Latest news with #UniversityofVirginia
News18
6 hours ago
- Science
- News18
Are These 'Little Red Dots' The Universe's First Stars And Not Galaxies?
Last Updated: JWST spotted over 300 mysterious red dots from the early universe. Though once thought to be galaxies, scientists now believe they may be massive stars, not galaxies The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has realised humanity's ambition of observing the early universe. It recently transmitted images from when the universe was merely 600 million years old. However, these images revealed something puzzling: hundreds of small red spheres, now referred to as Little Red Dots (LRDs). JWST identified over 300 of these red dots. Despite being faint and extremely distant, they appear unusually bright, suggesting a very high mass. Initially, scientists believed these were early galaxies, but new research proposes a surprising alternative: they may actually be supermassive stars (SMS), not galaxies. A recent study by Devesh Nandal of the University of Virginia and Abraham Loeb of Harvard suggests these mysterious LRDs could be Population III supermassive stars; stars that formed in the very early universe. These stars contained no metals and could have masses up to 1 million times that of our Sun. However, they lived for only a few thousand years before exploding as supernovae. These explosions may have contributed to the formation of the first supermassive black holes (SMBHs), which are now found at the centres of quasars and large galaxies. The red appearance of LRDs is due to the thick clouds of gas and dust surrounding them. Initially, scientists speculated they might be active galactic nuclei (AGN), with black holes at their centres. However, key differences such as the absence of X-ray emissions, a flat infrared spectrum, and minimal light variation challenged that theory, prompting researchers to consider alternative explanations. What Did the Research Find? Nandal and Loeb created a model of a metal-free supermassive star with a mass of one million Suns. They found that its light spectrum and brightness closely matched those of the LRDs observed by JWST. Most importantly, the model showed a strong Hβ emission line and Balmer absorption lines, features typically created when gas expands on the surface of a supermassive star. This strongly supports the theory that LRDs are not galaxies but giant stars. Could This Solve a Cosmic Mystery? If proven true, this theory could help solve a long-standing puzzle: how did SMBHs form so soon after the Big Bang? According to current models, they should have taken billions of years to develop. However, the presence of quasars and SMBHs just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang contradicts this. The theory of short-lived, massive stars collapsing into black holes provides a much simpler explanation. The researchers adhered to the principle of Occam's Razor, the idea that the simplest explanation is often the most likely. While the AGN theory requires multiple complex assumptions, the SMS model explains all the observed features straightforwardly. Nevertheless, scientists emphasise that this is still a developing theory. Further telescopic observations and improved modelling will be necessary to confirm whether these Little Red Dots are indeed ancient supermassive stars. Despite the limitations of current technology, JWST has opened a new window into the universe's earliest moments – and potentially, into one of its greatest mysteries. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's vein diagnosis gives rare glimpse into health issues
The White House's announcement that President Trump has a common chronic vein condition marked a rare glimpse into the health of the oldest person to be elected U.S. president, whose campaign and administration have long projected him as the picture of strength and vitality. Trump, 79, has chronic venous insufficiency, according to the White House physician. The condition occurs when a person's leg veins struggle to pump blood back to the heart, causing blood to pool. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the disclosure at the top of a routine press briefing late last week, after images had been circulating online of Trump with swollen legs at the FIFA Club World Cup and a bruised hand covered in makeup. 'I know that many in the media have been speculating about bruising on the president's hand and also swelling in the president's legs. So, in the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today,' Leavitt said, before outlining Trump's condition. She said the bruising on his hands is 'consistent with minor-soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.' The White House later released a more detailed memo from the White House physician. Critics have accused Trump of trying to hide the true details of his health behind bluster, so the announcement of a specific diagnosis came with some surprise — and a certain amount of skepticism. Barbara Perry, a presidential historian and professor at the University of Virginia, called it 'a rather sudden turnaround from the Trump White House.' Perry commended the administration on its transparency but noted the public needs to believe what it's being told. 'Do we have complete information now? We don't know that. We only know what they have told us, and we have to presume that it is accurate,' Perry said. It's not unusual for an administration to be reticent about sharing a president's personal health information, and there's no legal requirement for an administration to be transparent about it. Perry noted there's a tension between what a president wants to disclose and what the American people have a vested interest in knowing. There's no incentive for anyone in the administration — let alone the White House physicians — to be truthful and transparent about the person who could fire them. Perry said she would put Trump toward the same end of the transparency spectrum as former President Biden, who dropped out of the race last summer after a debate performance where he appeared unfocused, confused and unable to respond to many of Trump's attacks. Biden's White House denied reports of any mental decline. But by the end of his term, the public had lost confidence in his ability to lead. Trump during the campaign often boasted of his physical health and stamina as he sought to draw a contrast with Biden. While in office, he has continued to accuse Biden and his aides of covering up the alleged mental decline, and Trump's GOP allies in Congress have launched an investigation into what those White House aides knew. Yet Trump has hardly been forthcoming himself. When he was infected with COVID-19 in fall 2020, the administration did not release many details about his condition or treatment. His physician Sean Conley repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the illness. It wasn't until months later — after the publication of a book from former chief of staff Mark Meadows and investigation by The New York Times — that the public learned just how seriously ill the president was. The Times reported Trump's blood oxygen was so low before he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator. He recovered after being granted special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus. Trump during the campaign pledged to release his medical records but then did not share even basic health data. Like much of Trump's medical history, the information that has been released has been largely hyperbolic. In 2015, Trump released a letter from his then-physician Harold Bornstein that said he would be the healthiest president in history. Two years later, Bornstein admitted Trump dictated the letter himself. During his first term in 2018, Trump's former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, now an ally in Congress, said the president had 'incredibly good genes' and joked that he might live to 200 years old if he had a healthier diet. Current White House physician Sean Barbabella wrote in a memo after Trump's annual physical in April that the president lives an active lifestyle that includes 'frequent victories in golf events.' Barbabella pronounced Trump 'fully fit' to execute the duties of the presidency. Trump will be 82 at the end of his term, which would make him the oldest person to hold the office, beating Biden's mark by just a few months. Even after he was grazed by a would-be assassin's bullet in July 2024, the Trump campaign provided very little information about his recovery or any lingering health effects. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as former President Obama's physician from 2009-13 and ran the White House Medical Unit for former President George W. Bush, said he thinks the current administration realized Trump's physical condition couldn't be hidden. 'It's at least a breath of fresh air' to see transparency about 'conditions the rest of us could see already,' Kuhlman said. 'Presidents don't like to talk about their health unless they are forced to. When you have bruises on your hands and swollen ankles … you don't get brownie points for this.' Kuhlman, who wrote a 2024 book about his experiences as a White House doctor, said he was heartened to see a memo from Trump's White House physician that was 'competent and factual.' 'I'm not sure it's a turning point in transparency, but it is promising to at least see a doctor write something factual, and have a competent workup,' Kuhlman said. 'This is the first [memo] that's been written by a doctor instead of by Trump himself.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Health
- The Hill
Trump's vein diagnosis gives rare glimpse into health issues
The White House's announcement that President Trump has a common chronic vein condition marked a rare glimpse into the health of the oldest person to be elected U.S. president, whose campaign and administration have long projected him as the picture of strength and vitality. Trump, 79, has chronic venous insufficiency, according to the White House physician. The condition occurs when a person's leg veins struggle to pump blood back to the heart, causing blood to pool. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the disclosure at the top of a routine press briefing late last week, after images had been circulating online of Trump with swollen legs at the FIFA Club World Cup and a bruised hand covered in makeup. 'I know that many in the media have been speculating about bruising on the president's hand and also swelling in the president's legs. So, in the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today,' Leavitt said, before outlining Trump's condition. She said the bruising on his hands is 'consistent with minor-soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.' The White House later released a more detailed memo from the White House physician. Critics have accused Trump of trying to hide the true details of his health behind bluster, so the announcement of a specific diagnosis came with some surprise — and a certain amount of skepticism. Barbara Perry, a presidential historian and professor at the University of Virginia, called it 'a rather sudden turnaround from the Trump White House.' Perry commended the administration on its transparency but noted the public needs to believe what it's being told. 'Do we have complete information now? We don't know that. We only know what they have told us, and we have to presume that it is accurate,' Perry said. It's not unusual for an administration to be reticent about sharing a president's personal health information, and there's no legal requirement for an administration to be transparent about it. Perry noted there's a tension between what a president wants to disclose and what the American people have a vested interest in knowing. There's no incentive for anyone in the administration — let alone the White House physicians — to be truthful and transparent about the person who could fire them. Perry said she would put Trump toward the same end of the transparency spectrum as former President Biden, who dropped out of the race last summer after a debate performance where he appeared unfocused, confused and unable to respond to many of Trump's attacks. Biden's White House denied reports of any mental decline. But by the end of his term, the public had lost confidence in his ability to lead. Trump during the campaign often boasted of his physical health and stamina as he sought to draw a contrast with Biden. While in office, he has continued to accuse Biden and his aides of covering up the alleged mental decline, and Trump's GOP allies in Congress have launched an investigation into what those White House aides knew. Yet Trump has hardly been forthcoming himself. When he was infected with COVID-19 in fall 2020, the administration did not release many details about his condition or treatment. His physician Sean Conley repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the illness. It wasn't until months later — after the publication of a book from former chief of staff Mark Meadows and investigation by The New York Times — that the public learned just how seriously ill the president was. The Times reported Trump's blood oxygen was so low before he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator. He recovered after being granted special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus. Trump during the campaign pledged to release his medical records but then did not share even basic health data. Like much of Trump's medical history, the information that has been released has been largely hyperbolic. In 2015, Trump released a letter from his then-physician Harold Bornstein that said he would be the healthiest president in history. Two years later, Bornstein admitted Trump dictated the letter himself. During his first term in 2018, Trump's former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, now an ally in Congress, said the president had 'incredibly good genes' and joked that he might live to 200 years old if he had a healthier diet. Current White House physician Sean Barbabella wrote in a memo after Trump's annual physical in April that the president lives an active lifestyle that includes 'frequent victories in golf events.' Barbabella pronounced Trump 'fully fit' to execute the duties of the presidency. Trump will be 82 at the end of his term, which would make him the oldest person to hold the office, beating Biden's mark by just a few months. Even after he was grazed by a would-be assassin's bullet in July 2024, the Trump campaign provided very little information about his recovery or any lingering health effects. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as former President Obama's physician from 2009-13 and ran the White House Medical Unit for former President George W. Bush, said he thinks the current administration realized Trump's physical condition couldn't be hidden. 'It's at least a breath of fresh air' to see transparency about 'conditions the rest of us could see already,' Kuhlman said. 'Presidents don't like to talk about their health unless they are forced to. When you have bruises on your hands and swollen ankles … you don't get brownie points for this.' Kuhlman, who wrote a 2024 book about his experiences as a White House doctor, said he was heartened to see a memo from Trump's White House physician that was 'competent and factual.' 'I'm not sure it's a turning point in transparency, but it is promising to at least see a doctor write something factual, and have a competent workup,' Kuhlman said. 'This is the first [memo] that's been written by a doctor instead of by Trump himself.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists are BAFFLED after discovering a mysterious new structure hiding inside human cells
Scientists have discovered a mysterious new structure lurking inside every human cell. These tiny structures, dubbed hemifusomes, are just 200 to 400 nanometres in diameter. To put that into perspective, that's about 500 times thinner than a human hair. Scientists believe the structures play a critical role in helping our cells recycle and discard waste materials. Co-author Dr Seham Ebrahim, of the University of Virginia, says: 'It's exciting because finding something truly new inside cells is rare - and it gives us a whole new path to explore. 'This is like discovering a new recycling centre inside the cell. 'We think the hemifusome helps manage how cells package and process material, and when this goes wrong, it may contribute to diseases that affect many systems in the body.' In the future, the finding could help scientists to develop treatments for conditions such as Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome - a rare genetic disorder that can cause albinism, vision problems, and lung disease. Since hemifusomes are exceptionally small, the researchers needed extremely sensitive equipment to spot them. The team used a method called cryo-electron tomography, in which samples are rapidly frozen to around -150°C (-240°F) before being sliced very thinly. The scientists then took lots of photos with a powerful microscope which uses electrons instead of visible light. This allowed them to look at extremely small structures just as they would appear in a living cell by freezing them in time, rather than damaging the samples by trying to preserve them. Using this method, a team of researchers from the University of Virginia spotted structures which looked like two thin bubbles stuck together at the edges. The researchers believe hemifusomes produce vesicles - tiny sacs that act as 'mixing bowls', as well as making structures made of lots of these vesicles. Dr Ebrahim says: 'You can think of vesicles like little delivery trucks inside the cell. 'The hemifusome is like a loading dock where they connect and transfer cargo. It's a step in the process we didn't know existed.' By placing vesicles inside themselves, hemifusoles can store and combine different chemicals and waste products. Scientists think that some diseases might be caused when this process is disrupted By building vesicles, and even putting vesicles inside each other, the hemifusomes allow our cells to package and sort proteins or recycle parts of the cell. One thing that the researchers were surprised to find is that the layer which connects the hemifusome and the vesicles is much thinner than scientists previously thought possible. This 'hemifusion diaphragm' sticks to the two structures together but doesn't let their contents mix, like two water balloons that have melted together at the edges. Previously, scientists thought these types of structures would be too unstable to do anything useful in our cells. But in the hemifusome, the researchers spotted them playing a really important role in keeping our cells healthy. That discovery could have big implications for how we understand and treat diseases which interfere with our cells' recycling functions. Dr Ebrahim says: 'We're just beginning to understand how this new organelle fits into the bigger picture of cell health and disease. 'Now that we know hemifusomes exist, we can start asking how they behave in healthy cells and what happens when things go wrong. That could lead us to new strategies for treating complex genetic diseases. Cells in numbers Scientists believe the first known cells originated on Earth 3.8 billion years ago. The diameter in centimeters of most animal cells is 0.001 to 0.003, making them invisible to the naked eye. In 1665, British scientist Robert Hooke coined the term cell to describe the porous, grid-like structure he saw when viewing a thin slice of cork under a microscope. There are 200 different types of cells are in the human body. There are 24 hours in an animal cell cycle, the time from a cell's formation to when it splits in two to make more cells. A human red blood cells lives about 120 days. Each day, approximately 50 to 70 billion cells die in the human.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Can A Low FODMAP Diet Cure Your Gut Problems?
If your gut is suffering and symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and changes in bowel habits are something that you face regularly, you're not alone. These symptoms often mean that you might be suffering from IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, like one-third of the Indians. But, what if we told you there's a diet, not so new, but once again resurfacing on social media as a fix to your gut issues? Enter: Low FODMAP Diet A Low FODMAP diet is a specific dietary plan designed to reduce the intake of certain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the gut. According to the University of Virginia Digestive Health Center, the term FODMAP refers to certain groups of carbohydrates that are found in many of the foods we eat. "FODMAP" is an acronym that stands for: F - Fermentable (creates gas) O - Oligosaccharides (a type of fiber found in wheat, onion, garlic, and beans) D - Disaccharides (refers to lactose, a commonly malabsorbed sugar found in some dairy foods) M - Monosaccharides (refers to fructose, found in certain fruits and many processed foods) A - And Ps - Polyols (refers to sugar alcohols added to sugar-free gum and candy and naturally found in certain fruits and vegetables) These carbohydrates share three characteristics that make them more likely to cause GI distress: 1. They are poorly absorbed in the small intestine 2. They draw extra water into the intestines 3. They are rapidly fermented by gut bacteria These three things can result in increased gassiness, bloating, abdominal pain, and altered bowel habits. How The Low FODMAP Diet Works According to experts, the diet is implemented in three steps: Step 1: Elimination. Remove all high-FODMAP foods from the diet for a period of 2-6 weeks. Step 2: Reintroduction. Gradually reintroduce FODMAP groups one at a time to identify triggers. Step 3: Personalisation/Maintenance. Restrict only the FODMAP groups that cause symptoms, enjoying all other foods. High VS Low FODMAP Foods Remember, if you want to fix your diet, going on a Low FODMAD diet is the right way to got about it. Not, High FODMAP diet. Here's a list of: High-FODMAP foods: Wheat, onions, garlic, certain fruits (apples, pears, watermelon), beans, lentils, milk, yogurt, ice cream, some sweeteners (sorbitol, xylitol). Low-FODMAP foods: Rice, quinoa, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, meat, eggs, some firm cheeses, grapes, oranges, berries, pineapple, lactose-free dairy. What Does Science Say? Numerous clinical studies globally have demonstrated the effectiveness of the low FODMAP diet. We took a dive: A December 2022 randomised controlled trial showed significant improvement in IBS symptoms, including reduced abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea for 50-70% of patients who follow the diet. In fact, larger reviews confirm that the low FODMAP diet is more effective than standard dietary advice for IBS in both adults and children, although not all individuals respond equally well. In India, a 2022 study found that most traditional Indian recipes are high in FODMAPs, mainly due to wheat, onions, garlic, pulses, and legumes. The study classified 73.2% of Indian foods as high-FODMAP, thereby highlighting the need for adaptations in traditional diets for individuals with IBS. However, implementation can also vary by region in India, with southern and eastern parts being more amenable to low FODMAP modifications due to rice-based diets, while wheat-dominant and vegetarian regions may face greater challenges. How To Follow The Low FODMAP Diet Right (With Indian Foods) Know Your Ingredients: Indian meals often contain high-FODMAP items like wheat (chapati, bread), dal/lentils, onion, garlic, and certain dairy products. Aim to substitute with low-FODMAP alternatives. Most Indian spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala) are low in FODMAPs. Asafoetida (hing) can provide onion-garlic flavor without FODMAPs. If eating out, opt for food without onion and garlic. Choose plain rice, grilled protein, and vegetable dishes known to be low in FODMAPs. Here's a quick guide on low and high FODMAPs diet: Use portion control and rotating meal variety to prevent nutritional deficiencies, particularly fiber, calcium, and iron. Finally, work with a dietitian familiar with FODMAPs to ensure correct and balanced nutrition.
