Latest news with #Icarus
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Scientists Fear a Passing Star Could Fling Earth Out of the Sun's Orbit, Into the Frigid Expanse Beyond
Scientists like to refer to our planet as residing in the "Goldilocks zone," where it's neither too hot nor too cold, and just the right distance away from the Sun to support life. But in the classic "Goldilocks" fairy tale, our eponymous protagonist is forced to flee from the bears' abode she rudely invited herself into, never to return. No more perfect porridges or adequately sized beds. That could be the case for Earth one day, if we are to exhaust this analogy. Instead of being booted out by unfriendly bears, however, we might be kicked to the curb by a passing star. Actually, an untimely eviction might be the good scenario. A new study published in the journal Icarus suggests that the gravity of an unmoored star could, like we mentioned, hurl us into the frigid expanse of space — or it could jumble the orbits of the other planets enough to send one of them crashing straight into Earth, delivered, all too belatedly, like a cosmic misericorde. Morbid as it is to envision our planet's demise, the work illustrates how our solar system, far from a sequestered island, is in tune with the rest of the universe, and that astronomers may be overlooking the influence of distant objects. "Our simulations indicate that isolated models of the solar system can underestimate the degree of our giant planets' future secular orbital changes by over an order of magnitude," wrote study lead author Nathan Kaib, an astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute, in the paper. Summarizing his latest findings, Kaib told Science News there's about a five percent chance — over the next five billion years — that a wayward star could come within 100 astronomical units of our solar system, or about 100 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Should that happen, all eyes should be on Mercury. In the researchers' simulations, Mercury's orbit could become so elliptical that it smacks into either the Sun or Venus. That, in turn, could cause Venus or Mars to careen into Earth — that is, if the gravitational havoc doesn't cause our planet to go the way of Icarus, instead. Barring that, Earth could be knocked in the direction of Jupiter, before the gas giant homers us into the void of interstellar space. There's a silver lining. "None of these things are probable," Kaib told Science News. There's only 0.2 percent chance of one these grim scenarios befalling Earth, in a generous window stretching billions of years. "Nonetheless, this probability of Earth orbital change is hundreds of times larger than prior estimates," Kaib emphasizes in the paper. Kaib previously published research which suggested that the Earth's orbit was altered by a passing star three million years ago, opening the possibility that events like these could have been responsible for historical fluctuations in the Earth's climate. At the same time, it's a slightly unsettling reminder of just how delicate the architecture of our galactic neck of the woods can be. "It's a little scary how vulnerable we may be to planetary chaos," Renu Malhotra, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who was not involved with the study, told Science News. More on astronomy: Scientists Detect Mysterious Object in Deep Solar System
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Donald Trump has hurt Elon Musk deeply – he may never recover from the harm done
One moment, you are the richest person in the world, a genius, a self-proclaimed 'techno-king', able to dock a returning space rocket as if it were a car. The next? You have protesters boycotting your products, and your company's stock price is crashing. Suddenly, Elon Musk, a genuine claimant to be a master of the universe, appears decidedly human, even ordinary. Thinking he could easily add a role in Donald Trump 's administration to his existing positions, Musk's plight is the result of hubris, or, to point to an ancient legend that, given his interest in galactic travel, he must know backwards, he is a 21st-century Icarus. He flew too close to the sun because he thought it could do no harm, and now he has plummeted to earth. He paid $250m towards the Trump campaign. Loose change for the billionaire, but enough to gain the new president's ear and favour. Musk impressed on his new bestie, he was the 'First Buddy', that he could take an axe to the US federal budget, cutting out waste and with it a large amount of wokery, spectacularly boosting the books. It has not happened. Musk was responsible for thousands of firings, but his brutal purging has barely dented the public outlay. In the process, he became a hate figure, a pin-up for the laissez-faire, devil-may-care attitude of his boss. With that, too, came the stomaching of the rest of Trumpian ideology, which went against his own business needs. Musk's Tesla cars rely on parts and materials supplied from overseas. Trump skewered the industry and its dependence on globally entwined supply chains by imposing heavy tariffs. They are electric, and Trump is a four-square fossil fuel advocate. As far as Trump is concerned, the climate crisis belongs with the liberal intelligentsia he so abhors, so he wishes to remove tax credits for electric vehicles. Likewise, Musk wants to harvest the world's best scientific brains, regardless of their origin. Trump cracked down on immigration and the awarding of visas. Musk declared his unhappiness and was ignored. Friction was reported along the corridors of power in Washington. He should not have been surprised. Being Potus is about the big picture, more so if you happen to be Trump. Musk received a rude awakening, made to feel, for all his achievements, wealth and undoubted ability, a bit player in a mighty machine. Politics is cynical, and no one is as cynical as the self-serving White House occupant. So, Musk has returned to the day job. Except he will find it in very different health from when he left, or to be precise, from the point he ceased to give it his full attention. Tesla shares have slumped by more than 24 per cent since their peak in December 2024, sales of its electric cars dropped 13 per cent versus the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, there are calls for the company to divest in Europe and the US. From being the clear market leader, the disruptor of the world's car industry, Tesla now faces strong competition – other manufacturers have caught up quickly, especially in China. Musk's company now must continue reinventing and conjuring up models capable of mass production and sales – or else the Tesla magic wanes. Tesla showrooms have been attacked and picketed, and Tesla shareholders are saying they have had enough. From acclaiming Musk and going along with all his foibles, including a disregard for the normal rules of corporate governance, they are now seeking change. In a public show of defiance and rebellion, they are seeking his commitment to devote 40 hours a week to Tesla. There is deliberate irony in their demand, since Musk said he expected a minimum of 40 hours from state employees. The problem the investors face is that Musk is not a typical worker, and his week is far from a typical working week. He puts in around 80 hours, a figure that has risen to more than 120 after he bought Twitter/X and began assisting Trump. He manages four major businesses and a foundation. Even without the Trump job, he is by any standard spread far and wide. There are too many organisations that require careful steering. Twitter, now X, is lagging behind its rivals, down 11 million users in Europe alone. Starlink has seen contracts in Canada and Mexico scuppered. SpaceX is the subject of official probes. This, from a position when they seemed to be benefiting from Trump's arrival, along with his Neuralink brain-implant innovator. Given Musk's capacity to jump from one to the other, his resurrection should not be written off. But he has not severed his links to Trump entirely – he says he will continue to spend a day or two on government business, 'for as long as the president would like me to do so'. Trump is a canny operator at heading off potential pitfalls. He is calculating and brooding. Despite their differences in some areas, he would almost certainly prefer to have the high-profile, voluble, well-connected and super-rich Musk on his side. He would also like to bask in the reflected glory of future Musk advancements. It's to be expected, then, that while a certain distance has grown between them, Musk will not be disappearing from government services, as he says, just yet. How, faced with all this, can the redoubtable Musk, who still is a human being, manage his time, as his shareholders require? Few corporate chiefs have begun to saddle themselves with the same workload. Which raises the question as to how much longer his shareholders will allow this situation to persist. When things were performing swimmingly, they were prepared, happy even, to cut Musk some slack. But as problems crowd in, they are less inclined to do so. That is why their letter highlights governance concerns and asks if he has a succession plan in place. Other companies do, so why not Tesla? There is one more decisive question. He is scaling back his government involvement, and the expectation must be that the hostility towards him and his brands will cease. But will it? The organised demonstrations will stop, but mentally, he will forever be associated with the first chaotic, chest-beating and, at times, vicious period of Trump's second term. Consumers may not so willingly rush back to buying his wares. The damage might well prove to have been done, and it may be too late. It was once all going so well; then he thought he would go that bit higher. The modern-day tale of Musk truly serves as a warning.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Julianna Peña: Kayla Harrison PED use possible with UFC drug testing 'more lax than ever'
Julianna Peña: Kayla Harrison PED use possible with UFC drug testing 'more lax than ever' No matter what Kayla Harrison or her team says to the contrary, nothing will convince Julianna Peña that her UFC 316 title challenger is bending the system. Since the stars aligned for Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) to challenge for gold on the June 7 card at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view), reigning champion Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has not been shy with accusations of performance-enhancing drug use. Peña is convinced that two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison has been cheating since well before she found success in MMA competition, and even though there are no positive results for banned substances throughout more than a decade of documented testing, that doesn't change the champion's mind. "They act like there's never been an Olympian who has busted for steroids," Peña told MMA Junkie on Friday. "Then you look at that Icarus documentary and you see the lengths these Russians and other teams would go to pass these drug tests because they know they would piss hot if they took a real drug test. People that do these kinds of things are so smart that they know it down to a science, how to get off, when to cycle off, when to go on and when not to. " After Peña's latest comments, Harrison's head coach, Mike Brown of American Top Team, told MMA Fighting that all accusations are entirely unfounded and that his student is a one-of-a-kind athlete. Peña admits she would probably back off the topic if she were alone in perspective. However, she said she looks around at the opinions of fight fans and others in the MMA community and has a hard time being convinced that she's wrong. "In the history of my entire career since 2013 in the UFC, never has PED use or steroids ever been a hot topic or something that's ever been discussed about any opponent that I've ever had," Peña said. "This is the first and only time. So it's not just me. Make her answer, because I think that everybody is seeing the same thing that I'm seeing and I'm the one saying it out loud, but you guys are bringing the questions to me. You should be bringing the questions to her. And I don't care how much she says she's been tested and how clean she is, that's what Lance Armstrong said too, and you would've believed him every freaking time he said it. He wasn't. It's one of those things where people are smart. They know how to cheat the system and it's a question she needs to answer, not me." Peña, 35, is clear that unless Harrison, 34, is taken out of UFC 316 by outside forces, they will be fighting for the belt regardless of her opinion. That said, she admits she could enter the first defense of her second 135-pound title reign with more confidence in competing on an even playing field. That comes down to the oversight of the contest, which Peña doesn't think is at the standard it should be. From June 2016 to the end of 2024, the UFC's drug-testing program was regulated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which has also had Olympic oversight for decades. At the start of 2025, however, the UFC switched its testing program to Drug Free Sport International, which Peña thinks is a lesser system. "I feel like it's not that great," Peña said. "I felt more comfortable actually with this Icarus bottles, peeing into those Icarus bottles than I do now. Honestly. It's just this little plastic cup that you just barely flip the tab on, and it would be so easy (to cheat). I can only focus on myself, and I can only speak in 'I' statements, and I only know what I'm doing. But I don't like the way that the testing system is now. I think that it is a lot more lax than ever before." Regardless of whether Harrison is at an advantage or not, Peña said she is going to successfully defend her title. She thinks Harrison doesn't present much danger, and as long as she gets past the early pressure, it will be smooth sailing. "She's going to try to lay on top of me for 25 minutes," Peña said. "She might try to throw me one time, but after that is where she is going to have a lot of contention with me. She's not going to be able to hold me down for 25 minutes. The longer this fight goes, the better it is for me."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Julianna Peña: Kayla Harrison PED use possible with UFC drug testing 'more lax than ever'
No matter what Kayla Harrison or her team says to the contrary, nothing will convince Julianna Peña that her UFC 316 title challenger is bending the system. Since the stars aligned for Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) to challenge for gold on the June 7 card at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view), reigning champion Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has not been shy with accusations of performance-enhancing drug use. Advertisement Peña is convinced that two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison has been cheating since well before she found success in MMA competition, and even though there are no positive results for banned substances throughout more than a decade of documented testing, that doesn't change the champion's mind. "They act like there's never been an Olympian who has busted for steroids," Peña told MMA Junkie on Friday. "Then you look at that Icarus documentary and you see the lengths these Russians and other teams would go to pass these drug tests because they know they would piss hot if they took a real drug test. People that do these kinds of things are so smart that they know it down to a science, how to get off, when to cycle off, when to go on and when not to. " After Peña's latest comments, Harrison's head coach, Mike Brown of American Top Team, told MMA Fighting that all accusations are entirely unfounded and that his student is a one-of-a-kind athlete. Peña admits she would probably back off the topic if she were alone in perspective. However, she said she looks around at the opinions of fight fans and others in the MMA community and has a hard time being convinced that she's wrong. Advertisement "In the history of my entire career since 2013 in the UFC, never has PED use or steroids ever been a hot topic or something that's ever been discussed about any opponent that I've ever had," Peña said. "This is the first and only time. So it's not just me. Make her answer, because I think that everybody is seeing the same thing that I'm seeing and I'm the one saying it out loud, but you guys are bringing the questions to me. You should be bringing the questions to her. And I don't care how much she says she's been tested and how clean she is, that's what Lance Armstrong said too, and you would've believed him every freaking time he said it. He wasn't. It's one of those things where people are smart. They know how to cheat the system and it's a question she needs to answer, not me." Peña, 35, is clear that unless Harrison, 34, is taken out of UFC 316 by outside forces, they will be fighting for the belt regardless of her opinion. That said, she admits she could enter the first defense of her second 135-pound title reign with more confidence in competing on an even playing field. That comes down to the oversight of the contest, which Peña doesn't think is at the standard it should be. From June 2016 to the end of 2024, the UFC's drug-testing program was regulated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which has also had Olympic oversight for decades. At the start of 2025, however, the UFC switched its testing program to Drug Free Sport International, which Peña thinks is a lesser system. Advertisement "I feel like it's not that great," Peña said. "I felt more comfortable actually with this Icarus bottles, peeing into those Icarus bottles than I do now. Honestly. It's just this little plastic cup that you just barely flip the tab on, and it would be so easy (to cheat). I can only focus on myself, and I can only speak in 'I' statements, and I only know what I'm doing. But I don't like the way that the testing system is now. I think that it is a lot more lax than ever before." Regardless of whether Harrison is at an advantage or not, Peña said she is going to successfully defend her title. She thinks Harrison doesn't present much danger, and as long as she gets past the early pressure, it will be smooth sailing. "She's going to try to lay on top of me for 25 minutes," Peña said. "She might try to throw me one time, but after that is where she is going to have a lot of contention with me. She's not going to be able to hold me down for 25 minutes. The longer this fight goes, the better it is for me." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Julianna Peña: UFC drug testing 'not great' before Kayla Harrison bout
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- General
- Gizmodo
A Rogue Star Could Hurl Earth Into Deep Space, Study Warns
Mars is not safe either. Billions of years from now, the Sun will swell into a red giant, swallowing Mercury, Venus, and Earth. But that's not the only way our planet could meet its demise. A new simulation points to the menacing threat of a passing field star that could cause the planets in the solar system to collide or fling Earth far from the Sun. When attempting to model the evolution of the solar system, astronomers have often treated our host star and its orbiting planets as an isolated system. In reality, however, the Milky Way is teeming with stars that may get too close and threaten the stability of the solar system. A new study, published in the journal Icarus, suggests that stars passing close to the solar system will likely influence the orbits of the planets, causing another planet to smack into Earth or send our home planet flying. In most cases, passing stars are inconsequential, but one could trigger chaos in the solar system—mainly because of a single planet. The closest planet to the Sun, Mercury, is prone to instability as its orbit can become more elliptical. Astronomers believe that this increasing eccentricity could destabilize Mercury's orbit, potentially leading it to collide with Venus or the Sun. If a star happens to be nearby, it would only make things worse. The researchers ran 2,000 simulations using NASA's Horizons System, a tool from the Solar System Dynamics Group that precisely tracks the positions of objects in our solar system. They then inserted scenarios involving passing stars and found that stellar flybys over the next 5 billion years could make the solar system about 50% less stable. With passing stars, Pluto has a 3.9% chance of being ejected from the solar system, while Mercury and Mars are the two planets most often lost after a stellar flyby. Earth's instability rate is lower, but it has a higher chance of its orbit becoming unstable if another planet crashes into it. 'In addition, we find that the nature of stellar-driven instabilities is more violent than internally driven ones,' the researchers wrote in the paper. 'The loss of multiple planets in stellar-driven instabilities is common and occurs about 50% of the time, whereas it appears quite rare for internally driven instabilities.' The probability of Earth's orbit becoming unstable is hundreds of times larger than prior estimates, according to the study. Well, that just gives us one more thing to worry about.
