Latest news with #UniversityofChicago
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Science
- The Hindu
M. Krishnamurthy to speak at Chicago university conference
The University of Chicago Library will host the 20th International Open Repositories Conference (IORC) from June 15–18, 2025. The theme of this year's conference is 'Twenty Years of Progress, a Future of Possibilities.' M. Krishnamurthy, professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Bengaluru, has been invited to speak at the event. He has also been selected as one of the fellows of the University of Chicago, U.S. During the conference, he will deliver a lecture on Research Data Management in Social Science.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Astronomers thought they found signs of life on distant planet. New studies are skeptical
Back in April, the world became captivated by the news that maybe, just maybe, we weren't alone in the universe after all. If extraterrestrials were to exist on a distant exoplanet as a team of astronomers theorized, it wouldn't exactly be intelligent life, but – hey – it was something. The explosive findings came from a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge who studied data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to find molecules in the atmosphere of a planet known as K2-18b that could have been created by organisms akin to marine algae. But then along came other independent astronomers who took their own look at the data and came to their own highly skeptical conclusions. A series of studies since the April 17 announcement have cast doubt on the sensational claim that what the initial researchers had found was "the strongest evidence yet" that life exists anywhere else besides Earth. "The data we have so far is much too noisy for the proof that would be needed to make that claim,' Rafael Luque, an astronomer at the University of Chicago, who led the most recent study, said in a statement. 'There's just not enough certainty to say one way or the other.' Here's everything to know about K2-18b, and just what potential it has to harbor alien life. K2-18b, which orbits a red dwarf star more than 120 light-years from Earth, has for years intrigued astronomers who believe it could be among the best places to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. The cosmic body is an exoplanet, meaning it orbits a star outside of Earth's own solar system. First discovered in 2015 during NASA's planet-hunting K2 mission, K2-18b likely orbits its star in what astronomers refer to as the "habitable zone" – where conditions could allow for water. In a nod to the classic fairy tale, astronomers even refer to these regions as "Goldilocks" zones because conditions have to be just right – neither too hot nor too cold – for water to remain in liquid form and pool on planetary surfaces. Interestingly, K2-18b, which is 8.6 times bigger than Earth, isn't rocky like our planet. Rather, observations have allowed scientists to conclude that the exoplanet could be a Hycean world covered by ocean water underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. Could alien life thrive on K2-18b? What to know about the distant exoplanet The latest findings on K2-18b came from a team of researchers led by Nikku Madhusudhan, an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge in England. Because the planet is too far and too faint to observe directly with ground telescopes, astronomers had to get creative. In this case, the team studied data from the Webb Telescope gathered from observing K2-18b as the planet crossed in front of its star, causing starlight to filter through the planet's atmosphere. As the light passed through the planet's atmosphere, different amounts of light were blocked at different wavelengths, depending on what molecules are present. That's what led Madhusudhan and his team to detect hints of sulfur-based gases dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere – both molecules from the same chemical family. On Earth, the gases are only produced by life, primarily microbial life such as marine algae like phytoplankton, according to the researchers. Since then, at least three different studies have largely dismissed the notion that any compelling evidence has been found to yet suggest life exists on K2-18b. In the most recent study led by Luque, researchers reviewed data from multiple observations of the planet. After combining observations of K2-18b in both the near-infrared light and longer wavelengths of mid-infrared light, the team concluded that it did not detect dimethyl sulfide. What's more, they found that other molecules, not just those possibly indicating signs of life, could explain the questionable discovery. In an earlier study published to arXiv, Jake Taylor, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, took a look at the Webb telescope data using a common data model for exoplanet studies and came to much the same conclusion: Taylor found no evidence of the atmospheric clues that were so integral in the Cambridge study's findings. Madhusudhan, who has issued rebuttals to some of the findings dismissing his potential discovery, has readily acknowledged that his team's observations are in need of further review. In announcing the findings, Madhusudhan conceded the molecules observed could have occurred by chance or could be the result of previously unknown chemical processes at work on K2-18b. Regardless, it appears astronomers all agree that we may not be as close as we thought to determining whether anything does indeed live on K2-18b. 'Answering whether there is life outside the solar system is the most important question of our field. It is why we are all studying these planets,' Luque said in a statement. 'We are making enormous progress in this field, and we don't want that to be overshadowed by premature declarations.' Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Planet K2-18b life signs discovery now in doubt
USA Today
a day ago
- Science
- USA Today
Astronomers thought they found signs of life on distant planet. New studies are skeptical
Astronomers thought they found signs of life on distant planet. New studies are skeptical A series of studies have cast doubt on the sensational claim that "the strongest evidence yet" was found that life exists anywhere else besides Earth. Show Caption Hide Caption Astronomers find possible signs of alien life on distant planet K2-18b Astronomers plan to conduct more research after finding possible signs of alien life on a distant exoplanet known as K2-18b. The findings came from a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge who studied data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to find molecules in the atmosphere of a planet known as K2-18b. On Earth, the gases are only produced by life, primarily microbial life such as marine algae like phytoplankton, according to the researchers. Since then, other independent astronomers who took their own look at the data and came to their own highly skeptical conclusions. Back in April, the world became captivated by the news that maybe, just maybe, we weren't alone in the universe after all. If extraterrestrials were to exist on a distant exoplanet as a team of astronomers theorized, it wouldn't exactly be intelligent life, but – hey – it was something. The explosive findings came from a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge who studied data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to find molecules in the atmosphere of a planet known as K2-18b that could have been created by organisms akin to marine algae. But then along came other independent astronomers who took their own look at the data and came to their own highly skeptical conclusions. A series of studies since the April 17 announcement have cast doubt on the sensational claim that what the initial researchers had found was "the strongest evidence yet" that life exists anywhere else besides Earth. "The data we have so far is much too noisy for the proof that would be needed to make that claim,' Rafael Luque, an astronomer at the University of Chicago, who led the most recent study, said in a statement. 'There's just not enough certainty to say one way or the other.' Here's everything to know about K2-18b, and just what potential it has to harbor alien life. What is exoplanet K2-18b? K2-18b, which orbits a red dwarf star more than 120 light-years from Earth, has for years intrigued astronomers who believe it could be among the best places to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. The cosmic body is an exoplanet, meaning it orbits a star outside of Earth's own solar system. First discovered in 2015 during NASA's planet-hunting K2 mission, K2-18b likely orbits its star in what astronomers refer to as the "habitable zone" – where conditions could allow for water. In a nod to the classic fairy tale, astronomers even refer to these regions as "Goldilocks" zones because conditions have to be just right – neither too hot nor too cold – for water to remain in liquid form and pool on planetary surfaces. Interestingly, K2-18b, which is 8.6 times bigger than Earth, isn't rocky like our planet. Rather, observations have allowed scientists to conclude that the exoplanet could be a Hycean world covered by ocean water underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. Could alien life thrive on K2-18b? What to know about the distant exoplanet Have they found life on K2-18b? The latest findings on K2-18b came from a team of researchers led by Nikku Madhusudhan, an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge in England. Because the planet is too far and too faint to observe directly with ground telescopes, astronomers had to get creative. In this case, the team studied data from the Webb Telescope gathered from observing K2-18b as the planet crossed in front of its star, causing starlight to filter through the planet's atmosphere. As the light passed through the planet's atmosphere, different amounts of light were blocked at different wavelengths, depending on what molecules are present. That's what led Madhusudhan and his team to detect hints of sulfur-based gases dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere – both molecules from the same chemical family. On Earth, the gases are only produced by life, primarily microbial life such as marine algae like phytoplankton, according to the researchers. Scientists cast doubt on signs of alien life on K2-18b Since then, at least three different studies have largely dismissed the notion that any compelling evidence has been found to yet suggest life exists on K2-18b. In the most recent study led by Luque, researchers reviewed data from multiple observations of the planet. After combining observations of K2-18b in both the near-infrared light and longer wavelengths of mid-infrared light, the team concluded that it did not detect dimethyl sulfide. What's more, they found that other molecules, not just those possibly indicating signs of life, could explain the questionable discovery. In an earlier study published to arXiv, Jake Taylor, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, took a look at the Webb telescope data using a common data model for exoplanet studies and came to much the same conclusion: Taylor found no evidence of the atmospheric clues that were so integral in the Cambridge study's findings. Madhusudhan, who has issued rebuttals to some of the findings dismissing his potential discovery, has readily acknowledged that his team's observations are in need of further review. In announcing the findings, Madhusudhan conceded the molecules observed could have occurred by chance or could be the result of previously unknown chemical processes at work on K2-18b. Regardless, it appears astronomers all agree that we may not be as close as we thought to determining whether anything does indeed live on K2-18b. 'Answering whether there is life outside the solar system is the most important question of our field. It is why we are all studying these planets,' Luque said in a statement. 'We are making enormous progress in this field, and we don't want that to be overshadowed by premature declarations.' Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Civic Actor Studio uses theater techniques to help leaders open up to new opportunities
U of C Civic Actor Studio uses theater techniques to help leaders explore new skills U of C Civic Actor Studio uses theater techniques to help leaders explore new skills U of C Civic Actor Studio uses theater techniques to help leaders explore new skills The Civic Actor Studio is a four-day leadership retreat that is part of the University of Chicago's Office of Civic Engagement, which has made a profound difference in many lives. The educators, community leaders, philanthropists and more participating in the retreat share a common bond. "They're constantly pouring into others, they're constantly thinking about their own communities and how to make their neighborhoods more vibrant," said Joane Friedman of the University of Chicago. "They're adult learners who know their craft quite well and rarely get offered the chance to come in and think about themselves." So, together, these total strangers open up, learn who they truly are and how to bring new leadership skills back to their communities and jobs. The CAS "actors" read from dramatic texts and engage in exercises and discussions. They use techniques gleaned in part from UChicago's Court Theatre to explore sides of themselves even they didn't know they had. "We can think of all of our interactions like a stage. There's an audience," Friedman said. "We invite individuals to act out scenes from their own lives." Friedman said it helps people see that inside themselves they contain different characters. One may be stubborn, one may be energetic, one may be a listener. "It's getting people to begin to think about, who do I need in this moment for this scene in my life in order to advance the work I'm doing?" she said. Dr. Shaka Rawls has his dream job as the principal of Leo Catholic High School, his alma mater. He learned about CAS from a friend, but he didn't quite buy it. "My first impression of CAS was culture shock," he said. "I've never done theater. I am a very linear, brick-and-mortar principal." "He came in with his character, I'm the principal, the decision-maker, the one who knows what's happening all the time and telling others what to do," Friedman said. "It was my first opportunity to explore different parts of me," said Rawls. "Parts of me I struggled with trying to find space in my entire life. Parts of me I didn't like that I wasn't happy with." Rawls said he's discovered parts of him that are jealous when he looks at other Chicago high schools. "Of course I'm gonna be jealous when I want the best for my young men here at Leo High School," he said. "But I also look at the activist side, know I have to try to collaborate. I'm able to explore each of those characters, give myself permission to feel what I feel, and at different times access those characters." He said taking the stage has helped him bring out his empathy. "I came back to Leo clearer about the person in front of my staff, clearer about the person in front of my parents, and my students," Rawls said. "Also with a sense of vulnerability in front of each one of those audiences." And that is the key. Normally a program like this would cost hundreds of dollars, but thanks to fundraising it's free. To learn more about Civic Actors Studio, including the nomination process, send an email to civicengagement@ Do you know someone a person or place that brings you joy? We want to share your story. Send us your "Eye on Chicago" ideas using the form below (or clicking here):
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Chinese students rattled by Trump plan to 'aggressively' revoke visas
Students said the latest move had upended their plans and intensified their fears NYT By Robert Chiarito, Sharon Otterman, Jill Cowan, Shawn Hubler and Felicia Mello It had been all figured out, Cici Wang said. Summer at home in China, then back to get her master's degree in Chicago. After that, if she was lucky, a job in the United States. Now all of that is up in the air, she said, a potential casualty of a crackdown that has upended the future for more than 277,000 Chinese nationals studying in this country. 'Hopefully, I'll be fine,' said Ms. Wang, a 22-year-old aspiring computer scientist, sitting with her parents in the stately main quad of the University of Chicago on Thursday. 'But I'm not sure.' Across the country, Chinese students reeled Thursday from Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement that the Trump administration would begin 'aggressively' revoking visas for Chinese students studying in the United States. More than two dozen students studying in the United States, most of whom did not want their names published for fear of retaliation, told The New York Times that they worried they could lose their academic opportunities in an instant, with little explanation. In a statement late Wednesday, the State Department announced it was focusing on those who were studying in 'critical fields' or who had ties to the Chinese Communist Party and was revising visa criteria to 'enhance scrutiny' of all future applications from China, including Hong Kong. The vague parameters had a chilling effect on Thursday as students wondered how broadly the Trump administration would apply its new criteria. Mr. Rubio did not define 'critical fields,' but science students felt particularly vulnerable because American officials have expressed concerns about the recruiting of US-trained scientists by China. Nor was it clear how American officials would determine which students had ties to the Communist Party. The news came amid heightened tensions with China, a broad push to slash the number of immigrants in the United States and major headwinds in court for the Trump administration on global tariffs. China is a top target in President Trump's trade war. Student visas offer a potent tool for the Trump administration, if the courts allow it. Roughly a quarter of the nation's total international student population is from China, a cohort larger than any except Indian students, according to a report published last year by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit group. Professors and laboratories depend on the students' skill as teaching assistants and researchers. At public colleges, university administrators rely on the full tuition Chinese students typically pay to help subsidize the education of in-state students. At campuses large and small, Chinese students are an American fixture. At the University of Southern California, where international students have for decades been crucial to the campus's academic and business model, Chinese students make up about an eighth of the 47,000-member student body. 'Our international students are vital members of our Trojan family and have been since our founding in 1880,' USC.'s president, Carol Folt, said in a statement on Thursday. 'This is a confusing time.' From New York to the Midwest to California, students called the decision worse than confusing. At Columbia University, where about 6,500 Chinese students were enrolled last year, several Chinese students asked to be referred to only by their English first names, fearing retaliation from the US authorities. Caroline, 22, who just graduated with a bachelor's degree in art history, said that she was leaving next month for Canada, where she had gone to high school. 'I'm looking forward to it,' she said. 'This place doesn't feel welcoming anymore.' Her friend, Jack, 22, had just earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and was going to stay to work for one year as a full-time research assistant. However, he was rethinking his plans to apply to doctoral programs because they require a five-year commitment, and he worried that his visa status could be threatened during those years. Instead, he said, he might look at Canada, Europe or Hong Kong. The two had just been talking about Mr. Rubio's comments and trying to figure out what they meant. 'That word 'aggressively' is really horrible,' he said. At the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where Chinese students have long made up the largest share of the international student population, Elle, 24, a master's degree candidate who had been planning to apply in the fall to a Ph.D. program, said that she couldn't stop looking over her shoulder. 'People are worried about liking the wrong thing on social media or even getting a speeding ticket because it might mean the end of all their hard work and time in America,' she said. 'In April and March, six students had their visas revoked at my university. Who's to say I'm not next?' In Pennsylvania, Taylor, 23, a physics major, had just graduated from a liberal arts college so small she asked that it not be named because officials might identify her. Though Chinese students there make up the largest cohort of international students, there are fewer than 100 or so. Her mother had told her that 'it's safer to be silent,' she said, 'but I think it's also important for the American public to know that it's just unreasonable to make international Chinese students an imagined enemy.' She said she had planned to visit her family in China this summer but had decided against it after friends and professors advised her not to leave the country. The concern implied by the Trump administration that Chinese students might be here to conduct espionage or to work for the Chinese Communist Party baffled her. 'The majority of students are unrelated to all political matters,' she said. 'Most of us are from the Chinese middle class.' At the University of California, Berkeley, where more than 2,500 Chinese students are enrolled on student visas, Hongxian Zhang, a sophomore from Shanghai, said he had come to the United States because it had the world's best education system. His parents gave him some advice. 'Just follow the rules, be yourself, be a good person, don't offend any laws, and you'll be fine,' said Mr. Zhang, who is enrolled in global studies courses this summer. But the administration's announcement this week reminded him, unsettlingly, of the period during the Covid-19 pandemic when he lived in China and couldn't get access to websites from other countries because the Chinese government had blocked them. 'I can't say Trump is doing something bad, because he's looking out for his own country,' he said. 'I can understand that. But a country needs some interaction with the people outside your country, some international communication.' He said his previous impression of the country had been that 'America always accepts everything.' Watching the crackdown on international students unfold has been 'so weird,' he said. 'It's not like the US' At the University of California, Los Angeles, Tony, 19, a freshman who declined to share his last name because he feared retaliation, agreed. Sitting outside at a dining commons, the jacarandas like purple lace in the spring sunshine, he said that he had been drawn by the effortless beauty of Southern California and a professor he had met during a summer session. It had seemed a reward, he said, for the brutal intensity with which he had studied in China. But since his arrival, he said, the unpredictability of his status under the Trump administration has been a constant source of anxiety. 'I'm a person who worries about everything,' he said, 'and I can't stop thinking about it.' He said he had avoided talking about his visa fears with his parents, 'normal people' who don't have the same access to news that he does. But he can't escape the sense, he said, that he is now a bargaining chip in some larger negotiation. 'It seems like when they finished with the tariff thing, they turned to students,' he said. 'It's like a strategy.' Asked what he would tell Secretary Rubio or Mr. Trump, the teenager laughed wearily as students chattered around him, hearts light, minds sharp, plates overflowing with pizza and salad. 'First of all,' he said, 'I'm not a spy.'
