Latest news with #spectacularly
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Record-Sized Collision Between Black Holes Detected by Astronomers
Two black holes have collided in a merger that could revolutionize our understanding of black hole growth. Named GW 231123 after the date it was recorded on 23 November 2023, it's the most massive black hole collision we've seen yet, resulting in an object heavier than 225 Suns. Previously, the most massive black hole collision produced an object 142 times the mass of the Sun. What makes this so incredible is that each of the black holes involved in the collision is heavier than the upper mass limit for black holes formed from a single stellar core – suggesting both may have been involved in previous collisions. Related: Astronomers Detect a 'Tsunami' of Gravitational Waves. Here's Where They're Coming From "This is the most massive black hole binary we've observed through gravitational waves, and it presents a real challenge to our understanding of black hole formation," says astronomer and physicist Mark Hannam of Cardiff University in the UK. "Black holes this massive are forbidden through standard stellar evolution models. One possibility is that the two black holes in this binary formed through earlier mergers of smaller black holes." Gravitational wave astronomy kicked off in 2015, when the LIGO interferometer detected the faint signal from the gravitational ripples sent propagating through space-time as two extreme objects merged and became one. Since then, LIGO has been joined by the Virgo and KAGRA facilities, collecting some 300 or so signals from black hole pairs colliding across the Universe. Astronomers can analyze and tease apart the signals, using the ripples to ascertain the properties of the black holes that made them. Here's where it gets really cool: small black holes are really hard to find in space, since they emit no detectable light. By collecting data on mergers, astronomers are collecting data on the reality of black holes. Much of the research around these hyperdense objects has been, by necessity, theoretical. We know that the smaller ones (as opposed to supermassive black holes millions of Suns in mass) are the remains of massive stars that go supernova, their cores collapsing under gravity to form objects so dense, light can't escape their gravitational hold. Related: The Birth of a Black Hole Created The Brightest Space Explosion Ever Seen There is, however, an upper limit to the size of black hole this formation mechanism can produce – because above a certain weight, stars explode in what is called a pair-instability supernova that completely obliterates the core. We don't know for sure what that limit is, but it could be as low as 40 or so solar masses, and as high as 60. We've already uncovered evidence of black holes that exceed this weight limit. That 142 solar mass merger involved black holes 66 and 85 times the mass of the Sun. But GW 231123 ups the ante rather spectacularly. In addition, both of the black holes involved in the event were spinning very fast, very close to the theoretical limit, the researchers say. This complicated the signal quite a bit – but it could also be a clue about the history of the black holes. When two black holes combine, the resulting single object should have a faster spin rate, a property scientists have proposed as a tool for determining whether a black hole is the product of a previous merger. It's going to take further analysis to unravel all the complexities of GW 231123, but the event could validate scientific theories about how black holes form. It could also be a huge clue about how supermassive black holes grow, since we don't know how they get from objects comparable in mass to a star to the giant behemoths around which entire galaxies whirl. "It will take years for the community to fully unravel this intricate signal pattern and all its implications," says physicist Gregorio Carullo of the University of Birmingham in the UK. "Despite the most likely explanation remaining a black hole merger, more complex scenarios could be the key to deciphering its unexpected features. Exciting times ahead!" The team's findings will be presented at the 24th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation and the 16th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves. A 400-Year-Old Mystery About The Sun May Finally Be Solved Mars Seen Up Close in Stunning World First 60 Years Ago Today NASA Rover Breaks Record For Longest Road Trip on Another Planet
Scotsman
27-06-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
How the ERI helped me to survive an attack of the vapours
Susan is overcome by an attack of the vapours Not my best Friday night, I'll admit, toilet-trapped while merry hell made its way through and spectacularly out of my interior. Saturday morning was worse. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Reluctantly, I called NHS 24. I wasn't keen. I always think I'm 'at it' and shouldn't bother people with a tummy upset, even if it involves quite a lot of blood. Also, it meant being exposed to the music-on-hold. Today the entire back catalogues of Bach, Beatles and the Sex Pistols are easily available, but the NHS favours an endlessly looping weird soft rock number. It sounds like a 1970s audition tape made by someone's nephew. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To keep listeners lively, the music sporadically gives way to crackling distortion, the giveaway clue to a damaged C60 cassette. Used to happen to my Osmond tapes if I'd overenthusiastically rewound the cartridge with a pencil. Or it could be a bootleg recording of someone trying to summon Satan. You can just make it out, if you hear the distortion often enough. Believe me, I did. Suddenly the soupy guitar was gone. Audrey was speaking to me. Asked loads of questions, assured me I wasn't wasting anyone's time, brought Cheryl in, who didn't muck about and sent me to A&E. Assured me I wasn't wasting anyone's time. A&E at the ERI on a Saturday afternoon is a little more laid back than the battle zone it will become later, but it's still busy. Given my 'interesting medical history', I'm something of a veteran of the blue plastic chairs so I packed for waiting. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Top tips. Take a phone charger with a long cable, to reach faraway power points. Power banks are handy, you might be in a corridor. Grab a book or magazine, so you don't rely on techno stuff to kill boredom. Chuck in a bottle of water and a brunch bar. And be patient. Nobody in that waiting room wants to be there, you don't know why they're there, so getting riled up about who gets called next is pointless. For a chronic people-watcher like me, A&E is like Disneyland. I could spend all day there. Just as well. I did. Jolly nurses came and took blood, then a cheery young doctor appeared who asked all the same questions, and I gave all the same answers. Felt a little smug when he looked a tad perplexed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Yes, I thought, medical enigma. Go me. Well, he said, I'm going to have to carry out an internal examination. I stopped feeling smug. I draw a veil over what happened next. Let's just say that particular part of my anatomy hasn't seen that much daylight for some time. Off he popped, and then returned with the verdict. Apparently, I had a sort of dysentery. As a history addict, I was thrilled. How Victorian is that? The doctor was a little downcast. He had no pills to prescribe. Antibiotics, the go-to weapons of modern medicine, are useless in the face of this old enemy. The best cure is, like the condition, Victorian. Rest and fluids. Not gin, though. He said that twice. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I was sent home, with the assurance that I hadn't been wasting anyone's time, to make like a Victorian lady poet and get prone on the sofa with beef tea and an improving book. Might get used to this. Pass the smelling salts.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Acting NJ U.S. Attorney Alina Habba says Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted
A grand jury indicted U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver on charges related to an incident at Delaney Hall in Newark last month, according to a social media post made by acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba. McIver was at Delaney Hall with U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez to "inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall." All three are Democrats. The congresswoman said in a statement the 'facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation. 'This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump's administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do,' McIver said. 'But it won't work — I will not be intimidated. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea of not guilty, I'm grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward to my day in court.' Habba said the federal grand jury 'returned a three-count indictment' against McIver for 'forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers.' 'It is my constitutional obligation as the chief federal law enforcement officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties,' she said. 'While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve.' The three counts have a maximum penalty of eight years for count one, an additional maximum penalty of eight years for count two and a maximum penalty of one year for count three. Earlier: NJ Rep. LaMonica McIver makes court appearance for assault charges in Newark ICE incident McIver said in a statement on May 19 she and her colleagues were "fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short." "Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka," she said. "The charges against me are purely political -- they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight." Newark Mayor Ras Baraka had been arrested at Delaney Hall for trespassing but the charges have since been dropped. He is suing Habba for 'false arrest and malicious prosecution.' McIver's lawyer, Paul Fishman, served as U.S. Attorney in New Jersey during the Obama administration. He said in May the "decision to charge Congresswoman McIver is spectacularly inappropriate." "She went to Delaney Hall to do her job. As a member of Congress, she has the right and responsibility to see how ICE is treating detainees," Fishman said. "Rather than facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos. This prosecution is an attempt to shift the blame for ICE's behavior to Congresswoman McIver. In the courtroom, facts — not headlines — will matter." Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on NJ U.S. Attorney Alina Habba: Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. LaMonica McIver charged with assault after Newark mayor's arrest outside ICE facility
The Brief Rep. McIver is charged with assaulting or interfering with federal officers during a Newark ICE protest The charge stems from a tense incident outside the Delaney Hall detention center Charges against Mayor Ras Baraka were dropped; McIver's attorney says she did nothing wrong NEW YORK - Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, who represents Newark and parts of Essex County, is now facing a federal assault charge after what prosecutors call a physical confrontation with law enforcement officers outside an immigration detention center. The incident unfolded during the high-profile arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who had attempted to join McIver and other congressional leaders on an oversight visit. While the charge against Baraka was dropped Monday, McIver was charged with assaulting, impeding, or interfering with officers, according to an announcement posted by Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba on social media. The case is already drawing strong reactions in New Jersey political circles. The backstory The incident occurred outside Delaney Hall, an ICE-contracted detention facility in Newark, where McIver and fellow New Jersey Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. had planned a visit. Baraka reportedly attempted to join them but was stopped and ultimately arrested by federal agents. In a clip released by the Department of Homeland Security, McIver can be seen on the facility side of a chain-link fence before crossing through the gate and joining a crowd shouting "surround the mayor." Video shows McIver pressing forward in the crowd, with her elbows making contact with a federal officer. Homeland Security said the charge followed a "thorough review" of the footage and an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. The other side Habba said in a statement that dismissing the misdemeanor case against Mayor Baraka was "for the sake of moving forward." She added that her office has invited Baraka to tour Delaney Hall and committed to joining him. However, McIver's attorney, Paul Fishman—a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey—called the decision to charge the congresswoman "spectacularly inappropriate." "She went to Delaney Hall to do her job," Fishman said. "Rather than facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos." What they're saying "There's no video that supports me body slamming anyone," McIver told a national outlet in a recent interview. "We were simply there to do our job… They created that confrontation." McIver and her congressional colleagues have maintained that the situation was escalated by federal agents and that their actions were consistent with their oversight authority. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, stood by the charge, saying federal agents must be protected from interference. "Assaults on federal law enforcement will not be tolerated," added Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a post on X. Local perspective McIver, 38, is a Newark native who joined Congress after winning a special election in September 2024 to fill the seat of the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. She was elected to a full term in November 2024. Before coming to Washington, McIver served as president of the Newark City Council and previously worked in Newark's public school system. She has deep local ties and is viewed as a rising figure in the city's political landscape. The Source This article is based on official statements from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Department of Homeland Security, and legal representatives for Rep. McIver. Additional background was provided by McIver's congressional biography and verified video footage released by DHS.
Metro
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Metro
Red Bull on verge of sacking Christian Horner as F1 team identify replacement
Red Bull could sensationally sack Christian Horner following this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, according to reports. Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they joined the Formula 1 grid in 2005 and helped transform them into serial champions. Over the past 20 years, they've won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles through Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. Things aren't going well in 2025 however, as McLaren have won five of the first six grand prix, with the title race set to be between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen did triumph in Japan, but the Dutchman has been very vocal about the difficulties of driving the RB21, while his manager Raymond Vermeulen was furious following a poor showing in Bahrain. Horner also backed the decision to axe Sergio Perez for Liam Lawson but this backfired spectacularly and the Kiwi was dropped after just two races – not that replacement Yuki Tsunoda has fared much better. It is said Red Bull's owners have always been divided over Horner and now, according to reports from Austria, they are strongly considering sacking him after two very successful decades at the helm. A decision could even be made as soon as next week, depending on the performance at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the team bringing a significant upgrade package to the Imola circuit in Italy. The last year has proven incredibly difficult for the team principal, husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, both on and off the track. The 51-year-old faced pressure to resign after being accused of 'inappropriate and coercive behaviour' by a female employee of Red Bull, allegations that were eventually dismissed after an investigation. Drivers: Oscar Piastri – 131pts Lando Norris – 115pts Max Verstappen – 99pts George Russell – 93pts Constructors: McLaren – 246pts Mercedes – 141pts Red Bull – 105pts Ferrari – 94pts The saga seemed to increase tensions between Horner and Verstappen's father Jos, and the team were further shaken when design genius Adrian Newey left to join Aston Martin. Newey's departure coincided with rival cars catching up and combined with the disastrous form of Perez, whom Horner had handed a new contract to, Red Bull collapsed to third in the constructors' standings. Red Bull have already identified two potential replacements for Horner, one being Oliver Oakes, who resigned as Alpine boss last week after just 10 months in charge. The other is Franz Tost, who ran Red Bull's sister-team Racing Bulls for 18 years before leaving at the end of 2023 amid rumours of a rift with Horner. More Trending All this comes amid increasing speculation that Verstappen could trigger the release clause in his contract and leave the team he's raced for his entire F1 career. Aston Martin, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, are prepared to offer the 27-year-old a package worth £226million. Former F1 race engineer Julien Simon-Chautemps, who worked with 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, thinks Horner is not safe from the sack, telling OLBG: 'Nothing is impossible. He's the longest-standing team principal in the pit lane at the moment. But last year, it was very difficult for him. He was in a very dangerous situation. 'As long as he has the support from the shareholders at Red Bull, he will be in a safe position. But again, this is F1, everyone has contracts, but they mean as much as the job security implies. 'It wouldn't surprise me if Horner left. Formula 1 is a fast-moving environment, and a lot can happen very quickly. We'll have to wait and see.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Max Verstappen fumes at Red Bull over pit-lane crash in Miami sprint MORE: Will Max Verstappen race in Miami Grand Prix after announcing birth of baby girl? MORE: Lewis Hamilton slammed by F1 rival over 'dangerous' driving at Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
