Latest news with #UniversityofCardiff
Hindustan Times
22-07-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Violent Collision of Two Black Holes Rippled Across the Universe
Astrophysicists have discovered the largest known merger of two black holes to form a larger single hole about 225 times the mass of the sun. The violent collision between the spinning objects, one about 100 times the mass of the sun and the other about 140 times that amount, produced a gravitational wave that rippled across the universe. Scientists detected the faint signal using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), a facility that uses 2.5-mile long, L-shaped instruments in Hanford, Wash., and Livingston, La., in unison to detect and measure cosmic gravitational waves. The signal, only 0.2 second long, was picked up in 2023 and announced July 13 at a conference in Glasgow. The findings have been posted ahead of peer review on the preprint server arXiv. A black hole is an astronomical object with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. While scientists have predicted the existence of black holes since the 18th century, direct evidence has only turned up recently. In 2015, scientists used the LIGO to make the first-ever detection of a gravitational wave, a distortion in the fabric of space caused by the acceleration of massive objects such as black holes or neutron stars. Gravitational waves carry information about their origins and the nature of gravity itself. The effort won the researchers a Nobel Prize in 2017. In 2019, scientists released the first image of a black hole at the center of a galaxy roughly 55 million light years from Earth, showing a fuzzy ring of oranges and yellows surrounding a dark center, where light is trapped by the object's massive gravitational pull. Because the 2023 gravitational wave only produced a small amount of data, scientists don't know exactly how far away the object is. 'It's kind of ridiculous to say, but it's sort of between three or four billion light years away and 12 to 13 billion light years away,' said Mark Hannam, an astrophysicist at the University of Cardiff in the U.K., and a member of the scientific team that discovered the object, named GW231123 for 'gravitational wave' and the date it was discovered. Hannam said there is still a lot that scientists are learning and that the two black holes could have formed through earlier mergers of even smaller black holes. 'We don't know how many black holes were merged in this process,' Hannam said. The two black holes could also have formed from stars colliding and forming more massive, highly spinning stars which then collapsed to form black holes, according to Vicky Kalogera, professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University and a member of the team that analyzed the signal. Either way, this finding has opened up new lines of research using gravitational wave detectors, according to Alessandra Corsi, professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University who wasn't involved in the paper. 'What excites me is finding different ways of studying the cosmos that are telling you, hey, there's surprising things that are going on,' she said. Write to Eric Niiler at
Gizmodo
10-07-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
A Bold Mission to Hunt for Aliens on Venus Is Actually Happening
A UK-based mission is aiming to settle, once and for all, whether life exists on Venus. The mission plans to send a probe to the planet in search of microbial life, not on the surface, of course, but in the Venusian clouds. Over the past half-decade, scientists have detected the presence of phosphine and ammonia—two potential signs of biological activity—in Venus's clouds. On Earth, both gases are produced only by biological activity and industrial processes, and scientists are unsure of their origin on Venus. Given the planet's thick, toxic atmosphere, scorching surface temperatures, and crushing surface pressure, a booming industrial economy seems unlikely. But microbes—which can thrive in Earth's hottest, most toxic environments—might be able to survive on Venus and produce these gases, researchers posit. 'Our latest data has found more evidence of ammonia on Venus, with the potential for it to exist in the habitable parts of the planet's clouds,' Jane Greaves, an astronomer at the University of Cardiff, said in a statement. 'There are no known chemical processes for the production of either ammonia or phosphine, so the only way to know for sure what is responsible for them is to go there.' At this year's Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting, researchers from the University of Cardiff presented their plan to search for and map phosphine, ammonia, and other hydrogen-rich gases that might indicate the presence of microbial life on Earth's twin. The mission, called the Venus Explorer for Reduced Vapours in the Environment (VERVE), will send a CubeSat-sized probe aboard the European Space Agency's EnVision mission—a larger mission designed to probe Venus's surface and interior, scheduled for launch in 2031. VERVE will detach upon arrival and carry out an independent atmospheric survey. Researchers first detected phosphine in Venus's clouds in 2020. The finding was controversial, however, as follow-up studies failed to replicate the results. But a subsequent project, JCMT–Venus, designed to study the molecular composition of Venus's atmosphere using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, offered a possible explanation for these disparate findings. Researchers tracked the phosphine signature over time and found it could only be detected at night, as it was destroyed by sunlight. They also discovered that the amount of gas in Venus's atmosphere varied over time. Last year, at the National Astronomy Meeting, researchers also reported the detection of ammonia in Venus's atmosphere. Although surface temperatures on Venus reach around 450 degrees Celsius, conditions become much more reasonable about 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface, where temperatures range from 30 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees Celsius. Researchers believe it may be possible for extremophiles—like those found in Earth's hydrothermal vents and deep-sea trenches—to survive in these conditions.
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Volunteers uncover ‘hugely exciting' burial site underneath Welsh park
Volunteer archaeologists have uncovered a Bronze Age burial site underneath a popular park in Wales. A number of pits were discovered during an archaeological dig at Trelai Park in Cardiff, with a small amount of human remains being found in three of them. The cremations are believed to date back to the Bronze Age, and were found next to a 1500 BC roundhouse that was found at the site two years ago. Experts believe the closeness of the remains suggests the site held 'significance' to those who lived there at the time, and that cherished family members may have been buried there. Volunteers for the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project are now working to piece together the significance of the latest finds, which suggest the site could be more expansive than previously thought. 'The discovery of these cremations is hugely exciting and is yet another example of the rich history that lies so well preserved under Trelai Park,' CAER co-director Dr Oliver Davis, head of archaeology and conservation at the University of Cardiff, which is a partner in the project, said. 'The fact that the cremations have been buried so close to the roundhouse suggests they may have been laid there to remember cherished family members. It could also mean the site held a ceremonial significance to people at the time.' He added: 'This area, which we already knew was only 200 metres away from a Roman Villa, has clearly been an important place over thousands of years. It's providing us with a window onto some of the very earliest Cardiff residents who were living here in Caerau and Ely over three millennia ago. 'The work now begins to carefully dig through each layer, sifting through the materials we are finding here on an hourly basis. It's a real team effort.' Trelai Park is a well-used location for sports teams and dog walkers. It is half a mile from Caerau Hillfort, a heritage site of national significance where Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman and medieval finds have previously been discovered. Alice Clarke, 36, who lives in Caerau, has been volunteering with the CAER Project for five years and said: 'It's really fascinating. We've found a lot of quartz here so far. I will also work at the CAER Heritage Centre after the dig, cleaning all the finds that come in big bags. I love doing it. It's given me confidence – it's nice to get out and meet friends.' Another of the volunteers, 19-year-old Hannah Secker, has just finished her A Levels and wants to study archaeology and ancient history at degree level. She said: 'There is quite an exciting atmosphere here and everyone has been so welcoming. I had no archaeological experience before coming here, and it's been great to speak to students about their degrees. It's unbelievable finding artefacts that could be 3,000 years old and thinking about the people that have walked on this ground before us.'
Business Mayor
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
Flawed hybrid car efficiency data to stifle UK EV sales and propagate pollution
Despite this, the government has stated that emissions targets for manufacturers will continue to use the old figures and test cycle. This, T&E fears, means that drivers will continue to be 'misled by the 'low emission' image of PHEVs portrayed by carmakers' and that the UK may struggle to hit its lofty climate targets as a result. In fact, the European transport sustainability group believes this mixed messaging surrounding PHEVs could see as many as 500,000 additional new cars using the tech hitting the road by 2030, in turn jeopardising the sales of cleaner, fully-electric cars. T&E has called on the government to bear in mind the new updated plug-in hybrid emissions figures and regulations before pressing ahead with its ZEV mandate changes to avoid 'duping' the public. Such a sentiment is backed by Professor of Business and Sustainability at the University of Cardiff, Peter Wells, who told Auto Express that T&E's analysis was 'entirely correct, both in terms of the real-world performance of PHEVs, and the actual cost to consumers. It is a flawed policy.' Wells continued, saying: 'We too easily forget that the point of all of this is to slow down the rate of climate change. Once again the government has allowed itself to be distracted by short-term economic expediency.' Auto Express has approached the UK Department for Transport for comment, but we have yet to receive a response. Take a look at the best electric car deals on the market right now… READ SOURCE
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
What caused the Spain and Portugal blackouts? Experts say incident is a warning
Millions across Spain and Portugal were left in the dark on Monday as an unprecedented power outage brought much of the Iberian peninsula to a standstill. For hours the lights went out, transport links ground to a halt and communication networks faltered, leaving many wondering what had gone wrong. In the immediate aftermath, explanations were thin on the ground. Conspiracy theories began popping up, including international sabotage, a cyber attack or even renewables being responsible for the outage. Officials said there was little precedent for this kind of widespread electric failure across all of the Iberian peninsula. "We have never had a complete collapse of the system," said Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, talking about how the power grid lost 15 gigawatts, the equivalent of 60 per cent of its national demand, in just five seconds. Experts say a proper investigation will take time – and that the cause remains uncertain. Spain's grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), spoke of a "very strong oscillation in the electrical network" that led to the country's disconnection from the wider European power system. Meanwhile, Portugal 's operator, REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais), initially suggested a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" in Spain, involving extreme temperature variations, could have caused vibrations in high-voltage lines. But many experts are sceptical of those claims. 'I am not familiar with this term,' Dr Jianzhong Wu, professor of multi-vector energy systems at University of Cardiff, said. 'It is not widely used or frequently encountered in power system engineering. ''Induced atmospheric vibration' could mean unusual physical movements of power lines caused by rapid and extreme changes in atmospheric conditions, such as temperature shifts or localised weather phenomena,' he explains. 'These vibrations can alter the electrical properties of transmission lines or trigger protective mechanisms designed to prevent damage, leading to unexpected disconnections. Alternatively, it could refer to unusual changes in electricity demand and generation caused by rapid atmospheric shifts.' Dr Wu says there isn't enough information available to make an assessment on the cause. One of the key aspects of this blackout is how it managed to affect such a large area. Both Spain and Portugal's electricity grids are tightly linked, not just to each other but also to the broader European system. This interconnectedness usually provides resilience, allowing power to be shared across borders. However, Dr Jianzhong Wu, professor of multi-vector energy systems at University of Cardiff, said it can also mean that "disturbances can spread quickly if a major synchronisation failure occurs.' 'In this case, the disruption appears to have propagated rapidly through the Iberian peninsula.' Dr David Brayshaw, a professor of climate science and energy meteorology at the University of Reading, explained: "Power systems are networks, connecting local disruptions to wider areas... If something on the network — a generator, a power line, or even a large electricity user — suddenly disappears, it creates a supply-demand imbalance, and the system frequency starts to shift. If that shift becomes too large, other components can trip offline, creating a snowball effect that worsens the imbalance and can trigger a major blackout — sometimes within seconds." With both Spain and Portugal increasingly relying on renewable energy sources like solar and wind, questions have been raised about their role in the outage. Experts were quick to dismiss this as the primary cause, however. Daniel Muir, a senior European power analyst at S&P Global, told Politico that "the nature and scale of the outage makes it unlikely that the volume of renewables was the cause." 'There was sufficient conventional generation available, with nuclear, hydro, cogeneration and thermal technologies all on the system prior to the event and ... available to the operator,' he said. Dr Keith Bell, professor of electronic and electrical engineering at the University of Strathclyde, said:'Events of this scale have happened in many places around the world over the years, in power systems using fossil fuels, nuclear, hydro or variable renewables. It doesn't matter where you are getting the energy from, you've got to get the engineering right in order to ensure resilient supplies of electricity.' There has also been a lot of speculation asking whether the outages were the work of cyber-saboteurs launching a strike on Europe. However, there is no evidence suggesting that was the case. European Commission executive vice president Teresa Ribera dismissed that possibility, saying there was 'nothing that allows us to say that there is any kind of sabotage or cyberattack'. While this is a rare event, its not an unlikely one. Experts caution that as the world's electricity demands increase and power systems change, there needs to be more research into the vulnerabilities of these systems. "System operators and equipment owners try to ensure that such major events don't happen and to learn lessons when they do, sharing those lessons internationally once investigations have been completed,' Dr Bell said.
