'Strange' star pulses detected in search for extraterrestrial intelligence
An unusual pulse signal has been detected in the light of nearby stars — and it's left scientists scratching their heads, a study searching for extraterrestrial intelligence finds.
The pulses saw the stars become fainter and brighter in a fraction of a second, suggesting that something passed in front of — and partially obscured — the stars' light. This doesn't mean aliens were zooming by in spaceships, but unknown alien activity is one of several possible explanations left on the table by the researcher who detected the signal.
Richard Stanton, a retired scientist who formerly worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has spent years with a 30-inch telescope scrutinizing more than 1,300 sun-like stars for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. He does this by measuring changes in light coming from individual stars.
This effort didn't yield anything particularly unusual until May 14, 2023, when Stanton detected two quick and identical pulses in the light of a star named HD 89389 — located around 102 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major.
"No single pulse anything like these has ever been found in more than 1,500 hours of searching," Stanton wrote in the study, published April 23 in the journal Acta Astronautica.
Stanton checked historical data on starlight observations and found that a similar pair of pulse signals was recorded in 2019, this time in the light of a star called HD 217014, or 51 Pegasi. After completing his study, Stanton then detected a third double pulse event in the light of another star (HD 12051) on Jan. 18, 2025. The pulse signals are currently unexplained.
However, Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in California who was not involved in the study, urged caution when attributing the pulses to potential alien activity.
"There's a history (going back more than a century) of astronomical discoveries that were, at first, attributed to extraterrestrial beings, but in fact turned out to be natural phenomena," Shostak told Live Science in an email. "Given that history, one should be cautious in saying that these 'starlight pulses' are due to extraterrestrials trying to get in touch."
Shostak added that he would expect any alien transmissions, be they optical, radio or something else, to convey information of some kind — because, as he puts it, clever aliens wouldn't go to the trouble and expense of sending empty signals into space.
"And as these signals seem to be both regular, kind of simple (two pulses) and repetitive, I'm more than a little inclined to say that we're dealing with astrophysical phenomena here — not an attempt by some alien society to send interstellar telegrams," he said.
Related: Did the James Webb telescope really find evidence of alien life? Here's the truth about exoplanet K2-18b.
Even so, the pulses of light coming from HD 89389 were "strange," according to Stanton's study. The star's light was reduced by about a quarter in one-tenth of a second. No known phenomenon could have caused the star itself to change in brightness and then revert back to normal so quickly, according to the study.
There are plenty of objects in and around Earth that regularly obscure stars in the night sky, causing their brightness to flicker. However, Stanton found that the usual suspects for obscuring stars, like airplanes, birds, satellites and meteors around Earth, didn't explain these pulses. For example, objects like airplanes and asteroids typically obscure all of the star's light, but HD 89389 never completely disappeared.
What's more, Stanton snaps images of the stars while measuring the photons they emit, and these images often pick up passing satellites that have obscured a star's light. However, there wasn't anything visible in the images of HD 89389 to explain the pulses.
"Nothing was found in any of these frames, suggesting that the source of the pulses was either invisible, such as due to some atmospheric effect, or too far away to be detected," Stanton wrote.
One possible explanation is the activity of an extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI), but it would have to be near to Earth (relatively speaking) because of how rapidly the stars changed in brightness.
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"Whatever is modulating the star's light must be relatively close to Earth, implying that any ETI activity must be within our solar system," Stanton wrote.
The study explored several potential causes for the pulses but left many questions unanswered. Alongside aliens, possible explanations left on the table included gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space-time — and the starlight diffracting off some unseen space object.
"More and better data are needed, such as could be gathered using arrays of telescopes on the ground," Stanton wrote. "Data from this new source, or information from other approaches, may be the only way to unravel this mystery."
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Medscape
a few seconds ago
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High-grade Serous Carcinomas Follow Missed Salpingectomies
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Yahoo
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After Soaring 1,000% Since the Start of 2023, Is Rocket Lab Stock a Buy Today?
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Yahoo
30 minutes ago
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The Chemo Mouthpiece® Medical Device Significantly Reduces Oral Pain and Opioid/Analgesic Use During Chemotherapy in Multi-Center Pivotal Clinical Trial
Peer-reviewed results published in Supportive Care in Cancer, the official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chemomouthpiece, LLC, a privately held medical device company that develops and commercializes supportive cancer care products, today announced the peer-reviewed results from its pivotal, multi-center, randomized, controlled trial were published in Supportive Care in Cancer, the official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care In Cancer (MASCC). The study, "Multi-institutional, randomized, controlled trial to assess the efficacy and tolerability of a reusable, self-contained cryotherapy delivery device", evaluated the Chemo Mouthpiece®, an FDA 510(k) cleared intraoral cryotherapy device, and demonstrated statistically significant reductions in patient-reported oral pain and opioid or analgesic use during chemotherapy treatment. 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"The data from this trial indicate that cryotherapy delivered by the Chemo Mouthpiece provided patients with an effective and well-tolerated alternative to ice that could be used throughout their treatment period, both in the clinic and at home. Chemo Mouthpiece-delivered cryotherapy reduced patients' symptoms and need to rely on analgesics for pain management." Richard Zuniga, MD, Medical Chief of Research at New York Cancer and Blood Specialists and lead study investigator, said, "The data from this rigorous, multi-center trial clearly validate the Chemo Mouthpiece as a safe and effective tool for addressing oral mucositis-related pain and related opioid use. The scope of chemotherapy regimens and cancer types included in the study underscores the potential to benefit the diverse patient population impacted by oral mucositis. These findings represent a meaningful step forward in supportive oncology care." Innovation Driven by Personal Experience The Chemo Mouthpiece device was developed by company founder and CEO David Yoskowitz, a cancer survivor who experienced firsthand the debilitating effects of oral mucositis from chemotherapy and the lack of effective, tolerable options. At the time, his treatment options included ice chips to mitigate and minimize oral pain; however, they often caused nausea, were difficult to maintain in his mouth, and failed to effectively cool the entire oral cavity. These challenges led him to engineer a better solution. "This study is not just a scientific milestone, it's deeply personal," said Yoskowitz. "It's incredibly rewarding to see the clinical data confirm the device's impact on pain reduction and patient quality of life. Not only for me, but for our original goal, to help reduce the suffering associated with oral mucositis for every at-risk patient." About the TrialThe randomized trial enrolled 164 patients undergoing chemotherapy and assigned them in a 2:1 ratio to receive either the Chemo Mouthpiece plus best supportive care (arm A) or best supportive care alone (arm B) across 16 U.S. study sites. Inclusion criteria allowed broad tumor diagnoses and chemotherapy regimens. Patients used the device during infusion and for five days post-infusion across two treatment cycles. They completed daily questionnaires to assess oral pain and analgesic use. Device tolerability was also assessed via patient surveys. Unlike traditional oral cryotherapy approaches, which are generally recommended only for chemotherapy drugs with a short half-life during infusion, the trial included regimens with both short and long half-life agents. The portability, tolerability, and user-friendly design of the Chemo Mouthpiece made it practical for patients to continue use at home, when chemotherapy agents may still be circulating in the body. This extended use was associated with improved efficacy across a variety of chemotherapy regimens. The study was published in Supportive Care in Cancer, the official journal of MASCC: Zuniga, R., Dembla, V., Alam, N. et al. Multi-institutional, randomized, controlled trial to assess the efficacy and tolerability of a reusable, self-contained cryotherapy delivery device. Support Care Cancer 33, 732 (2025). About Oral MucositisOral mucositis is a painful and often debilitating side effect of chemotherapy, characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes in the mouth. It can interfere with a patient's ability to eat, drink, speak, and sleep and ultimately can reduce quality of life and delay treatment. Clinical impacts may include: Delays or dose reductions in cancer therapy Increased risk of infection due to open oral wounds Significant weight loss and nutritional challenges Greater dependence on opioids and analgesics Higher rates of ER visits and hospitalizations Increased financial and emotional burden for patients About the Chemo MouthpieceThe Chemo Mouthpiece is a self-contained cryotherapy device designed to cool the entire oral cavity during and after chemotherapy infusion. By inducing vasoconstriction in the oral cavity, the device reduces the local presence of chemotherapy drugs, helping to mitigate mucosal injury. Available by prescription only, the device is reusable, pre-filled, and designed for use in both the clinic and at home when chemotherapy may still be circulating, supporting utility across short‑ and long half‑life regimens. The FDA awarded the Chemo Mouthpiece Breakthrough Device Designation in December 2021 and the device was FDA 510(k) cleared in January 2024. INDICATION FOR USE: (Rx only) The Chemo Mouthpiece® is intended to be used to cool the oral mucosa to reduce the incidence and severity of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis in adult patients. See Important Safety Information at About Chemomouthpiece, LLCChemomouthpiece, LLC is a privately held medical device company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded by a cancer survivor, the company's mission is to bring patient-driven innovation to the forefront of supportive oncology care. The Chemo Mouthpiece® is the company's flagship product, designed to help reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis, one of the most common and painful side effects of chemotherapy, impacting up to 80% of patients depending on cancer type. This release contains forward-looking statements regarding Chemomouthpiece, LLC, including its potential benefits and future development plans, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements except as required by law. For more information on Chemomouthpiece, LLC, please visit our website at or contact; Scott Narins, Director of Investor Relations snarins@ or Bonni Tattoli, VP, Commercial Operations at btattoli@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Chemomouthpiece, LLC 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤