Scientists spot potential ‘interstellar object' in our solar system
If confirmed, this would be only the third instance of an interstellar object ever spotted.
The object has been temporarily named A11pl3Z and is being tracked by telescopes worldwide.
The two previously confirmed interstellar visitors were ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
Researchers anticipate discovering more such objects in the future with the help of new, powerful telescopes.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Weedkiller ingredient widely used in US can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows
The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows. The ingredient, diquat, is widely employed in the US as a weedkiller in vineyards and orchards, and is increasingly sprayed elsewhere as the use of controversial herbicide substances such as glyphosate and paraquat drops in the US. But the new piece of data suggests diquat is more toxic than glyphosate, and the substance is banned over its risks in the UK, EU, China and many other countries. Still, the EPA has resisted calls for a ban, and Roundup formulas with the ingredient hit the shelves last year. 'From a human health perspective, this stuff is quite a bit nastier than glyphosate so we're seeing a regrettable substitution, and the ineffective regulatory structure is allowing it,' said Nathan Donley, science director with the Center For Biological Diversity, which advocates for stricter pesticide regulations but was not involved in the new research. 'Regrettable substitution' is a scientific term used to describe the replacement of a toxic substance in a consumer product with an ingredient that is also toxic. Diquat is also thought to be a neurotoxin, carcinogen and linked to Parkinson's disease. An October analysis of EPA data by the Friends of the Earth non-profit found it is about 200 times more toxic than glyphosate in terms of chronic exposure. Bayer, which makes Roundup, faced nearly 175,000 lawsuits alleging that the product's users were harmed by the product. Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, reformulated Roundup after the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a possible carcinogen. The new review of scientific literature in part focuses on the multiple ways in which diquat damages organs and gut bacteria, including by reducing the level of proteins that are key pieces of the gut lining. The weakening can allow toxins and pathogens to move from the stomach into the bloodstream, and trigger inflammation in the intestines and throughout the body. Meanwhile, diquat can inhibit the production of beneficial bacteria that maintain the gut lining. Damage to the lining also inhibits the absorption of nutrients and energy metabolism, the authors said. The research further scrutinizes how the substance harms the kidneys, lungs and liver. Diquat 'causes irreversible structural and functional damage to the kidneys' because it can destroy kidney cells' membranes and interfere with cell signals. The effects on the liver are similar, and the ingredient causes the production of proteins that inflame the organ. Meanwhile, it seems to attack the lungs by triggering inflammation that damages the organ's tissue. More broadly, the inflammation caused by diquat may cause multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, a scenario in which organ systems begin to fail. The authors note that many of the studies are on rodents and more research on low, long-term exposure is needed. Bayer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Despite the risks amid a rise in diquat's use, the EPA is not reviewing the chemical, and even non-profits that push for tighter pesticide regulations have largely focused their attention elsewhere. Donley said that was in part because US pesticide regulations are so weak that advocates are tied up with battles over ingredients like glyphosate, paraquat and chlorpyrifos – substances that are banned elsewhere but still widely used here. Diquat is 'overshadowed' by those ingredients. 'Other countries have banned diquat, but in the US we're still fighting the fights that Europe won 20 years ago,' Donley said. 'It hasn't gotten to the radar of most groups and that really says a lot about the sad and sorry state of pesticides in the US.' Some advocates have accused the EPA of being captured by industry, and Donley said US pesticide laws were so weak that it was difficult for the agency to ban ingredients, even if the will exists. For example, the agency banned chlorpyrifos in 2022, but a court overturned the decision after industry sued. Moreover, the EPA's pesticides office seems to have a philosophy that states that toxic pesticides are a 'necessary evil', Donley said. 'When you approach an issue from that lens there's only so much you will do,' he said.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Scientists reveal foolproof formula for a lifetime of happiness - and it takes just five minutes to perform
It's often said that happiness is about finding joy in the little things in life - and now scientists appear to have found proof in that. Just five minutes a day performing 'micro-acts of joy' that foster positive emotions is enough to banish stress, boost health, and improve sleep quality, experts found. According to stress expert Dr Elissa Epel, listening to laughter, admiring a flower on a local walk or doing something nice for a friend can measurably improve people's emotional well-being and attitudes toward life. Epel, an expert on stress and ageing who oversaw the new research, said: 'We were quite taken aback by the size of the improvements to people's emotional well-being.' Epel's team at the University of California San Francisco studied almost 18,000 people, mainly from the U.S., UK, and Canada, for the web-based 'Big Joy Project' over a two-year period to 2024. It was the first study to look at whether small, easy-to-do acts that take minimal time could have measurable and lasting effects on people. Participants were asked to perform five-ten minute acts of joy for a week. Prof Epel said the thousands of people who took part in her project matched the positive results achieved by programs that required months of classes, for hours at a time. The study, published in the Journal Of Medical Internet Research, asked participants to perform seven acts over seven days, such as sharing a moment of celebration with someone else, doing something kind for another person, making a gratitude list or watching an awe-inspiring video about nature. Prof Epel said her team picked tasks that were focused on promoting feelings of hope and optimism, wonder and awe, or fun and silliness. Each task took under ten minutes, including answering short questions. Participants were quizzed about their emotional and physical health at the start and end of the week-long project, providing a measure of their emotional well-being, positive emotions, and 'happiness agency', along with their stress and sleep quality. The psychologists explained that emotional well-being includes how satisfied people are with their lives and whether they have purpose and meaning. Happiness agency is how much control they feel they have over their emotions. The team found improvements in all areas, and the benefits increased depending on how fully people participated in the program, meaning those who completed all seven days saw greater benefits than those who only managed two or three. While further research was needed, according to Epel, it's clear that a daily dose of joy could help people in trying times: 'All of this well-being stuff, it's not a luxury. 'We often say that we'll let ourselves be happy once we've reached some point or finished some task. Well, we want to flip that – we need the energy of joy to get through the hard parts. These are really necessary skills.'
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Archaeologists discover 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in Peru's northern Barranca 3,500-year-old city, named Peñico, is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon some 200km north of Lima, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC - around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and say the discovery sheds light on what became of the Americas' oldest civilisation, the Caral. Drone footage released by researchers shows a circular structure on a hillside terrace at the city's centre, surrounded by the remains of stone and mud buildings. Eight years of research at the site unearthed 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential buildings at the site, researchers discovered ceremonial objects, clay sculptures of human and animal figures and necklaces made from beads and is situated close to where Caral, recognised as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, was established 5,000 years ago at around 3,000 BC in the Supe valley of Peru. Caral features 32 monuments, including large pyramid structures, sophisticated irrigation agriculture and urban settlements. It is believed to have developed in isolation to other comparative early civilisations in India, Egypt, Sumeria and Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the recent research into Peñico and the excavation of Caral in the 1990s, said that the discovery was important for understanding what became of the Caral civilisation after it was decimated by climate Peñico community was "situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle", Dr Shady told the Reuters news a news conference unveiling the findings on Thursday, archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said that Peñico's significance lies in it being a continuation of the Caral is home to many of the Americas' most significant archaeological discoveries, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes and the mysterious Nazca Lines etched into the desert along the central coast.
