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Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday, 3/4/23 [1]

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Date: 2023-03-04

News for a dying world

Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Rise above the swamp, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.

OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments. Quantum chemistry: Molecules caught tunneling Quantum effects can play an important role in chemical reactions. Physicists have now observed a quantum mechanical tunneling reaction in experiments. The observation can also be described exactly in theory. The scientists provide an important reference for this fundamental effect in chemistry. It is the slowest reaction with charged particles ever observed. Tunneling reactions in chemistry are very difficult to predict. The quantum mechanically exact description of chemical reactions with more than three particles is difficult, with more than four particles it is almost impossible. Theorists simulate these reactions with classical physics and must neglect quantum effects. But where is the limit of this classical description of chemical reactions, which can only provide approximations? Baby star near the black hole in the middle of our Milky Way: It exists after all

An international team of researchers under the leadership of Dr Florian Peißker at the University of Cologne's Institute of Astrophysics has discovered a very young star in its formation phase near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the centre of our Milky Way. The star is only several tens of thousands of years old, making it younger than humanity. The special thing about baby star X3a is that theoretically it should not be able to exist so close to the supermassive black hole in the first place. However, the team believes that it formed in a dust cloud orbiting the giant black hole and sank to its current orbit only after it had formed. The study "X3: a high-mass Young Stellar Object close to the supermassive black hole Sgr A*" has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Astronomers discover metal-rich galaxies in early universe

While analyzing data from the first images of a well-known early galaxy taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Cornell University astronomers discovered a companion galaxy previously hidden behind the light of the foreground galaxy -- one that surprisingly seems to have already hosted multiple generations of stars despite its young age, estimated at 1.4 billion years old. "We found this galaxy to be super-chemically abundant, something none of us expected," said Bo Peng, a doctoral student in astronomy, who led the data analysis. "JWST changes the way we view this system and opens up new venues to study how stars and galaxies formed in the early universe."

x You may have heard that @NASA is already thinking about it's next big flagship mission - a planet-hunting bohemoth called the Habitable Worlds Observatory.



You may *not* know that we already have the list of potential stars we will search for habitable worlds. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/u90U1LTNdB — Dr. Jessie Christiansen (@aussiastronomer) March 2, 2023

Resurrected supernova provides missing-link

Astronomers have discovered a supernova exhibiting unprecedented rebrightening at millimeter wavelengths, providing an intermediate case between two types of supernovae: those of solitary stars and those in close-binary systems. Many massive stars end their lives in a catastrophic explosion known as a supernova (SN). Supernovae increase rapidly in brightness, and then fade over the course of several months. Astronomers have long known that the presence or absence of a close binary companion can affect the evolution of massive stars. In a close binary system, gravitational interactions with the binary companion will strip large amounts of material from the SN progenitor long before the final explosion. In these cases, the progenitor will be quiet up until the time of the actual SN. On the other hand, in the case of an SN progenitor with no binary companion or a distant companion, leading up to the SN explosion the progenitor will keep most of its initial mass.

Ultracool dwarf binary stars break records

Northwestern University and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) astrophysicists have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed. The two stars are so close that it takes them less than one Earth day to revolve around each other. In other words, each star's "year" lasts just 17 hours. The newly discovered system, named LP 413-53AB, is composed of a pair of ultracool dwarfs, a class of very low-mass stars that are so cool that they emit their light primarily in the infrared, making them completely invisible to the human eye. They are nonetheless one of the most common types of stars in the universe.

x Our @NASARoman Telescope will match the detail of @NASAHubble, yet cover in a year what would take Hubble nearly a century. Combining data from Roman, Hubble, and @NASAWebb will help astronomers “rewind the universe” and understand how it formed: https://t.co/sqCa6J3Tw8 pic.twitter.com/fsw0lyeNlb — NASA (@NASA) March 2, 2023

New NASA DART data prove viability of asteroid deflection as planetary defense strategy

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was Earth's first attempt at launching a spacecraft to intentionally collide with and deflect an asteroid as a planetary defense technique. On September 26, 2022, the DART spacecraft collided with a small asteroid moon called Dimorphos, which orbits a larger asteroid called Didymos. Neither asteroid posed a threat to Earth, but they represented similar celestial bodies that could one day approach and endanger the planet. In four papers published in the journal Nature on March 1, 2023, the DART team -- which includes University of Maryland astronomers -- detailed DART's successful impact, the possible physics behind the collision, observations of the resulting debris ejected from the asteroid and calculations of Dimorphos' orbital changes. The findings confirm the feasibility of redirecting near-Earth objects like asteroids as a planetary defense measure.

Ancient proteins offer new clues about origin of life on Earth

By simulating early Earth conditions in the lab, researchers have found that without specific amino acids, ancient proteins would not have known how to evolve into everything alive on the planet today -- including plants, animals, and humans. The findings, which detail how amino acids shaped the genetic code of ancient microorganisms, shed light on the mystery of how life began on Earth. "You see the same amino acids in every organism, from humans to bacteria to archaea, and that's because all things on Earth are connected through this tree of life that has an origin, an organism that was the ancestor to all living things," said Stephen Fried, a Johns Hopkins chemist who co-led the research with scientists at Charles University in the Czech Republic. "We're describing the events that shaped why that ancestor got the amino acids that it did."

x Alicia Grealy et al. (2023)

Molecular exploration of fossil eggshell uncovers hidden lineage of giant extinct bird

Nature Communications 14: 914

doi: https://t.co/CahxoDcalrhttps://t.co/gXpvxOn9w2 — Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. 🦖💕 (he/him) (@TomHoltzPaleo) February 28, 2023

Study identifies four distinct pain trajectories in nursing home residents

Despite awareness that pain is common in nursing home residents, there has been minimal attention focused on how this pain changes over time. A new study presents compelling evidence of the existence of four distinct pain trajectories in this population. This new understanding of pain over time can help nursing home staff and clinicians better understand, recognize and respond to risk factors associated with persistent pain in individuals living in nursing homes. Ultimately, consideration of pain trajectories may alter courses of care and illness, prevent adverse outcomes and improve quality of life.

Blue whale foraging and reproduction are related to environmental conditions, study shows

A new study of New Zealand blue whales' vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region. The findings are a significant advancement in researchers' understanding of the habitat use and behavior of this population of blue whales, which Oregon State University researchers first identified as genetically distinct from other blue whale populations less than a decade ago. "We went from not knowing 10 years ago whether this was a distinct population to now understanding these whales' ecology and their response to changing environmental conditions," said the study's lead author, Dawn Barlow, a postdoctoral scholar in OSU's Marine Mammal Institute. "These findings can inform conservation management of this blue whale population and their habitat."

x The SMALLEST and RAREST dolphin on Earth! Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is found only in New Zealand. When fully grown these adorable dolphins only get up to about 1.5 m (5 ft) long and around 50 kg (110 lbs)! 🧵(1/3) pic.twitter.com/AhZUe2MBnZ — Go to sea for science! (@goseascience) March 1, 2023

Breathing is going to get tougher

Not all pollution comes from people. When global temperatures increase by 4 degrees Celsius, harmful plant emissions and dust will also increase by as much as 14 percent, according to new UC Riverside research. The research does not account for a simultaneous increase in human-made sources of air pollution, which has already been predicted by other studies. "We are not looking at human emissions of air pollution, because we can change what we emit," said James Gomez, UCR doctoral student and lead author of the study. "We can switch to electric cars. But that may not change air pollution from plants or dust."

Sea urchin die-offs threaten Caribbean coral reefs

The sustained loss of a once abundant species of sea urchin in the Caribbean could also result in the functional extinction of diverse coral species from the region's reefs, according to new research from a Florida State University team. The urchin species Diadema antillarum has long been considered the most important grazer in the Caribbean, feeding on algae that would otherwise overrun the reef and make it difficult for coral to thrive. But two mortality events over the past 40 years have caused much of that urchin population to die off. New research led by FSU Professor of Biological Science Don Levitan shows that the loss of these algae-free areas due to the sea urchin die-off is threatening the existence of the corals that populate Caribbean reefs.

x White Dungeness crab caught near Seaside is a 1 in 2 million find - https://t.co/5LdYSnal2a ⁦@franzanth⁩ https://t.co/rzywpsJDOK — ❄️skippy the bush kangaroo🥧 (@theogany) March 4, 2023

Bald eagles aren't fledging as many chicks due to avian influenza

Bald eagles are often touted as a massive conservation success story due to their rebound from near extinction in the 1960s. But now a highly infectious virus may put that hard-fought comeback in jeopardy. New research showed highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1, is killing off unprecedented numbers of mating pairs of bald eagles. Published in Nature's Scientific Reports, new research from the University of Georgia showed highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1, is killing off unprecedented numbers of mating pairs of bald eagles. "Even just one year of losses of productivity like we've documented regionally is very concerning and could have effects for decades to come if representative of broader regions," said Nicole Nemeth, lead author of the study and an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. "There were nights where I couldn't sleep based on what we were hearing and seeing. We have already lost unprecedented numbers of wild birds due to this virus in the U.S. and it appears here to stay."

Ice Age survivors

Large-scale genomic analysis documents the migrations of Ice Age hunter-gatherers over a period of 30,000 years -- they took shelter in Western Europe but died out on the Italian peninsula. The team analysed the genomes of 356 prehistoric hunter gatherers from different archaeological cultures -- including new data sets of 116 individuals from 14 different European and Central Asian countries. Modern humans began to spread across Eurasia around 45,000 years ago but previous research showed that the first modern humans that arrived in Europe did not contribute to later populations. This study focuses on the people who lived between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago and that are, at least partially, the ancestors of the present-day population of Western Eurasia, including -- for the first time -- the genomes of people who lived during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the coldest phase of the last Ice Age, around 25,000 years ago.

x The genomic history of ice-age Europeans https://t.co/7IKSke9COQ — Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. 🦖💕 (he/him) (@TomHoltzPaleo) March 1, 2023

Steel was being used in Europe 2900 years ago

A study by an international and interdisciplinary team headed by Freiburg archaeologist Dr. Ralph Araque Gonzalez from the Faculty of Humanities has shown that steel tools were already in use in Europe around 2900 years ago. Using geochemicalanalyses, the researchers were able to prove that stone stelae on the Iberian peninsula that date back to the Final Bronze Age feature complex engravings that could only have been done using tempered steel. This was backed up by metallographic analyses of an iron chisel from the same period and region (Rocha do Vigio, Portugal, ca. 900 BCE) that showed the necessary carbon content to be proper steel. The result was also confirmed experimentally by undertaking trials with chisels made of various materials: only the chisel made of tempered steel was suitably capable of engraving the stone. Until recently it was assumed that it was not possible to produce suitable quality steel in the Early Iron Age and certainly not in the Final Bronze Age, and that it only came to be widespread in Europe under the Roman Empire.

Coral-friendly sunscreen provides better UV protection than existing options

Researchers have developed a prototype for coral-reef-friendly sunscreens by using polymerization to create large molecules that still block UV radiation but are too big to penetrate our skin, coral, and algae. The polymeric UV filter, presented March 1 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Sciences, was more effective at preventing sunburn in mice than existing sunscreens. "This is an initial exploration of a new strategy to design bio-friendly and coral-friendly polymeric UV filters," says senior author Lei Tao, a chemist at Tsinghua University. "We hope this leads to the next generation of sunscreens." Tao was inspired to explore environmentally friendly sunscreens after visiting the Great Barrier Reef in 2010. "I was blown away by the beautiful coral, and ever since I learnt that sunscreen is one of the causes of coral bleaching, I kept thinking about ways to develop a coral-friendly sunscreen."

x In the city of L'Aquila in Italy there is a fountain is called Fontana Luminosa “luminous fountain”



When the sun hit at just the right angle, the water looks like lava



📸Reddit user daenel pic.twitter.com/xKqm6gUqXV — Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) March 4, 2023

Scientists Prove Clear Link Between Deforestation and Local Drop in Rainfall

For the first time researchers have proven a clear correlation between deforestation and regional precipitation. Scientists hope it may encourage agricultural companies and governments in the Amazon and Congo basin regions and south-east Asia to invest more in protecting trees and other vegetation. From a report: The study found that the more rainforests are cleared in tropical countries, the less local farmers will be able to depend on rain for their crops and pastures. The paper, published in the journal Nature, adds to fears that the degradation of the Amazon is approaching a tipping point after which the rainforest will no longer be able to generate its own rainfall and the vegetation will dry up. People living in deforested areas have long provided anecdotal evidence that their microclimates became drier with lower tree cover. Scientists already knew that killing trees reduces evapotranspiration and thus theorised this would result in lower local rainfall. The team at Leeds University have now proven this using satellite and meteorological records from 2003-17 across pantropical regions. Even at a small scale, they found an impact, but the decline became more pronounced when the affected area was greater than 50km squared (2,500 sq km). At the largest measured scale of 200km squared (40,000 sq km), the study discovered rainfall was 0.25 percentage points lower each month for every 1 percentage point loss of forest. This can enter into a vicious cycle, as reductions in rainfall lead to further forest loss, increased fire vulnerability and weaker carbon drawdown. One of the authors, Prof Dominick Spracklen of the University of Leeds, said 25% to 50% of the rain that fell in the Amazon came from precipitation recycling by the trees. Although the forest is sometimes described as the "lungs of the world," it functions far more like a heart that pumps water around the region.

A New Study Shows Seabirds Avoid Offshore Turbines

Matt_Bennett (Slashdot reader #79,107) writes:Swedish power company Vattenfall released a study on the interactions of seabirds and offshore wind turbines. They used cameras and radar to record the tracks of the birds during daylight hours at Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm over peak periods of bird activity in 2020 and 2021. The study observed no collisions or even narrow escapes between birds and rotor blades. In 97.7% of the recordings, the birds avoided the RSZ (rotor swept zone).

The company (owned by the Swedish government) spent €3 million on the two-year study, according to Electrek, and now has ten thousand videos of birds flying...nowhere near the wind turbines. Herring gulls avoided the rotor blades by a full 90-110 meters (295-361 feet) while kittiwakes flew even further from the blades — 140-160 meters (459-525 feet). "By way of comparison, each of these human-related sources kill millions or even billions of birds per year: fossil fuels, deforestation, pesticides, windows, and the common housecat."

New Disease Caused by Plastics Discovered in Seabirds

A new disease caused solely by plastics has been discovered in seabirds. The birds identified as having the disease, named plasticosis, have scarred digestive tracts from ingesting waste, scientists at the Natural History Museum in London say. From a report: It is the first recorded instance of specifically plastic-induced fibrosis in wild animals, researchers say. Plastic pollution is becoming so prevalent that the scarring was widespread across different ages of birds, according to the study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. Young birds were found to have the disease, and it is thought chicks were being fed the plastic pollution by parents accidentally bringing it back in food. Scientists, including the Natural History Museum's Dr Alex Bond and Dr Jennifer Lavers, studied flesh-footed shearwaters from Australia's Lord Howe Island to look at the relationship between levels of ingested plastic and the proventriculus organ -- the first part of a bird's stomach. They found that the more plastic a bird had ingested, the more scarring it had. The disease can lead to the gradual breakdown of tubular glands in the proventriculus. Losing these glands can cause the birds to become more vulnerable to infection and parasites and affect their ability to digest food and absorb some vitamins.

x At the end of today negotiations on the first internationally binding treaty for the #HighSeas will conclude in #NewYork. Stay tuned to know if the negotiators will reach the finish line for a strong #HighSeasTreaty! pic.twitter.com/WKj0faclSA — SARGADOM (@_SARGADOM) March 3, 2023

Most detailed geological model reveals Earth's past 100 million years

Climate, tectonics and time combine to create powerful forces that craft the face of our planet. Add the gradual sculpting of the Earth's surface by rivers and what to us seems solid as rock is constantly changing. However, our understanding of this dynamic process has at best been patchy. Scientists today have published new research revealing a detailed and dynamic model of the Earth's surface over the past 100 million years.

Researchers Create Space Salad for Astronauts

The space salad contains ingredients — including soybean, poppy, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato and sunflower seeds — that could be grown on spacecraft and provide optimum nutrition for astronauts. “We have simulated a mix of six to eight crops that deliver all the required nutrients that an astronaut needs, which is different from what people need on Earth,” said Professor Volker Hessel, research director of the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources at the University of Adelaide. “While there are dozens of crops that can fulfill an astronaut’s nutrient requirements, we needed to find those that could pack a punch and deliver the calories needed in smaller portions that could be grown in a small space.”

Study: Eurasian Woodcocks Have Brightest White Feathers Ever Measured

New research led by Imperial College London suggests that Eurasian woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) have evolved their bright white feather patches for long-range visual communication in dimly lit environments. Diurnal birds (most active during the day) often have colorful plumages, which they use to communicate information with each other. Birds that are most active at dawn and dusk or at night (crepuscular), such as nightjars and woodcocks, tend to have less showy plumage, as while sleeping during the day they need to be camouflaged to avoid predators. Rather than using showy plumages, it was thought that birds active during low light conditions instead used sounds or chemicals to communicate. However, many have bright white patches, which could be used in environments with very little natural light for communication if these are reflective enough.

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