Author

Molly Walker

The oldest “dead” galaxy known has been discovered

Astronomers believe that star formation can be slowed or stopped by various factors, all of which deprive the galaxy of the gas needed to form new stars.
“Internal factors, such as a supermassive black hole or feedback from star formation, can push gas out of the galaxy, rapidly suppressing star formation. On the other hand, gas can be consumed very quickly, and if it does not flow from the galaxy’s neighbourhood in a timely manner, it will also lead to its death,” the authors of the discovery explained.

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Space

Astronomers have identified the Milky Way’s first two building blocks

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

When galaxies collide and merge, several processes happen in parallel: each one carries with it its own reservoir of hydrogen gas; when they merge, these clouds destabilise and many new stars form within them.
“Of course, interacting galaxies already have their own stars, and when they merge, they blend together. In the long run, such ‘families’ will form part of the stellar population of the newly formed galaxy. Once the merger is complete, it may seem hopeless to determine which predecessor galaxy the particular star streams belonged to, but there are actually some ways to trace their lineage,” the study authors explained.

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Space

Strong magnetic fields have been detected in the Milky Way’s central black hole

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

To date, astronomers have managed to obtain images of just two black holes: in the Milky Way and in the galaxy Messier 87. And, although they differ significantly in mass and size, the data indicate that they are remarkably similar, which has led scientists to wonder if they have things in common beyond appearance. To test this, the Event Horizon Telescope Project team studied Sagittarius A* in polarised light. Previous similar studies of the supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy showed that the magnetic fields around it allowed it to eject powerful jets of matter into its environment.

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Space

The mystery of the origin of Pluto’s “heart” has been solved

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

Pluto’s “heart”, also known as “Tombaugh Regio”, is filled with nitrogen ice, which reflects more light than its surroundings. In addition, this region is “depressed” into the dwarf planet’s surface by an average of three kilometres.
“The elongated shape of the structure strongly suggests that the collision was not direct, but most likely at an acute angle. We recreated many such events by varying both the composition of the objects and the force, velocity and angle of impact,” the study authors explained.

According to the modelling, given that Pluto is very cold, the rocky fragments of the 730-kilometre-long impactor did not melt, but remained solid, despite releasing large amounts of heat on impact. And thanks to the angle, about 30 degrees, and the low speed of impact, they did not sink into the dwarf planet’s core, but remained relatively intact close to the surface, with the ice brought in quickly filling the resulting basin.

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Space

A black hole has been discovered in the Milky Way that is 33 times more massive than the Sun

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

The discovered black hole was labelled Gaia BH3. Its discovery was made possible by the presence of its companion star, whose observations allowed not only to identify and accurately determine the mass of the black hole, but also to test some theoretical predictions.
“Stars in pairs tend to have similar compositions, which means that the companion of the detected black hole contains important clues about its progenitor,” the study authors noted.

Beyond the Milky Way, not a few equally massive stellar-mass black holes have been discovered. Theoretical predictions suggest that they may be formed by the collapse of stars with very few elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in their chemical composition. These so-called metal-poor stars are thought to lose less mass during their lifetime and therefore have more material left over after they die to form large black holes.

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Science

The optics of the Euclid space observatory have been free of icing

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

It is noted that “Euclid” was sent into space in July last year, and in August the device reached its destination, but at the final part of the commissioning of the observatory, scientists found that the share of stellar radiation, which is collected by the VIS instrument, which is one of the key for the observatory, gradually became less and less.

In ESA explained what happened by the fact that on the mirror surfaces of the device appeared a build-up of water ice, the thickness of which was measured in nanometres. The reason for its appearance, according to the agency, was the deposition of water molecules absorbed by the multilayer insulation during the launch.

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Science

Archaeologists have told about three things that ancient people could not live without

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

It is noted that over the past 20 years researchers have been studying sites in the Upper Galilee where flint was mined and tools were made. These sites date back to the Lower Palaeolithic period about 3.3 million years ago. This is where the ancient human ancestors Homo erectus created tools and left gifts, but until now it was unknown why they repeatedly visited these sites, as the flint used to create tools could be found elsewhere.

To figure this out, the experts correlated these sites with elephant migration sites at the time, and they found that all the sites they studied overlapped with the migration routes of these animals. The scientists emphasised that elephants were one of the key food sources for early humans, and they guessed to follow their migration routes to provide food for themselves.

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Science

Quietwalkers could be the key to defeating ageing

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

It is noted that in the course of their research, the researchers found that the CAHS D proteins present in the quietflies, slowed down metabolism in human cells in petri dishes. As the scientists observed, this protein transforms into a gel-like substance when it interacts with human cells.

The researchers were amazed that this process occurs in human cells in a similar way to that of the quiescents themselves. When human cells to which CAHS D had been added were placed in biostasis, they became more resistant to stress,

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Science

Experts have withdrawn material about an ancient pyramid due to a serious error

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

This article was first published in October 2023 in the journal Archaeological Prospection. As stated by the authors of the work, the structure was built between 25 thousand and 14 thousand years ago, but scientists criticised this inference.

As a result, the material was withdrawn from publication on 18 March. Radiocarbon analysis allowed experts to conclude that the authors of the work made a serious error that could negatively affect the study of this direction.

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Science

Climate change threatens a host of species in the Red Sea

by Molly Walker

written by Molly Walker

The main issues are related to the status of coral reefs. The Red Sea is home to many unique species of corals, fish and molluscs, of which about 14% are found nowhere else. However, this wealth of biodiversity remains poorly studied due to its deep-sea location.
Recently, researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology travelled to the Saudi city of Jeddah to investigate the biodiversity of the Red Sea estuary at Bab al-Mandeb, known as the Gate of Tears. About 6,000 valuable specimens were found during the work.
Experts intend to systematise the discovered species, increase reference collections and DNA libraries.

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