NASA's Mars Perseverance snaps a selfie as a Martian dust devil blows by
The latest selfie by NASA's Perseverance rover at Mars has captured an unexpected guest: a Martian dust devil.
Resembling a small pale puff, the twirling dust devil popped up 3 miles (5 kilometers) behind the rover during this month's photo shoot. Released Wednesday, the selfie is a composite of 59 images taken by the camera on the end of the rover's robotic arm, according to NASA.
It took an hour to perform all the arm movements necessary to gather the images, 'but it's worth it,' said Megan Wu, an imaging scientist from Malin Space Science Systems, which built the camera.
'Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic," Wu said in a statement.
The picture — which also shows the rover's latest sample borehole on the surface — marks 1,500 sols or Martian days for Perseverance. That's equivalent to 1,541 days on Earth.
Perseverance is covered with red dust, the result of drilling into dozens of rocks. Launched in 2020, it's collecting samples for eventual return to Earth from Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed and river delta that could hold clues of any past microbial life.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Eerie Roswell crash memo holds key to cracking UFO mystery after ‘FOUR alien bodies found,' expert insists
A BIZARRE memo about the Roswell UFO crash could unlock secrets and expose the truth about the 'flying saucer' mystery. A prominent ufologist made the startling claim after aliens were rumored as being spotted dead among the wreckage. 6 6 The so-called Roswell Incident happened on July 2, 1947, in a remote desert area in New Mexico. Conspiracy theories and mystery swirling the alleged crash have fascinated UFO watchers for nearly 80 years. Back in 1947, the 509th Bomb Group - based in Roswell - released a press release claiming a UFO had crashed in the area, and the United States Army Air Forces were in possession of a 'flying disk." However, confusion ensued after that release was later retracted, and replaced with a statement saying the object was in fact a high altitude weather balloon. The news alert had initially been issued by 1st Lt. Walter Haut, the public information officer at the base. Decades later, his daughter, Julie Shuster, was adamant that his original 'flying disk' statement had been accurate. But he had to keep everything "secret." A similar view has been expressed by veteran researcher Kevin Randle, a prominent ufologist who is regarded as one of the top experts on the reported crash. Former army officer admits he saw ' beat up ALIEN the size of a 10-year-old child' after world famous Roswell UFO crash Randle has written multiple books about UFOs and the Roswell story. He's adamant that he has 'eliminated all possible terrestrial explanations." 'What we can say with authority is that something fell at Roswell,' he said. 'We have eliminated all the terrestrial explanations." The expert, who served in the Air Force and National Guard, said the UFO case could be solved by delving into a historic memo. 6 6 The eerie memo can be seen in a black and white photograph sent out on the news wires at the time. The grainy note appears to say the words 'victims of the crash.' The memo itself can be seen in the old pic being held by Brigadier General Roger Ramey, who at the time of the crash was commanding officer of the 8th Air Force in Roswell. Ramey is holding the piece of paper slightly turned away from the camera. But, fortunately, some words can now be read using technology. KEY MEMO 'The Ramey memo could be the key to this whole thing," Randle said. 'Ramey was holding the memo in his hand when he was photographed with the debris in his office. 'And what's interesting is we know when the picture was transmitted over the wire, we know who took it and we can see Ramey is holding the document in his hand. 'So we pretty much have the provenance nailed down. 'There are words in the document when you blow it up, that you can read. 'Some people interpret the critical line as saying 'victims of the wreck.' 'Well, 'victims of the wreck' takes it out of the realm of a weather balloon - but it's kind of an interpretation of what you see." Randle has interviewed some 600 people over the past few decades in his search to establish the truth around the mysterious case. POLITICAL HOAX He has concluded that the weather balloon story is nothing but a "government hoax" to fob off those intrigued by UFO sightings. Randle said, 'What they've said officially is that the Roswell crash was a weather balloon and [radar-type] target from this experiment being conducted in New Mexico. "What I discovered is that while [the radar-type] targets were a part of the experiments conducted on the east coast, when they got to New Mexico, they didn't use those targets. "That kind of points the finger at this being a government hoax to explain away the Roswell case.' KEPT SECRET Julie Shuster, Walter Haut's daughter, told SBS News, a broadcaster based in Australia, that she had many conversations with the former Army PR man about the "flying disk" he wrote about in 1947. She said before her death in 2015, 'People began to talk about Roswell in the late '70s after several decades of keeping quiet. "I would ask dad to tell me the whole story, and he told me the same thing he told everybody: 'I put out the press release', and nothing else." It later emerged that Haut had been sworn to secrecy by base commander and close personal friend, Colonel William Blanchard. But, Haut was unhappy about keeping such a big secret, and prepared a signed affidavit to be opened after his death. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, he died in Roswell in 2005. 'Basically dad said yes, he did see the bodies, yes he did see the craft and much more than that,' said Shuster. 'At one point I asked him about the size, and he said the craft was about 25 feet in diameter." EGG-SHAPED Thomas Carey, who co-authored a book with Shuster, Witness to Roswell: Unmasking the Government's Biggest Cover-Up, published in 2007, said his big secret "all came out in his sealed statement after he died." Carey added, 'The ship which he described was about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, more of an egg-shaped object, and he did see a number of bodies. 'He described them as being the size of children. "And when asked point blank if what he believed it was that he had seen, without hesitation he'd say, 'It was not from this Earth, it was something manufactured off this Earth.'' A retired cop claimed that he saw the remains of dead aliens being lifted with a crane and hauled away. Former Deputy Sheriff Charles H Forgus of Howard County, Texas, recalled traveling to Roswell to pick up a prisoner with Sheriff Jess Slaughter. Forgus claimed he saw four alien bodies with big eyes and brownish-colored skin being taken away by military personnel. 6 6
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning over parasite-riddled fish eaten by millions that cause heart attacks
Nearly every single freshwater fish in Southern California may be riddled with parasites that could cause serious health issues in humans. Researchers from the University of California-San Diego revealed that a staggering 93 percent of the 84 freshwater game fish they examined carried two species of trematodes - parasitic worms that infect people who eat raw or undercooked fish. These freshwater species included bluegills, largemouth bass, green sunfish, bluegill-green sunfish hybrids, redear sunfish, black crappies, and the common carp. The two species of flatworms discovered (Haplorchis pumilio and Centrocestus formosanus) typically cause stomach problems, weight loss, and fatigue in people. However, the research team warned that particularly severe infections can lead to heart attacks of strokes. The researchers added that Americans don't often think about freshwater fish having parasites, but the outbreak has already been found in Texas, Florida, and Utah as well. Ryan Hechinger, an ecologist at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography said: 'These parasites are here in the US, and they're infecting fish that people are eating.' The fish are typically found in warm, shallow waters with vegetation nearby. However, this has also become a thriving habitat for the invasive snail Melanoides tuberculata, which carries the trematodes spreading to local fish. Freshwater game fish include multiple species that live in lakes, rivers, or reservoirs. They're popular targets for recreational fishing, often because anglers consider them fun to catch or good to eat. Fully cooking any fish caught in these locations will eliminate the parasites, according to guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For those who eat raw fish, in items like sushi, they need to freeze their catch for at least a week to kill the trematodes. The parasites were mostly in the fins and gills, though H. pumilio was often found in the muscle tissue near fin bases, which could end up in fish fillets. Overall, researchers found 78 of the 84 fish they examined are carrying the parasitic worms. Other popular freshwater game fish that could be at risk from the snail's parasites include catfish, trout, salmon, and perch. The study authors fear that millions of people could be at risk of contamination, based on the amount of interest in eating raw fish on social media and platforms like YouTube. During their study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Hechinger's team also looked at 125 popular YouTube videos which featured people eating raw freshwater fish. Nearly two-thirds (65%) did not mention the proper cooking or freezing methods for these fish, which the team believes is promoting bad habits and will likely lead to the spread of dangerous parasites among seafood lovers. According to the study authors, many videos also spread false information, like claiming that marinating fish in citrus juice or choosing 'healthy-looking' fish eliminates the risk of parasites, which isn't true. While there hasn't been widespread outbreak of trematode infections reported in California or elsewhere, Hechinger said that doesn't mean many people aren't getting sick. 'Nobody is looking for cases and doctors aren't required to report them,' he explained. Hechinger added that his team believes fish-borne trematode infections should be added to the list of diseases doctors have to report to public health officials. The FDA explains that improper cooking of fish means it hasn't reached an internal temperature of at least 145°F. For those freezing their fish to eat it raw, it needs to reach a temperature of -4°F for seven days or be flash-frozen at -31°F for at least 15 hours. When fish is improperly cooked or frozen, the trematodes can survive and then infect the human body when eaten. Once swallowed, these parasites enter your stomach and not even the stomach's acids can kill the larvae, which are protected by a cyst-like covering. In the small intestine, digestive enzymes break down this covering and release the young worms into the gastrointestinal tract. Over the next few days to weeks, the juvenile worms grow into adults, which are about one to two millimeters long. As the worms multiply and attach themselves to the small intestine, they irritate the intestinal lining, leading to symptoms like stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and indigestion. After eating infected fish, most symptoms of H. pumilio or C. formosanus typically start within one to two weeks. If left untreated, the more severe symptoms of a chronic infection could start to show one to three months after eating the fish. Once doctors diagnose someone with an infection, the standard treatment is an anti-parasitic medication called Praziquantel. The infections typically clear up within days after taking the drug.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Eating more of these plant-based foods could lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes
Eating more nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may help to reduce your risk of contracting deadly heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Researchers said this week that people who consumed more phytosterols — a natural compound found in plant foods — significantly delayed both of the conditions. Furthermore, eating more of them was linked to reduced inflammation, markers of better insulin regulation, and differences in the gut microbiome that may contribute to healthy metabolism. The study was not designed to confirm why this is the case, but the researchers said their findings strengthen the evidence. More than 7000,000 Americans die from heart disease and some 101,000 die from diabetes. 'Our findings support the dietary recommendation of adhering to healthy plant-based dietary patterns that are rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains,' Dr. Fenglei Wang, a research associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement. 'These findings can help people make informed dietary choices.' Wang presented the observational findings on Tuesday at the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Some phytosterol-rich foods include corn, almonds, broccoli, bananas, and wheat bread. Previous research had found that eating foods with phytosterols can help to improve peoples' health by lowering bad cholesterol, and may reduce the risk of cancer. However, most clinical trials have used high doses of the phytosterols that were beyond what someone might get through just their own diet. The new research is the first to show the benefits as part of a normal diet. To reach these conclusions, Wang and his colleagues looked at data from more than 200,000 American adults that were a part of three studies. All of the participants were nurses or other health professionals and nearly 80 percent were women. Over the course of 36 years, more than 20,000 of them developed type 2 diabetes and nearly 16,000 developed heart disease. The participants' answers to food-frequency questionnaires allowed the researchers to estimate their individual intake of phytosterols, as well as three individual phytosterols known as β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Those who ate the most consumed the most phytosterol had about four to five servings of vegetables, two to three servings of fruits, two servings of whole grains, and half a serving of nuts each day. This made them 9 percent less likely to develop heart disease and 8 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compares to those in the bottom fifth percentage for phytosterol intake, the research showed. Looking at the individual phytosterols, similar associations were observed for β-sitosterol. But, the same was not true for campesterol or stigmasterol. In addition, the researchers analyzed blood samples, looking at the products of metabolism — also known as metabolites — from more than 11,000 people and other metabolic biomarkers in blood samples from over 40,000 participants. They found that phytosterol and β-sitosterol levels were tied to favorable metabolites and metabolic markers relevant to heart disease and diabetes. That signaled a possible reason for the association. 'Our clinical biomarker and metabolomic results suggest the involvement of insulin activity, inflammation and the metabolism of metabolites associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,' said Wang. 'This suggests that phytosterol might reduce risk by alleviating insulin resistance and inflammation.' In a group of just 465 participants, they examined the gut microbiome, or the trillions of microscopic organisms inside the intestines. They found several microbial species and related enzymes linked to higher intake of phytosterols that may affect the production of metabolites associated with a lower risk of diseases. 'We found that the gut microbiome might play a role in the beneficial associations. Some species, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, carry enzymes that could help degrade phytosterol, potentially influencing host metabolism,' Wang said.
