When is this week's rare black moon?
This celestial event is a special type of new moon, making it invisible from Earth as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun.
There are two classifications: a seasonal black moon, which occurs roughly every 33 months, and a monthly black moon, referring to the second new moon within a single calendar month.
The absence of moonlight during a black moon significantly enhances stargazing opportunities, allowing for clearer views of meteor showers.
New moons, including black moons, exert a stronger gravitational pull on ocean tides due to the direct alignment of the sun and Earth.
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BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Scientists investigate surge in whale and dolphin strandings in Scotland
There has been an "exponential" increase in marine mammal strandings in waters around Scotland, scientists have number of whales, dolphins and porpoises getting into difficulty has risen from about 100 a year to more than 300 over a 30-year at the University of Glasgow said possible causes include chemical, plastic and noise pollution and accidental entanglements in fishing than 5,140 stranded marine animals were recorded in the study between 1992 and 2022. Strandings happen when a marine animal becomes stuck in shallow water or on a shoreline. It often results in death or study, published in Scientific Reports, found a steep rise in strandings involving common dolphins and baleen whales - filter-feeding species that include minke and humpback whales. The new research used data gathered by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS).Harbour porpoises accounted for more than half all the strandings - 2,676 - followed by pelagic dolphins with 1,217 incidents.A total 494 of common dolphins and 479 baleen whales had stranded over the 30-year period, according to the scientists said deep divers, such as sperm whales, and pelagic dolphins showed a steadier increase in strandings since the 1990s. Researchers said while exact causes were difficult to pinpoint, they agreed that human activities were likely impacting on said "predominant threats" were declining fish stocks, noise pollution, and entanglements with lost fishing risks were habitat change due to warming sea temperatures, and chemical and plastic pollution. Rachel Lennon, lead author and PhD researcher at the University of Glasgow, said: "Fisheries interactions are recognised as a critical threat for marine mammals, especially for baleen whales in Scotland. "As populations begin to recover from the impacts of historic whaling, reports of entanglement have increased. "While determining the exact causes of strandings can be complex, identifying these emerging trends provides a vital starting point for targeting future research."A number of initiatives have been set up to tackle the threat of entanglements, including the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (Sea).The coalition of conservation groups, rescue teams and fishermen has sought to find best practices to avoid entanglements, and the most effective responses to any incidents. Where do strandings happen? Dr Andrew Brownlow, of SMASS, said: "This research shows how reports of stranded marine animals - many made by members of the public - can offer important clues about the overall health of our seas. "These animals act as sentinels of the ocean, and rising numbers of strandings may be an early warning that something is changing in the marine environment."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Groundbreaking new cancer detection technique replaces radioactive tracers with diamond sensor
Scientists have developed a diamond -based sensor that could make it easier for doctors to detect the spread of cancer. Researchers at the University of Warwick have created a handheld device that is designed to trace tiny magnetic particles injected into the body. The scientists said this offers a non-toxic alternative to radioactive tracers and dyes currently used in hospitals. Metastasis, when cancer cells spread from the original tumour to other parts of the body, is one of the most serious challenges in cancer treatment. Doctors often rely on tests to see whether the cancer has reached the lymph nodes – the areas of tissue that filter fluid in your body for harmful substances – which can guide decisions about surgery and further care. The findings, published in Physical Review Applied, describe how diamonds can be used to build a highly sensitive sensor capable of identifying the magnetic tracer fluid injected into a tumour. This fluid, made up of iron oxide nanoparticles, travels through the body alongside cancer cells, revealing whether they have reached the lymph nodes, the researchers said. Lead author Alex Newman, a PhD student in Warwick University's physics department, said the new tool could improve the way doctors find cancer in keyhole and endoscopic surgery. 'There is a real demand for versatile non-toxic means of finding cancer,' he said. 'For this new diamond-based sensor, we managed to get the size of the sensor head down to just 10 millimetres, which means it is the first diamond sensor to be able to detect magnetic tracer fluid while being small enough for endoscopic use and keyhole surgery.' Mr Newman added that the device was extremely sensitive, capable of detecting just one hundredth of the typical dose of magnetic tracer fluid. The design uses a diamond measuring only half a cubic millimetre alongside a small permanent magnet, the scientists said They added that this compact structure means there is no need for bulky electronics, allowing the sensor to be used by hand in operating rooms. Professor Gavin Morley, who leads the research group, said the breakthrough was possible thanks to nitrogen vacancy centres inside the diamond. 'These allow the diamond to detect very small changes in the magnetic field and give the diamonds a lovely pink colour,' he said. He added that the technology could also have uses beyond medicine, including in spacecraft and fusion power. Current techniques for tracing cancer cells rely on radioactive tracers, which not all hospitals can access, or blue dyes, which trigger allergic reactions in some patients, the researchers said. Clinicians involved in this new project believe the new diamond sensor could help avoid these complications. Stuart Robertson, a consultant breast cancer surgeon at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, said he was already using magnetic localisation in his work. He added that it offers more advantages over traditional techniques. Researchers say the device could eventually be applied to various cancers, including lung, liver, colorectal and oesophageal tumours.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Where to watch Alien: Earth episode 3 in the UK
After months of anticipation, Alien: Earth landed on our screens last week – more specifically, on Disney+, if you're watching in the UK. The first two episodes of the prequel to Ridley Scott's iconic 1979 Alien were made available to stream last Wednesday, and a new episode will drop every following Wednesday. The next instalment, episode 3, is available to watch now. The first TV series in the Alien franchise, Alien: Earth takes us to the year 2120, Neverland research island, Earth. The first episodes set the scene – five corporations rule, including Prodigy, which has coined a technology that can make immortal humanoid robots with human consciousness. Wendy, the protagonist, played by Don't Worry Darling 's Sydney Chandler, is the first of these 'hybrids'. When an extraterrestrial vessel crashes into Earth, Wendy and a team of soldiers go looking for signs of life and find something terrible within. No prizes for guessing what that is. Indeed, the preview trailer released by FX for episode three, titled 'Metamorphosis', teases slimy lifeforms, naturally, and there's even talk of breaking new ground with 'new lifeforms, with acid for blood'. On the creative and production team is Noah Hawley (the screen writer behind major series including Fargo and Legion), Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales and Clayton Krueger, while cast members include Alex Lawther from The End of the F***ing World and Black Mirror, Kit Young from The Beautiful Game, Timothy Olyphant from Fargo and The Mandalorian), The Babadook's Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav from White Tigers. When is Alien: Earth episode 3 released? Alien: Earth premiered on Hulu and FX in the US on 12 August, and on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland one day later, 13 August, owing to the time difference. The rest of the episodes drop weekly, in the small hours of Wednesday morning, with the finale arriving on 24 September. That means the wait for episode 3 is over – 'Metamorphosis' arrived in the UK today, 20 August, on Disney+. Episode 1 – 'Neverland' – 13 August 2025 Episode 2 – 'Mr October' – 13 August 2025 Episode 3 – 'Metamorphosis' – 20 August 2025 Episode 4 – 'Observation' – 27 August 2025 Episode 5 – 'In Space, No One...' – 3 September 2025 Episode 6 – 'The Fly' – 10 September 2025 Episode 7 – 'Emergence' – 17 September 2025 Episode 8 – 'The Real Monsters' – 24 September 2025 How to sign up for Disney+ Disney+ is a paid subscription and costs £4.99 per month. Unlike Amazon and some other streaming services, there isn't a free trial, which means you need to commit to one month of the service, but it's worth keeping in mind that you can cancel your subscription at any time. That said, you might not want to. Disney+ is home to some of the most talked-about shows at the moment, such as The Bear and Star Wars series, Andor. There's also a host of family favourites, such as The Simpsons and animated Disney films from Frozen to Encanto.
