Science & TechnologyS


Microscope 1

New genes found that can arise 'from nothing'

DNA replication 1
© Ari LöytynojaResearchers studied an error mechanism in DNA replication, and noticed that some errors create palindromes that can fold into hairpin structures.
The complexity of living organisms is encoded within their genes, but where do these genes come from? Researchers at the University of Helsinki resolved outstanding questions around the origin of small regulatory genes, and described a mechanism that creates their DNA palindromes. Under suitable circumstances, these palindromes evolve into microRNA genes.

The human genome contains ca. 20,000 genes that are used for the construction of proteins. Actions of these classical genes are coordinated by thousands of regulatory genes, the smallest of which encode microRNA molecules that are 22 base pairs in length. While the number of genes remains relatively constant, occasionally, new genes emerge during evolution. Similar to the genesis of biological life, the origin of new genes has continued to fascinate scientists.

All RNA molecules require palindromic runs of bases that lock the molecule into its functional conformation. Importantly, the chances of random base mutations gradually forming such palindromic runs are extremely small, even for the simple microRNA genes.

Hence, the origin of these palindromic sequences has puzzled researchers. Experts at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland, resolved this mystery, describing a mechanism that can instantaneously generate complete DNA palindromes and thus create new microRNA genes from previously noncoding DNA sequences.

Info

Whale-SETI: Groundbreaking encounter with humpback whales reveals potential for non-human intelligence communication

Tail of a Whale
© Jodi Frediani
Mountain View, CA -- A team of scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation, had a close encounter with a non-human (aquatic) intelligence. The Whale-SETI team has been studying humpback whale communication systems in an effort to develop intelligence filters for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In response to a recorded humpback 'contact' call played into the sea via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team's boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale 'greeting signal.' During the 20-minute exchange, Twain responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal.

A description and analysis of the encounter appears in a recent issue of the journal Peer J. entitled: "Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as a Tool for Detecting and Exploring Nonhuman Intelligence: "Conversing" with an Alaskan Humpback Whale." "We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback "language," said lead author Dr. Brenda McCowan of U.C. Davis. "Humpback whales are extremely intelligent, have complex social systems, make tools - nets out of bubbles to catch fish -, and communicate extensively with both songs and social calls," said coauthor Dr. Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation.

Fireball 3

The Geminids are still a mystery

Above: Geminids over the Czech Republic in 2018.
© Petr HorálekAbove: Geminids over the Czech Republic in 2018.
Every great mystery novel has an unexpected twist. Apparently the same is true of meteor showers.

A paper published in the Planetary Science Journal reports a surprising new twist in the mystery of the Geminids, a strong annual meteor shower that has puzzled astronomers for more than a century.

"Our work has upended years of belief about 3200 Phaethon, the source of the Geminids," says co-author Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab. "It's not what we thought it was."

The Geminids peak every year in mid-December, scattering hundreds of bright meteors across northern winter skies. Numerically it is the best meteor shower of the year.

As meteor showers go, Geminids are newcomers. They first appeared in the mid-1800s when an unknown stream of debris crossed Earth's orbit. Surprised, 19th century astronomers scoured the sky for the parent comet, but they found nothing. The search would continue for another 100 years.

Enter NASA. In 1983, the space agency's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) found an object now called "3200 Phaethon." It was definitely the source of the Geminids. The orbit of 3200 Phaethon was such a close match to that of the Geminid debris stream, no other conclusion was possible. Yet here was a puzzler: 3200 Phaethon appeared to be a rocky asteroid.

Seismograph

Best of the Web: Long dormant volcanoes can erupt rapidly and explosively, study of Ciomadul reveals

volcano crater
© István FodorCan a volcano erupt after tens of thousands of years of dormancy? If so, how can this be explained and what makes volcanic eruptions more dangerous, i.e., explosive? These are key questions in volcanic hazard assessment and can also draw attention to volcanoes that appear to be inactive. Even in a quiet, dormant phase, a volcano can rapidly become active, and its eruption can pose a previously unknown threat to the surrounding area. New research by Hungarian scientists is helping to reveal the signs before such a volcano erupts.
Can a volcano erupt after tens of thousands of years of dormancy? If so, how can this be explained and what makes volcanic eruptions more dangerous?

These are key questions in volcanic hazard assessment and can also draw attention to volcanoes that appear to be inactive. Even in a quiet, dormant phase, a volcano can rapidly become active, and its eruption can pose a previously unknown threat to the surrounding area. New research by Hungarian scientists is helping to reveal the signs before such a volcano erupts.

A team from the ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, and the HUN-REN-ELTE Volcanology Research Group, in cooperation with other scientists from Europe, studied Ciomadul, the youngest volcano in the Carpathian-Pannonian region.

Comment: Indeed there is a plethora of evidence across the disciplines that support this notion: Volcanoes, Earthquakes And The 3,600 Year Comet Cycle

See also: Washington volcano Mount St. Helens is 'recharging', 50 small earthquakes recorded in 1 week

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Dollar

Is Green Energy REALLY green?

Green Energy
Solar panels, power walls, wind power... It's all about Renewable Energy!

In fact, it's all being pushed to often insane degrees.

So the question is: Just how 'green' is Green Energy?

Is it gonna save us all from certain doom, climate change, and space invaders?

Well... As usual, it's complicated.

Comment: Related: What happens if we ditch Fossil Fuels?


Blue Planet

Extremely rare dolphin with 'thumbs' photographed in Greek gulf

dolphin thumbs
© Alexandros Frantzis/Pelagos Cetacean Research InstituteA striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) with hooked "thumbs" photographed in the Gulf of Corinth in July 2023.
A dolphin with deformed flippers that look like thumbs was spotted in the Gulf of Corinth in July 2023. It likely acquired what appears to be a genetic defect during development in the womb, experts say.

A strange dolphin in the Gulf of Corinth has developed intriguing, hook-shaped "thumbs" carved out of its flippers, photographs show.

Researchers with the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute spotted the dolphin on two occasions this summer during boat surveys off the coast of Greece. Despite the unusual appearance of its flippers, the animal kept pace with the rest of its pod and was seen "swimming, leaping, bow-riding, playing" with other dolphins, said Alexandros Frantzis, the scientific coordinator and president of the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute.

Binoculars

NASA's Webb stuns with new high-definition look at supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danny Milisavljevic (Purdue University), Ilse De Looze (UGent), Tea Temim (Princeton University)This image of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) shows compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.
Mysterious features hide in near-infrared light

Objects in space reveal different aspects of their composition and behavior at different wavelengths of light. Supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is one of the most well-studied objects in the Milky Way across the wavelength spectrum. However, there are still secrets hidden within the star's tattered remains.

The latest are being unlocked by one of the newest tools in the researchers' toolbox, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope — and Webb's recent look in the near-infrared has blown researchers away.

Like a shiny, round ornament ready to be placed in the perfect spot on a holiday tree, supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) gleams in a new image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

As part of the 2023 Holidays at the White House, First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden debuted the first-ever White House Advent Calendar. To showcase the "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" of the holiday season, Dr. Biden and NASA are celebrating with this new image from Webb.

While all is bright, this scene is no proverbial silent night. Webb's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) view of Cas A displays this stellar explosion at a resolution previously unreachable at these wavelengths. This high-resolution look unveils intricate details of the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded.

Cas A is one of the most well-studied supernova remnants in all of the cosmos. Over the years, ground-based and space-based observatories, including NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Spitzer Space Telescope have assembled a multiwavelength picture of the object's remnant.

However, astronomers have now entered a new era in the study of Cas A. In April 2023, Webb's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) started this chapter, revealing new and unexpected features within the inner shell of the supernova remnant. Many of those features are invisible in the new NIRCam image, and astronomers are investigating why.

Fire

Hidden impacts of ferocious volcanic eruption finally revealed

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
© NASA Earth ObservatoryHunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupts on 15 January 2022.
Undersea volcanic eruptions account for more than three-quarters of all volcanism on Earth, but rarely do we see the impacts.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption of 2022 was a dramatic exception. Its furious explosion from shallow waters broke the ocean surface and punched through the stratosphere, generating supercharged lighting and an atmospheric shock wave that circled the globe several times.

But there was far more to the fallout than satellite images could possibly capture or observers could report.

We know the human toll this explosion took, but now a new study investigating the underwater impacts of the Hunga-Tonga eruption has detailed just how ferociously the explosion tore open the seafloor, ripped up undersea cables, and smothered marine life.

"The eruption causes dramatic changes to nutrient and oxygen levels in the water which could have feedbacks that we are yet to understand," says first author Sarah Seabrook, a marine biogeochemist at the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

Smiley

NASA scientists celebrate after finding 1-Inch tomato 'lost in space'... Wait. What?

ISS  space vegetable garden lostt omato
© Nasa/Zuma Press Wire/ShutterstockFrancisco ‘Frank’ Rubio grew the tomato and was accused of eating it, but was vindicated when the fleshy fruit turned up on the space station as mysteriously as it disappeared.
But Nasa and space jocks alike haven't explained either the mysterious disappearance or reappearance of space-grown fruit

It might have remained one of the greatest mysteries of the universe, destined never to be solved until a freak recent discovery by the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).

The subject? A tomato grown from seed in microgravity by US astronaut Francisco "Frank" Rubio as part of an agricultural experiment.

Rubio was accused of having eaten the fruit when it inexplicably disappeared more than eight months ago. However, the tiny specimen, or at least its remnants, have now been found, according to members of the seven-strong crew during a live stream this week to celebrate the orbiting outpost's 25th anniversary.

"Our good friend Frank Rubio has been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato. But we can exonerate him. We found the tomato," Nasa astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli said, reported by space.com.

Comment: The Daily Caller adds:
Apparently, the tomato disappeared after each ISS astronaut was given a ziplock bag of tomatoes on March 29, 2023, from one of the Veg-05 harvests. Rubio's bag floated away before he could take a bite. "I spent so many hours looking for that thing," Rubio joked back in September, Live Science noted. "I'm sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me, years in the future."

The ISS is about the same size as a six-bedroom house, hence why it was so easy for the fruit to float off into the abyss. But still, losing and then rediscovering a piece of fruit in space was not on my 2023 bingo card, but here we are.



Galaxy

One of the brightest stars in the night sky will 'blink out' next week: Rare occultation of Betelgeuse will be visible to some parts of the world

orion constellation
© shutterstock/Yuriy KulikLocals in the state of Florida , as well as parts of eastern Mexico, southern Europe and northern Asia will be in a perfect line-of-sight to see the David Copperfield-esque vanishing act, as the supergiant star is briefly blocked by asteroid 319 Leona - Monday night, Dec. 11, 2023
One of the brightest stars in the sky will go dark next week in an 'extremely rare' event, astronomers report — and it will be visible in parts of the US.

Betelgeuse, the orange-red outlier among the stars that make up the constellation Orion, will seemingly disappear for 12 seconds this Monday night, December 11, when it is briefly blocked by an asteroid.

While asteroids pass between Earth and the stars all the time, the rarity of Monday's event stems from the asteroid, 319 Leona, hitting a sweet spot that will leave a 'ring of fire' visible around Betelgeuse.