Latest news with #LimingLi
International Business Times
17-07-2025
- Science
- International Business Times
Uranus is Leaking Heat Like Never Before — Experts are Baffled!
Back in 1986, Voyager 2 had discovered a surprisingly low amount of internal heat from Uranus when it passed the planet. Since then, scientists have thought of Uranus as the odd man out of the family of giant planets in our solar system, which also includes Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. These planets all have a tendency to release more heat into space than they take in from the sun. According to a recent study, published Monday in Geophysical Research Letters, Uranus does have an internal heat source like its planetary siblings, which may have led scientists to misinterpret the data from Voyager 2. Uranus emits 12.5% more internal heat than it takes in from the Sun. Compared to the other three giant planets, which release over 100% of the solar energy they receive, that is still a significant reduction in heat. However, the study that analyzed decades' worth of archival data on the ice giant shows that Uranus doesn't deviate significantly from the general knowledge of scientists regarding the formation and evolution of giant planets. The researchers examined data on Uranus's global energy balance over an 84-year orbit of the Sun in order to arrive at this conclusion. The team discovered significant seasonal swings caused by the planet's erratic variations in sunlight exposure after combining this observational data with computational models. The latest results align with a previous study on Uranus' energy balance that was published in May in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The study, however, said that neither study provides a definitive explanation for why Uranus's internal heat is significantly lower than that of the other gas and ice giants. According to a statement from the researchers, Uranus might have had a "different interior structure or evolutionary history compared to the other giant planets." Additionally, the study discovered that Uranus's energy levels fluctuate in accordance with its 20-year seasons. According to the study, these variations "provide observational constraints that can be used to develop theories of planetary formation for giant planets," in conjunction with the planet's heat budget. As a result, Uranus is addressed as well as questioned in the paper, which the researchers point to as a compelling argument for further NASA exploration of the icy planet. Liming Li, study co-author and physicist at the University of Houston, said, "By uncovering how Uranus stores and loses heat, we gain valuable insights into the fundamental processes that shape planetary atmospheres, weather systems, and climate systems," adding, "These findings help broaden our perspective on Earth's atmospheric system and the challenges of climate change."
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Inland Empire man pleads guilty to using American company's trade secrets to build Chinese competitor
An Inland Empire man could face as many as 10 years in prison after he admitted to using secrets from an American technology company to aid a Chinese company for his own financial gain, prosecutors say. Liming Li, 66, of Rancho Cucamonga, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of possession of trade secrets, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Li was arrested in May 2023 after his flight from Taiwan landed at Ontario International Airport. From 1996 to 2013, Li worked as a senior software engineer, then as a program manager at an American company based in Southern California that 'specialized in precision measuring instruments and metrological technology and equipment,' prosecutors say. Identified only as 'U.S. Company #1,' it sold products such as micrometers, calipers, coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), and optical measurement systems. In July 2013, Li signed an agreement with the company which required him to turn over the company's proprietary information, and barred him from sharing it with any other companies. He had worked with that information in the form of source code for one of the company's software programs. As part of his guilty plea, Li admitted that he 'occasionally' downloaded that information onto his personal devices, and failed to turn it over even after he stopped working at U.S. Company #1. From 2013 to 2018, Li worked at a subsidiary of U.S. Company #1. Man shot, killed while trying to stop Inglewood catalytic converter theft He was terminated from that company in 2018, and failed to turn over all of the proprietary information, despite his signed agreement. He then operated a consulting company named JSL Innovations Inc. starting in February 2018. In addition to that job, he started working for Suzhou Universal Group Technology Co. Ltd. in March 2020. While working for that China-based chain-and-bearing manufacturer, Li used the information stolen from U.S. Company #1 for his own financial benefit, he admitted in the plea agreement. He also admitted that the use of that information would 'injure' U.S. Company #1's interests. Li is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8. He could face a maximum of 10 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
