Latest news with #BaylorUniversity
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's new Roman Space Telescope aims to discover 100,000 cosmic explosions
While the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes continue to offer astronomers revolutionary glimpses of our universe, their upcoming sibling may very well upstage them. Scheduled to launch in 2027, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is designed with a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble's, with the potential to document light from over a billion galaxies over its career. Combined with timelapse recording capabilities, Roman will help researchers to better understand exoplanets, infrared astrophysics, and the nature of dark matter. But it doesn't stop there. According to a study published on July 15 in The Astrophysics Journal, Roman is poised to eventually capture an estimated 100,000 celestial explosions over its lifetime. These could include everything from supernovae to hungry black holes, but astrophysicists theorize Roman may potentially even find evidence of the very first stars to ever form in the universe. Galactic 'gold mine' 'Whether you want to explore dark energy, dying stars, galactic powerhouses, or probably even entirely new things we've never seen before, this survey will be a gold mine,' Benjamin Rose, a physicist at Baylor University and the study's lead author, said in a statement. Rose and colleagues reached their estimate after running a simulation of the Roman's High-Latitude Time-Domain Core Community Survey. Once in place, the space telescope's survey is designed to scan a single, vast portion of the universe every five days for two years. Astronomers will compile all of those snapshots into what amounts to cosmic movies, then document every kind of energy blast they find. 'By seeing the way an object's light changes over time and splitting it into spectra—individual colors with patterns that reveal information about the object that emitted the light—we can distinguish between all the different types of flashes Roman will see,' explained Rebekah Hounsell, a study co-author and assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Peering back in time The majority of events will likely be various types of exploding stars, or novae. The telescope's survey itself is particularly oriented to detect a rarer class of stellar bursts known as Type Ia supernovae. These cosmic mileage posts help researchers measure cosmic distances and analyze the universe's expansion rate. As NASA explains, understanding the speed of expansion amid various epochs can key astronomers into dark matter's behavior. Based on this study's simulation, Roman's handlers can expect to find about 27,000 Type Ia supernovae. That's more than 10 times the number collected by all previous surveys. Peering further into the depths of space also means Roman will glimpse further back into time than any telescope before it. Most supernovae detected so far by astronomers have occurred within the last 8 billion years. Roman is expected to push that timeline back to over 10 billion years ago— and possibly even as far as 11.5 billion years. 'Filling these data gaps could also fill in gaps in our understanding of dark energy,' said Rose. 'Evidence is mounting that dark energy has changed over time, and Roman will help us understand that change by exploring cosmic history in ways other telescopes can't.' The simulation dataset created by Rose's team isn't limited to their own study. According to Hounsell, other experts can use it to develop their own machine-learning algorithms to comb through Roman's gigantic troves of data for their own subjects. 'While searching for type Ia supernovae, Roman is going to collect a lot of cosmic 'bycatch'—other phenomena that aren't useful to some scientists, but will be invaluable to others,' explained Hounsell. One such phenomena may be multiple kilonovae—gargantuan explosions that result when a neutron star (a leftover supernova core) slams into another neutron star. Astronomers theorize that kilonovae may also occur when a neutron star collides with a black hole. Researchers have only officially ever documented a single such event, but the study's authors believe the Roman telescope could pinpoint another five of them. These anticipated discoveries only scratch the surface of what Roman could achieve. However, engineers must first finish the telescope and successfully launch it into orbit. The launch is currently scheduled no earlier than May 2027. NASA's multibillion dollar budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration may jeopardize the Roman project, despite its potential completion ahead of time and cheaper than expected. 'This is nuts,' former co-chair of Roman's science team David Spergel told Scientific American earlier this year. 'You've built it, and you're not going to do the final step to finish it? That is such a waste of taxpayers' money.'However, It's by no means a death sentence for Roman just yet. As of July 15, Congress was in talks to reject the majority of the White House's proposed NASA cuts. Solve the daily Crossword
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Science
- Business Standard
NASA's Roman telescope to unlock 100,000 cosmic explosions in major survey
NASA's soon-to-launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is gearing up for a cosmic fireworks show unlike any other. According to a new study, one of its most ambitious sky surveys could uncover over 100,000 cosmic explosions — from brilliant supernovae to ravenous black holes — offering science enthusiasts and astrophysicists a potential treasure trove of discoveries. At the heart of this celestial hunt lies the High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey, an ambitious program that will observe the same vast patch of sky every five days over two years. These repeated scans will be stitched into detailed time-lapse 'movies' of the universe, capturing dynamic events as they unfold across billions of light-years. 'Whether you want to explore dark energy, dying stars, galactic powerhouses, or entirely new cosmic phenomena, this survey will be a gold mine,' said Benjamin Rose, assistant professor at Baylor University and lead author of the new study published in The Astrophysical Journal. Why it matters: a window into dark energy and ancient stars Among the most sought-after events are Type Ia supernovae — thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs in binary systems. These stellar blasts shine with near-uniform brightness, making them perfect 'standard candles' to measure vast cosmic distances. Roman is expected to spot 27,000 of them, more than 10 times the total found by all previous surveys combined. Crucially, Roman's deep gaze will peer farther into the universe, and further back in time, than ever before. It could detect supernovae from over 11.5 billion years ago, potentially setting a new record for the farthest-known Type Ia explosion. Such data is critical in refining our understanding of dark energy, the mysterious force that's accelerating the universe's expansion. Evidence suggests that dark energy might have evolved over time, and Roman could help confirm this by mapping how the universe expanded across different epochs. 'Filling these data gaps could also fill in gaps in our understanding of dark energy,' said Rose. 'Roman will explore cosmic history in ways other telescopes can't.' Not just supernovae: a cosmic jackpot While Type Ia supernovae are the stars of the show for cosmologists, Roman will also observe about 60,000 core-collapse supernovae — explosions of massive stars that burn through their fuel and collapse. It may also detect feeding black holes, luminous kilonovae from neutron star mergers, and perhaps signatures of the universe's first stars, believed to self-destruct without leaving any trace. Distinguishing between these various cosmic explosions is a challenge. But scientists plan to use machine learning algorithms, trained on Roman's massive dataset, to sort through the incoming flood of data. 'Roman is going to collect a lot of cosmic 'bycatch'—phenomena that might be irrelevant to some but gold for others,' said Rebekah Hounsell, co-author of the study and research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. With science operations expected to begin in 2027, Roman is poised to deliver a new era of time-domain astronomy—watching the cosmos in motion, and catching its most spectacular moments in the act.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Magic Mushrooms Might Be the Key to Longer Human Lives
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Psilocybin, the hallucinogen in some mushroom species, has now been shown to increase the lifespan of both cells and mice. The magic happens because psilocybin slows down the senescence, or degradation, of telomeres—the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes that affects aging. These results may mean that psilocybin could someday slow down the progression of cancer and other diseases. Shelves in stores all over the world are already overstocked with supplements, skin creams, retinal serums, self-help books, and questionable potions that promise to hold off the effects of aging as long as possible. But... have we tried magic mushrooms? Psilocybin is what puts the 'magic' in some species of mushrooms (such as Psilocybe cubensis)—when it's metabolized, it releases the hallucinogen alkaloid psilocin. Most clinical studies involving psilocybin and psilocin have, understandably, focused on its interactions with the brain. And we've learned a lot from these studies. Psilocin has been shown, for example, to have a positive impact on people with psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions. But now, it seems that scientists have discovered that there is also an association between psilocybin treatment and the slowing of cell aging. Telomeres are repeated DNA sequences at the end of our chromosomes that influence how we age. The shortening of telomeres leads to senescence (aging) and, eventually, cell death. Clinical depression and other negative mental and psychological states have been known to fast-forward aging by causing the telomeres of cells to shorten sooner, and positive mental states are associated with longer telomeres. This knowledge led to the 'psilocybin-telomere hypothesis,' which suggests that psilocybin might slow down aging by keeping telomeres longer beyond the point when they would usually start to degrade. This hypothesis is why Kosuke Kato, assistant professor of pulmonary medicine at Baylor University, wanted to focus in on the anti-aging effects of psilocybin. He was the first to do so, and when he and his research team carried out a series of experiments on adult mice and human cells, the results were pretty trippy. It turned out that the psilocin in psilocybin can indeed increase lifespans of cells—and even entire organisms. 'Our study provides the first experimental evidence demonstrating that psilocybin impacts hallmarks of aging, supporting the previously proposed 'psilocybin-telomere hypothesis,'' the researchers said in a study recently published in Nature Partnering Journal (NPI) Aging. Kato started with an in vitro study on human lung stem cells. Those treated with a low dose of psilocin had extended lifespans, allowing them to multiply faster and for longer than controls. With a higher dose, the psilocin-treated cells held out for even longer before succumbing to senescence. They also had higher levels of SIRT1—a gene that regulates DNA damage and regulates the metabolism, stress responses, and the aging of cells. Lower levels of the GADD45a gene (which repairs DNA damage) meant there was less cell damage, and levels of oxidative stress (which also causes cell damage) were also reduced. The same experiments were carried out on adult human skin cells, and produced similar results. After the success of the in vitro experiments, Kato treated mice with psilocybin once a month over a period of ten months. He purposely chose older mice, whose age equivalent in human years was about 60 to 65 at the beginning of the experiment. And the treatment worked—survival rates ended up being an astounding 80% higher than controls. The mice even looked looked younger. Their fur quality improved, and some graying was reversed (though they did experience psychotropic effects right after treatment as a predictable side effect). The results of these experiments have important implications not just for aging, but for potentially slowing down and even halting the progress of cancer. 'Our findings suggest that psilocybin influences systemic aging processes, potentially explaining its long-lasting therapeutic effects across multiple disease indications,' Kato said. 'Although the impact of psilocybin on peripheral organs remains largely unexplored, these studies implicate untapped therapeutic potential for psilocybin's systemic impacts.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Business Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
On Lego, love and friendship
THERE is a locked room in Lego's corporate museum, in Billund in Denmark, which is called the Vault. It is a large space, filled with shelves that are arranged in chronological order, starting in 1958 and stretching away towards the present day. Between them, the shelves contain around 10,000 sets of Lego. The Vault is used by the toymaker's designers as a source of inspiration, but its effect on first-time visitors is what makes the room remarkable. It's impossible not to seek out sets from your own childhood, not to be drawn back to an earlier version of yourself and, for lots of people, not to well up. We thought about having Kleenex as a sponsor, says Signe Wiese, an in-house historian. Visiting Lego's vault is a chance to experience the emotional power of a beloved brand. Marketing experts have a whole taxonomy to describe the ties that bind consumers and brands. In a recent review of the literature, Claudio Alvarez, Meredith David and Morris George of Baylor University identify five types of connection that have been the subject of concerted study. The feeling that every marketing manager dreams of eliciting is 'brand love'. This goes well beyond a belief in the quality of a firm's products to include things like emotional attachment, feelings of passion, frequent use, a strong sense of identification with a brand and more. It's not quite doodling a company's name and yours with a loveheart, but it's not far off. The flipside of brand love is 'brand hate', a reaction that might reflect repeated bad experiences of a product, a strong dislike of a brand's values or simply a rivalry with a loved brand. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up A diverting bit of research by Remi Trudel of Boston University and his co-authors looks at how consumers choose to dispose of products, and finds that people who strongly identify as Coca-Cola drinkers are more likely to recycle a Coke can and throw a Pepsi one in the rubbish; the reverse is true of Pepsi fans. The three other types of consumer-brand connection identified by Alvarez and his co-authors are 'communal relationships', in which people feel a sense of obligation or concern for a brand (local stores can often fit into this category); 'brand addiction', often characterised by uncontrollable urges to buy a firm's products and services; and 'brand friendships', to denote positive feelings that fall somewhere short of love. These are the five types identified in the literature review, but the analogies between humans' relations with each other and with brands can be extended in all sorts of directions. Researchers use the term 'brand flings' to describe shorter-lived, intense interactions with brands, often in zeitgeisty industries such as fashion. 'Brand flirting' involves a little dabbling with a competitor of your preferred brand; it can redouble your liking for the original. Friendships have subcategories, too: best friends, casual friendships and so on. Some of this taxonomy can feel a bit forced. You're going shopping, not attending an orgy. Brands cannot reciprocate feelings. But the idea of gradations of attachment rings true; how people feel about a brand determines their behaviour. Vivek Astvansh of McGill University and his co-authors found that people are more likely to report safety incidents when they believe a brand is well-intentioned than when they do not. The reason? They want to provide feedback that can help it to solve the problem. Lego elicits a depth of emotion that feels like brand love. But Alvarez wouldn't put it in that category, because most adults do not continue to have frequent interactions with the products. It's more like a childhood friend, he says, one that depends on the trigger of nostalgia to cause a wave of warm feelings. Such distinctions are not just academic. Lego's bosses, for example, make no bones about the fact that they have a limited window early in a child's life to form a bond that can cause them to shed tears in a room in Billund decades later. If managers know what kind of connection a brand is likely to have with its customers, the bricks of a marketing strategy will fall into place.
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Why Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has a drooping eyelid? Here's what we know
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears to have a drooping eyelid on the right side of his face. On a few occasions, Paxton has highlighted that this happened due to an injury in his childhood. After the injury, he was left with a lazy eye. FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's wife Angela Paxton filed for divorce on Thursday.(AP) He recently found himself in the spotlight after his wife, state Senator Angela Paxton, on Thursday filed for divorce to end their 38 years of marriage. Also Read: Who is Devyn Smith? 23-year-old survives deadly Texas flood that killed most of her family Ken Paxton's eye injury accidents In 2016, Paxton told the Houston Chronicle that a boy threw a berry at him while playing hide-and-seek when he was 12 years old. This left him virtually blind and even forced him to spend the next several weeks at home to save his vision. The entire treatment took a toll on his health as Ken Paxton lost "30 or 40 pounds". "So I couldn't walk when I got out of the hospital... I had to learn to walk again, and then I had to fight my way back into staying in that grade," he told the news outlet nearly a decade ago. Also Read: Ken Paxton gets earful from Republicans amid divorce revelations: 'Repulsive and disgusting' Post that, he underwent surgery to correct the problem. A few years later, Paxton faced another facial injury when he was a freshman at Baylor University. While playing basketball, a player elbowed him in the right eye. Paxton shared that his facial bones were shattered, while doctors had to wire his skull back together. As a result, Ken Paxton was left with two different-colored eyes, green on the left side and the right one brown, which is shaded by an eyelid that droops. Also Read: Elon Musk launches Grok 4, xAI's latest AI model: Here are its top features Ken and Angela headed for divorce Angela said her decision was made on 'biblical grounds' and 'in light of recent discoveries.'The divorce petition, which was filed in Collin County, states that the 'respondent has committed adultery,' adding that the two of them were not living together "as spouses' since June last year, The New York Times. In a statement on the social media platform X, Ken Paxton said that they have decided to 'start a new chapter in our lives'. Seeking privacy in the matter, he wrote that he remains "committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren". In 2023, the Texas Senate considered removing Ken Paxton from office after the Texas House impeached and suspended him from office in May that year. Also Read: Ken Paxton divorce row: Will Texas AG's falling marriage hurt chances vs John Cornyn, Jasmine Crockett? Latest polls FAQs 1. Have Ken Paxton and Angela Paxton parted ways? Yes, Angela announced on Thursday that she has filed for divorce from Ken Paxton. 2. Why does Ken Paxton have a drooping eyelid? It is due to an injury he suffered during his childhood. 3. How long were Ken Paxton and Angela Paxton together? They have parted ways after 38 years of marriage.
