NASA’s Webb Takes Its First-Ever Direct Image of Distant World

For the first time, astronomers have used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to take a direct image of a planet outside our solar system. The exoplanet is a gas giant, meaning it has no rocky surface and could not be habitable.

The image, as seen through four different light filters, shows how Webb’s powerful infrared gaze can easily capture worlds beyond our solar system, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever before about exoplanets.

“This is a transformative moment, not only for Webb but also for astronomy generally,” said Sasha Hinkley, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, who led these observations

The exoplanet in Webb’s image, called HIP 65426 b, is about six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter, and these observations could help narrow that down even further. It's 385 light years away.

Taking direct images of exoplanets is challenging because stars are so much brighter than planets. The HIP 65426 b planet is more than 10,000 times fainter than its host star in the near-infrared, and a few thousand times fainter in the mid-infrared.

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Stem cell biologists create new human cell type for research

Professor Vincent Pasque and his team at KU Leuven have managed to generate a new type of human cell in the lab using stem cells. The new cells closely resemble their natural counterparts in early human embryos.

As a result, researchers can now better study what happens just after an embryo implants in the womb.

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⁣Frank Drake, pioneer in the search for alien life, dies at 92

⁣Drake’s contributions to science were numerous. A founder of the scientific field engaged in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), he developed the Drake Equation, a framework for estimating the number of possible civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.

He made the first observations of Jupiter’s radiation belts, and he was one of the first astronomers to measure Venus’s searing surface temperature and the greenhouse effect of its thick atmosphere.

Drake served as the director of the Arecibo radio observatory in Puerto Rico. He was a mentor and inspiration to generations of astronomers and astrophysicists.

“When the history of science is written a few hundred years from now, after we have made the detection of intelligent life beyond Earth—which I absolutely believe at some point we will—I believe Frank will take a place among the greatest scientists who ever lived,” says astrophysicist Andrew Siemion

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Fueling operations of the SLS rocket were going well this morning until a hydrogen leak was found in the engine cavity. Propellant loading of the liquid hydrogen tank has been stopped at 8 percent full while the launch team assesses.

Why does the SLS rocket use liquid hydrogen fuel if it leaks all the time? Well, it is very efficient, energy density-wise. But most importantly, it's what space shuttle designers used 50 years ago, and Congress mandated that the SLS rocket use those same engines.

Source: @SciGuySpace

Artemis I has scrubbed its second attempt.

The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch attempt. Teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket.

Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data.
Source: @NASASpaceflight

I'm told that Space Launch System program officials will recommend a rollback to the VAB to investigate the hydrogen leak. The Artemis I mission management team will consider this recommendation at their afternoon meeting, and publicly announce a decision at 20:00 UTC.
Source: @SciGuySpace

Years after shuttle, NASA rediscovers the perils of liquid hydrogen

‍A more in-depth overview of today's scrub, the road ahead for the SLS rocket, and the smallest element in the universe.

NASA sought to launch a rocket largely cobbled together from the space shuttle, which itself was designed and built more than four decades ago.

As the space shuttle often was delayed due to technical problems, it therefore comes as scant surprise that the debut launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket scrubbed a few hours before its launch window opened...

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SU(N) matter is about 3 billion times colder than deep space

A Kyoto team led by study author Yoshiro Takahashi used lasers to cool its fermions, atoms of ytterbium, within about one-billionth of a degree of absolute zero, the unattainable temperature where all motion stops.

That's about 3 billion times colder than interstellar space, which is still warmed by the afterglow from the Big Bang.

"Unless an alien civilization is doing experiments like these right now, anytime this experiment is running at Kyoto University it is making the coldest fermions in the universe," said Rice University's Kaden Hazzard

"The payoff of getting this cold is that the physics really changes," Hazzard said. "The physics starts to become more quantum mechanical, and it lets you see new phenomena."

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Scientists Just Found a New Kind of Synapse Hiding in The Brains of Mice

A previously unknown type of synapse appears to have been hiding in strange, hair-like appendages that can be found on the surfaces of neurons, new research reveals.

A study in mice suggests that structures called primary cilia play a role in neuronal signaling; specifically, they act as a shortcut for transmitting signals directly into the nucleus to trigger changes to chromatin, the complex that forms chromosomes.

This discovery may help scientists unravel the role of these mysterious structures in other cells, as well as give us a deeper understanding of the complicated workings of the brain.

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New method eradicates deadly brain tumors by 'starving' them of energy source

A groundbreaking study at Tel Aviv University effectively eradicated glioblastoma, a highly lethal type of brain cancer.

The researchers achieved the outcome using a method they developed based on their discovery of two critical mechanisms in the brain that support tumor growth and survival: one protects cancer cells from the immune system, while the other supplies the energy required for rapid tumor growth. The work found that both mechanisms are controlled by brain cells called astrocytes, and in their absence, the tumor cells die and are eliminated.

The researchers explain, "Glioblastoma is an extremely aggressive and invasive brain cancer, for which there exists no known effective treatment. The tumor cells are highly resistant to all known therapies, and, sadly, patient life expectancy has not increased significantly in the last 50 years. Our findings provide a promising basis for the development of effective medications for treating glioblastoma and other types of brain tumors."

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NASA unsure next Moon rocket launch attempt possible this month

After scrapping a second attempt to get its new 30-story lunar rocket off the ground due to a fuel leak, NASA officials said Saturday it may not be possible to try again this month.

The current launch window for NASA's Artemis 1 mission to the Moon ends Tuesday and is "definitely off the table," said Jim Free, associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, at a press conference Saturday.

The next possible launch window is September 19 to October 4, and failing that, October 17 to 31, NASA said.

The ability to take off during those windows "will really depend on the options that the team comes back with likely on Monday or early Tuesday morning," said Free.

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Cannabis users no more likely to lack motivation than non-users: Study breaks 'stoner' stereotype

Adult and adolescent cannabis users are no more likely than non-users to lack motivation or be unable to enjoy life's pleasure, new research has shown, suggesting there is no scientific basis for the stereotype often portrayed in the media.

Cannabis users also show no difference in motivation for rewards, pleasure taken from rewards, or the brain's response when seeking rewards, compared to non-users.

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Finally! There's Now a Way to Send Text Messages on Your Phone Underwater

You may not have given much thought to being able to text underwater, but for millions of scuba diving and snorkeling enthusiasts, communication in the ocean is pretty essential to staying safe.

"Other than downloading an app to their phone, the only thing people will need is a waterproof phone case rated for the depth of their dive," says Chen.

That app is AquaApp, and it can work with speakers and microphones on ordinary smartphones – or even smartwatches. It gives users 240 preset messages to pick from, split into eight categories for easier access.

In tests in a variety of scenarios, the team found the app was effective at communicating messages across a distance of 30 meters (98 feet). For shorter-length messages – emergency SOS messages, for example – the app can go up to 100 meters (nearly 330 feet). This is all managed without a huge drain on battery life.

Read more to find out how it works

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