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Frigid Temperatures Expected This Weekend

2025-03-26 19:53:08 By Mary Miller

Remaining Today: Pleasant and sunny conditions with temperatures reaching seasonal averages in the 30s to low 40s.

TONIGHT: Although not as cold, still chilly with overnight lows in the teens under partly clear skies and calm winds.

THURSDAY: Partly cloudy with highs above average in the 40's to near 50° along and east of I-25

POLAR PLUNGE THIS WEEKEND: Forecasted temps are expected to ONLY be in the single digits for highs with overnight lows well below zero. This means windchill will be EVEN LOWER and falling in the in the moderate to potentially dangerous category yielding any exposed skin subject to potential frostbite if exposed for more than 15-20 min depending on windspeed at the time.

FUN FACT: This weekend, a weaker Polar Vortex will allow really cold air to move south; HOWEVER, the Polar Vortex is NOT expected to invade the U.S. It won't make it that far south.

Indeed, a portion of it shifts into southern Canada (Hudson Bay), which consequently enables even colder air to flow southward into the United States.

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Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

Certain Areas of Idaho Are Expected to Experience Arctic-Like Conditions Next Week

View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Utilized with the consent of Mike McFadyen. I thought the upper teens were cold in the Magic Valley.  I watched this morning as the Twin Falls thermometer bottomed out at 17 degrees.  Rough, yes, but in some parts of Idaho, they would’ve gladly traded places. Mike McFadyen owns a ranch near Fairfield.  Camas County is a bit higher (sometimes by a lot) above sea level.  His temperature settled in at 10 below zero at one point Tuesday morning.  By next Tuesday, it’s likely to be even colder at Mike’s ranch.  And we’ll still be better off than much of the nation.  By Inauguration Day, temperatures in the eastern two-thirds of the lower 48 are expected to be 20 degrees below average. For anyone from Idaho planning to be in Washington for Inauguration Day, expect cold and snowy weather.  There have been some historically cold precedents. The pattern is a continuation of what we’ve been seeing in recent weeks across the continent.  A friend lives near St. Petersburg, Florida.  She woke to a low of 36 degrees on Sunday morning.  That’s rough for people there, but a lot like one of our January daytime highs.  Just remember that the heat and moisture make that state almost unbearable in summer.  It may get hotter here in summer, but the dew point is low. I keep thinking that if we can get through another couple of weeks we’ll be in the clear, but my hopes have been dashed in the past.  A guy I worked with had grown up in Buhl.  He described the weather in southern Idaho as winter until one day in late spring when you suddenly switch to 100-degree highs every day.  Like someone flipped a switch.

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

Forget about air purifiers – the groundbreaking 'air sterilizer' has arrived, boasting the ability to immediately neutralize Covid, cold, and flu viruses.

What’s your latest strategy for combating seasonal illnesses? View pictures in App save up to 80% data. (Image source: EcoAir) EcoAir AVS inactivates virus particles using heat Traditional purifiers capture, rather than inactivating, harmful microbes EcoAir's claims have been independently verified by a scientific research company Most of us know about air purifiers, but EcoAir, a brand specializing in air care appliances, has taken a step further by introducing what it claims to be the world's first air sterilizer. The EcoAir Anti-Covid AVS is said to be capable of removing viruses and bacteria from the air, including those responsible for colds, flu, and, of course, Covid-19. Today's best air purifiers can only capture virus particles, not inactivate them – is this new approach your new best defense agains seasonal bugs? I got in touch with EcoAir co-founder and CEO Noel Fok to learn exactly how it works. "Viruses are not classified as living organisms, meaning they cannot be killed in the traditional sense," Fok clarifies. "Nonetheless, they can be inactivated or eradicated through heat exposure. The EcoAir AVS air sterilizer effectively removes 99.9% of viruses from the air by utilizing Thermo-Clean technology, which achieves a core temperature exceeding 200C [392F], thereby neutralizing harmful microbes." He states, "AVS will eliminate bacteria as it is a living entity, utilizing the same exposure to Thermo-Clean technology. In both scenarios, the harmful microorganisms are destroyed by heat and are not released back into the atmosphere." Those claims have been independently tested and verified by MRIGlobal – a research organization focused on health and safety innovations. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. (Image source: EcoAir) Another impressive feature of this 'air sterilizer' is its rapid effectiveness. It can remove airborne viruses and bacteria in just one pass, achieving this nearly instantaneously, in only 0.01 seconds. Laboratory tests conducted by MRIGlobal showed that the EcoAir AVS is capable of inactivating 99.9% of viruses in a 30m³ space within 90 minutes. What does the future hold for air purifiers? I also requested Fok to elaborate on the advantages of the EcoAir AVS when compared to a standard air purifier. "Conventional air purifiers trap microorganisms using HEPA filters, which require replacement and lead to extra costs," he explained. "By inactivating the virus, it is effectively eliminated, preventing it from infecting any living being and triggering illness." The EcoAir AVS is equipped with a reusable filter that doesn't require frequent changes. The nano silver filter can be cleaned every two weeks, and EcoAir recommends replacing it annually. Additionally, there are other established techniques for eliminating viruses and bacteria, but they are considerably more time-consuming compared to EcoAir AVS's rapid 0.01-second method. For example, ION systems require approximately 30 seconds, while UV-C technology takes about nine seconds to achieve similar results. While the practical results of this appliance are similar to that of a good air purifier, Fok's claims that the AVS represents "a huge breakthrough, not only for EcoAir but for the industry as a whole" could prove accurate. The new process certainly seems more thorough and efficient, and it's not significantly more expensive than a good air purifier either – the EcoAir Anti-Covid AVS is currently available to buy from the EcoAir website, priced at £349.98 (it's not currently available in the US or Australia, but that's equivalent to around $430 / AU$700). Could this be the new technology that changes the way we purify air? You may also find these interesting...

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

A recent study suggests that Earth's moon may have once possessed rings similar to those of Saturn.

Recent research suggests that moons within our solar system might have possessed rings in the past, similar to those found around planets, raising intriguing questions about the absence of ringed moons in the present day. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. A depiction of a moon resembling Earth’s satellite, encircled by shimmering icy rings. Recent studies indicate that this scenario might have been a feasible existence for several moons within our solar system. None of the moons in our solar system possess rings today. But a new study indicates that such rings, if created, could remain stable for a million years, even while being gravitationally pulled by other solar system objects. The findings deepen the mystery of why these satellites are now ring-free. Rings surround many members of our planetary family. Saturn is perhaps the best-known example, swathed by eight main rings made of thousands of smaller ringlets, but the other three outer planets also possess rings, the Voyager space missions revealed. Composed of chunks of ice and rocks of varying sizes, these ring systems are maintained by small shepherding moons, whose gravitational forces tug the chunks and tweak their positions. More recent studies using ground-based telescopes have revealed rings encircling several centaurs — asteroids beyond Jupiter’s orbit — and minor planets, including the egg-shaped Haumea. Even Earth and Mars may once have had rings. However, no study so far has definitively spotted rings around any of the solar system's 300-odd moons. (A 2008 study claiming that Jupiter's moon Rhea possessed a ring turned out to be a false alarm.) This absence is all the more intriguing because the physical processes that create rings can theoretically occur on both planets and their satellites. A ring can form around an object when debris starts orbiting it, said Matthew Tiscareno, a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. This debris could be kicked up from the body's surface following an asteroid or comet collision, or may consist of icy plumes ejected by powerful cryovolcanoes. Over time, gravitational forces along the body's equatorial bulge flatten out the debris into a ring, Tiscareno told Live Science in an email. But lots of moons have suffered asteroid impacts or have cryovolcanoes — and yet, they remain ringless. The search for the elusive lunar rings These observations prompted Mario Sucerquia, an astrophysicist at France's Grenoble Alpes University, and colleagues to investigate whether moon rings could be stable at all. A 2022 study Sucerquia co-authored found that theoretically, isolated moons could have stable rings around them. But that study didn't consider the gravitational effects of other moons and planets. To investigate this, in the new study published Oct. 30, 2024 in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Sucerquia and colleagues selected five sets of spherical moons and their neighboring planets, including Earth and the moon. For each set, the team added rings to all the satellites, then simulated how the rings would behave over a million years, while being pulled gravitationally by their parent moon, other nearby moons and the planet. The researchers also calculated how chaotically the ring particles moved over a millennium, to determine the rings' stability. The researchers expected to find that the rings were unstable, but the model showed that, barring a few moons, including Saturn's "Death Star" moon Mimas, these moon rings were stable — particularly Jupiter’s Iapetus. Even Earth's moon had a 95% chance of supporting a stable ring system in the simulations. Sucerquia shared with Live Science via email, "[W]e were not expecting that moons situated in a challenging gravitational setting, influenced by numerous other moons and planets, would be able to preserve stability in their rings." He added, however, that "instead of obliterating the rings, these harsh environments have enhanced their beauty by forming intricate structures such as gaps and waves, akin to what we see in Saturn's rings." View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Currently, none of the 293 moons in our solar system, as illustrated in this image, possess permanent rings. What happened to all the rings? So why don't the moons have rings today? The authors suggest that non-gravitational factors, including the sun's radiation and charged particles from the magnetic fields of the moons' parent planets, caused any previous rings to disintegrate. There are differing opinions regarding the conclusions of the study. Tiscareno, who did not participate in the research, believes that over time, the rings were probably disrupted by the gravitational forces exerted by the moons that orbit the planet. "Because most solar system moons rotate very slowly (keeping the same face towards their planet as they orbit, as our moon does to Earth), any ring particles must be orbiting the moon much faster than the moon spins," he said. So gravitational tugs from the parent moons, over long stretches of time, would "cause the ring particle orbits to decay until they eventually impact the surface of the moon," he said. In other words, if our moon ever had rings, they crashed to the lunar surface long ago.

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

Space Photo of the Week: Hubble's 23-Year Journey to Capture the Tilted Spiral Galaxy

In this remarkable Hubble image, over two decades in the making, the dazzling spiral galaxy UGC 10043 unveils the mysteries behind its surprisingly large bulge. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. UGC 10043 is among the rare spiral galaxies observed from the edge perspective. What it is: Spiral galaxy UGC 10043 Where it is: 150 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens When it was shared: December 12, 2024 Why it's so special: This image of a spiral galaxy taken by the Hubble Space Telescope is a portrait more than two decades in the making. Similar to many full-color images of celestial bodies, this one is a composite made from images captured in various wavelengths of light. What distinguishes this particular image is that the data utilized for its creation was gathered during observation sessions in 2000 and 2023, spanning a remarkable 23 years. This long-term advantage of having a space telescope in orbit is evident: Hubble was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990, and its extensive operational duration has allowed it to gather an immense wealth of data about the universe's many facets. But besides the prolonged methods used to create it, it's also an unusual image on its face. Spiral galaxies — which account for about 60% of all galaxies in the universe, according to the European Space Agency — are, by chance, typically seen face-on when viewed from the solar system. That’s why spiral galaxies are typically associated with vivid spiral arms, which can only be seen from a face-on vantage. However, UGC 10043 is viewed edge-on, with its rings seemingly flattened into a line. This unique angle gives astronomers the chance to see how spiral galaxies are structured in 3D. The image of UGC 10043 showcases distinct lanes of dust that would probably resemble spiral arms if the galaxy were viewed from a frontal perspective. In this view, these dust lanes obscure the combined light emitted by the stars that constitute the galaxy. Additionally, they harbor dark clouds that serve as regions for star formation. In the middle of the image lies a luminous bulge — the vibrant core of the galaxy. Every galaxy possesses a core, but the one in UGC 10043 is notably oversized. Researchers believe this may be a result of UGC 10043 merging with a nearby dwarf galaxy, which has provided an abundance of dust and gas, stimulating the formation of new stars. This collision might also account for the slight distortion in the galaxy's disk, which curves upwards on one side and downwards on the other.

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

Was the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment a complete fabrication?

A French historian specializing in science has conducted an in-depth investigation into the real events behind the Stanford prison experiment, uncovering that the 'guards' were deliberately instructed to act with cruelty. His research has now been translated into English. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Source: BBC/Stanford University. A recent translation of a 2018 work by French science historian Thibault Le Texier calls into question the assertions made by one of psychology's most renowned experiments. Exploring the Stanford Prison Experiment: Unraveling the Myth, published recently in English, documents serious limitations of the study – including that student “guards” were actually coached to dehumanise their “prisoners” – and asks how such a flawed experiment became so influential. A notorious 'cell' located in the basement of a university You’ve likely heard of the Stanford prison experiment. In 1971, 24 young male volunteers were randomly assigned to the roles of “inmates” and “guards” in a pretend prison in the basement of Stanford University’s psychology department. The circumstances escalated rapidly. By the second day, the volunteers assigned as guards had started to inflict psychological torment on the inmates. Deprived of clothing, blinded by hoods, bound by chains, and subjected to starvation and sleep deprivation, the inmates experienced severe psychological distress, with half of them experiencing nervous breakdowns. Consequently, by the sixth day, the experiment – originally intended to continue for two weeks – was abruptly terminated. The experiment was conducted by social psychologist Philip Zimbardo, who died last year at the age of 91. He argued that the transformation of seemingly normal people into cruel guards and passive prisoners was proof that social situations have the power to corrupt human behaviour. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Inmates were required to don short smocks featuring identification numbers. Source: PirsonExp.org His sensational findings and the dramatic story of the experiment, illustrated with photos of uniformed guards in aviator shades and batons standing threateningly over cowering and hooded prisoners, made Zimbardo and his experiment famous. Since it was conducted over five decades ago, the lessons from the experiment have been applied to a burgeoning number of situations beyond prison. By 2007 Zimbardo used it to explain corporate fraud, military torture, cult behaviour and even genocide. A newly released English version of French scholar Thibault Le Texier’s 2018 work reveals a more intricate and concerning narrative surrounding the renowned study. It raises questions about Zimbardo’s credibility as the storyteller of his own findings. Critiques of the experiment are not a recent development; concerns regarding its methodology and Zimbardo's claim that situations can dominate our personalities have been raised since 1975. However, Le Texier's comprehensive findings, now accessible in English for the first time, provide an in-depth narrative of the events that transpired behind the scenes. Trained to be ruthless By utilizing archival materials, previously unreleased video recordings, transcripts, and in-depth interviews with those involved – such as the guards, inmates, and researchers – Le Texier constructs a detailed chronological narrative of the experiment's progression. Far from being swept up in the situation, archival sources show the guards’ brutality was rehearsed. Contrary to official accounts, before the experiment they were coached by the research team in how to create a psychologically hostile environment. Zimbardo provided the guards with a set of regulations to enforce, along with methods intended to dehumanize the inmates. As the experiment progressed, the staff motivated the guards to act aggressively and scolded those who showed too much compassion. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. The 'inmates' were confined to stark cells, with three individuals sharing each one. Source: PrisonExp.org In comparison, the inmates were not well-prepared. Many of them imagined their time behind bars would be filled with reading or watching television in their cells. Therefore, they were taken aback by the humiliations they faced, the lack of cigarettes and books, and other forms of entertainment, as well as the often capricious and shifting regulations. The reactions of the prisoners and guards to the circumstances varied significantly. While some guards embraced their responsibilities with fervor, others showed compassion towards the inmates, sneaking in snacks and cigarettes. One guard even decided to resign. Certain inmates chose to work together, while others stood firm against authority, and a few even staged a rebellion. One individual initiated a hunger strike. While many sought freedom, they quickly realized that, contrary to what they had been promised, leaving was not an option for them. Their release would only be granted in the event of a medical or psychiatric crisis. Le Texier discovered that only three prisoners were set free due to claims of emotional turmoil, and at least one of them had pretended to be in distress. The experiment was halted due to potential failure risks. Le Texier observed that by the sixth day, the guards were growing more ineffective as the remaining prisoners continued to resist. An unanticipated visit from a lawyer brought to light questions regarding the legality of detaining volunteers without their consent. Both of these elements contributed to the sudden conclusion of the experiment. A lasting hold on the shared awareness of society. According to Le Texier, several key elements have contributed to the lasting notoriety of Zimbardo's experiment, including his adeptness at engaging with the media, his talent for making complex ideas accessible to the public, the backing of his university, and the predominantly uncritical reception of his results. It continues to exert a powerful grip on the public imagination, largely through the promotional flair of its creator. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. In the Stanford prison experiment, the guards imposed numerous humiliations on the 'prisoners.' Source: PrisonExpo.org Le Texier’s book raises important questions about the cultural and political factors that shape research. For example, Zimbardo’s study was conducted during a period of intense anti-authoritarianism and against the backdrop of the 1971 Attica prison riot, the deadliest prison uprising in the United States. Le Texier's work offers valuable insights into science communication and highlights how media-savvy scientists can effectively create and share compelling narratives. The Stanford prison experiment may be downplayed or criticized in academic literature for its exaggerated assertions, yet it is improbable that it will fade from the collective consciousness of the public. According to Le Texier, the experiment has captured our shared awareness so strongly that, although its results may be inaccurate, it seems to convey a significant moral teaching. Zimbardo had a unique ability to address our deep-seated desire for solutions to the pressing issues of our era. While it may lack solid theoretical grounding and resemble a morality tale masquerading as scientific inquiry, the lasting notoriety of the Stanford prison experiment lies in its perceived insights into how ordinary individuals can descend into malevolence. This narrative continues to resonate, as it offers a compelling tale. Sale View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Exploring the Stanford Prison Experiment: Unraveling the Myth Hardcover Book Le Texier, Thibault (Author) English (Publication Language) 210 Pages – 08/09/2024 (Publication Date) – Springer (Publisher) Gina Perry, Science historian with a specific interest in the history of social psychology., The University of Melbourne This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

The James Webb Space Telescope has reached a significant milestone by discovering 44 ancient stars.

View pictures in App save up to 80% data. fabio lamanna - stock.adobe.com - for illustrative purposes only Thanks to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of astronomers from the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory has reached a significant breakthrough in cosmic research. Through the observation of a galaxy located approximately 6.5 billion light-years away, which dates back to a time when the universe was only half as old as it is now, researchers discovered 44 distinct stars. This achievement was enabled by gravitational lensing and the light-gathering capabilities of the JWST. As a result, this discovery has established a new record for the highest number of individual stars observed in a distant galaxy. “This groundbreaking discovery demonstrates, for the first time, that studying large numbers of stars in a distant galaxy is possible,” explained Fengwu Sun, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and co-author of the study. Sun elaborated on how previous studies conducted with the Hubble Space Telescope managed to identify around seven stars. Nevertheless, thanks to the enhanced capabilities of the JWST, researchers are now able to observe stars that were once too distant to detect. This progress is important as it enables researchers to examine dark matter in the lensing areas of galaxies and stars by observing a greater number of individual stars, a feat that was unattainable when only a limited number of stars could be seen. A group of stars was identified through the analysis of JWST images of a galaxy referred to as the Dragon Arc. This galaxy is situated behind a large galaxy cluster called Abell 370, and the gravitational lensing caused by Abell 370 alters the Dragon Arc's spiral structure, giving it a stretched and elongated appearance. Through the examination of the star colors within the Dragon Arc, the research team found that a significant number of these stars are red supergiants. This contrasts sharply with earlier studies that predominantly recognized blue supergiants. The researchers highlighted that this difference emphasizes the JWST's ability to utilize infrared wavelengths, enabling it to detect cooler stars that may have been overlooked by other telescopes. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Fabio Lamanna – stock.adobe.com – for illustrative purposes only. Sun stated, "Our initial goal was to find a background galaxy that is being lensing-magnified by the galaxies within this enormous cluster, but in the process, we ended up discovering these individual stars." "However, as we analyzed the data, we discovered what seemed to be numerous individual star points. This was an exhilarating discovery, as it marked the first occasion we could observe such a vast number of distant individual stars." Galaxies such as the Milky Way generally contain tens of billions of stars, allowing astronomers to examine individual stars in nearby galaxies. However, the light emitted by stars in galaxies located billions of light-years away tends to merge during its extensive journey to our planet. This phenomenon is exactly what has made it challenging for scientists to comprehend the processes behind the formation and evolution of galaxies. Yoshinobu Fudamoto, the primary author of the study, explained that while distant galaxies often appear as “diffuse, fuzzy blobs,” these seemingly indistinct formations actually consist of numerous individual stars that current telescopes are unable to resolve. Recent developments in astronomy have unveiled exciting opportunities thanks to gravitational lensing, a phenomenon in which the intense gravitational force of large celestial bodies enhances the light from distant stars. This effect enables the light from these remote stars to be magnified, making them observable with advanced telescopes. By conducting further observations with the JWST, researchers aim to discover an even greater number of magnified stars within the Dragon Arc, potentially allowing for the study of hundreds of far-off stars. Examining these specific stars could enhance our comprehension of the architecture of gravitational lenses and aid in deciphering the enigmas related to dark matter. To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Nature Astronomy, visit the link here. More About:News

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

China is gearing up to construct a massive solar energy array in space, which has the potential to harvest more energy in a single year than the total amount of oil available on our planet.

China has revealed its intentions to construct a massive solar power space station, which will be transported into orbit in segments with the help of the country's newly developed heavy-lift rockets. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. On July 23, 2020, a Chinese Long March 5 rocket successfully lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center located on Hainan Island, carrying the Tianwen-1 Mars rover, lander, and orbiter for the China National Space Administration. Chinese researchers have unveiled a proposal to construct a massive solar power facility in space, measuring 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) in width, which will transmit a steady stream of energy to Earth using microwave technology. The project, which will see its components lofted to a geostationary orbit above Earth using super-heavy rockets, has been dubbed "another Three Gorges Dam project above the Earth." The Three Gorges Dam, located in the middle of the Yangtze river in central China, is the world's largest hydropower project and generates 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. According to one NASA scientist, the dam is so large that, if completely filled, the mass of the water contained within would lengthen Earth's days by 0.06 microseconds. The new project, according to lead scientist Long Lehao, the chief designer of China’s Long March rockets, would be "as significant as moving the Three Gorges Dam to a geostationary orbit 36,000km (22,370 miles) above the Earth." "This is an incredible project to look forward to," Long added during a lecture in October hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), as reported by the South China Morning Post. "The energy collected in one year would be equivalent to the total amount of oil that can be extracted from the Earth." Despite recent advances in the cheapness and efficiency of solar power, the technology still faces some fundamental limitations — such as intermittent cloud cover and most of the atmosphere absorbing solar radiation before it hits the ground. Researchers have put forward various technologies for Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) that would allow for the ongoing collection and transmission of solar energy from space, where sunlight is ten times more potent than what we experience on Earth's surface. However, constructing a sufficiently large array would require numerous launches, resulting in the majority of proposals not being realized. To overcome this challenge, Long and his team are working on the development of the Long March-9 (CZ-9) reusable heavy-lift rocket, which will have a lift capacity of at least 150 tons (136 metric tons). Besides being used for satellites, the rocket will also be key to China's plans to reach the moon — where it wants to build an international lunar research base by 2035. China isn't the only nation eyeing plans for solar satellite arrays. The U.S. companies Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, the European Space Agency, and Japan's JAXA space agency have also been investigating the technology, with the latter scheduling the launch of a small, proof-of-concept satellite this year to assess its feasibility.

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

Stone Age Craftspeople Selected Their Materials Deliberately. A Recent Study Aims to Uncover the Reasons Behind Their Choices.

To effectively engage with the simplest forms of technology, one needs to possess a certain level of intelligence. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Ancient quartzite spearheads, akin to the tools examined in the research. However, which option would a Stone Age artisan opt for? Image credit: Ique Perez/Shutterstock.com The human Stone Age was, undeniably, the first step on a journey towards the species total technological dominance – but it didn’t have to be. After all, pick a rock that’s too soft, or too wonky, and our ancestors may never have made it past “ape with aspirations”. So how did they manage to get it so right? Recent research offers insights into this question, or at the very least, lays the groundwork for further exploration. By conducting direct experiments on different raw materials sourced from percussive tools at Melka Wakena, an archaeological site in the Ethiopian Highlands dating back 1.6 to 0.7 million years, scientists were able to deduce the qualities that rendered these materials beneficial to our prehistoric ancestors. They also examined the circumstances under which specific advantages were prioritized over others in their decision-making processes. “Our research shows that the material properties of the stones – such as suitability, quality, and durability – were likely crucial factors in the selection process by early hominins,” explained Dr Eduardo Paixão, a researcher at the University of Algarve, Portugal, and study lead, in a translated statement. Paixão remarked, “This indicates that they possessed a profound awareness of their surroundings and made intentional decisions.” It wasn’t always as straightforward as you might think, either. For as primitive as we like to think of our Stone Age ancestors being, they understood the nuances of rock way better than we do (save for the odd geologist out there): “Our experimental results show that, while two types of rock (ignimbrite and glassy ignimbrite) appear similar to the naked eye, they behave considerably differently,” explains the paper. The study highlights that glassy ignimbrite, sourced from a greater distance, posed some challenges in terms of convenience for use. However, it was noted to be “considerably tougher” and “the most uniform raw material available, exhibiting superior resistance.” Consequently, the softer variant of the rock, though more accessible, was overlooked in favor of “glassy ignimbrite, which was transported from afar as substantial flake blanks, specifically chosen for creating [large cutting tools].” It’s not just the results that are important here. As the paper makes clear, a lot of what we’ve traditionally understood about Stone Age technology has been based on… well, vibes, more or less: “in many cases, […] inferences about [artefacts’] specific functions are based on preconceived assumptions about their size and morphology,” the paper explains.  Even those that have been systematically analyzed are still kind of fuzzy, it adds, since “Differences in the physical properties of rocks are often described and organized by researchers in distinct categories of ‘raw material quality’. "It clarifies that, nonetheless, establishing and measuring this 'quality' is quite complex." In that respect, the new paper – and the project it marks a beginning to – is undoubtedly remarkable. It’s perhaps the first study to analyze these ancient stone tools on their own terms: not only performing a post-hoc analysis of the artefacts, but replicating their original use. And it’s paid off: already, the researchers have noticed that some properties, previously assumed to be one of these mysterious “qualities” of the rock itself, are actually the result of the tool’s use over time. Co-author Dr. João Marreiros stated, “The intentional choice of materials impacted the alterations observed on the tools' surfaces. This indicates that variations in archaeological discoveries are not merely coincidental.” “These discoveries provide fresh insights into the technological advancements of early human civilizations,” remarked Paixão. “We intend to conduct additional studies to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate choices made by these primitive artisans.” The study is published in the journal PLOS ONE. 

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

A supermassive black hole has been observed at a distance of 12.9 billion light-years from our planet, and it is emitting a powerful beam of energy directed straight towards us.

The recently identified "blazar," boasting a mass equivalent to 700 million suns, is the most ancient example of its type ever observed, altering our understanding of the early universe. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Blazars are enormous black holes that emit powerful energy jets aimed straight at our planet. Astronomers have identified a supermassive black hole that is emitting an enormous energy beam directed straight at Earth. This colossal entity, weighing approximately 700 million times that of our sun, is targeting us from a galaxy dating back to the early universe, around 800 million years post-Big Bang. This discovery marks it as the farthest "blazar" ever observed. Some supermassive black holes, known as quasars, are so massive they can superheat the material doom-spiraling within their accretion disk to hundreds of thousands of degrees, at which point they emit huge amounts of electromagnetic radiation. The quasars' immense magnetic fields can sculpt this energy into twin jets that shoot out perpendicularly to accretion disks and extend well beyond their host galaxies. By chance, some of these quasars point one of their twin jets directly at Earth, creating radio bright spots that pulse as these black holes consume matter. These black holes are known as blazars. In the new study, published Dec. 18, 2024, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers discovered a new blazar, dubbed J0410−0139, using data from multiple telescopes, including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Magellan telescopes and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope — all located in Chile — and NASA's Chandra observatory in Earth-orbit. Radio emissions from this blazar have journeyed over 12.9 billion light-years to arrive at our observation point, setting a new benchmark for this category of cosmic entities. The astonishing age of this luminous giant may provide scientists with insights into the formation of the earliest supermassive black holes and the subsequent evolution of these galactic cores. View pictures in App save up to 80% data. If they were located much nearer to us, blazars would shine as some of the most luminous objects in the night sky. "The alignment of J0410−0139's jet with our line of sight allows astronomers to peer directly into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse," study co-author Emmanuel Momjian, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Virginia, said in a statement. "This blazar offers a unique laboratory to study the interplay between jets, black holes, and their environments during one of the universe’s most transformative epochs." The most ancient blazar discovered to date. Fewer than 3,000 blazars have been discovered to date, and most have been located much closer to Earth than J0410−0139. The previous record holder for the most distant blazar was PSO J0309+27, which was discovered in 2020 and is around 12.8 billion light-years from Earth, making it around 100 million years younger than J0410−0139. When viewed in the context of the universe's vast age, this age gap appears negligible. Nevertheless, during those 100 million years, a supermassive black hole could potentially expand by several magnitudes, rendering this a noteworthy advancement. Finding one blazar at this distance hints that many other supermassive black holes existed at this point in cosmic history that either had no jets or beamed their radiation away from Earth, study lead author Eduardo Bañados, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, said in another statement. "Picture this: you come across a story about an individual who has struck it rich with a $100 million lottery win," Bañados remarked. "Considering how infrequent such a victory is, it’s clear that numerous other participants in that lottery didn’t walk away with such a massive prize. In the same vein, discovering one [quasar] with a jet aimed straight at us suggests that during that era of cosmic evolution, there were likely many more [quasars] whose jets were oriented away from our line of sight." The researchers will now hunt for more blazars from this time and are confident they will find some. "Where there is one, there's one hundred more [waiting to be found]," study co-author Silvia Belladitta, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, said in the statement.

Science2025-03-26 19:53:08

Archaeologists recover a 2,600-year-old shipwreck near the shores of Spain | Global | Headlines

View pictures in App save up to 80% data. After more than three decades since its initial discovery, archaeologists have unearthed a shipwreck off the coast of Spain that dates back 2,600 years. The Mazarrón II went down around 600 B.C.E and was quickly covered by sand, which played a significant role in preserving it out of sight for many centuries. In a remarkable achievement, researchers successfully brought the shipwreck back to the surface from its underwater resting place between September and November 2024. While conducting the extraction, researchers uncovered new materials such as pieces of rope and ceramic fragments. The preservation of these fragile items offers a rare chance for advancement in archaeological studies. Step by step, a group of 14 experts, directed by Carlos de Juan from the University of Valencia, meticulously moved the Phoenician ship onto dry land for further study and preservation. Now, those fragments are going to a lab at the Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena for conservation and reconstruction.  Scientists are optimistic that the remains will provide fresh insights into the Phoenician civilization. Carlos de Juan, the director of the excavation project, told El Cronista: “It has been delicate work, but mechanical. Slow, but equivalent to what the team had already done before in other scenarios of extracting archaeological remains. "The vessel now resembles a cake in texture: it remains stable when horizontal but falls apart with even a slight tilt." Divers initially located The Mazarrón II in 1994 in the waters of Murcia, Spain’s Ministry of Culture revealed. It was one of two wrecks found near the town of Mazarrón, which they have both been named after. The vessel has a length of 8.10 meters and a maximum width of 2.25 meters. The wreck had been covered by a protective metal box, however, a group of experts found that the metal box was sinking and threatened to crush the shipwreck. In the summer of 2023, archaeologists devised a strategy to recover the shipwreck from the ocean floor. They dedicated 560 hours to diving at the site, meticulously creating detailed diagrams of the ship's numerous fractures. Currently, the team is focused on rehabilitating the artifacts and safeguarding them within the National Museum of Underwater Archeology. The University of Valencia stated: “This dedicated center will carry on the efforts of restoration and research, guaranteeing the conservation and examination of this invaluable historical accomplishment.”