pointed Samudio and her second-graders to Blue Origin. “For the small payload 4 inches square by 8 inches tall, we’re able to fly that for half the cost of high school football uniforms,” Collicott said. “So really any school district now that affords football can afford spaceflight.” Cumberland Elementary has not been the only school to see the value of paying for an experiment aboard the New Shepard rocket. A Montessori middle school in Colorado sent up a sensor package designed and programmed by the students. An Alabama high school launched an experiment to test temperature fluctuations in microgravity. And this past December, an elementary school in Ohio sent up baby jellyfish. On board for the latest flight, which launched last Tuesday, were 1.2 million tomato seeds, which will be distributed to students in 15,000 classes, kindergarten through high school, across the United States and Canada. Following Collicott’s suggestion, Samudio’s children at Cumberland got to work, collaborating with Purdue students in Collicott’s classes. “For the next two years, I had aeronautical engineers in my second-grade classroom teaching mini-lessons on basic principles of flight and propulsion as well as the basic principles of ‘firefly’ chemistry,” Samudio said. On Dec. 12, 2017, the firefly experiment was on board New Shepard. It did not contain any actual fireflies. “It appears when scared, fireflies don’t light up,” Collicott said. “And we were concerned that the boost would scare them. And then there are also issues of I don’t know how to keep fireflies alive and keep them happy.” Instead, the apparatus replicated the chemistry of how fireflies generate light, with syringes mixing the glow-creating substances together as the capsule reached the top of the trajectory more than 60 miles above West Texas. A tiny video camera recorded what happened in the payload box. Collicott attended the launching, and two days later, was back in Samudio’s classroom presenting the results. Fireflies can indeed glow in space. “That kind of turnaround is just amazing, that spaceflight to these students is not distant,” Collicott said. “It happens fast. It’s kind of cool.” The space experiment wrapped into a larger project undertaken by Samudio’s classes. One of her students, Kayla Xu, had noted with distress that most states had a state insect, and Indiana did not; she wanted to fix that. That effort succeeded, too. On March 23, 2018, Gov. Eric Holcomb went to Cumberland Elementary School to sign a bill that declared the Say’s firefly, a species native to the area, the state insect of Indiana. “Several parents told me that the simple question of asking their child what they had done in school that day exploded into amazing family conversations, extra reading and research, and the contemplation of future personal pursuits and goals,” Samudio said.

How a 2nd-grade class sent a science experiment to space

Network is precious, network is everything. All of us yearn for that extra bar on our phones when we are watching movies or doing anything that is data-heavy. The buffering circle is the most annoying thing when all we want to do is unwind. We run around our homes for that perfect sweet spot of abundant network.

But what if we told you, you'll get 4G network on Moon too?

Yes, NASA seems to be doing such a thing. It has awarded USD 14.1 million to Nokia to deploy 4G cellular network on Moon.

Think about it, if you go to the Moon and in case you lose network, you can call it 'out of the world problem' instead of first/second world one. This seemingly sad tip may bring in a lot of social media cred!

But right now the set up of 4G cellular network on the Moon appears to be for scientific and research purposes.

"The system could support lunar surface communications at greater distances, increased speeds and provide more reliability than current standards," NASA noted in its contract award announcement.

The grant given to Nokia is part of USD 370 million worth of contracts signed under NASA`s "Tipping Point" selections, meant to advance research and development for space exploration.

According to United Press International, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a live broadcast said that the space agency must quickly develop new technologies for living and working on the moon if it wants to realise its goal to have astronauts working at a lunar base by 2028.

"We need power systems that can last a long time on the surface of the moon, and we need habitation capability on the surface," Bridenstine said.

Nokia`s research arm, Bell Labs, provided more details in a Twitter thread. The company intends for the network to support wireless operation of lunar rovers and navigation, as well as streaming video.

"Working with our partners at @Int_Machines, this groundbreaking network will be the critical communications fabric for data transmission applications, including the control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography and streaming of high definition video," Bell Labs said in a tweet.

This is not Nokia`s first attempt to launch an LTE network on the moon. It was planned to do this in 2018 in collaboration with PTScientists, a German space company, and Vodafone UK to launch an LTE network at the site of the Apollo 17 landing, but the mission never got off the ground.

(With IANS inputs)

Network is precious, network is everything. All of us yearn for that extra bar on our phones when we are watching movies or doing anything that is data-heavy. The buffering circle is the most annoying thing when all we want to do is unwind.

Network is precious, network is everything. All of us yearn for that extra bar on our phones when we are watching movies or doing anything that is data-heavy. The buffering circle is the most annoying thing when all we want to do is unwind. We run around our homes for that perfect sweet spot of abundant network. But what if we told you, you'll get 4G network on Moon too? Yes, NASA seems to be doing such a thing. It has awarded USD 14.1 million to Nokia to deploy 4G cellular network on Moon. Think about it, if you go to the Moon and in case you lose network, you can call it 'out of the world problem' instead of first/second world one. This seemingly sad tip may bring in a lot of social media cred! But right now the set up of 4G cellular network on the Moon appears to be for scientific and research purposes. "The system could support lunar surface communications at greater distances, increased speeds and provide more reliability than current standards," NASA noted in its contract award announcement. The grant given to Nokia is part of USD 370 million worth of contracts signed under NASA`s "Tipping Point" selections, meant to advance research and development for space exploration. According to United Press International, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a live broadcast said that the space agency must quickly develop new technologies for living and working on the moon if it wants to realise its goal to have astronauts working at a lunar base by 2028. "We need power systems that can last a long time on the surface of the moon, and we need habitation capability on the surface," Bridenstine said. Nokia`s research arm, Bell Labs, provided more details in a Twitter thread. The company intends for the network to support wireless operation of lunar rovers and navigation, as well as streaming video. "Working with our partners at @Int_Machines, this groundbreaking network will be the critical communications fabric for data transmission applications, including the control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography and streaming of high definition video," Bell Labs said in a tweet. This is not Nokia`s first attempt to launch an LTE network on the moon. It was planned to do this in 2018 in collaboration with PTScientists, a German space company, and Vodafone UK to launch an LTE network at the site of the Apollo 17 landing, but the mission never got off the ground. (With IANS inputs)

Nokia will now set up 4G network on Moon, courtesy NASA

Space debris is a serious issue. Pieces of defunct satellites and remains from previous space missions pose huge threat to satellites that are currently running. Global communication and countless other functions are dependent on these satellites. But a small piece of space debris, measuring even a few inches but moving are super speed can destroy an entire satellite.

According to NASA's estimate, 500,000 pieces of space debris are currently orbitting the Earth. Some of them are even travelling at a mind-boggling speed of 17,500 miles per hour.

And now, this space debris around can increase by 20 per cent!

This is quite possible if a defunct Soviet&nbsp;satellite and a Chinese rocket booster collide with each other. And this is very likely. The collision is feared to take place today (October 16, 2020). There is a likelihood that there will be a near-miss between these two objects. But a collision will mean more space junk around the Earth.

Both of these objects are discarded pieces of high-tech machinery. The Soviet satellite was launched into space in 1989. It weighs 2000 pounds and the Chinese rocket booster was&nbsp;part of a mission in 2009.

If these two objects collide, it will be a first spontaneous collision between pieces of space debris in more than a decade. This collision will, in turn, produce more pieces of such&nbsp;debris and this is what experts fear will increase the amount of space junk around our planet by 10 to 20 per cent.

Fingers crossed!

Space debris is a serious issue. Pieces of defunct satellites and remains from previous space missions pose huge threat to satellites that are currently running.

Space debris is a serious issue. Pieces of defunct satellites and remains from previous space missions pose huge threat to satellites that are currently running. Global communication and countless other functions are dependent on these satellites. But a small piece of space debris, measuring even a few inches but moving are super speed can destroy an entire satellite. According to NASA's estimate, 500,000 pieces of space debris are currently orbitting the Earth. Some of them are even travelling at a mind-boggling speed of 17,500 miles per hour. And now, this space debris around can increase by 20 per cent! This is quite possible if a defunct Soviet satellite and a Chinese rocket booster collide with each other. And this is very likely. The collision is feared to take place today (October 16, 2020). There is a likelihood that there will be a near-miss between these two objects. But a collision will mean more space junk around the Earth. Both of these objects are discarded pieces of high-tech machinery. The Soviet satellite was launched into space in 1989. It weighs 2000 pounds and the Chinese rocket booster was part of a mission in 2009. If these two objects collide, it will be a first spontaneous collision between pieces of space debris in more than a decade. This collision will, in turn, produce more pieces of such debris and this is what experts fear will increase the amount of space junk around our planet by 10 to 20 per cent. Fingers crossed!

This collision may increase space debris around Earth by 20 per cent

Scientists have identified 24 planets outside our solar system that they say may have conditions more suitable for life than the Earth. 
The study, published in the journal Astrobiology, details characteristics of potential "superhabitable" planets, that include those that are older, a little larger, slightly warmer and possibly wetter than Earth.

The researchers from the Washington State University (WSU) in the US noted life could more easily thrive on planets that circle more slowly changing stars with longer lifespans than our Sun.

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The 24 top contenders for superhabitable planets are all more than 100 light years away, but the study could help focus future observation efforts, such as from NASA's James Web Space Telescope, they said.

"With the next space telescopes coming up, we will get more information, so it is important to select some targets," said Dirk Schulze-Makuch, a professor at WSU and the Technical University in Berlin.

"We have to focus on certain planets that have the most promising conditions for complex life. However, we have to be careful to not get stuck looking for a second Earth because there could be planets that might be more suitable for life than ours," Schulze-Makuch said.

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The researchers identified superhabitability criteria and searched among the 4,500 known exoplanets beyond our solar system for good candidates.

Habitability does not mean these planets definitely have life, merely the conditions that would be conducive to life, they noted.

The researchers selected planet-star systems with probable terrestrial planets orbiting within the host star's liquid water habitable zone from the Kepler Object of Interest Exoplanet Archive of transiting exoplanets.

While the Sun is the centre of our solar system, it has a relatively short lifespan of less than 10 billion years, they said.

Since it took nearly 4 billion years before any form of complex life appeared on Earth, many similar stars to our sun, called G stars, might run out of fuel before complex life can develop, according to the researchers.

In addition to looking at systems with cooler G stars, they also looked at systems with K dwarf stars, which are somewhat cooler, less massive and less luminous than the Sun.

The researchers said K stars have the advantage of long lifespans of 20 billion to 70 billion years.

This would allow orbiting planets to be older as well as giving life more time to advance to the complexity currently found on Earth, they said.

However, to be habitable, planets should not be so old that they have exhausted their geothermal heat and lack protective geomagnetic fields.

Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, but the researchers argue that the sweet spot for life is a planet that is between 5 billion to 8 billion years old. Size and mass also matter.

A planet that is 10 per cent larger than the Earth should have more habitable land, the researchers said.

One that is about 1.5 times Earth's mass would be expected to retain its interior heating through radioactive decay longer and would also have a stronger gravity to retain an atmosphere over a longer time period, they said.

Water is key to life and the researchers argue that a little more of it would help, especially in the form of moisture, clouds and humidity.

They noted that a slightly overall warmer temperature, a mean surface temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius greater than Earth, together with the additional moisture, would be also better for life.

Among the 24 top planet candidates none of them met all the criteria for superhabitable planets, but one has four of the critical characteristics, making it possibly much more comfortable for life than our home planet, the researchers added.

Scientists have identified 24 planets outside our solar system that they say may have conditions more suitable for life than the Earth. The study, published in the journal Astrobiology, details characteristics of potential "superhabitable" planets, that include those that are older, a little larger, slightly warmer and possibly wetter than Earth.

Scientists have identified 24 planets outside our solar system that they say may have conditions more suitable for life than the Earth. The study, published in the journal Astrobiology, details characteristics of potential "superhabitable" planets, that include those that are older, a little larger, slightly warmer and possibly wetter than Earth. The researchers from the Washington State University (WSU) in the US noted life could more easily thrive on planets that circle more slowly changing stars with longer lifespans than our Sun. Also read: NASA's new stunning time lapse video shows a gigantic star exploding The 24 top contenders for superhabitable planets are all more than 100 light years away, but the study could help focus future observation efforts, such as from NASA's James Web Space Telescope, they said. "With the next space telescopes coming up, we will get more information, so it is important to select some targets," said Dirk Schulze-Makuch, a professor at WSU and the Technical University in Berlin. "We have to focus on certain planets that have the most promising conditions for complex life. However, we have to be careful to not get stuck looking for a second Earth because there could be planets that might be more suitable for life than ours," Schulze-Makuch said. Also read: NASA to send its new $23 million toilet to International Space Station The researchers identified superhabitability criteria and searched among the 4,500 known exoplanets beyond our solar system for good candidates. Habitability does not mean these planets definitely have life, merely the conditions that would be conducive to life, they noted. The researchers selected planet-star systems with probable terrestrial planets orbiting within the host star's liquid water habitable zone from the Kepler Object of Interest Exoplanet Archive of transiting exoplanets. While the Sun is the centre of our solar system, it has a relatively short lifespan of less than 10 billion years, they said. Since it took nearly 4 billion years before any form of complex life appeared on Earth, many similar stars to our sun, called G stars, might run out of fuel before complex life can develop, according to the researchers. In addition to looking at systems with cooler G stars, they also looked at systems with K dwarf stars, which are somewhat cooler, less massive and less luminous than the Sun. The researchers said K stars have the advantage of long lifespans of 20 billion to 70 billion years. This would allow orbiting planets to be older as well as giving life more time to advance to the complexity currently found on Earth, they said. However, to be habitable, planets should not be so old that they have exhausted their geothermal heat and lack protective geomagnetic fields. Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, but the researchers argue that the sweet spot for life is a planet that is between 5 billion to 8 billion years old. Size and mass also matter. A planet that is 10 per cent larger than the Earth should have more habitable land, the researchers said. One that is about 1.5 times Earth's mass would be expected to retain its interior heating through radioactive decay longer and would also have a stronger gravity to retain an atmosphere over a longer time period, they said. Water is key to life and the researchers argue that a little more of it would help, especially in the form of moisture, clouds and humidity. They noted that a slightly overall warmer temperature, a mean surface temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius greater than Earth, together with the additional moisture, would be also better for life. Among the 24 top planet candidates none of them met all the criteria for superhabitable planets, but one has four of the critical characteristics, making it possibly much more comfortable for life than our home planet, the researchers added.

24 planets may have more suitable conditions for life than Earth: Study

Scientists have solved a&nbsp;longtime mystery of the cosmos by determining&nbsp;of the most precise measurements ever made of the total amount of matter in the Universe.

The matter-energy density of the Universe consists of a dark energy, a mysterious unknown force drving it's expansion. The rest is matter, both normal and dark.

Determining the exact proportions of these three is not an easy feat by any means. But a&nbsp;team of US astrophysicists have determined&nbsp;that matter accounts for 31.5 percent of the total amount of matter and energy that make up the Universe.

The remaining 68.5 percent is dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate over time, and was first inferred by observations of distant supernovae in the late 1990s.

Their findings were published on Monday in&nbsp;The Astrophysical Journal.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/hints-of-life-on-mars-scientists-find-three-lakes-buried-under-the-red-planets-surface-331094">Hints of life on Mars? Scientists find three lakes buried under the red planet's surface!</a>

Put another way, this means the total amount of matter in the observable Universe is equivalent to 66 billion trillion times the mass of our Sun, Mohamed Abdullah, a University of California, Riverside astrophysicist and the paper's lead author said.

Most of this matter, 80 percent,&nbsp;is called dark matter. Its nature is not yet known, but it may consist of some as-yet-undiscovered subatomic particle.

The latest measurements correspond well with values previously found by other teams using different cosmological techniques, such as measuring temperature fluctuations in the low-energy radiation left over from the Big Bang.

"This has been a long process over the course of 100 years where we're gradually getting more and more precise," Gillian Wilson, the study's co-author and a professor at UCR said.

"It's just kind of cool to be able to make such a fundamental measurement about the Universe without leaving planet Earth," she added.

So how exactly do you weigh the Universe?

The team honed a 90-year-old technique that involves observing how galaxies orbit inside galaxy clusters -- massive systems that contain thousands of galaxies.

These observations told them how strong each galaxy cluster's gravitational pull was, from which its total mass could then be calculated.&nbsp;

Fate of the Universe

In fact, explained Wilson, their technique was originally developed by the pioneering astronomer Fritz Zwicky, who was the first person to suspect the existence of dark matter in galaxy clusters, in the 1930s.

He noticed that the combined gravitational mass of the galaxies he observed in the nearby Coma galaxy cluster was insufficient to prevent those galaxies from flying away from one another, and realized there must be some other invisible matter at play.

The UCR team, whose research received money from the US National Science Foundation and NASA, refined Zwicky's technique, developing a tool they called GalWeight that determines more accurately which galaxies belong to a given cluster and which do not.

They applied their tool to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the most detailed three-dimensional maps of the Universe currently available, measuring the mass of 1,800 galaxy clusters and creating a catalog.

Finally, they compared the number of clusters observed per unit volume in their catalog against a series of computer simulations, each of which was fed a different value for the total matter of the Universe.

Simulations with too little matter had too few clusters, while those with too much matter had too many clusters.

The "Goldilocks" value they found fit just right.

Wilson explained that having a more precise measure of the total amount of matter in the Universe may take us a step closer to learning the nature of dark matter,&nbsp;because "we know just how much matter we should be looking for" when scientists carry out particle experiments, for example at the Large Hadron Collider.

What's more, "the total amount of dark matter and dark energy tells us the fate of the Universe," she added, with the current scientific consensus being that we are headed for a "Big Freeze" where galaxies move further and further apart, and the stars in those galaxies eventually run out of fuel.&nbsp;

Scientists have solved a longtime mystery of the cosmos by determining of the most precise measurements ever made of the total amount of matter in the Universe. The matter-energy density of the Universe consists of a dark energy, a mysterious unknown force drving it's expansion.

Scientists have solved a longtime mystery of the cosmos by determining of the most precise measurements ever made of the total amount of matter in the Universe. The matter-energy density of the Universe consists of a dark energy, a mysterious unknown force drving it's expansion. The rest is matter, both normal and dark. Determining the exact proportions of these three is not an easy feat by any means. But a team of US astrophysicists have determined that matter accounts for 31.5 percent of the total amount of matter and energy that make up the Universe. The remaining 68.5 percent is dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate over time, and was first inferred by observations of distant supernovae in the late 1990s. Their findings were published on Monday in The Astrophysical Journal. Also read: Hints of life on Mars? Scientists find three lakes buried under the red planet's surface! Put another way, this means the total amount of matter in the observable Universe is equivalent to 66 billion trillion times the mass of our Sun, Mohamed Abdullah, a University of California, Riverside astrophysicist and the paper's lead author said. Most of this matter, 80 percent, is called dark matter. Its nature is not yet known, but it may consist of some as-yet-undiscovered subatomic particle. The latest measurements correspond well with values previously found by other teams using different cosmological techniques, such as measuring temperature fluctuations in the low-energy radiation left over from the Big Bang. "This has been a long process over the course of 100 years where we're gradually getting more and more precise," Gillian Wilson, the study's co-author and a professor at UCR said. "It's just kind of cool to be able to make such a fundamental measurement about the Universe without leaving planet Earth," she added. So how exactly do you weigh the Universe? The team honed a 90-year-old technique that involves observing how galaxies orbit inside galaxy clusters -- massive systems that contain thousands of galaxies. These observations told them how strong each galaxy cluster's gravitational pull was, from which its total mass could then be calculated. Fate of the Universe In fact, explained Wilson, their technique was originally developed by the pioneering astronomer Fritz Zwicky, who was the first person to suspect the existence of dark matter in galaxy clusters, in the 1930s. He noticed that the combined gravitational mass of the galaxies he observed in the nearby Coma galaxy cluster was insufficient to prevent those galaxies from flying away from one another, and realized there must be some other invisible matter at play. The UCR team, whose research received money from the US National Science Foundation and NASA, refined Zwicky's technique, developing a tool they called GalWeight that determines more accurately which galaxies belong to a given cluster and which do not. They applied their tool to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the most detailed three-dimensional maps of the Universe currently available, measuring the mass of 1,800 galaxy clusters and creating a catalog. Finally, they compared the number of clusters observed per unit volume in their catalog against a series of computer simulations, each of which was fed a different value for the total matter of the Universe. Simulations with too little matter had too few clusters, while those with too much matter had too many clusters. The "Goldilocks" value they found fit just right. Wilson explained that having a more precise measure of the total amount of matter in the Universe may take us a step closer to learning the nature of dark matter, because "we know just how much matter we should be looking for" when scientists carry out particle experiments, for example at the Large Hadron Collider. What's more, "the total amount of dark matter and dark energy tells us the fate of the Universe," she added, with the current scientific consensus being that we are headed for a "Big Freeze" where galaxies move further and further apart, and the stars in those galaxies eventually run out of fuel.

What's the matter with the Universe? Scientists have the answer

Dinosaurs aren't exactly the cute types. Even the most docile plant-eating dinos have a towering presence and can crush average human to death in no time. The fiere animosity of the T-Rex is stuff of legends. But now a fossil of what a scientist is calling the 'cutest dinosaur' has come to light.

The fossil is of a dinosaur embryo. A Saurapod to be precise. What's special about this fossil is the the head of the tiny embryo has been found preserved in 3 dimensional projection. Fossils are preserved under enormous pressure of rocks and soil for millions of years. Often this flattens the fossilized material and hence such fossils are found to be in a two-dimentional condition. Moreover, small fossils have greater chance of giving way to the enourmous pressure of rock and soil that preserves it.

This and another aspect of the fossil is a matter of surprise for Martin Kundrat,a paleobiologist at the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences at Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Slovakia.

This type of dinosaurs are not known to have horns. However, a small bump on the snout of this baby dino caught Kundrat and other scientists' attention.

Stephen Brusatte, one of the scientists who was not directly involved in the study said that the Saurapod embryo was one of the "cutest dinosaurs" he had seen. The little bump on the nose of the Saurapod (which may represent a horn) may be the reason why the baby dino was called such. Stephen Brussatte was quoted by The New York Times.

Martin Kundrat along with his associates wrote a paper on this in Current Biology, a scientific journal.

Scientists made another fascinating observation. They noticed that the baby Saurapod had its eyes in the front of the skull. Such an arrangement of eyes, like in humans, gives an animal a better depth perception.

So what's the point? Adults dinosaurs of this type did not have such an arrangement of eyes. They had eyes on either side of their skulls (like, for example in a crow)

This 3-dimensional preservation of Saurapod embryo is bound to shed considerable light on the life of dinosaurs from the embryonic stage to the adulthood.

Dinosaurs aren't exactly the cute types. Even the most docile plant-eating dinos have a towering presence and can crush average human to death in no time. The fiere animosity of the T-Rex is stuff of legends.

Dinosaurs aren't exactly the cute types. Even the most docile plant-eating dinos have a towering presence and can crush average human to death in no time. The fiere animosity of the T-Rex is stuff of legends. But now a fossil of what a scientist is calling the 'cutest dinosaur' has come to light. The fossil is of a dinosaur embryo. A Saurapod to be precise. What's special about this fossil is the the head of the tiny embryo has been found preserved in 3 dimensional projection. Fossils are preserved under enormous pressure of rocks and soil for millions of years. Often this flattens the fossilized material and hence such fossils are found to be in a two-dimentional condition. Moreover, small fossils have greater chance of giving way to the enourmous pressure of rock and soil that preserves it. This and another aspect of the fossil is a matter of surprise for Martin Kundrat,a paleobiologist at the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences at Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Slovakia. This type of dinosaurs are not known to have horns. However, a small bump on the snout of this baby dino caught Kundrat and other scientists' attention. Stephen Brusatte, one of the scientists who was not directly involved in the study said that the Saurapod embryo was one of the "cutest dinosaurs" he had seen. The little bump on the nose of the Saurapod (which may represent a horn) may be the reason why the baby dino was called such. Stephen Brussatte was quoted by The New York Times. Martin Kundrat along with his associates wrote a paper on this in Current Biology, a scientific journal. Scientists made another fascinating observation. They noticed that the baby Saurapod had its eyes in the front of the skull. Such an arrangement of eyes, like in humans, gives an animal a better depth perception. So what's the point? Adults dinosaurs of this type did not have such an arrangement of eyes. They had eyes on either side of their skulls (like, for example in a crow) This 3-dimensional preservation of Saurapod embryo is bound to shed considerable light on the life of dinosaurs from the embryonic stage to the adulthood.

Is it a duck? No, it is 'one of the cutest dinosaurs'

The European Space Agency has collaborated with NASA to launch a mission to study the sun. This historic mission will be the first attempt to capture photographs of the sun's poles.

NASA-ESA joint Solar Mission | Sandeep Ramanath | ESA Solar Orbiter Mission | Explains

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