Science & TechnologyS


Sun

Sahara swung between lush and desert conditions every 20,000 years, in sync with monsoon activity

Jennifer Chu
Phys.org
Sat, 05 Jan 2019 00:03 UTC
Sahara
© Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyA new analysis of African dust reveals the Sahara swung between green and desert conditions every 20,000 years, in sync with changes in the Earth's tilt.
The Sahara desert is one of the harshest, most inhospitable places on the planet, covering much of North Africa in some 3.6 million square miles of rock and windswept dunes. But it wasn't always so desolate and parched. Primitive rock paintings and fossils excavated from the region suggest that the Sahara was once a relatively verdant oasis, where human settlements and a diversity of plants and animals thrived.

Now researchers at MIT have analyzed dust deposited off the coast of west Africa over the last 240,000 years, and found that the Sahara, and North Africa in general, has swung between wet and dry climates every 20,000 years. They say that this climatic pendulum is mainly driven by changes to the Earth's axis as the planet orbits the sun, which in turn affect the distribution of sunlight between seasons-every 20,000 years, the Earth swings from more sunlight in summer to less, and back again.

For North Africa, it is likely that, when the Earth is tilted to receive maximum summer sunlight with each orbit around the sun, this increased solar flux intensifies the region's monsoon activity, which in turn makes for a wetter, "greener" Sahara. When the planet's axis swings toward an angle that reduces the amount of incoming summer sunlight, monsoon activity weakens, producing a drier climate similar to what we see today.

Comment: Let's hope that they didn't adjust the inconvenient facts to fit their climate models; because climate is driven by much greater forces than just sunlight, and, as we can see with the floods, hail and snow occurring right now in the Middle East and Africa, and similarly threatening shifts in the weather patterns around the world, it looks like the whole planet is in the midst of another of those swings: For more on the drivers of these changes, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?

And see SOTTs' monthly documentary tracking the dramatic events that are occurring all over the planet: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs



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People 2

Genetic data on half a million Brits reveal ongoing evolution and Neanderthal legacy

Ann Gibbons
Science Mag
Thu, 03 Jan 2019 13:20 UTC
people drawing
© Peter AnkleAmong participants in the UK Biobank are people whose Neanderthal DNA predisposes them to traits such as propensity to sunburn, staying up late, depression, smoking, and feeling lonely.
Among participants in the UK Biobank are people whose Neanderthal DNA predisposes them to traits such as propensity to sunburn, staying up late, depression, smoking, and feeling lonely.

Neanderthals are still among us, Janet Kelso realized 8 years ago. She had helped make the momentous discovery that Neanderthals repeatedly mated with the ancestors of modern humans-a finding that implies people outside of Africa still carry Neanderthal DNA today. Ever since then, Kelso has wondered exactly what modern humans got from those prehistoric liaisons-beyond babies. How do traces of the Neanderthal within shape the appearance, health, or personalities of living people?

For years, evolutionary biologists couldn't get their rubber-gloved hands on enough people's genomes to detect the relatively rare bits of Neanderthal DNA, much less to see whether or how our extinct cousins' genetic legacy might influence disease or physical traits.

But a few years ago, Kelso and her colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, turned to a new tool-the UK Biobank (UKB), a large database that holds genetic and health records for half a million British volunteers. The researchers analyzed data from 112,338 of those Britons-enough that "we could actually look and say: 'We see a Neanderthal version of the gene and we can measure its effect on phenotype in many people-how often they get sunburned, what color their hair is, and what color their eyes are,'" Kelso says. They found Neanderthal variants that boost the odds that a person smokes, is an evening person rather than a morning person, and is prone to sunburn and depression.

Comment: The scientists involved in this research were obviously unaware of the scientific data that shows evolution is determined by a variety of other complex processes long before natural selection even comes into play, nor how genes alone do not necessarily determine our lives. However, it is fascinating to learn about the myriad of factors involved in where we came from and those that contribute in to making us who we are.

See also: And check out SOTT's radio shows on the matter:

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Bulb

Wireless implants can now control neurons with light


Tech Xplore
Wed, 02 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC
Wireless implant control brain
© Philipp GutrufWireless and battery-free implant with advanced control over targeted neuron groups.
University of Arizona biomedical engineering professor Philipp Gutruf is first author on the paper Fully implantable, optoelectronic systems for battery-free, multimodal operation in neuroscience research, published in Nature Electronics.

Optogenetics is a biological technique that uses light to turn specific neuron groups in the brain on or off. For example, researchers might use optogenetic stimulation to restore movement in case of paralysis or, in the future, to turn off the areas of the brain or spine that cause pain, eliminating the need for-and the increasing dependence on-opioids and other painkillers.

"We're making these tools to understand how different parts of the brain work," Gutruf said. "The advantage with optogenetics is that you have cell specificity: You can target specific groups of neurons and investigate their function and relation in the context of the whole brain."

In optogenetics, researchers load specific neurons with proteins called opsins, which convert light to electrical potentials that make up the function of a neuron. When a researcher shines light on an area of the brain, it activates only the opsin-loaded neurons.

The first iterations of optogenetics involved sending light to the brain through optical fibers, which meant that test subjects were physically tethered to a control station. Researchers went on to develop a battery-free technique using wireless electronics, which meant subjects could move freely.

Comment: No doubt DARPA is finding a myriad of uses for such devices which are initially portrayed as useful for medical and scientific purposes to gain widespread acceptance.

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Galaxy

Milky Way headed towards catastrophic collision with Large Magellanic Cloud


Durham University
Fri, 04 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC
galaxy
Hubble Space Telescope image representing a merger between two galaxies (M51a and M51b) similar in mass to the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
The Milky Way is on a collision course with a neighbouring galaxy that could fling our Solar System into space.

The Large Magellanic Cloud could hit our galaxy in two billion years' time

This galactic collision would happen much sooner than the predicted impact between the Milky Way and another neighbour, Andromeda, which scientists say will hit our galaxy in eight billion years.

Active black hole

The coming together with the Large Magellanic Cloud could wake up our galaxy's dormant black hole, which would begin devouring surrounding gas and increase in size by up to ten times.

Comment: See also: Magnetic field detected between magellanic clouds

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Moon

Space exploration first: China's probe 'lands on dark side of the moon'


RT
Thu, 03 Jan 2019 05:18 UTC
China Rocket lunar probe
© ReutersRocket carrying Chinese lunar probe Chang'e 4 blasts off
The Chinese robotic probe Chang'e 4 has landed on the dark side of the moon, becoming the first manmade craft to alight on the unexplored surface, according to reports from Chinese state media.

The probe reportedly landed in the South Pole-Aitken basin, the oldest, largest, and deepest crater on the moon's surface. The moon's dark side remains largely unexplored because its position shields it from radio frequencies, preventing direct contact with the Earth. To solve that problem, China launched the relay satellite Queqiao earlier this year to transmit signals from the dark side.

The first photo relayed back to Earth by the probe shows a relatively flat, rocky surface pockmarked by a large crater.


Chang'e 4 will perform several experiments while on the moon, including testing whether plants will grow in the low gravity environment, exploring the poles to find water or other resources, observing the interaction between solar winds and the lunar surface, and conducting the first lunar low-frequency radio astronomy experiment.

"Since the far side of the Moon is shielded from electromagnetic interference from the Earth, it's an ideal place to research the space environment and solar bursts, and the probe can 'listen' to the deeper reaches of the cosmos," said Tongjie Liu, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center at China's National Space Administration.

Comment: See also:

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Jupiter

NASA's Juno mission spots dramatic volcano eruption on Jupiter moon Io

Amanda Kooser
CNET
Wed, 02 Jan 2019 10:33 UTC
NASA's Juno team shared this look at Io and its volcanic plume.
© NASA/SwRI/MSSSNASA's Juno team shared this look at Io and its volcanic plume.
Mars might not be erupting, but it looks like Jupiter's moon Io sure is.

NASA's Juno spacecraft saw evidence of an eruption on what the space agency calls the "most volcanically active spot in the solar system" during a flyby in December.

NASA released an image on Monday showing Io half in shadow with a noticeable bright spot near its center.

The Juno team pointed four cameras at Io on Dec. 21. "No one expected we would get so lucky as to see an active volcanic plume shooting material off the moon's surface," Juno principal investigator Scott Bolton, who's with the Southwest Research Institute, said in a statement.

While Io is small compared with gigantic Jupiter, it's slightly bigger than Earth's moon in size.

NASA released another image from Juno's star camera. A closer look at Io inside the circle shows the glowing activity of several volcanoes. The smaller circle highlights a plume.

The images aren't hyper-detailed since Juno was about 190,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) from Io at the time.

The plume stands out thanks to its size.
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Moon

China probe makes historic touchdown on 'dark side of the moon'

Kate Lyons
The Guardian
Thu, 03 Jan 2019 04:58 UTC
China’s Chang’e 4 lunar explorer after it landed on the far side of the moon.
© CNSAScreenshot of an image take by China’s Chang’e 4 lunar explorer after it landed on the far side of the moon.

Lander sends back first close-up shot of previously unexplored side of the moon

A Chinese spacecraft has become the first ever to land on the far side of the moon, according to state-run media, in a giant leap for human space exploration.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) landed the robotic probe Chang'e 4 in the unexplored South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest, oldest, deepest, crater on the moon's surface.

Early reports of a successful landing sparked confusion after state-run media China Daily and CGTN deleted tweets celebrating the mission. China Daily's tweet said: '"China's Chang'e 4 landed on the moon's far side, inaugurating a new chapter in mankind's lunar exploration history."

Official confirmation of the landing came two hours later via state broadcaster CCTV, which said the lunar explorer had touched down at 10.26am (2.26am GMT). The Communist party-owned Global Times also said the probe had "successfully made the first-ever soft landing" on the far side of the moon.
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Robot

Google wins U.S. approval for new radar-based motion sensor Project Soli

David Shepardson
Reuters
Wed, 02 Jan 2019 21:02 UTC
Minority Report
© Amblin Entertainment
Alphabet Inc's Google unit won approval from U.S. regulators to deploy a radar-based motion sensing device known as Project Soli.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said in an order late on Monday that it would grant Google a waiver to operate the Soli sensors at higher power levels than currently allowed. The FCC said the sensors can also be operated aboard aircraft.

The FCC said the decision "will serve the public interest by providing for innovative device control features using touchless hand gesture technology."

A Google spokeswoman did not immediately comment on Wednesday.

Comment: Great. Google just added to the general electromagnetic pollution surrounding humanity.

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Comet 2

Groundbreaking flyby image of Ultima Thule by New Horizons on edge of our solar system


RT
Wed, 02 Jan 2019 10:32 UTC
Ultima thule
© NASA / James Tuttle KeaneLeft is a composite of two images taken by New Horizons. An artist's impression at right illustrates the direction of Ultima's spin axis.
In an incredible world-first, NASA has released an image from a historic flyby of Ultima Thule, a bowling pin-shaped celestial object at the edge of our solar system some 6 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) away.

The New Horizons spacecraft flew past Ultima from the Kuiper Belt in the early hours of New Year's Day, making it the "farthest exploration of any world in history - 4 billion miles from the Sun," said the project's principal investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

"The data we have look fantastic and we're already learning about Ultima from up close. From here out the data will just get better and better," Stern added.

Comment: This is just the latest in a number of recent revelations from NASA's New Horizons mission:

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Brain

WAND: New 'brain pacemaker' offers help for epilepsy, Parkinsons


Timesnownews.com
Tue, 01 Jan 2019 13:45 UTC
head/brain
© Thinkstock
The neurostimulator, named the WAND, works like a "pacemaker for the brain," monitoring the brain's electrical activity and delivering electrical stimulation if it detects something amiss.

Scientists have developed a wireless device that can stimulate the brain with electric current, potentially delivering fine-tuned treatments to patients with diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson's. The neurostimulator, named the WAND, works like a "pacemaker for the brain," monitoring the brain's electrical activity and delivering electrical stimulation if it detects something amiss, said researchers at the University of California, Berkeley in the US.

These devices can be extremely effective at preventing debilitating tremors or seizures in patients with a variety of neurological conditions, according to the study published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Comment: See also: 'Pacemaker for the brain' being studied

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