Science & TechnologyS


Radar

One-fifth of Earth's ocean floor is now mapped

Jonathan Amos
BBC
Sun, 21 Jun 2020 12:00 UTC
map ocean
© Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 ProjectThe black is where we still need modern measurements at a reasonable resolution
We've just become a little less ignorant about Planet Earth.

The initiative that seeks to galvanise the creation of a full map of the ocean floor says one-fifth of this task has now been completed.

When the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project was launched in 2017, only 6% of the global ocean bottom had been surveyed to what might be called modern standards.

That number now stands at 19%, up from 15% in just the last year.

Some 14.5 million sq km of new bathymetric (depth) data was included in the GEBCO grid in 2019 - an area equivalent to almost twice that of Australia.

Comment: See also:

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Nebula

Unexplained signal appears in hunt for dark matter

Paul Rincon
BBC
Sun, 21 Jun 2020 20:46 UTC
Xenon1T
An experiment searching for signs of elusive dark matter has detected an unexplained signal.

Scientists working on the Xenon1T experiment have detected more activity within their detector than they would otherwise expect.

This "excess of events" could point to the existence of hypothesised particles called axions, some of which are candidates for dark matter.

Dark matter comprises 85% of matter in the cosmos, but its nature is unknown.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Comet 2

You thought asteroids were bad? ESA warns COMETS may do far 'MORE DAMAGE' if they hit Earth


RT
Sat, 20 Jun 2020 16:36 UTC
Churyumov–Gerasimenko comet
© ESAChuryumov–Gerasimenko comet
Comets are not harbingers of doom, just harmless lumps of ice that produce majestic sky displays when passing the Sun, right? Not according to the European Space Agency, which has warned of their deadly capabilities.

A comet is "likely to cause more damage than an average asteroid of the same size," the agency says - despite the fact that comets tend to weigh less than asteroids of similar size because the material they are made of is less dense.

This tidbit of alarming knowledge comes ahead of Asteroid Day later this month, as the ESA tries to raise public awareness of the dangers space may pose to Earth.
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Evil Rays

Ericsson increases forecast for global 5G subscriptions, 2.8 billion by 2025

Catherine Sbeglia
RCR Wireless
Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:00 UTC
ericsson
The June 2020 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report proved to be somewhat unique as it included an evaluation of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the communications industry. The report concluded that the past few months have seen "a rapid shift of network traffic from business to residential areas" and "that mobile and fixed networks are increasingly playing a bigger part of critical national infrastructure."

Despite the unexpected events of 2020, however, 5G deployment and adoption is still strong, with 190 million 5G subscriptions forecast by end of 2020, and 2.8 billion by the end of 2025, according to Ericsson. The report results actually encouraged Ericsson to increase its year-end 2020 forecast for global 5G subscriptions.

"Beyond measuring the success of 5G in subscriptions, its impact ultimately will be judged by the benefits it brings to people and enterprises," commented Fredrik Jejdling, EVP and head of networks at Ericsson. "5G was made for innovation and this crisis has highlighted the true value of connectivity and the role it can play in restarting economies."

Comment: Ironically, installing 5G in an attempt to avoid putting self in danger of contracting an illness may in fact hasten a deterioration in one's health and increase one's susceptibility to a real outbreak. For more on the risks, check out SOTT radio's: Objective:Health #15 - The Dangers of 5G & WiFi - With Scott Ogrin of Scottie's Tech.Info

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Galaxy

This is what the entire sky looks like through X-ray eyes

Michelle Starr
Science Alert
Fri, 19 Jun 2020 17:48 UTC
universe x-ray
© J. Sanders, H. Brunner and the eSASS team/MPE; E. Churazov, M. Gilfanov/IKI
A space telescope launched in July 2019 has just completed its first survey. For months, the eROSITA telescope aboard the Spektr-RG space observatory has been scanning the entire sky, collecting observations for the deepest all-sky survey in X-ray wavelengths.

Now, all those data have been compiled into a map containing over 1 million bright X-ray objects - approximately doubling the number of such objects from the entire 60 years of X-ray astronomy prior.

"This all-sky image completely changes the way we look at the energetic universe," said astrophysicist Peter Predehl, eROSITA principal investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE).

"We see such a wealth of detail - the beauty of the images is really stunning."

Most astronomical objects emit X-rays, but in different proportions to other wavelengths. X-rays have very short wavelengths, and are therefore very high energy - emitted by the hottest and most energetic objects, like black holes, neutron stars, quasar galaxies, and supernova remnants.
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Calendar

Coronavirus was circulating in Italy back in DECEMBER, sewers show


Medical Xpress
Fri, 19 Jun 2020 17:09 UTC

Comment: Regular Sott.net readers already know this, but it's good to see it confirmed from further studies.


coronavirus
© Associated Press/Health Protection AgencyThis undated image released by the British Health Protection Agency shows an electron microscope image of a coronavirus
The coronavirus was present in two large Italian cities in December, more than two months before the first case was detected, a national health institute study of waste water has found.

That suggests the virus appeared in Italy around the same time it was first reported in China.

Researchers discovered genetic traces of SARS-CoV-2 — as the virus is officially known — in samples of waste water collected in Milan and Turin at the end of last year, and Bologna in January, the ISS institute said in a statement seen by AFP on Friday.

Italy's first known native case was discovered mid-February.

The results "help to understand the start of the circulation of the virus in Italy," the ISS said.

They also "confirm the by-now consolidated international evidence" as to the strategic function of sewer samples as an early detection tool, it added.

The results feed into an effort by scientists around the world to trace the virus's family tree.

Comment: One question that arises: Was the virus steadily increasing among the population until the alleged peak in February, leading to the deaths that spiked after the imposition of lockdown? Or had the virus already spiked, and the deaths were mostly the result of the lockdown? See: Italy thus joins France, Iran, Israel, Sweden, and the US in reporting suspected and/or 'probable' Covid-19 cases as far back as November 2019.

Which further renders the entire premise of the crazy lockdowns - 4/5 months after the horse had bolted - even more redundant.

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Galaxy

Does Planet Nine really exist?

Paul Sutter
Live Science
Fri, 19 Jun 2020 13:59 UTC
planet nine 9
For the past few years, the possibility of a new (and big!) planet hanging around in the outermost regions of the solar system has tantalized scientists and the public alike. But after years of searching, astronomers have found zero new planets in that realm.

Is "Planet Nine" really out there, or not?

The deep dark

We've only been studying the region of the solar system past the orbit of Neptune for a few decades now, and after a moment of introspection it's easy to see why: astronomy out here is kind of challenging, because the objects we're trying to hunt down are a) very, very small and b) very, very far away. That makes them hard to spot.

Comment: Rather than 'planet' nine some have speculated that our sun, like the majority of observed stars, is part of a binary system; and for more on that possibility, see: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Rose

Plants can camouflage odours to avoid being eaten

Phineas Rueckert
Phys.org
Fri, 19 Jun 2020 13:58 UTC
Caterpillar
© Antonio López-CarreteroCaterpillar species from the study.
Plants in dense tropical forests are able to mask their chemical scents in order to avoid being detected and eaten by insects — a key advantage in the "information arms race" between themselves and plant-eating herbivores, according to a new study.

International researchers from Europe and North America examined 28 species of insects and 20 plant species in Chamela-Cuixmala, a tropical forest reserve on the western coast of Mexico.

Their research — published Thursday in the journal Science — sheds light on how individual members of "complex plant communities" evolve to emit similar odors, a pack mentality that keeps them alive and confuses hungry herbivores.

"Easily distinguished odors are to the herbivores' advantage and plants' disadvantage," said Professor Phil Stevenson, a researcher at Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Comment: See also: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Sun

A stunning 'ring of fire' solar eclipse will happen over parts of Africa and Asia this weekend

Jeff Parsons
Metro
Thu, 18 Jun 2020 14:46 UTC
An annular solar eclipse captured in 2012
© Phillip Jones/Stocktrek Images/Getty ImagesAn annular solar eclipse captured in 2012.
Several countries in Asia will get treated to a special 'ring of fire' solar eclipse this weekend as the moon passes in front of the sun.

Known as a 'total annular eclipse', it will appear as a blinding ring of light in the sky on June 21.

It occurs as the sun, moon and Earth align but while the moon is at the furthest point in its orbit of Earth. Unlike a full solar eclipse which blots out the sun, an annular eclipse leaves the ring of fire effect as the moon passes in front of the sun.

According to Nasa, the countries that'll get the best view of the eclipse are located in central Africa, the Arabian Penninsula and a narrow stretch of Asia.

'The path of this rare solstice "ring of fire" eclipse is long — it spans across two continents, Africa and Asia, and 14 countries — but it is also very narrow. At its widest, in West Africa, the path is only about 85 km (53 mi) wide. Here, annularity lasts for about 1 minute and 20 seconds,' explained the team at TimeAndDate.com.
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Cassiopaea

Stunning new Hubble images reveal stars gone haywire

ESA/Hubble Information Centre
Phys.org
Thu, 18 Jun 2020 23:20 UTC
Hubble
© NASA, ESA, and J. Kastner (RIT)These two new images from the Hubble Space Telescope depict two nearby young planetary nebulae, NGC 6302, dubbed the Butterfly Nebula, and NGC 7027, which resembles a jewel bug. Both are among the dustiest planetary nebulae known and both contain unusually large masses of gas.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope demonstrates its full range of imaging capabilities with two new images of planetary nebulae. The images depict two nearby young planetary nebulae, NGC 6302, dubbed the Butterfly Nebula, and NGC 7027. Both are among the dustiest planetary nebulae known and both contain unusually large masses of gas, which made them an interesting pair for study in parallel by a team of researchers.

As nuclear fusion engines, most stars live placid lives for hundreds of millions to billions of years. But near the end of their lives they can turn into crazy whirligigs, puffing off shells and jets of hot gas. Astronomers have used Hubble to dissect such crazy fireworks happening in these two planetary nebulae. The researchers have found unprecedented levels of complexity and rapid changes in the jets and gas bubbles blasting off of the stars at the center of each nebula. Hubble is now allowing the researchers to converge on an understanding of the mechanisms underlying this chaos.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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