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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 Agency
This 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-Carretero
Caterpillar 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 Images
An 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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Cow Skull

Coal from Siberian Traps potentially linked to Earth's biggest extinction event


Technology Networks
Thu, 18 Jun 2020 20:53 UTC
lump of coal
© Scott Simper
A lump of coal weathering out from Siberian flood basalts in a quarry near the town of Ust Ilimsk.
A team of researchers led by Arizona State University (ASU) School of Earth and Space Exploration professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton has provided the first ever direct evidence that extensive coal burning in Siberia is a cause of the Permo-Triassic Extinction, the Earth's most severe extinction event. The results of their study have been recently published in the journal Geology.

For this study, the international team led by Elkins-Tanton focused on the volcaniclastic rocks (rocks created by explosive volcanic eruptions) of the Siberian Traps, a region of volcanic rock in Russia. The massive eruptive event that formed the traps is one of the largest known volcanic events in the last 500 million years. The eruptions continued for roughly two million years and spanned the Permian-Triassic boundary. Today, the area is covered by about three million square miles of basaltic rock.

This is ideal ground for researchers seeking an understanding of the Permo-Triassic extinction event, which affected all life on Earth approximately 252 million years ago. During this event, up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species became extinct.

Comment: See also: Permian extinction occurred during low CO2, cooler climate, increasing ice sheets and sea level drop

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Nebula

New organic molecule detected in our galaxy's interstellar space

Michelle Starr
Science Alert
Thu, 18 Jun 2020 16:27 UTC
Central Molecular Zone
© NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.; NRF/SARAO/MeerKAT
The Central Molecular Zone.
Near the centre of the Milky Way, in a vast cloud in the space between the stars, astronomers have identified an organic molecule never before detected in the interstellar medium. It's called propargylimine, and it could play a key role in the formation of the amino acids vital for the emergence of life.

"The peculiarity of this chemical species lays in its carbon-nitrogen double bond, which gives it a high reactivity," explained astrochemist Luca Bizzocchi of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany.

"With this double bond, it becomes a fundamental constituent of the chemical chains that lead from the simplest and most abundant molecules in space containing carbon and nitrogen - for example formaldehyde (H2CO) and ammonia (NH3), respectively - to the more complex amino acids, the fundamental building blocks of terrestrial biology."

The region in which the molecule was found is a system of clouds rich in molecular gas. It's called the Central Molecular Zone, an area of intense interest to astrochemists. It's a large repository of astrophysical complex organic molecules, such as ethyl formate, iso-propyl cyanide and propylene oxide.

These are known as prebiotic molecules, since they play a role in the prebiotic processes that create the building blocks of life, such as amino acids, RNA, and DNA.

Comment: Expect more discoveries like this. But don't expect to find any random, mechanical processes that actually lead to a viable life form. For more on the topics, see:

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Info

State of artificial hibernation induced in mice

Masatoshi Toda
The Asahi Shimbun
Wed, 17 Jun 2020 09:52 UTC
Mice Hibernation
© University of Tsukuba
The body temperature of a mouse, right, in a state of “hibernation” is indicated in blue in thermography, meaning it is lower than that of the other, left, in a normal state.
Scientists announced they induced a state of artificial hibernation in mice, potentially paving the way for humans to one day go into some sort of hibernation for space exploration.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and the Riken research institute said their artificial hibernation discovery could be adopted in the future for human use. That might lead to advances in areas of medicine such as emergency care and organ preservation, or for use in long space flights where there is not enough food and oxygen--just like in science fiction.

"There are many diseases in which demand for oxygen and nutrition outstrips supply," said Takeshi Sakurai, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Tsukuba who was involved in the study.

"Tissue is further damaged by the time the patients with such diseases can receive treatment. But if they are induced into hibernation, they can be treated before further damage takes place."

Mammals normally maintain a constant body temperature. But some hibernate in cold seasons, or when they are starving due to food shortages, by slowing their metabolism and lowering body temperature to a level that would normally cause tissue damage.

Chipmunks and brown bears hibernate like this, but little is known about how they are able to do it.

The researchers studied a set of special neurons in the hypothalamus region of mice brains. They said those neurons regulate body temperature and metabolism.
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Biohazard

Honeybee lives severely shortened after exposure to two widely used 'bee friendly' pesticides

Chris Branam
Oregon State University
Tue, 16 Jun 2020 19:00 UTC
bee experiment
The lives of honeybees are shortened - with evidence of physiological stress - when they are exposed to the suggested application rates of two commercially available and widely used pesticides, according to new Oregon State University research.

In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, honeybee researchers in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences found detrimental effects in bees exposed to Transform and Sivanto, which are both registered for use in the United States and were developed to be more compatible with bee health.

The western honeybee is the major pollinator of fruit, nut, vegetable and seed crops that depend on bee pollination for high quality and yield.

Coupled with other stressors such as varroa mites, viruses and poor nutrition, effects from these pesticides can render honeybees incapable of performing their tasks smoothly. Beekeepers and some environmental groups have raised concerns in recent years about these insecticides and potential negative effects on bees.

Comment: Either toxic agriculture goes or much of the food supply does:

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