Teenager wins huge cash prize in science competition
An 18-year-old from California, in the US, has won a $250,000 prize (about £188,000) at a prestigious science and mathematics competition for teenagers.Matteo Paz created a powerful AI tool which helped him discover 1.5 million previously unknown variable stars. A variable star is a term used to describe ever-changing astronomical objects such as super massive black holes, volatile newborn stars and supernovas. Matteo's discoveries are thought to be ground-breaking for science and the AI algorithm he created can be used by astronomers all over the world to help make further discoveries.
Matteo says he has loved astronomy since he was little and exploring the universe is something he is passionate about. "To be able to contribute in a big way is really special to me," he said after winning the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a national competition run by the US Society for Science."I just feel incredibly blessed," he added. "If I could give one piece of advice to young people with ambition - just start it. You are never going to know before you start where you could go. "Your first step will lead you to your next and that's how you do great things in life." So, what is he going to spend his winnings on? Well, Matteo will probably be quite sensible with it as in his spare time, he runs a project which helps teach school-age children about financial basics and money literacy.Not only that, but he loves music and even owns a concert promotion business.
What did Matteo's work help discover?
Matteo studied information from Nasa's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. The project launched in 2009 and has been scanning the skies for astronomical bodies ever since. When the infrared telescope discovers a change in light, it pinpoints an interesting astronomical object such as a black hole or another galaxy. With over 15 years worth of data from the WISE telescope, Matteo knew studying the whole lot manually would take way too long, so he came up with an AI algorithm to search the data for new anomalies. His work helped him catalogue 1.9 million objects, over 1.5 million of which are potential new, undiscovered objects.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk calls for ISS to be deorbited
Elon Musk is again calling for NASA to scuttle the International Space Station (ISS) after a former engineer of the agency revealed hidden problems with its structure. Casey Handmer, a physicist and engineer who worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for four years, posted on X that the 26-year-old station's structure integrity is far worse than the public knows. 'We could wake up tomorrow and find, with zero warning, that it has failed catastrophically,' Handmer warned on X Thursday. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX , quickly responded, saying that even though his commercial space company makes billions from delivering cargo and astronauts to the station, it should be brought down by 2027. 'There are potentially serious concerns about the long-term safety of the [ISS]. Some parts of it are simply getting too old and obviously that risk grows over time,' Musk posted early Friday morning. The renewed push to decommission ISS came hours after NASA delayed a private astronaut mission by Axiom Space Inc because of a pressure leak in one of the station's Russian-built sections, meaning there could be less air to breathe. The billionaire leader of SpaceX, Tesla, and X has been calling for NASA to scrap the $150 billion project since February. At the time, Musk was also the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and recommended to President Trump that the station be brought down 'as soon as possible.' In his post, Handmer warned that these leaks are becoming more frequent and taking place in multiple sections of the ISS. He added that as the station's aluminum shell flexes, the metal fatigues and gets harder, which increases the risk of it cracking. The former NASA employees revealed that 'multiple cracks have been discovered,' even though none of these pressurized sections were meant to crack. First launched in November 1998, the ISS is nearing the end of its operational lifespan and has been showing signs of wear and tear for years. Last November, another leak in the Russian segment that had been worsening for five years sparked fears that the astronauts on board may need to evacuate , causing NASA to warn that this could lead to a 'catastrophic failure' of the space station. Astronauts have been patching the leak and keeping the module it's located in mostly sealed off to eliminate any immediate threat to their safety. The new issue this month emerged shortly before the launch of Axiom Mission 4, a private spaceflight to the ISS operated by Axiom Space, in partnership with SpaceX and NASA. The mission was set to deliver four astronauts to the ISS for a 14-day stay. The crew aimed to conduct approximately 60 scientific studies, focusing on microgravity research in technology, life sciences, and other fields. In a statement , NASA said that a new launch date has not been scheduled as the investigation into the pressure leak continues. The growing list of alarming maintenance issues is partly what drove NASA and its ISS partners - Russia, Japan, Canada, and 11 European countries - to make plans to retire the ISS by 2030. However, Musk declared on Friday that he 'would like to go on record recommending that it be de-orbited within 2 years.' Musk's SpaceX was tasked with building the spacecraft that would assist in the deorbiting of the station. In June 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX a $843 million contract to build the deorbit vehicle, or USDV, that will be used to safely guide the ISS back into the Pacific Ocean in 2030. That being said, decommissioning the ISS ahead of schedule is not that simple and would require agreement from all the space station's partners, not just the approval of President Trump. Trump could propose shutting down the space station before 2030, but in addition to getting the other ISS partners on board , funding for the deorbit mission has to come from Congress. Moreover, the SpaceX contract only covers the cost of building the USDV, not the entire deorbit mission. Last summer, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was seeking $1.5 billion from the US government to cover the entire project.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk issues 'catastrophic' warning about NASA's $150 billion ticking timebomb
Elon Musk is again calling for NASA to scuttle the International Space Station (ISS) after a former engineer of the agency revealed hidden problems with its structure. Casey Handmer, a physicist and engineer who worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for four years, posted on X that the 26-year-old station's structure integrity is far worse than the public knows. 'We could wake up tomorrow and find, with zero warning, that it has failed catastrophically,' Handmer warned on X Thursday. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, quickly responded, saying that even though his commercial space company makes billions from delivering cargo and astronauts to the station, it should be brought down by 2027. 'There are potentially serious concerns about the long-term safety of the [ISS]. Some parts of it are simply getting too old and obviously that risk grows over time,' Musk posted early Friday morning. The renewed push to decommission ISS came hours after NASA delayed a private astronaut mission by Axiom Space Inc because of a pressure leak in one of the station's Russian-built sections, meaning there could be less air to breathe. The billionaire leader of SpaceX, Tesla, and X has been calling for NASA to scrap the $150 billion project since February. At the time, Musk was also the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and recommended to President Trump that the station be brought down 'as soon as possible.' Casey Handmer, a physicist and engineer who worked at NASA for 4 years, warned that the International Space Station has more structural problems than are being reported publicly In his post, Handmer warned that these leaks are becoming more frequent and taking place in multiple sections of the ISS. He added that as the station's aluminum shell flexes, the metal fatigues and gets harder, which increases the risk of it cracking. The former NASA employees revealed that 'multiple cracks have been discovered,' even though none of these pressurized sections were meant to crack. First launched in November 1998, the ISS is nearing the end of its operational lifespan and has been showing signs of wear and tear for years. Last November, another leak in the Russian segment that had been worsening for five years sparked fears that the astronauts on board may need to evacuate, causing NASA to warn that this could lead to a 'catastrophic failure' of the space station. Astronauts have been patching the leak and keeping the module it's located in mostly sealed off to eliminate any immediate threat to their safety. The new issue this month emerged shortly before the launch of Axiom Mission 4, a private spaceflight to the ISS operated by Axiom Space, in partnership with SpaceX and NASA. The mission was set to deliver four astronauts to the ISS for a 14-day stay. The crew aimed to conduct approximately 60 scientific studies, focusing on microgravity research in technology, life sciences, and other fields. In a statement, NASA said that a new launch date has not been scheduled as the investigation into the pressure leak continues. The growing list of alarming maintenance issues are partly what drove NASA and its ISS partners - Russia, Japan, Canada, and 11 European countries - to make plans to retire the ISS by 2030. However, Musk declared on Friday that he 'would like to go on record recommending that it be de-orbited within 2 years.' Musk's SpaceX was tasked with building the spacecraft that would assist in the deorbiting of the station. In June 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX a $843 million contract to build the deorbit vehicle, or USDV, that will be used to safely guide the ISS back into the Pacific Ocean in 2030. That being said, decommissioning the ISS ahead of schedule is not that simple and would require agreement from all the space station's partners, not just the approval of President Trump. Trump could propose shutting down the space station before 2030, but in addition to getting the other ISS partners on board, funding for the deorbit mission has to come from Congress. Moreover, the SpaceX contract only covers the cost of building the USDV, not the entire deorbit mission. Last summer, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was seeking $1.5 billion from the US government to cover the entire project.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Astronaut missions postponed amid concerns about leaks at International Space Station
A chartered spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary's first astronauts in decades has been delayed indefinitely because of leak concerns at the International Space Station. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) said Thursday that it had postponed the Axiom Mission 4 to the ISS to monitor the cabin pressure on the Russian side of the orbiting lab before accepting visitors. Officials stressed that the seven astronauts currently at the space station are safe and that other operations up there would not be affected. Space agency Roscosmos said on Friday that a leak on the Russian segment had been repaired, the Interfax news agency reported. A new launch date has not been set. SpaceX was supposed to launch four private astronauts this week on a 14-day space station mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but bad weather and SpaceX rocket trouble delayed the flight. Then the station leak issue cropped up. The three Russians aboard the space station recently inspected the inside walls of the aging Zvezda service module, which launched in 2000, as well as a connecting tunnel. They sealed some areas and measured the current leak rate. 'Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure,' Nasa said in an online update. The private mission's delay provides extra time for Nasa and the Russian Space Agency 'to evaluate the situation' and determine whether more repairs are needed. The chartered flight was arranged by the Houston company Axiom Space, and was to be Axiom's fourth trip to the space station with paying customers since 2022. 'This is the right thing to do,' said Kam Ghaffarian, Axiom Space's executive chairman in a written statement. 'We will continue to work with all of our partners to finalize a new launch date.' The four astronauts – led by retired Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson, now an Axiom Space employee – will remain in quarantine in Florida. Also scheduled to be aboard the mission is Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot and one of four astronauts-in-training picked by the Indian Space Research Organization to fly on India's own debut crewed mission, the Gaganyaan mission planned for 2027. Shukla, 39, will be the first astronaut to go to the ISS from India's astronaut corps. Tibor Kapu is slated to join the Axiom mission from Hungary; Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland. The former could be the third person born in Hungary to ever visit space. The latter is set to become the second person from Poland to do so. The previous Polish astronaut, a general, took part of a Soviet mission in 1978. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion The Russian Space Agency has been dealing with cracks and air leaks in its station compartments for more than five years – 'a top safety risk,' according to Nasa's Office of Inspector General. Recent repairs resulted in what Nasa calls 'a new pressure signature'. Additional details were not immediately available. Nasa wants to keep the space station operating until 2030 before dropping it out of orbit. The goal is to replace it with a number of privately owned stations; Axiom Space is among the companies looking to fill the gap. The US sends its astronauts to the ISS aboard SpaceX spacecraft, but Elon Musk, CEO of the rocket maker, posted on X early Friday morning that the massive orbital base should be decommissioned sooner than 2039. 'There are potentially serious concerns about the long-term safety of the Space Station. Some parts of it are simply getting too old and obviously that risk grows over time,' Musk wrote. 'Even though SpaceX earns billions of dollars from transporting astronauts & cargo to the ISS, I nonetheless would like to go on record recommending that it be de-orbited within 2 years.'
