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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="https://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> <atom:link href="https://www.livescience.com/feeds/all" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <title><![CDATA[ Livescience ]]></title> <link>https://www.livescience.com</link> <description><![CDATA[ ]]></description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 11:10:22 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Japan captures 1st image of space debris from orbit, and it's spookily stunning ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>A private Japanese company has taken the world's first close-up photo of an individual piece of space debris, by parking another satellite next to it in orbit. This orbital photo op is the first step in an ongoing mission to capture and destroy potentially hazardous pieces of space junk that are clogging up our sky. </p><p>It's easy to imagine space as a vast, empty frontier. But since the first satellite launched in 1957, the space surrounding our planet has gotten more and more crowded. Human-made <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/what-is-space-junk"><u>space junk</u></a> — including used rocket stages, decommissioned satellites, frozen fuel and flecks of paint — has been steadily accumulating in Earth's orbit over the past seven or so decades. Now, the space industry is trying to find ways to remove it.</p><p>There is currently more than <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/faq/#:~:text=More%20than%2025,000%20objects%20larger,Earth%20exceeded%209,000%20metric%20tons." target="_blank"><u>9,900 tons (9,000 metric tons)</u></a> of space junk hanging out in Earth's orbit. That debris is a veritable minefield for newly launched satellites and spacecraft; even a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tiny-space-junk-damage.html"><u>tiny piece of debris can tear a hole through a spacecraft</u></a> with enough momentum. It can even <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/object-crash-florida-home-iss-space-junk-nasa-confirms" target="_blank"><u>pose a threat to people on the ground</u></a> when it falls from orbit. And the longer that space debris stays in orbit, the more it multiplies. Collisions between defunct satellites or parts of rockets can break larger debris into smaller pieces, making the resulting fragments harder to track and increasing their chances of hitting an active satellite.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_TAjp8Os6_tfejT8dc_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_TAjp8Os6_tfejT8dc_div'></div></div></div></div><p>Understandably, space agencies around the world are interested in cleaning up some of that floating garbage before it damages functioning spacecraft. A private Japanese company recently took some of the first steps. </p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/sci-fi-inspired-tractor-beams-are-real-and-could-solve-the-major-problem-of-space-junk"><u><strong>Sci-fi inspired tractor beams are real, and could solve a major space junk problem</strong></u></a></p><p>In mid-April, a spacecraft launched by private space company Astroscale successfully identified, approached and photographed a large piece of orbital debris — the upper stage of a Japanese H-IIA rocket that has been circling Earth since 2009. The demonstration was meant to test the craft's ability to maneuver close enough to a piece of space junk to capture it, without crashing into it. By all accounts, the mission was a success, setting the stage for future removal missions. </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">related stories</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/photobombing-satellite-iau-warning">World's largest communication satellite is a photobombing menace, astronomers warn</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/china-plans-ways-destroy-starlink">Chinese scientists call for plan to destroy Elon Musk's Starlink satellites</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/geomagnetic-storm-downs-spacex-satellites">Geomagnetic storm sends 40 SpaceX satellites plummeting to Earth</a> </p></div></div><p>This milestone <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://astroscale.com/astroscale-japan-selected-for-phase-ii-of-jaxas-commercial-removal-of-debris-demonstration-program/" target="_blank"><u>earned Astroscale a partnership</u></a> with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration initiative. The company is currently planning the second phase of the mission, which aims to remove a piece of debris, using a robotic arm attached to the craft to push the debris into a fiery descent through Earth's atmosphere.</p><p>JAXA is not the only space agency looking to clean up Earth's orbit. The European Space Agency (ESA) has an active space-debris removal mission called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Press_Releases/ESA_commissions_world_s_first_space_debris_removal" target="_blank"><u>ClearSpace-1</u></a>, which is scheduled for launch in 2025. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/nasa-selects-small-businesses-for-orbital-debris-surface-dust-tech/" target="_blank"><u>NASA</u></a> is currently developing its own debris-removal program in partnership with six private U.S. space companies. And Astroscale's U.K. branch plans to launch a cleanup mission later next year. </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/japan-captures-1st-image-of-space-debris-from-orbit-and-its-spookily-stunning</link> <description> <![CDATA[ A new Japanese mission to photograph space junk from orbit marks a milestone in orbital debris cleanup efforts. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">ESSJH64QxuKi9ZwQYYRahU</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zJXk658Q54NQR7KawFtEdn.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Space Exploration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zJXk658Q54NQR7KawFtEdn.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Astroscale]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[A far-away photograph of silver space debris]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A far-away photograph of silver space debris]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ 1,900-year-old Roman legionary fortress unearthed next to UK cathedral ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Archaeologists in England have discovered several <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans"><u>Roman</u></a> ruins buried next to a cathedral in Exeter. </p><p>The structures, which were built between A.D. 50 and 75, include a street and wooden buildings that were once part of a Roman legionary fortress, according to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk/news-events/latest-news/exeters-roman-past-uncovered-in-cathedralsarchaeological-investigations/" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>.</p><p>The construction itself was likely part of a "long barrack building," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://arch-history.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/profile/index.php?web_id=jallan" target="_blank"><u>John Allan</u></a>, a cathedral archaeologist with the University of Exeter, said in the statement.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div'></div></div></div></div><p>Romans built the fortress around the same time as a bathhouse, which was discovered near the cathedral in 1971. The bathhouse was "the second stone building in the whole of Britain at the time it was built," according to a Devon County Council <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=543990427763891&set=a.302365735259696" target="_blank"><u>Facebook post</u></a>.</p><p>Roman troops — whose legions boasted 5,000 Roman citizen soldiers apiece — were a common sight in Roman Britain, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/iha-roman-forts-fortresses/heag230-roman-forts-fortresses/" target="_blank"><u>Historic England</u></a>, an organization that oversees historic sites in England, wrote in a 2018 report. Britain was one of the most heavily militarized regions in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/roman-empire"><u>Roman Empire</u></a>, the report noted. </p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/subterranean-crypt-with-empty-tombs-unearthed-at-medieval-cathedral-in-england"><u><strong>Subterranean crypt with empty tombs unearthed at medieval cathedral in England</strong></u></a></p><p>Archaeologists at the cathedral also unearthed what was left of a stone wall that once belonged to a Roman townhouse built sometime in the third and fourth centuries A.D., according to the statement.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/low-tides-reveal-bronze-age-fortress-that-likely-defended-against-irish-mainland">Low tides reveal Bronze Age fortress that likely defended against Irish mainland</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/prehistoric-henge-accidentally-discovered-in-england-in-search-for-anglo-saxon-hermit">Prehistoric henge accidentally discovered in England in search of Anglo-Saxon hermit</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/richly-decorated-roman-villa-with-curse-tablets-and-tiny-axes-unearthed-in-england">'Richly decorated' Roman villa with 'curse tablets' and tiny axes unearthed in England</a></p></div></div><p>The archeological excavation work is part of a much larger project that involves building a new cloister gallery at the cathedral, which replaces the cathedral's medieval cloisters that were demolished in 1656. The new construction will be built on the original cloisters' foundations, according to the statement.</p><p>Exeter Cathedral is located in a region of Devon County that was conquered by the Roman Empire in A.D. 50. The empire continued controlling the area until A.D. 410, when the Roman period ended in Britain.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/1900-year-old-roman-legionary-fortress-unearthed-next-to-uk-cathedral</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Ongoing excavations have revealed Roman ruins that were once part of a legionary fortress. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">4pxtzijUVEjeiVs9nBkgMM</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CqdSoAomSNkGCAN2WEDKgZ.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 10:00:05 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Romans]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category> <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CqdSoAomSNkGCAN2WEDKgZ.png"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Exeter Cathedral ]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[An aerial view of a cathedral undergoing an archaeological excavation. ]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An aerial view of a cathedral undergoing an archaeological excavation. ]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ 'World's purest silicon' could lead to 1st million-qubit quantum computing chips ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Scientists have created an enhanced, ultra-pure form of silicon that could one day be the foundation for highly reliable "silicon-spin qubits" in powerful quantum computers.</p><p>While the bits in classical computers encode data as either 1 or 0, qubits in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/quantum-computing"><u>quantum computers</u></a> can be a superposition of these two states — meaning they can achieve a quantum state known as "coherence" and occupy both 1 and 0 in parallel while processing calculations. </p><p>These machines could potentially be more powerful than the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/top-7-most-powerful-supercomputers-in-the-world-right-now"><u>world's fastest supercomputers</u></a> but would need around a million qubits to achieve this, the scientists said. The largest quantum computer today has <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/ibm-scientists-built-massive-condor-1000-qubit-quantum-computer-chip-133-qubit-heron-system-two"><u>roughly 1,000 qubits</u></a>. </p><p>But a key challenge with quantum computing is that qubits are "noisy," meaning they are highly prone to interference, such as temperature changes, and need to be cooled to near <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/is-it-possible-to-reach-absolute-zero" target="_blank"><u>absolute zero</u></a>. Otherwise, they easily lose information and fail midway through operations. </p><p>This means that even if we had a quantum computer with millions of qubits, many of those would be redundant even with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/worlds-1st-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-coming-2024-10000-qubit-in-2026"><u>error-correction technologies</u></a>, making the machine extremely inefficient.</p><h2 id="tapping-into-silicon-quantum-computing-2">Tapping into silicon quantum computing</h2><p>Qubits are normally made from superconducting metals <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article-abstract/4/1/31/682456/Superconductivity-of-Tantalum-Niobium-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank"><u>such as tantalum and niobium</u></a> because they possess near-infinite conductivity and near-infinite resistance.</p><p>But in a new study, published May 7 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://tracking.vuelio.co.uk/tracking/click?d=yGN1ZNFNwrjdWTtu3Yv1P69jguYL5vxRBZbzP5Epl-UynZZeRAviFxjA_dxDVjOd62oFYrW-xVMswFM0kz16S02fdKBS0WVt8SNuxhKWo8i_V9iP0TRcuLkETfAPm5Gqj91M8HvFH86xlQOmq78WcEnXEsRaPsXRjuwQSiFPzkU60" target="_blank"><u>Nature Communications Materials</u></a>, researchers proposed using a new, pure form of silicon — the semiconductor material used in conventional computers — as the basis for a qubit that is far more scalable than existing technologies.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/major-quantum-computing-milestone-could-be-hit-with-just-hundreds-not-millions-of-qubits-thanks-to-new-error-correction-system"><u><strong>Quantum computing breakthrough could happen with just hundreds, not millions, of qubits using new error-correction system</strong></u></a></p><p>Building qubits from semiconducting materials like silicon, gallium or germanium has advantages over superconducting metal qubits, according to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.quera.com/glossary/silicon-spin-qubits" target="_blank"><u>quantum computing company QuEra</u></a>. The coherence times are relatively long, they are cheap to make, they operate at higher temperatures and they are extremely tiny — meaning a single chip can hold huge numbers of qubits. But impurities in semiconducting materials cause decoherence during computations, which makes them unreliable.</p><p>In the new study, the scientists proposed making a qubit out of silicon-28 (Si-28), which they described as the "world's purest silicon," after stripping away the impurities found in natural silicon. These silicon-based qubits would be less prone to failure, they said, and could be fabricated to the size of a pinhead.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:778px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.30%;"><img id="jS39snsp9sQzMTtM6tugMb" name="siliconchip-universityofmanchester.jpg" alt="Lead author prepares a silicon chip for enrichment in the lab" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jS39snsp9sQzMTtM6tugMb.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="778" height="438" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text"><em>Lead author and joint University of Manchester/University of Melbourne PhD student Ravi Acharya prepares a silicon chip for enrichment in The University of Manchester P-NAME focused ion beam laboratory. (Image credit: The University of Manchester)</em> </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: University of Manchester)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Natural silicon is normally made up of three isotopes, or atoms of different masses — Si-28, Si-29 and Si-30. Natural silicon works well in conventional computing due to its metalloid properties, but problems arise when using it in quantum computing. </p><p>Si-29 in particular, which makes up 5% of natural silicon, causes a "nuclear flip-flopping effect" that leads to decoherence and the loss of information. In the study, the scientists got around this by developing a new method to engineer silicon without Si-29 and Si-30 atoms.</p><h2 id="cheaper-more-scalable-quantum-computing-2">Cheaper, more scalable quantum computing</h2><p>"What we've been able to do is effectively create a critical 'brick' needed to construct a silicon-based quantum computer," lead study author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/richard.curry" target="_blank"><u>Richard Curry</u></a>, professor of advanced electronic materials at the University of Manchester, said in a statement. "It’s a crucial step to making a technology that has the potential to be transformative for humankind feasible."</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/future-quantum-computers-could-use-bizarre-error-free-qubit-design-built-on-forgotten-research-from-the-1990s">Future quantum computers could use bizarre 'error-free' qubit design built on forgotten research from the 1990s</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/worlds-1st-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-coming-2024-10000-qubit-in-2026">World's 1st fault-tolerant quantum computer launching this year ahead of a 10,000-qubit machine in 2026</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/error-corrected-qubits-800-times-more-reliable-microsoft-quantinuum-breakthrough-next-level-quantum-computing">Error-corrected qubits 800 times more reliable after breakthrough, paving the way for 'next level' of quantum computing</a></p></div></div><p>Components for silicon-based quantum computers could in theory be built using the same methods used to manufacture classical electronic chips, which can fit billions of transistors onto a tiny circuit board, the scientists said. Silicon qubits, or silicon-spin qubits, are nothing new, but the quality of the silicon has never been as pure, they added, which is determined based on microscopy testing.</p><p>Silicon-based qubits could also be manufactured far more easily than other kinds of qubit because of existing chip fabrication methods. And, therefore, quantum computers that use them can be scaled to the million-qubit region much more quickly than competing methods, the researchers said.</p><p>"Now that we can produce extremely pure silicon-28, our next step will be to demonstrate that we can sustain quantum coherence for many qubits simultaneously," project co-supervisor <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/individuals/professor-david-jamieson" target="_blank">David Jamieson</a>, professor of physics at the University of Melbourne, said in the statement. "A reliable quantum computer with just 30 qubits would exceed the power of today's supercomputers for some applications."</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/worlds-purest-silicon-could-lead-to-1st-million-qubit-quantum-computing-chips</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Scientists engineer the 'purest ever silicon' to build reliable qubits that can be manufactured to the size of a pinhead on a chip and power million-qubit quantum computers in the future. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">wMk7BZop8uin9PVtBjDfBo</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C72iFxmbn26UzGCd6Sy8ki.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 09:00:04 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Computing]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C72iFxmbn26UzGCd6Sy8ki.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Abundance of Camera CMOS on Silicon Wafer]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Abundance of Camera CMOS on Silicon Wafer]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Mars may have been more Earth-like than we thought, discovery of oxygen-rich rocks reveals ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>A collection of rocks scattered on an ancient shoreline on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/planets/mars"><u>Mars</u></a> might indicate that the Red Planet was once far more Earth-like than scientists previously thought.</p><p>The rocks, discovered by NASA's Curiosity rover, are unusually rich in manganese oxide — a chemical that adds to growing evidence that the once-habitable Mars may have sported Earth-like oxygen levels and life-friendly conditions early in its history, scientists say.</p><p>NASA calls manganese on Earth "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/how-manganese-played-a-pivotal-role-in-photosynthesis-and-oxidation-protection/" target="_blank"><u>an unsung hero in the evolution of life</u></a>." Scientists know from our planet's geological history that manganese was abundant in rocks and in the oceans before the earliest life-forms emerged roughly 4 billion years ago and that it <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37847-earth-early-oxygen-manganese.html"><u>paved the way for oxygen</u></a> that most life now relies on. </p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_TAjp8Os6_tfejT8dc_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_TAjp8Os6_tfejT8dc_div'></div></div></div></div><p>The only known ways to produce manganese oxide, however, involve either abundant oxygen or microbial life. But there isn't strong evidence for the former on Mars, and none for the latter, leaving scientists puzzled by how the chemical formed in the newfound rocks.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/hundreds-of-black-spiders-spotted-in-mysterious-inca-city-on-mars-in-new-satellite-photos"><strong>Hundreds of black 'spiders' spotted in mysterious 'Inca City' on Mars in new satellite photos</strong></a></p><p>Forming rocks rich in manganese oxide "is easy to do on Earth because of microbes and because of oxygen — which [also forms] because of microbes — so it all points back toward life," lead study author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://laro.lanl.gov/esploro/profile/patrick_gasda" target="_blank"><u>Patrick Gasda</u></a>, a research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, told Live Science. "We of course have no evidence of life on Mars, so if we're trying to form oxygen in a fully abiotic system, our current understanding of Mars doesn't explain that."</p><p>The Curiosity rover came across the heavily eroded rocks while trekking through the middle of Gale crater, a 96-mile-wide (154 kilometers) ancient lake bed that the rover has been exploring since 2012. The rover's ChemCam instrument "sniffed" the manganese oxide within the rocks by vaporizing tiny bits with a laser and then analyzing the resulting cloud of plasma. The compound constitutes nearly half of the rocks' chemical makeup, according to the new study, which was published last week in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JE007923" target="_blank"><u>JGR Planets</u></a>.</p><a href="A simulated view of Gale Crater filled with water, as it may have appeared millions of years ago."><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1912px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:57.11%;"><img id="nyrthMVhVkNEAvYcfbSAbU" name="gale-crater-simulation.jpeg" alt="A simulated view of Gale Crater filled with water, as it may have appeared millions of years ago." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nyrthMVhVkNEAvYcfbSAbU.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1912" height="1092" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A simulated view of Gale Crater filled with water, as it may have appeared millions of years ago. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)</span></figcaption></figure></a><p>At the site where Curiosity found the new rocks, the rover recorded 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet) of elevation change. Although that's tiny when compared with the hundreds of meters Curiosity has climbed over the years, it is "pointing us toward something special going on in that place," Gasda told Live Science. The rock texture where the new sandstones were found appears to have transitioned from "curved" to "flat-lined" — a change Gasda and his colleagues are interpreting as a river channel opening out into a lake. </p><p>"That means we're at the shore of the lake or near the shore of the lake," Gasda said. He noted that this interpretation is uncertain due to limited data, because Curiosity drove past the region just once. "That made the interpretation really challenging, but this is our best hypothesis," he added. </p><p>If the hypothesis is correct, the rocks may have been dumped in the region when the river water slowed down as it entered the lake, similar to manganese-oxide-rich rocks that have been <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/minersoc/books/edited-volume/939/chapter-abstract/106813978/Heavy-metal-bearing-Mn-oxides-in-river-channel-and?redirectedFrom=PDF"><u>found on the shores of shallow lakes</u></a> on Earth.</p><p>The newfound rocks are "another line of evidence for liquid water on Mars in the past, which is beneficial for life," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.fit.edu/faculty-profiles/l/lingam-manasvi/" target="_blank"><u>Manasvi Lingam</u></a>, an astrobiologist at the Florida Institute of Technology who was not affiliated with the new research, told Live Science. "This work provides evidence in favor of habitability."</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" target="_blank" href="https://www.livescience.com/spiders-on-mars-explained-dry-ice.html">Spooky 'spiders on Mars' finally explained after two decades</a><br>— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" target="_blank" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/15-mars-objects-that-look-like-signs-of-life-but-arent">15 Martian objects that aren't what they seem</a><br>— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" target="_blank" href="https://www.livescience.com/impact-crater-found-on-mars">Mars' oldest meteorite traced to strange double impact crater</a></p></div></div><p>However, not everyone agrees that the newfound rocks indicate an oxygen-rich Mars. According to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://eeps.wustl.edu/people/jeffrey-g-catalano" target="_blank"><u>Jeffrey Catalano</u></a>, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, who was not involved in the study, the presence of oxidized rocks could help scientists understand whether Mars, like Earth, went through "a punctuated transition" from a lower-oxygen period and a higher-oxygen period. "The impact of manganese oxides on our understanding of such a transition, however, have been overstated, here and in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL069109" target="_blank"><u>prior work</u></a>," he told Live Science.</p><p>Catalano was part of a 2022 <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-01094-y?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PBOK_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100052171&CJEVENT=7ed6bfa50ba911ef824be6690a1eba24" target="_blank"><u>study</u></a> that found manganese oxide could easily form under Mars-like conditions without atmospheric oxygen. That research, which was based on lab experiments, showed that elements such as chlorine and bromine, which were abundant on early Mars, converted manganese dissolved in water into manganese oxide minerals. This finding offered an alternative to oxygen that could explain rocks like the newfound ones on Mars.</p><p>"There are several life forms even on Earth that do not require oxygen to survive," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://mitrakaushik.com/" target="_blank"><u>Kaushik Mitra</u></a>, a geochemist at the University of Texas at San Antonio who led that study, said in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://source.wustl.edu/2022/12/experimentalists-sorry-no-oxygen-required-to-make-these-minerals-on-mars/" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a> in 2022. "I don't think of it as a 'setback' to habitability — only that there were probably no oxygen-based lifeforms."</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/mars-may-have-been-more-earth-like-than-we-thought-discovery-of-oxygen-rich-rocks-reveals</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Newfound rocks on Mars suggest the planet may have once sported an oxygen-rich atmosphere, making it more Earth-like and hospitable to life than previously thought. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">phHSg7KB3ohL4irNW5pGAJ</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mP9Kod5xqYvnVda4N6neMX.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 21:16:39 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Mars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Planets]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mP9Kod5xqYvnVda4N6neMX.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Gale Crater on Mars]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Gale Crater on Mars]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Iron Age necropolis that predates Rome unearthed near Naples ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>An ancient necropolis discovered near Naples, Italy was used to bury the dead about 2,800 years ago, around the time the city of Rome was founded about 100 miles (161 kilometers) to the northwest.</p><p>The discovery gives researchers a rare insight into the Iron Age cultures that existed before the Roman domination of the region. The astonishing finds near the town of Amorosi, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Naples, include 88 burials in "pit tombs" of both men and women.</p><p>The men were typically buried with weapons, whereas the women were often buried with bronze ornaments, including bracelets, pendants, brooches — called "fibulae," and pieces of amber and worked bone, according to a translated <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://sabapce-bn.cultura.gov.it/?p=1435" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a> from the Italian Ministry of Culture.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_GMgmajbD_pBYGc5Ws_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_GMgmajbD_pBYGc5Ws_div'></div></div></div></div><p>The archaeologists who excavated the site have also unearthed large numbers of pottery vases of different shapes, which were usually placed in the tombs at the feet of the deceased. They think the burial ground predates the Samnites, the people who lived in the region a few hundred years later and were frequent enemies of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans"><u>early Romans</u></a>.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/why-didnt-alexander-the-great-invade-rome"><u><strong>Why didn't Alexander the Great invade Rome?</strong></u></a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:84.64%;"><img id="zmEpoCJ97Sg2ErjN5axWGo" name="necropolis-wide.jpg" alt="Ancient burial ground near the town of Amorosi, Italy." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zmEpoCJ97Sg2ErjN5axWGo.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1625" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Archaeologists think the ancient burial ground, or necropolis, near the town of Amorosi, Italy is around 2,800 years old. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Italy Ministry of Culture/Terna)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="early-italy-2">Early Italy</h2><p>According to legend, the mythical hero Romulus founded the city of Rome in 753 B.C. amid a dispute with his twin brother Remus; but archaeologists think Rome developed from a union of several hilltop villages after about the tenth century B.C., during the Iron Age.</p><p>The early Roman state fought many wars against its neighbors, including Etruscan city-states and other Latin-speaking peoples; and in the fourth century B.C., the Romans fought a series of wars against the Samnites, who mainly lived southeast of Rome in the mountainous Apennine region.</p><p>Rome was ultimately victorious, however, and the Samnites were assimilated into Roman society after the Third Samnite War, from 298 until 290 B.C., after which Rome went on to conquer the whole of Italy and to start colonies further afield.</p><p>The ancient necropolis near Amorosi seems to have been established in the Samnite region, but hundreds of years before the Samnites arrived there, possibly from central Italy.</p><p>Archaeologists think the people who founded the necropolis belonged to what's been called the "Pit Tomb" culture that existed throughout much of central and southern Italy during the Iron Age.</p><div class="inlinegallery inline-layout"><div class="inlinegallery-wrap" style="display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;"><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 1 of 3</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1916px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.37%;"><img id="qfcFhKz4onfj9TYZkvefmL" name="bronze-belts.jpg" alt="Bronze belts uncovered at a necropolis near Amorosi, Italy." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qfcFhKz4onfj9TYZkvefmL.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1916" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="caption-text">These decorated bronze belts were found among the artifacts placed as grave goods in some of the tombs. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Italy Ministry of Culture/Terna)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 2 of 3</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1918px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:55.16%;"><img id="sHYrtxdPKAEPHtsWGFe8ub" name="jugs-vases.jpg" alt="Jugs and vases found at the site." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sHYrtxdPKAEPHtsWGFe8ub.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1918" height="1058" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="caption-text">The archaeologists also found many large pottery jugs or vases, which were typically placed near the feet of the person buried in each of the tombs. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Italy Ministry of Culture/Terna)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 3 of 3</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="u6HUguBtwyjTf9D52VY39o" name="necropolis.jpg" alt="Ancient necropolis found near Amorosi, Italy." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u6HUguBtwyjTf9D52VY39o.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="caption-text">The ancient necropolis was found during archaeological excavations that were conducted before a power station is built at the site. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Italy Ministry of Culture/Terna)</span></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><h2 id="ancient-necropolis-xa0-2">Ancient necropolis </h2><p>The burial ground near Amorosi was discovered by archaeologists investigating the area before a new power plant is built there. The power plant is intended to supply electricity to a high-speed upgrade of the railway between Naples and the city of Bari, on Italy's Adriatic coast.</p><p>As well as the pit tombs, the necropolis features two large burial mounds — about 50 feet (15 meters) across — that the archaeologists think cover the tombs of elite members of the ancient society.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.09%;"><img id="VMz5BGa8uEEeWN6HXf8xHN" name="bracelets.jpg" alt="A row of about 20 bronze bracelets in the dirt burial." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VMz5BGa8uEEeWN6HXf8xHN.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1077" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A statement from Italy's Ministry of Culture said the tombs of men in the necropolis often included weapons, while the tombs of women often included ornaments, such as these bronze bracelets. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Italy Ministry of Culture/Terna)</span></figcaption></figure><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Related stories</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/1700-year-old-roman-shipwreck-was-stuffed-to-the-gills-with-fish-sauce-when-it-sank">1,700-year-old Roman shipwreck was stuffed to the gills with fish sauce when it sank</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-superstitions">Sacred chickens, witches and animal entrails: 7 unusual ancient Roman superstitions</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/romans-kept-poisonous-narcotic-seeds-concealed-in-bone-vials-new-discovery-reveals">Romans kept poisonous, narcotic seeds concealed in bone vials, new discovery reveals</a></p></div></div><p>The mounds are now the only visible features of the necropolis, and have been known about for millennia, but the latest excavations have only now revealed the many tombs around them, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.archaeoreporter.com/en/2024/04/25/extraordinary-archaeological-discovery-in-campania-princely-mounds-and-tombs-preceding-the-samnites/" target="_blank"><u>according to news reports</u></a>.</p><p>The tombs, artifacts and human remains they contain will now be studied in a laboratory that's been set up at the site, the statement said.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/iron-age-necropolis-that-predates-rome-unearthed-near-naples</link> <description> <![CDATA[ The excavations have recovered weapons, necklaces, bracelets and worked bones. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">UaaMLxf8tZus8SWHKXkrME</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dXjNfJrNbn7KZzzhMYgJHo.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 20:31:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dXjNfJrNbn7KZzzhMYgJHo.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Italy Ministry of Culture/Terna]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Pit tomb with a skeleton surrounded by rocks uncovered near Amorosi, Italy.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Pit tomb with a skeleton surrounded by rocks uncovered near Amorosi, Italy.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ T. rex was as smart as a crocodile, not an ape, according to study debunking controversial intelligence findings ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Since the 1970s, most scientists have agreed that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/23868-tyrannosaurus-rex-facts.html"><u><em>Tyrannosaurus rex</em></u></a> was about as smart as modern reptiles.</p><p>Then, in 2023, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36603059/" target="_blank"><u>a study</u></a> by a Brazilian neuroscientist argued that <em>T. rex</em> had a cognitive intelligence closer to that of primates. Could this iconic <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/dinosaurs"><u>dinosaur</u></a> have been as smart as a baboon, or even a human? </p><p>Probably not, finds a new study published in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.25459" target="_blank"><u>The Anatomical Record</u></a>. The international team of scientists reaffirmed the older understanding that <em>T. rex </em>intelligence was likely similar to that of a crocodile.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_nkipp5lu_pBYGc5Ws_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_nkipp5lu_pBYGc5Ws_div'></div></div></div></div><p>"This traditional view is likely the right one," first author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.kai-caspar.de/" target="_blank"><u>Kai Caspar</u></a>, a zoologist at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany, told Live Science. Caspar studies how cognition evolves and the different cognitive capacities between animal groups. </p><p>To study brain biology in long-extinct animals like dinosaurs, scientists use endocasts — or molds of the fossil skull — to estimate relative brain size and the proportion of tissue that it once held. It's not a perfect proxy, but currently it's the best model.</p><p>In modern alligators and crocodiles, the brain only occupies about 30% of the cranial cavity. In birds and mammals, it's close to 100%.</p><p><strong>Related:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/t-rex-slow-walker-tail.html"><u><strong>Never mind outrunning a T. rex — you could probably outwalk it</strong></u></a></p><p>According to Caspar and his colleagues, this was one of the main problems with the 2023 study: that it overestimated the brain size of <em>T. rex </em>by assuming the brain filled the whole endocranial cavity. Given the shape and form of the dinosaur endocasts available to study, Caspar said the brain-to-fluid ratio was likely closer to that of reptiles than that of modern birds.</p><p>The second problem was data inconsistency. Brain size estimates in the Brazilian study included other structures in the <em>T. rex </em>head that sit inside the brain cavity but aren't part of the brain itself, such as the olfactory bulb. The data also used a mix of juvenile and adult <em>T. rex</em> samples.</p><p>In the new study, Caspar and colleagues tidied up the dataset by standardizing body mass estimates and excluding those structures inside <em>T. rex</em>'s skull that aren't involved in neural activity, like the olfactory bulb, pituitary gland and inner ear.</p><p>But they couldn't replicate the results of the 2023 study. </p><p>"We arrived at very different results," said Caspar. </p><p>They estimated the number of neurons, or nerve cells, in the <em>T. rex</em> brain using their new brain volume estimates. </p><p>They found <em>T. rex</em> had between 250 million and 1.7 billion neurons, similar to the count in crocodiles. The Brazilian study, in contrast, estimated 3.3 billion neurons for <em>T. rex</em>, similar to that of baboons. </p><p>However, the study notes that brain size and neuron count aren't the best predictors of cognitive intelligence. The number of neurons and brain size varies greatly across animals, but it doesn't always correlate to higher competence. </p><p>For example, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/17613-counting-pigeons-smart-animals.html"><u>pigeons</u></a> have little brains and high neuron density and can count as well as monkeys with a larger brain.</p><p>"Neuron counts have not proven themselves to be very good predictors of intelligence in modern animals. So why should we assume that they are for extinct ones?" Caspar said. </p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/alligators-crocodiles/indian-crocodiles-seen-saving-dog-from-feral-pack-attack-but-scientists-divided-over-what-it-means"><u><strong>Indian crocodiles seen saving dog from feral pack attack, but scientists divided over what it means</strong></u></a></p><p>Even though <em>T. rex</em> probably had the intelligence of a crocodile, Caspar said not to consider it a downgrade from primate-level intelligence. </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/new-tyrannosaur-species-discovered-montana">'Frightful' never-before-seen tyrannosaur might be the 'missing link' in T. rex evolution</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/why-tyrannosaurus-rex-theropod-dinosaurs-small-arms">Why did T. rex have such tiny arms?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/t-rex-had-thin-lips-and-a-gummy-smile-controversial-study-suggests">T. rex had thin lips and a gummy smile, controversial study suggests</a></p></div></div><p>A whole range of dinosaur behaviors have been lost to time and understanding more about T. rex brain biology can help inform the study of modern reptiles, said Caspar.</p><p>"To say that dinosaurs resembled living reptiles in their cognition doesn't mean that they were boring animals," he said. "Reptiles can be fascinating as well."</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/t-rex-was-as-smart-as-a-crocodile-not-an-ape-according-to-study-debunking-controversial-intelligence-findings</link> <description> <![CDATA[ A new study debunks previous findings that the dinosaur's intelligence was similar to that of primates, finding instead that they're about as smart as modern-day crocodiles. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">R39fiunMB9gB5AX89x9Vz6</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FAhKoUvYrWTSHw7SYpaV6G.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 20:21:04 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Dinosaurs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Extinct Species]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FAhKoUvYrWTSHw7SYpaV6G.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Shutterstock]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[An illustration of a T. rex opening its mouth in a wooded environment]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An illustration of a T. rex opening its mouth in a wooded environment]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ 'Lost' satellite finally found after orbiting undetected for 25 years ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>After 25 years of drifting undetected in space, an experimental satellite that launched in 1974 has been found using tracking data from the U.S. Space Force.</p><p>The Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7) satellite started its journey into the great unknown after launching on April 10, 1974 through the United States Air Force's Space Test Program. It was originally contained in what was called "The Hexagon System" in which S73-7, the smaller satellite, was deployed from the larger KH-9 Hexagon once in space. S73-7 measured 26 inches wide (66 centimeters) and began its life heading into a 500 mile (800 kilometers) circular orbit.</p><p>While in orbit, the original plan was for S73-7 to inflate and take on the role as a calibration target for remote sensing equipment. After this failed to be achieved during deployment, the satellite faded away into the abyss and joined the graveyard of unwanted space junk until it was rediscovered in April.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_TAjp8Os6_tfejT8dc_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_TAjp8Os6_tfejT8dc_div'></div></div></div></div><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://gizmodo.com/missing-satellite-found-after-25-years-lost-space-1851443790" target="_blank">In an interview with Gizmodo</a>, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist from the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics</a>, shared he had studied the data archives and discovered that before the recent finding, it had gone off the grid from radar not once but twice — once in the 1970s and then again in the 1990s.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/radar-images-show-europes-doomed-ers-2-satellite-buckle-and-burn-during-final-orbits-of-earth"><strong>Radar images show Europe's doomed ERS-2 satellite buckle and burn during final orbits of Earth</strong></a></p><div class="see-more see-more--clipped"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet hawk-ignore" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The S73-7 satellite has been rediscovered after being untracked for 25 years. New TLEs for object 7244 started appearing on Apr 25. Congrats to whichever @18thSDS analyst made the identification. pic.twitter.com/YJOow5o4ND<a href="https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1784809456548663518">April 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><div class="see-more__filter"></div><div class="see-more__button-container"><span class="see-more__button" role="button" tabindex="0" aria-label="See more">See more</span></div></div><p>"The problem is that it possibly has a very low radar cross section," McDowell told Gizmodo in a phone interview. "And maybe the thing that they're tracking is a dispenser or a piece of the balloon that didn't deploy right, so it's not metal and doesn't show up well on radar."</p><p>It's not an easy task to know the location and identity of every single object that's in orbit as there are more than 20,000 at the moment. By using ground-based radar as well as optical sensors, space junk can be tracked and when appropriate put into a satellite catalogue, but determining exactly what each item is has challenges. The sensors can pick up on an object in orbit but then it has to be matched with a satellite that's also on the same path. </p><p>"If you've got a recent orbital data set, and there's not too many things that are similar orbit, it's probably an easy match," McDowell said. "But if it's a very crowded bit of parameter space, and you haven't seen it for a while, then it's not so easy to match up."</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1200px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:61.83%;"><img id="4bsHGw2V6bsoi7aKKGSpTM" name="hexagon system.jpeg" alt="A National Reconnaissance Office illustration of a KH-9 Hexagon satellite and its basic systems." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4bsHGw2V6bsoi7aKKGSpTM.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1200" height="742" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A National Reconnaissance Office illustration of a KH-9 Hexagon satellite and its basic systems. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: National Reconnaissance Office)</span></figcaption></figure><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/big-dead-european-satellite-will-come-crashing-back-to-earth-this-month">Big, dead European satellite will come crashing back to Earth this month</a> </p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/russian-satellite-narrowly-avoids-collision-with-us-spacecraft-and-nasa-could-do-nothing-to-stop-it">Russian satellite narrowly avoids collision with US spacecraft, and NASA could do nothing to stop it</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/big-doomed-tie-fighter-satellite-seen-from-space-just-days-before-crash-landing-back-to-earth">Big, doomed 'TIE fighter' satellite seen from space just days before crashing back to Earth</a></p></div></div><p>Post launch, ground engineers have a good idea of where a satellite is headed and the altitude it's expected to drift to. With this information in the log, they can take a look back at the progression and compare it to where the satellite was last reported. However, to throw a wrench into that, if there's are any alteration to the original maneuvering plans or if a satellite drifts in orbit, engineers have more work to do to find it again.</p><p>"If you don't know exactly where the maneuver was, you may have trouble locating it," McDowell said. "If I rewind the orbit of an object and fast forward for the missing object, do they meet and is the point where they meet where the maneuver happened?"</p><p>That's why a discovery like this is a win for the men and women trying to keep track of the tens of thousands of lost satellites and other debris orbiting our planet. But as more and more satellites head into space, the task will become even greater to know what exactly is out there and what threats that could pose.</p><p>"If you're missing one or two objects, that's not a huge risk," McDowell told Gizmodo. "But you want to do as good a job as you can."</p><p><em>Originally posted on </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/"><u><em>Space.com</em></u></a>.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/lost-satellite-finally-found-after-orbiting-undetected-for-25-years</link> <description> <![CDATA[ The Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7) satellite had gone off the grid from radar not once but twice — once in the 1970s and then again in the 1990s. After 25 years missing in orbit, it has finally been rediscovered. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">Ey92g2LHFCL7Er3YonV5ac</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SWYRQRGLXkcGLdDz4oK8f.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 18:47:28 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Space Exploration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SWYRQRGLXkcGLdDz4oK8f.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[USAF/Jim Copes]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[KH-9 satellite]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[KH-9 satellite]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ 'Major lunar standstill' may reveal if Stonehenge is aligned with the moon ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Stonehenge has aligned with the sun on the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/summer-solstice-the-science-behind-the-longest-day-of-the-year"><u>solstices</u></a> for thousands of years, but is it possible that it also aligns with the moon? A once-in-a-generation event, known as a "major lunar standstill" is now underway, and scientists are ready to investigate whether ancient people built the monument to align with our natural satellite.</p><p>A major lunar standstill occurs every 18.6 years, when the moon rises and sets at a more northerly and southerly place along the horizon than usual, according to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/moon-may-have-influenced-stonehenge-builders"><u>statement</u></a> from the Royal Astronomical Society. What's more, from our perspective on Earth, the moon will reach <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.umass.edu/sunwheel/pages/moonteaching.html"><u>higher altitudes in the sky than the summer sun</u></a> and lower altitudes than the winter sun.</p><p>This unique moon cycle is taking place this year and into 2025. "It's a long cycle. Archaeologists haven't had that many opportunities to study it [at Stonehenge]," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/press-office/english-heritage-experts/"><u>Jennifer Wexler</u></a>, senior properties historian with a speciality in prehistoric sites at English Heritage, an organization that oversees historic sites in England, told Live Science.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_NKxkqTsL_pBYGc5Ws_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_NKxkqTsL_pBYGc5Ws_div'></div></div></div></div><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/was-stonehenge-an-ancient-calendar-a-new-study-says-no"><u><strong>Was Stonehenge an ancient calendar? A new study says no.</strong></u></a></p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/stonehenge-england-ancient-history"><u>Stonehenge</u></a> has gone through many phases of building and rebuilding, starting in about 3000 B.C. with the construction of a large, circular ditch that had an inner and outer bank and two entrances. On the inner circle within this monument, archaeologists have found 56 pits, dubbed Aubrey Holes for John Aubrey, a 17th-century antiquarian who first described them. It's possible the Aubrey Holes once held upright timbers or stones. But some <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/63240-cremation-burials-stonehenge.html"><u>hold cremation burials</u></a>, as do other locations within Stonehenge. Strangely, many of the cremations are found in the southeastern part of Stonehenge, near three pits that likely once held timber posts, and which appear to align with the southerly moonrise of a major lunar standstill.</p><p>It appears that these southeastern burials, both in the Aubrey Holes and around them, remained meaningful, because in about 2500 B.C., when the famous large stones were initially placed, ancient builders put down the so-called four Station Stones in this spot. The long axis of the rectangle these stones form may align with the most southerly rising point of the moon, according to the statement.</p><p>"Stonehenge's architectural connection to the Sun is well known, but its link with the Moon is less well understood," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://le.ac.uk/people/clive-ruggles"><u>Clive Ruggles</u></a>, professor emeritus of archaeoastronomy at the University of Leicester, said in the statement. "The four Station Stones align with the Moon's extreme positions, and researchers have debated for years whether this was deliberate, and — if so — how this was achieved and what might have been its purpose."</p><p>Ancient people may have viewed the major lunar standstill as a sacred time, as they "would have been so much more aware of the sky than we are now," Wexler said. "These people also would have also been early farmers, so understanding these cycles would have been extremely important to them."</p><p>Perhaps people told their children or grandchildren about the moon's unique placement, she said. "It might have been part of the ancestral connection to Stonehenge as a place." </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/100-year-old-origin-theory-of-stonehenges-iconic-altar-stone-could-be-wrong-scientists-say">100-year-old origin theory of Stonehenge's iconic Altar Stone could be wrong, scientists say</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/did-druids-build-stonehenge">Did druids build Stonehenge?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/4500-year-old-stonehenge-sanctuary-discovered-in-the-netherlands">4,500-year-old 'Stonehenge' sanctuary discovered in the Netherlands</a></p></div></div><p>During observations of the major lunar standstill at Stonehenge, researchers with Historic England, Oxford, Leicester and Bournemouth universities and the Royal Astronomical Society will examine different aspects at the site.</p><p>"We want to understand something of what it was like to experience these extreme Moonrises and sets," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.kellogg.ox.ac.uk/our-people/amanda-chadburn/"><u>Amanda Chadburn</u></a>, an archaeologist at the University of Oxford's Kellogg College, said in the statement, "and to witness their visual effects on the stones (for example, patterns of light and shadow), and consider modern influences like traffic and trees, and to document all of this through photography for future study."</p><p>Through 2024, the public is invited to Stonehenge for various events, including a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/moons-and-monoliths-26-oct-3-nov-24/"><u>pop-up planetarium</u></a>, lectures and the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/major-lunar-standstill/"><u>first livestream</u></a> of the southernmost moonrise at Stonehenge in June. The researchers are also collaborating with a team at Chimney Rock, Colorado, the site of a Chacoan settlement that may also align with the moon during the major lunar standstill.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/major-lunar-standstill-may-reveal-if-stonehenge-is-aligned-with-the-moon</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Is Stonehenge aligned with the moon? Scientists hope to find out during a rare 'major lunar standstill, which happens once every 18.6 years. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">wPBbADhfMbRTnbQbsYpjC</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3CETkLz6u6ZDMyKjrb5Uq3.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 18:39:29 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ lgeggel@livescience.com (Laura Geggel) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3CETkLz6u6ZDMyKjrb5Uq3.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[oversnap/Shutterstock]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Full moon over Stonehenge.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Full moon over Stonehenge.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Scientists could make blazing-fast 6G using curving light rays ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The future of cellular data transfer could lie in "curving" light beams midair to deliver 6G wireless networks with blazing-fast speeds — bypassing the need for line of sight between transmitter and receivers. </p><p>In a new study published March 30 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s44172-024-00206-3" target="_blank"><u>Nature's Communications Engineering</u></a>, researchers explained how they developed a transmitter that can dynamically adjust the waves needed to support future 6G signals. </p><p>The most advanced cellular communications standard is 5G. Expected to be <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/6g-internet" target="_blank"><u>thousands of times faster,</u></a> 6G will begin rolling out in 2030, according to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.gsma.com/spectrum/setting-the-stage-for-6g/#:~:text=2023%20will%20mark%20the%20beginning,experience%20compared%20to%20previous%20generations." target="_blank"><u>trade body GSMA</u></a>. Unlike 5G, which mostly operates in bands under 6 gigahertz (GHz) in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/38169-electromagnetism.html" target="_blank"><u>electromagnetic spectrum</u></a>, 6G is expected to operate in sub-terahertz (THz) between 100 GHz and 300 GHz, and THz bands — just below infrared. The closer this radiation is to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/50678-visible-light.html"><u>visible light</u></a>, the more prone the signals are to be blocked by physical objects. A major challenge with high-frequency 5G and future 6G is that signals need a direct line of sight between a transmitter and receiver. </p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_Yj8giRGl_pBYGc5Ws_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_Yj8giRGl_pBYGc5Ws_div'></div></div></div></div><p>But in the experiments, the scientists showed that you can effectively "curve" high-frequency signals around obstacles such as buildings.</p><p>"This is the world's first curved data link, a critical milestone in realizing the 6G vision of high data rate and high reliability," said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/edward-w-knightly" target="_blank"><u>Edward Knightly</u></a>, co-author of the study and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University, in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-04-09/curving-beams" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/electronics/6g-chip-uses-both-light-and-electricity-and-fits-together-like-lego"><u><strong>Scientists create light-based semiconductor chip that will pave the way for 6G</strong></u></a></p><p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/what-are-photons"><u>photons</u></a>, or light particles, that make up the THz radiation in this region of the electromagnetic spectrum generally travel in straight lines unless space and time are warped by massive gravitational forces — the kind that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/black-holes"><u>black holes</u></a> exert. But the researchers found that self-accelerating beams of light — first demonstrated in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.213901" target="_blank"><u>research from 2007</u></a> — form special configurations of electromagnetic waves that can bend or curve to one side as they move through space. </p><p>By designing transmitters with patterns that manipulate the strength, intensity and timing of the data-carrying signals, the researchers made waves that worked together to create a signal that remained intact even if its route to a receiver was partially blocked. They found that a light beam can be formed that adjusts to any objects in its way by shuffling data to an unblocked pattern. So while the photons still travel in a straight line, the THz signal effectively bends around an object.</p><h2 id="bending-toward-a-6g-future-2">Bending toward a 6G future</h2><p>While bending light without the power of a black hole isn't new research, what's significant about this study is it could make 6G networks a practical reality. </p><p>5G millimeter wave (mmWave) currently offers the fastest network bandwidth by occupying the higher 5G radio frequencies between 24GHz and 100GHz of the electromagnetic spectrum to deliver <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://5g.co.uk/guides/how-fast-is-5g/" target="_blank"><u>theoretical maximum download speeds of 10 to 50 gigabits</u></a> (billions of bits) per second. THz rays sit above mmWave in a frequency between 100 GHz and 10,000 GHz (10 THz), which is needed to deliver data transfer speeds of one terabit per second — nearly 5,000 times faster than <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/818204/4g-3g-and-overall-download-speed-in-the-united-states-by-provider/#:~:text=5G%20and%20overall%20mobile%20download%20speed%20in%20the%20U.S.%202024%2C%20by%20provider&text=As%20of%20late%202023%2C%20T,download%20speed%20at%2097.1%20Mbps" target="_blank"><u>average U.S. 5G speeds</u></a>. </p><p>"We want more data per second," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.brown.edu/research/labs/mittleman/http%3A/www.brown.edu/research/labs/mittleman/people/daniel-m-mittleman" target="_blank"><u>Daniel Mittleman</u></a>, a professor at Brown's School of Engineering, said in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-04-09/curving-beams" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>. "If you want to do that, you need more bandwidth, and that bandwidth simply doesn't exist using conventional frequency bands."</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/communications/fiber-optic-data-transfer-speeds-hit-a-rapid-301-tbps-12-million-times-faster-than-your-home-broadband-connection">Fiber-optic data transfer speeds hit a rapid 301 Tbps — 1.2 million times faster than your home broadband connection</a> </p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/communications/tv-tech-oled-light-powered-lifi-connections-100-times-faster-than-wi-fi">Scientists use TV tech to test light-powered internet connections that can be 100 times faster than Wi-Fi</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/10587-wireless-devices-overwhelm-nature-signals.html">Wireless devices overwhelm nature's signals</a></p></div></div><p>But due to the high frequencies they operate in, both 5G mmWave and future 6G signals need a direct line of sight between a transmitter and receiver. But by practically delivering a signal over a curved trajectory, future 6G networks wouldn't need buildings to be covered in receivers and transmitters.</p><p>However, a receiver needs to be within the near-field range of the transmitter for signal bending to work. When using high-frequency THz rays, this means some 33 feet (10 meters) apart, which is no good for city-wide 6G but could be practical for next-generation Wi-Fi networks.</p><p>"One of the key questions that everybody asks us is how much can you curve and how far away," Mittleman said. "We've done rough estimations of these things, but we haven't really quantified it yet, so we hope to map it out."</p><p>While curving THz signals holds a lot of promise for future 6G networks, the use of THz spectrum is still in its infancy. With this study, the scientists said we have gotten a step closer to realizing cellular wireless networks with unparalleled speeds.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/technology/communications/scientists-made-blazing-fast-6g-using-curving-light-rays</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Researchers have discovered a way to curve data-carrying terahertz signals around obstacles, paving the way for ultrafast 6G. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">FqzLqZTYZzEHuAWkLtdRdf</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Uj8SGs9Rg6NAQ826QzrqiJ.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 16:30:04 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Communications]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Uj8SGs9Rg6NAQ826QzrqiJ.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Shutterstock]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Illustration of multi-colored light spirals in front of a purple and blue background]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Illustration of multi-colored light spirals in front of a purple and blue background]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' is growing a staggering amount each year ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The "gateway to the underworld," a huge crater in Siberia's permafrost, is growing by 35 million cubic feet (1 million cubic meters) every year as the frozen ground melts, according to a new study.</p><p>The crater, officially known as the Batagay (also spelled Batagaika) crater or megaslump, features a rounded cliff face that was first spotted on satellite images in 1991 after a section of hillside collapsed in the Yana Uplands of northern Yakutia in Russia. This collapse exposed layers of permafrost within the remaining portion of the hillside that have been <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/siberias-gateway-to-the-underworld-megaslump-is-revealing-650000-year-old-secrets-from-its-permafrost"><u>frozen for up to 650,000 years</u></a> — the oldest permafrost in Siberia and second oldest in the world.</p><p>New research suggests that the Batagay megaslump's cliff face, or headwall, is retreating at a rate of 40 feet (12 meters) per year due to permafrost thaw. The collapsed section of the hillside, which fell to 180 feet (55 m) below the headwall, is also melting rapidly and sinking as a result.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:5760px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="iH7yB2kfZf7qFy4VR7Fzsi" name="RP13JD.jpg" alt="A large, brown crater with ice inside and on the walls. Pine trees grow on around the edge of the crater" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iH7yB2kfZf7qFy4VR7Fzsi.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="5760" height="3240" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">New research suggests the Batagay crater, or megaslump, in Siberia is growing by a staggering amount each year. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Padi Prints / Troy TV Stock via Alamy)</span></figcaption></figure><p>"Rapid permafrost thaw features are widespread and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/more-unzipping-of-the-landscape-arctic-permafrost-could-crumble-into-rivers-unleashing-devastating-feedback-loop"><u>observed to increase in Arctic</u></a> and sub-Arctic ice-rich permafrost terrain," the research team wrote in a study, published online March 31 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109183" target="_blank"><u>Geomorphology</u></a>. However, the amount of ice and sediment lost from the Batagay megaslump is "exceptionally high" due to the sheer size of the depression, which stretched 3,250 feet (990 m) wide as of 2023.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/thawing-arctic-permafrost-could-release-radioactive-cancer-causing-radon"><u><strong>Thawing Arctic permafrost could release radioactive, cancer-causing radon</strong></u></a></p><p>The megaslump measured 2,600 feet (790 m) wide in 2014, meaning it grew 660 feet (200 m) wider in less than 10 years. Researchers <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/siberias-gateway-to-the-underworld-megaslump-is-revealing-650000-year-old-secrets-from-its-permafrost"><u>already knew it was growing</u></a>, but this is the first time they have quantified the volume of melt gushing out of the crater. They did so by inspecting satellite images, field measurements and data from laboratory testing on samples from Batagay. </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/geology/mystery-of-siberias-giant-exploding-craters-may-finally-be-solved">Mystery of Siberia's giant exploding craters may finally be solved</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/sea-of-methane-sealed-beneath-arctic-permafrost-could-trigger-climate-feedback-loop-if-it-escapes">Sea of methane sealed beneath Arctic permafrost could trigger climate feedback loop if it escapes</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/black-swan-pathogens-from-ancient-permafrost-may-be-getting-ready-to-wake-up">'Black swan' pathogens from ancient permafrost may be getting ready to wake up</a></p></div></div><p>The results indicated that a region of ice and sediment equivalent to more than 14 <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/22621-pyramids-giza-sphinx.html">Great Pyramids of Giza</a> has melted off the megaslump since it collapsed. The rate of melting has remained relatively steady over the past decade, occurring mostly along the headwall on the western, southern and southeastern edges of the crater.</p><p>The Batagay megaslump is "still actively growing," the researchers wrote in the study, but there is a limit to how far it can expand. The permafrost remaining inside the crater is only a few feet thick, so "the possibility of further deepening has practically already been exhausted due to the underlying bedrock geology."</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_f4RtAPgr_tfejT8dc_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_f4RtAPgr_tfejT8dc_div'></div></div></div></div> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/siberias-gateway-to-the-underworld-is-growing-a-staggering-amount-each-year</link> <description> <![CDATA[ The Batagay megaslump — a 3,250-foot-wide (990 meters) depression in the permafrost in the Russian Far East — is "actively growing" by a massive amount every year, scientists have found. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">GJLeNKXBjnKTCcHAeoYNXA</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zNbkoHHJmJSFrPLXiuxaFj.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 16:10:11 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Arctic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ sascha.pare@futurenet.com (Sascha Pare) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zNbkoHHJmJSFrPLXiuxaFj.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA Earth Observatory]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Aerial view of the Batagay crater in Siberia.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Aerial view of the Batagay crater in Siberia.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> </channel></rss>If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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