News digest – prostate cancer, COVID-19 trials, breast cancer genes and street lamps?

With news about the coronavirus pandemic developing daily, we want to make sure everyone affected by cancer gets the information they need during this time. 

We’re pulling together the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK in a separate blog post, which we’re updating regularly. 

Prostate cancer most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK

New analysis from Prostate Cancer UK suggests that prostate cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Though the numbers aren’t yet the full picture, the charity’s research finds that 57,192 new prostate cancer cases were diagnosed in the UK in 2018, just ahead of the 57,153 breast cancer cases that were diagnosed in the same year. The increasing number of new prostate cancer cases has been linked to increased awareness and earlier diagnosis. But more work is needed to develop tests that can differentiate between aggressive cancers and cancers that may never cause harm in an person’s lifetime. Find out more at The Guardian.

Prostate cancer blood test could help to tailor treatment 

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have developed a new blood test that could help to predict how well patients with advanced prostate cancer will respond to treatment. The test could help clinicians to make more effective treatment decisions for people with advanced prostate cancer. The ICR and Royal Marsden are now looking to incorporate the test into other clinical trials to assess its benefits. Read more at Science Focus.

Cancer cells trigger inflammation to hide from viruses 

An international study led by a team at the Francis Crick Institute has helped researchers to understand why using viruses to kill cancer cells is only effective in a small number of people. The team found that a group of cells, known as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), cause inflammation in surrounding tissue when they come into contact with cancer cells. Researchers think this inflammation makes it difficult for cancer-killing viruses to enter cancer cells, limiting the effectiveness of virus-based cancer treatments. The team hopes that the study provides an ‘early step’ to improving the effectiveness of oncolytic virus treatments. Find out about the study at the Crick and News Atlas.

Repurposed drug tested for COVID-19, thanks to Cancer Research UK know-how 

Together with our partners, we’ve launched a clinical trial to test if a drug used to treat inflammation in the pancreas can treat people with COVID-19. With COVID-19 delaying cancer research and treatment, our researchers are using their expertise to help tackle the disease and get cancer services back on track, as our press release explains. 

Turning off a ‘key’ gene disrupts development and spread of triple-negative breast cancer in mice 

Researchers from Tulane University have found that ‘switching off’ a gene linked to triple triple negative breast cancer – TRAF3IP2 – can disrupt cancer growth and spread in mice. The researchers are now looking to get approval to start clinical trials . Read more about the discovery at Biospace. 

And finally…

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the United States have suggested that exposure to light at night from street lamps might be linked to an up to 10% increased risk of developing breast cancer after menopause. The study examined cases of breast cancer among 186,981 post-menopausal women over a 16-year period. Its findings suggest that women exposed to the highest levels of outdoor light at night had a ten percent higher chance of developing breast cancer during the follow up, compared to women with the lowest exposure. But despite the headlines, the findings don’t mean that street lamps cause breast cancer, and more research is needed to understand any connection. The Sun has this one.

Jamie Hamilton is a media and communication analyst at Cancer Research UK 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/3f01chB

With news about the coronavirus pandemic developing daily, we want to make sure everyone affected by cancer gets the information they need during this time. 

We’re pulling together the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK in a separate blog post, which we’re updating regularly. 

Prostate cancer most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK

New analysis from Prostate Cancer UK suggests that prostate cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Though the numbers aren’t yet the full picture, the charity’s research finds that 57,192 new prostate cancer cases were diagnosed in the UK in 2018, just ahead of the 57,153 breast cancer cases that were diagnosed in the same year. The increasing number of new prostate cancer cases has been linked to increased awareness and earlier diagnosis. But more work is needed to develop tests that can differentiate between aggressive cancers and cancers that may never cause harm in an person’s lifetime. Find out more at The Guardian.

Prostate cancer blood test could help to tailor treatment 

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have developed a new blood test that could help to predict how well patients with advanced prostate cancer will respond to treatment. The test could help clinicians to make more effective treatment decisions for people with advanced prostate cancer. The ICR and Royal Marsden are now looking to incorporate the test into other clinical trials to assess its benefits. Read more at Science Focus.

Cancer cells trigger inflammation to hide from viruses 

An international study led by a team at the Francis Crick Institute has helped researchers to understand why using viruses to kill cancer cells is only effective in a small number of people. The team found that a group of cells, known as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), cause inflammation in surrounding tissue when they come into contact with cancer cells. Researchers think this inflammation makes it difficult for cancer-killing viruses to enter cancer cells, limiting the effectiveness of virus-based cancer treatments. The team hopes that the study provides an ‘early step’ to improving the effectiveness of oncolytic virus treatments. Find out about the study at the Crick and News Atlas.

Repurposed drug tested for COVID-19, thanks to Cancer Research UK know-how 

Together with our partners, we’ve launched a clinical trial to test if a drug used to treat inflammation in the pancreas can treat people with COVID-19. With COVID-19 delaying cancer research and treatment, our researchers are using their expertise to help tackle the disease and get cancer services back on track, as our press release explains. 

Turning off a ‘key’ gene disrupts development and spread of triple-negative breast cancer in mice 

Researchers from Tulane University have found that ‘switching off’ a gene linked to triple triple negative breast cancer – TRAF3IP2 – can disrupt cancer growth and spread in mice. The researchers are now looking to get approval to start clinical trials . Read more about the discovery at Biospace. 

And finally…

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the United States have suggested that exposure to light at night from street lamps might be linked to an up to 10% increased risk of developing breast cancer after menopause. The study examined cases of breast cancer among 186,981 post-menopausal women over a 16-year period. Its findings suggest that women exposed to the highest levels of outdoor light at night had a ten percent higher chance of developing breast cancer during the follow up, compared to women with the lowest exposure. But despite the headlines, the findings don’t mean that street lamps cause breast cancer, and more research is needed to understand any connection. The Sun has this one.

Jamie Hamilton is a media and communication analyst at Cancer Research UK 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/3f01chB

Did ancient Mars have rings?

Artist’s concept of the red planet Mars with rings. Image via Kevin Gill on Flickr/ CC by 2.0.

Ring systems are common in our solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all have rings. None of the smaller rocky planets have them, but is it possible that some of them could have had rings in the past? On June 2, 2020, scientists from the SETI Institute and Purdue University announced evidence suggesting that Mars used to have its own rings a few billion years ago. The findings would help explain why Mars’ smallest moon, Deimos, has an unusually tilted orbit.

The researchers published the new peer-reviewed paper in Astrophysical Journal Letters on June 1, 2020. The research was also presented at the 236th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS 236), held virtually this week (June 1-3, 2020) due to COVID-19.

While the orbits of both small moons, Phobos and Deimos, lie almost in the same plane as Mars’ equator – suggesting they formed at the same time as Mars – Deimos’ orbit is tilted by about 2 degrees. This tilt was an unusual and unexplained finding. It was also considered to be not all that significant in terms of Mars science.

Now it seems that, all along, that small anomaly – the 2-degree tilt of Deimos’ orbit with respect to Mars’ equator – held a clue to something very interesting about the red planet’s past … that Mars used to have rings!

Mars’ smallest moon, Deimos, as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on February 21, 2009. The tilted orbit of the moon hints at ancient ring system around Mars. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ University of Arizona/ SETI Institute.

Lead author Matija Cuk at the SETI Institute explained in a statement:

The fact that Deimos’s orbit is not exactly in plane with Mars’s equator was considered unimportant, and nobody cared to try to explain it. But once we had a big new idea and we looked at it with new eyes, Deimos’s orbital tilt revealed its big secret.

Three years ago, scientists suggested that the larger of Mars’ two tiny moons – Phobos – might periodically create a ring system for Mars. In that scenario, Mars has had a series of rings, appearing in cycles over billions of years, and it will have rings again in the future. It happens because – for example, at present – Phobos is slowly orbiting closer and closer to Mars. Eventually, Mars’ gravity will rip Photos apart and the fabric of the moon’s body will form a ring. Later, the material in the ring will coalesce to form a moon again. The researchers think that this has happened many times over Mars’ history. The new paper on a Mars ring from the other moon, Deimos, speaks to this alternate theory:

Alternatively, Hesselbrock & Minton (2017) propose that Phobos is only the latest product of a repeating ring-satellite cycle at Mars, with each successive inner satellite being less massive than the preceding one. In the ring-satellite cycle model, satellites form from the outer edge of the ring, and then migrate outward through gravitational interaction with the ring. The ring loses mass to the planet at its inner edge, and once the ring is sufficiently depleted the satellite migrates inward due to tides.

How does this earlier idea relate to the new scenario involving Deimos?

According to the researchers, a newborn moon would move away from both the ring and Mars, heading in the opposite direction from Phobos, or any inwardly-migrating moon. An outwardly-migrating moon, just outside of the rings, could come to experience an orbital resonance – a situation where two orbiting bodies are exerting a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other – so that the orbital period of Deimos comes to be precisely three times that of the other moon. The researchers’ statement explained:

These orbital resonances are picky but predictable … We can tell that only an outward-moving moon could have strongly affected Deimos, which means that Mars must have had a ring pushing the inner moon outward. Cuk and collaborators deduce that this moon may have been 20 times as massive as Phobos, and may have been its ‘grandparent’ existing just over 3 billion years ago … [that] was followed by two more ring-moon cycles, with the latest moon being Phobos.

Saturn, of course, has the most well-known rings in the solar system, as seen here by the Cassini spacecraft. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

The formation of Phobos probably happened about 3 1/2 billion years ago, Cuk told ScienceAlert:

Something like 3.5 billion years ago is our best bet. That agrees beautifully with Hesselbrock and Minton’s calculation on when Mars had an inner moon with 20 times the mass of Phobos. Once the ring was gone, the moon also started falling because of Martian tides (just like Phobos). Once it was too close to Mars, tidal forces would pull it apart into a new ring, and the cycle would repeat, probably twice, to get to Phobos that we see.

It’s known that Phobos is much younger than Deimos – perhaps as young as about 200 million years old in contrast to a few billion years old for Deimos – which would fit this scenario.

The findings are fascinating since they imply that Mars has had at least one prominent ring, and probably more, during its lifetime. This would mean that smaller rocky planets can also have rings, although none of those in our current solar system do.

On the other hand, scientists know that the ring process must be a common one in our solar system.

Artist’s concept of asteroid Chariklo, which, in 2014, was the first object in the solar system smaller than the gas or ice giant planets found to have rings. Image via ESO.

They know that because Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all are known to have rings. And, in 2014, astronomers discovered an asteroid – named Chariklo – with two dense and narrow rings. This was the first time that rings were found around any solar system object smaller than the gas or ice giant planets. Chariklo is a member of a group of asteroids called Centaurs that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune. Uffe Gråe Jørgensen at Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said of Chariklo:

For me, it was quite amazing to realize that we were able not only to detect a ring system, but also pinpoint that it consists of two clearly distinct rings. I try to imagine how it would be to stand on the surface of this icy object – small enough that a fast sports car could reach escape velocity and drive off into space – and stare up at a 20-kilometer (12-mile) wide ring system 1,000 times closer than the moon.

In 2017, a ring was also discovered around the asteroid-like dwarf planet Haumea, which orbits beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt.

Matija Cuk at the SETI Institute, lead author of the new study. Image via SETI Institute.

The Japanese space agency JAXA is planning to send a new mission to Phobos in 2024, which will collect samples for return to Earth. This will hopefully provide more clues about Mars’ rings and the previous larger moon that Phobos came from. Cuk said:

I do theoretical calculations for a living, and they are good, but getting them tested against the real world now and then is even better.

It would be really cool if we could go back in time and see the rings of Mars as they once were. But, we can still learn about them by studying the clues left behind in the planet’s two remaining little moons, Deimos and Phobos.

Bottom line: A new research study of Mars’ smallest moon Deimos suggests that the planet used to have a ring or rings a few billion years ago.

Source: Evidence for a Past Martian Ring from the Orbital Inclination of Deimos

Via SETI Institute

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/30iqV0C

Artist’s concept of the red planet Mars with rings. Image via Kevin Gill on Flickr/ CC by 2.0.

Ring systems are common in our solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all have rings. None of the smaller rocky planets have them, but is it possible that some of them could have had rings in the past? On June 2, 2020, scientists from the SETI Institute and Purdue University announced evidence suggesting that Mars used to have its own rings a few billion years ago. The findings would help explain why Mars’ smallest moon, Deimos, has an unusually tilted orbit.

The researchers published the new peer-reviewed paper in Astrophysical Journal Letters on June 1, 2020. The research was also presented at the 236th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS 236), held virtually this week (June 1-3, 2020) due to COVID-19.

While the orbits of both small moons, Phobos and Deimos, lie almost in the same plane as Mars’ equator – suggesting they formed at the same time as Mars – Deimos’ orbit is tilted by about 2 degrees. This tilt was an unusual and unexplained finding. It was also considered to be not all that significant in terms of Mars science.

Now it seems that, all along, that small anomaly – the 2-degree tilt of Deimos’ orbit with respect to Mars’ equator – held a clue to something very interesting about the red planet’s past … that Mars used to have rings!

Mars’ smallest moon, Deimos, as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on February 21, 2009. The tilted orbit of the moon hints at ancient ring system around Mars. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ University of Arizona/ SETI Institute.

Lead author Matija Cuk at the SETI Institute explained in a statement:

The fact that Deimos’s orbit is not exactly in plane with Mars’s equator was considered unimportant, and nobody cared to try to explain it. But once we had a big new idea and we looked at it with new eyes, Deimos’s orbital tilt revealed its big secret.

Three years ago, scientists suggested that the larger of Mars’ two tiny moons – Phobos – might periodically create a ring system for Mars. In that scenario, Mars has had a series of rings, appearing in cycles over billions of years, and it will have rings again in the future. It happens because – for example, at present – Phobos is slowly orbiting closer and closer to Mars. Eventually, Mars’ gravity will rip Photos apart and the fabric of the moon’s body will form a ring. Later, the material in the ring will coalesce to form a moon again. The researchers think that this has happened many times over Mars’ history. The new paper on a Mars ring from the other moon, Deimos, speaks to this alternate theory:

Alternatively, Hesselbrock & Minton (2017) propose that Phobos is only the latest product of a repeating ring-satellite cycle at Mars, with each successive inner satellite being less massive than the preceding one. In the ring-satellite cycle model, satellites form from the outer edge of the ring, and then migrate outward through gravitational interaction with the ring. The ring loses mass to the planet at its inner edge, and once the ring is sufficiently depleted the satellite migrates inward due to tides.

How does this earlier idea relate to the new scenario involving Deimos?

According to the researchers, a newborn moon would move away from both the ring and Mars, heading in the opposite direction from Phobos, or any inwardly-migrating moon. An outwardly-migrating moon, just outside of the rings, could come to experience an orbital resonance – a situation where two orbiting bodies are exerting a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other – so that the orbital period of Deimos comes to be precisely three times that of the other moon. The researchers’ statement explained:

These orbital resonances are picky but predictable … We can tell that only an outward-moving moon could have strongly affected Deimos, which means that Mars must have had a ring pushing the inner moon outward. Cuk and collaborators deduce that this moon may have been 20 times as massive as Phobos, and may have been its ‘grandparent’ existing just over 3 billion years ago … [that] was followed by two more ring-moon cycles, with the latest moon being Phobos.

Saturn, of course, has the most well-known rings in the solar system, as seen here by the Cassini spacecraft. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

The formation of Phobos probably happened about 3 1/2 billion years ago, Cuk told ScienceAlert:

Something like 3.5 billion years ago is our best bet. That agrees beautifully with Hesselbrock and Minton’s calculation on when Mars had an inner moon with 20 times the mass of Phobos. Once the ring was gone, the moon also started falling because of Martian tides (just like Phobos). Once it was too close to Mars, tidal forces would pull it apart into a new ring, and the cycle would repeat, probably twice, to get to Phobos that we see.

It’s known that Phobos is much younger than Deimos – perhaps as young as about 200 million years old in contrast to a few billion years old for Deimos – which would fit this scenario.

The findings are fascinating since they imply that Mars has had at least one prominent ring, and probably more, during its lifetime. This would mean that smaller rocky planets can also have rings, although none of those in our current solar system do.

On the other hand, scientists know that the ring process must be a common one in our solar system.

Artist’s concept of asteroid Chariklo, which, in 2014, was the first object in the solar system smaller than the gas or ice giant planets found to have rings. Image via ESO.

They know that because Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all are known to have rings. And, in 2014, astronomers discovered an asteroid – named Chariklo – with two dense and narrow rings. This was the first time that rings were found around any solar system object smaller than the gas or ice giant planets. Chariklo is a member of a group of asteroids called Centaurs that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune. Uffe Gråe Jørgensen at Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said of Chariklo:

For me, it was quite amazing to realize that we were able not only to detect a ring system, but also pinpoint that it consists of two clearly distinct rings. I try to imagine how it would be to stand on the surface of this icy object – small enough that a fast sports car could reach escape velocity and drive off into space – and stare up at a 20-kilometer (12-mile) wide ring system 1,000 times closer than the moon.

In 2017, a ring was also discovered around the asteroid-like dwarf planet Haumea, which orbits beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt.

Matija Cuk at the SETI Institute, lead author of the new study. Image via SETI Institute.

The Japanese space agency JAXA is planning to send a new mission to Phobos in 2024, which will collect samples for return to Earth. This will hopefully provide more clues about Mars’ rings and the previous larger moon that Phobos came from. Cuk said:

I do theoretical calculations for a living, and they are good, but getting them tested against the real world now and then is even better.

It would be really cool if we could go back in time and see the rings of Mars as they once were. But, we can still learn about them by studying the clues left behind in the planet’s two remaining little moons, Deimos and Phobos.

Bottom line: A new research study of Mars’ smallest moon Deimos suggests that the planet used to have a ring or rings a few billion years ago.

Source: Evidence for a Past Martian Ring from the Orbital Inclination of Deimos

Via SETI Institute

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/30iqV0C

Black holes are like a hologram

Who could forget this image? It’s the first direct image of a black hole, in the galaxy M87, released in April 2019. This long-sought image provided the strongest evidence to date for the existence of supermassive black holes and opened a new window onto the study of black holes, their event horizons, and gravity. Image via the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

Reprinted from the International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy.

We all remember that incredible image of a black hole that traveled around the world about a year ago. Yet, according to new research by scientists in Italy, black holes could be like a hologram, where all the information is amassed in a two-dimensional surface able to reproduce a three-dimensional image. In this way, these cosmic bodies, as affirmed by quantum theories, could be incredibly complex and concentrate an enormous amount of information inside themselves, as the largest hard disk that exists in nature, in two dimensions. This idea aligns with Einstein’s theory of relativity, which describes black holes as three dimensional, simple, spherical, and smooth, as they appear in that famous image. In short, black holes “appear” as three dimensional, just like holograms. The study which demonstrates it, and which unites two discordant theories, has recently been published in Physical Review X.

The study comes from the SISSA, and from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), all based in Italy.

The mystery of black holes

For scientists, black holes are a big question mark for many reasons. They are, for example, excellent representatives of the great difficulties of theoretical physics in putting together the principles of Einstein’s general theory of relativity with those of quantum physics when it comes to gravity. According to the first theory, they would be simple bodies without information. According to the other, as claimed by Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking, they would be “the most complex existing systems” because they would be characterized by an enormous “entropy,” which measures the complexity of a system, and consequently would have a lot of information inside them.

The holographic principle applied to black holes

To study black holes, the two authors of the research, Francesco Benini (SISSA Professor, ICTP scientific consultant and INFN researcher) and Paolo Milan (SISSA and INFN researcher), used an idea almost 30 years old, but still surprising, called the holographic principle.

The researchers said:

This revolutionary and somewhat counterintuitive principle proposes that the behavior of gravity in a given region of space can alternatively be described in terms of a different system, which lives only along the edge of that region and therefore in a one less dimension.

And, more importantly, in this alternative description (called holographic) gravity does not appear explicitly. In other words, the holographic principle allows us to describe gravity using a language that does not contain gravity, thus avoiding friction with quantum mechanics.

What Benini and Milan have done is:

… apply the theory of the holographic principle to black holes. In this way, their mysterious thermodynamic properties have become more understandable: focusing on predicting that these bodies have a great entropy and observing them in terms of quantum mechanics, you can describe them just like a hologram: they have two dimensions, in which gravity disappears, but they reproduce an object in three dimensions.

From theory to observation

The two scientists explained:

This study is only the first step towards a deeper understanding of these cosmic bodies and of the properties that characterize them when quantum mechanics crosses with general relativity.

Everything is more important now at a time when observations in astrophysics are experiencing an incredible development. Just think of the observation of gravitational waves from the fusion of black holes result of the collaboration between LIGO and Virgo or, indeed, that of the black hole made by the Event Horizon Telescope that produced this extraordinary image.

In the near future, we may be able to test our theoretical predictions regarding quantum gravity, such as those made in this study, by observation. And this, from a scientific point of view, would be something absolutely exceptional.

Artist’s concept of a black hole via SISSA.

Bottom line: The theory of relativity describes black holes as being spherical, smooth and simple. Quantum theory describes them as being extremely complex and full of information. Two scientists in Italy have applied the theory of the holographic principle to black holes in a way that appears to resolve this duality.

Source: Black Holes in 4D N = 4 Super-Yang-Mills Field Theory

Via SISSA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2XZpnWK

Who could forget this image? It’s the first direct image of a black hole, in the galaxy M87, released in April 2019. This long-sought image provided the strongest evidence to date for the existence of supermassive black holes and opened a new window onto the study of black holes, their event horizons, and gravity. Image via the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

Reprinted from the International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy.

We all remember that incredible image of a black hole that traveled around the world about a year ago. Yet, according to new research by scientists in Italy, black holes could be like a hologram, where all the information is amassed in a two-dimensional surface able to reproduce a three-dimensional image. In this way, these cosmic bodies, as affirmed by quantum theories, could be incredibly complex and concentrate an enormous amount of information inside themselves, as the largest hard disk that exists in nature, in two dimensions. This idea aligns with Einstein’s theory of relativity, which describes black holes as three dimensional, simple, spherical, and smooth, as they appear in that famous image. In short, black holes “appear” as three dimensional, just like holograms. The study which demonstrates it, and which unites two discordant theories, has recently been published in Physical Review X.

The study comes from the SISSA, and from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), all based in Italy.

The mystery of black holes

For scientists, black holes are a big question mark for many reasons. They are, for example, excellent representatives of the great difficulties of theoretical physics in putting together the principles of Einstein’s general theory of relativity with those of quantum physics when it comes to gravity. According to the first theory, they would be simple bodies without information. According to the other, as claimed by Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking, they would be “the most complex existing systems” because they would be characterized by an enormous “entropy,” which measures the complexity of a system, and consequently would have a lot of information inside them.

The holographic principle applied to black holes

To study black holes, the two authors of the research, Francesco Benini (SISSA Professor, ICTP scientific consultant and INFN researcher) and Paolo Milan (SISSA and INFN researcher), used an idea almost 30 years old, but still surprising, called the holographic principle.

The researchers said:

This revolutionary and somewhat counterintuitive principle proposes that the behavior of gravity in a given region of space can alternatively be described in terms of a different system, which lives only along the edge of that region and therefore in a one less dimension.

And, more importantly, in this alternative description (called holographic) gravity does not appear explicitly. In other words, the holographic principle allows us to describe gravity using a language that does not contain gravity, thus avoiding friction with quantum mechanics.

What Benini and Milan have done is:

… apply the theory of the holographic principle to black holes. In this way, their mysterious thermodynamic properties have become more understandable: focusing on predicting that these bodies have a great entropy and observing them in terms of quantum mechanics, you can describe them just like a hologram: they have two dimensions, in which gravity disappears, but they reproduce an object in three dimensions.

From theory to observation

The two scientists explained:

This study is only the first step towards a deeper understanding of these cosmic bodies and of the properties that characterize them when quantum mechanics crosses with general relativity.

Everything is more important now at a time when observations in astrophysics are experiencing an incredible development. Just think of the observation of gravitational waves from the fusion of black holes result of the collaboration between LIGO and Virgo or, indeed, that of the black hole made by the Event Horizon Telescope that produced this extraordinary image.

In the near future, we may be able to test our theoretical predictions regarding quantum gravity, such as those made in this study, by observation. And this, from a scientific point of view, would be something absolutely exceptional.

Artist’s concept of a black hole via SISSA.

Bottom line: The theory of relativity describes black holes as being spherical, smooth and simple. Quantum theory describes them as being extremely complex and full of information. Two scientists in Italy have applied the theory of the holographic principle to black holes in a way that appears to resolve this duality.

Source: Black Holes in 4D N = 4 Super-Yang-Mills Field Theory

Via SISSA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2XZpnWK

Scientist identify cleanest air on Earth

The Southern Ocean. Image via Spartan & the green egg

Researchers have identified Earth’s cleanest air – free of particles caused by our human activity – in a region in the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antartica.

Weather and climate are complex processes that connect each part of the world to every other region. A team of climate scientists from Colorado State University were curious to see just how far particles produced by human industry and activity reach. To find out, they sailed from Tasmania into the Southern Ocean – which encircles Antartica below 40 degrees south latitude – and measured the bioaerosol composition – the particles in the atmosphere – at several points.

Location of the Southern Ocean. Image via Brittanica.

They took measurements from the boundary layer, a part of the lower atmosphere that comes in direct contact with the ocean’s surface and reaches as high as 1.2 miles (1.9 km) into the atmosphere.

The study, published June 1, 2020, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found the boundary layer air that feeds the lower clouds over the Southern Ocean to be pristine, free from particles, called aerosols, connected to human pollution or other activity or transported from distant lands.

Aerosol filter samplers probe the air over the Southern Ocean on the Australian Marine National Facility’s R/V Investigator. Image via Kathryn Moore/ Colorado State University.

The researchers said that it’s difficult to find any area or process on Earth untouched by people. The scientists suspected the air directly over the remote Southern Ocean that encircles Antarctica would be least affected by humans and dust from continents. They set out to discover what was in the air and where it came from. Colorado State University research scientist Thomas Hill is a study coauthor. Hill said in a statement:

We were able to use the bacteria in the air over the Southern Ocean as a diagnostic tool to infer key properties of the lower atmosphere. For example, that the aerosols controlling the properties of Southern Ocean clouds are strongly linked to ocean biological processes, and that Antarctica appears to be isolated from southward dispersal of microorganisms and nutrient deposition from southern continents. Overall, it suggests that the Southern Ocean is one of very few places on Earth that has been minimally affected by anthropogenic activities.

These results counter other studies from oceans in the subtropics and northern hemisphere, which found that most microbes came from upwind continents.

Bottom line: A new study suggests the cleanest air on Earth – free from pollution from human activities – is in a region of the Southern Ocean which surrounds Antarctica.

Source: Airborne bacteria confirm the pristine nature of the Southern Ocean boundary layer

Via Colorado State University

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3eU90Sg

The Southern Ocean. Image via Spartan & the green egg

Researchers have identified Earth’s cleanest air – free of particles caused by our human activity – in a region in the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antartica.

Weather and climate are complex processes that connect each part of the world to every other region. A team of climate scientists from Colorado State University were curious to see just how far particles produced by human industry and activity reach. To find out, they sailed from Tasmania into the Southern Ocean – which encircles Antartica below 40 degrees south latitude – and measured the bioaerosol composition – the particles in the atmosphere – at several points.

Location of the Southern Ocean. Image via Brittanica.

They took measurements from the boundary layer, a part of the lower atmosphere that comes in direct contact with the ocean’s surface and reaches as high as 1.2 miles (1.9 km) into the atmosphere.

The study, published June 1, 2020, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found the boundary layer air that feeds the lower clouds over the Southern Ocean to be pristine, free from particles, called aerosols, connected to human pollution or other activity or transported from distant lands.

Aerosol filter samplers probe the air over the Southern Ocean on the Australian Marine National Facility’s R/V Investigator. Image via Kathryn Moore/ Colorado State University.

The researchers said that it’s difficult to find any area or process on Earth untouched by people. The scientists suspected the air directly over the remote Southern Ocean that encircles Antarctica would be least affected by humans and dust from continents. They set out to discover what was in the air and where it came from. Colorado State University research scientist Thomas Hill is a study coauthor. Hill said in a statement:

We were able to use the bacteria in the air over the Southern Ocean as a diagnostic tool to infer key properties of the lower atmosphere. For example, that the aerosols controlling the properties of Southern Ocean clouds are strongly linked to ocean biological processes, and that Antarctica appears to be isolated from southward dispersal of microorganisms and nutrient deposition from southern continents. Overall, it suggests that the Southern Ocean is one of very few places on Earth that has been minimally affected by anthropogenic activities.

These results counter other studies from oceans in the subtropics and northern hemisphere, which found that most microbes came from upwind continents.

Bottom line: A new study suggests the cleanest air on Earth – free from pollution from human activities – is in a region of the Southern Ocean which surrounds Antarctica.

Source: Airborne bacteria confirm the pristine nature of the Southern Ocean boundary layer

Via Colorado State University

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3eU90Sg

Despite the full moon, comet Lemmon!

June 4, 2020, capture of comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) via Terry Lovejoy of Australia.

As always, there are multiple comets in the sky now, but one to watch is comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon), which will make its closest approach to the sun on June 18, 2020, and which is currently visible in binoculars from Southern Hemisphere locations at an apparent magnitude of about 7. The comet is moving northward and will enter northern skies soon. By some reports, this comet might become nearly visible to the unaided eye this month. Seeing it will require finder charts and a very dark sky. Still, we’re hearing good reports about this comet. Veteran comet hunter Terry Lovejoy wrote on Twitter on June 4:

Even with a full moon, Comet Lemmon looking good. 10x20sec with C14 Hyperstar + QHY183c.

Terry is an experienced observer and astrophotographer, with comets bearing his name, and he captured this image with a 14-inch telescope and CCD imaging. The comet is not visible to the eye. Still, it’s a nice comet, isn’t it? Check out that tail!

Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) is currently in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog, which means it’s currently a Southern Hemisphere object, but it’ll move into northern skies later this month (see finder charts). Here’s some information about comet Lemmon from TheSkyLive.com:

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) is 07h 28m 47s and the Declination is -18° 11’ 15” … The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) is 11.46 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 7.0 (COBS).

Bright comets are the ones that get all the attention. And yet, although most of us aren’t aware of it, there are multiple faint comets visible via the telescopes of astronomers at any given time. You’ll find a list of comets in the sky now via In-The-Sky.org.

Follow Terry Lovejoy on Twitter.

Or read about him on Wikipedia.

Bottom line: A beautiful CCD image of comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon), taken June 4, 2020, by Terry Lovejoy.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3cCBcHy

June 4, 2020, capture of comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) via Terry Lovejoy of Australia.

As always, there are multiple comets in the sky now, but one to watch is comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon), which will make its closest approach to the sun on June 18, 2020, and which is currently visible in binoculars from Southern Hemisphere locations at an apparent magnitude of about 7. The comet is moving northward and will enter northern skies soon. By some reports, this comet might become nearly visible to the unaided eye this month. Seeing it will require finder charts and a very dark sky. Still, we’re hearing good reports about this comet. Veteran comet hunter Terry Lovejoy wrote on Twitter on June 4:

Even with a full moon, Comet Lemmon looking good. 10x20sec with C14 Hyperstar + QHY183c.

Terry is an experienced observer and astrophotographer, with comets bearing his name, and he captured this image with a 14-inch telescope and CCD imaging. The comet is not visible to the eye. Still, it’s a nice comet, isn’t it? Check out that tail!

Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) is currently in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog, which means it’s currently a Southern Hemisphere object, but it’ll move into northern skies later this month (see finder charts). Here’s some information about comet Lemmon from TheSkyLive.com:

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) is 07h 28m 47s and the Declination is -18° 11’ 15” … The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) is 11.46 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 7.0 (COBS).

Bright comets are the ones that get all the attention. And yet, although most of us aren’t aware of it, there are multiple faint comets visible via the telescopes of astronomers at any given time. You’ll find a list of comets in the sky now via In-The-Sky.org.

Follow Terry Lovejoy on Twitter.

Or read about him on Wikipedia.

Bottom line: A beautiful CCD image of comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon), taken June 4, 2020, by Terry Lovejoy.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3cCBcHy

Coronavirus and cancer – June updates

• 31 May – Shielding advice updated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• 29 May – UK nations begin to ease lockdown restrictions
• 28 May – UK nations launch test and trace systems 
• 27 April – NHS campaign urges people to get help if they need it
• 21 April – Urgent cancer referrals fall across the UK
• 21 March – Shielding measures introduced to protect people at high risk of COVID-19
• See previous coronavirus and cancer updates from May or March and April.

We’re monitoring the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK and updating this blog post regularly as new guidance emerges.

2 June – Risk of death confirmed to be higher for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups

Public Health England (PHE) has published a report showing that the impact of COVID-19 mirrors existing health inequalities and has increased them in some cases. Although not yet fully understood why, the effect of coronavirus is disproportionate for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, who are at a greater risk of dying from COVID-19.

Age was another risk factor confirmed by the review, with figures suggesting that people aged 80 or over with coronavirus were seventy times more likely to die than those under the age of 40. The report also references several studies that indicate an increased risk of adverse outcomes in people who are obese or morbidly obese.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said that that he felt a “deep responsibility because this pandemic has exposed huge disparities in the health of our nation”, BBC News reports. Hancock also said the Equalities Minister will now take forward a review on this, working closely with PHE.

1 June – Over 2 million people waiting for cancer screening, tests and treatments

New figures have revealed the disruption to cancer services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 2 million people in the UK are waiting for cancer screening, tests and treatments since lockdown began, according to calculations by Cancer Research UK.

Visit our previous blog posts for coronavirus and cancer updates from May or March and April.

Katie 

If you have questions about cancer, you can talk to our nurses Monday to Friday, 9-5pm, on freephone 0808 800 4040.

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2zR0owY

• 31 May – Shielding advice updated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• 29 May – UK nations begin to ease lockdown restrictions
• 28 May – UK nations launch test and trace systems 
• 27 April – NHS campaign urges people to get help if they need it
• 21 April – Urgent cancer referrals fall across the UK
• 21 March – Shielding measures introduced to protect people at high risk of COVID-19
• See previous coronavirus and cancer updates from May or March and April.

We’re monitoring the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK and updating this blog post regularly as new guidance emerges.

2 June – Risk of death confirmed to be higher for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups

Public Health England (PHE) has published a report showing that the impact of COVID-19 mirrors existing health inequalities and has increased them in some cases. Although not yet fully understood why, the effect of coronavirus is disproportionate for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, who are at a greater risk of dying from COVID-19.

Age was another risk factor confirmed by the review, with figures suggesting that people aged 80 or over with coronavirus were seventy times more likely to die than those under the age of 40. The report also references several studies that indicate an increased risk of adverse outcomes in people who are obese or morbidly obese.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said that that he felt a “deep responsibility because this pandemic has exposed huge disparities in the health of our nation”, BBC News reports. Hancock also said the Equalities Minister will now take forward a review on this, working closely with PHE.

1 June – Over 2 million people waiting for cancer screening, tests and treatments

New figures have revealed the disruption to cancer services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 2 million people in the UK are waiting for cancer screening, tests and treatments since lockdown began, according to calculations by Cancer Research UK.

Visit our previous blog posts for coronavirus and cancer updates from May or March and April.

Katie 

If you have questions about cancer, you can talk to our nurses Monday to Friday, 9-5pm, on freephone 0808 800 4040.

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2zR0owY

Did galactic crash trigger solar system formation?

The Sagittarius dwarf galaxy has been orbiting the Milky Way for billions for years. As its orbit around the 10,000 times more massive Milky Way gradually tightened, it started colliding with our galaxy’s disk. The three known collisions between Sagittarius and the Milky Way have, according to a new study, triggered major star formation episodes, one of which may have given rise to the solar system. Image via ESA.

Via European Space Agency (ESA)

The formation of the sun, the solar system and the subsequent emergence of life on Earth may be a consequence of a collision between our galaxy, the Milky Way, and a smaller galaxy called Sagittarius, discovered in the 1990s to be orbiting our galactic home. That’s according to a new study published May 25, 2020, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Astronomy.

Astronomers have known that Sagittarius repeatedly smashes through the Milky Way’s disk, as its orbit around the galaxy’s core tightens as a result of gravitational forces. Previous studies suggested that Sagittarius, a so-called dwarf galaxy, had had a profound effect on how stars move in the Milky Way. Some astronomers even claim that the 10,000 times more massive Milky Way’s trademark spiral structure might be a result of the at least three known crashes with Sagittarius over the past six billion years.

The new study, based on data gathered by ESA’s galaxy mapping Gaia spacecraft, revealed for the first time that the influence of Sagittarius on the Milky Way may be even more substantial. The ripples caused by the collisions seem to have triggered major star formation episodes, one of which roughly coincided with the time of the formation of the sun some 4.7 billion years ago.

Astrophysicist Tomás Ruiz-Lara of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Tenerife, Spain, is lead author of the study. He said in a statement:

It is known from existing models that Sagittarius fell into the Milky Way three times – first about five or six billion years ago, then about two billion years ago, and finally one billion years ago.

When we looked into the Gaia data about the Milky Way, we found three periods of increased star formation that peaked 5.7 billion years ago, 1.9 billion years ago and 1 billion years ago, corresponding with the time when Sagittarius is believed to have passed through the disk of the Milky Way.

The Sagittarius dwarf galaxy has been orbiting the Milky Way for billions for years. As its orbit around the 10,000 times more massive Milky Way gradually tightened, it started colliding with our galaxy’s disk. The 3 known collisions between Sagittarius and the Milky Way have, according to a new study, triggered major star formation episodes, one of which may have given rise to the solar system. Image via ESA.

Ripples on the water

The researchers looked at luminosities, distances and colors of stars within a sphere of about 6,500 light-years around the sun and compared the data with existing stellar evolution models. According to Ruiz-Lara, the notion that the dwarf galaxy may have had such an effect makes a lot of sense. He said:

At the beginning you have a galaxy, the Milky Way, which is relatively quiet. After an initial violent epoch of star formation, partly triggered by an earlier merger as we described in a previous study, the Milky Way had reached a balanced state in which stars were forming steadily. Suddenly, you have Sagittarius fall in and disrupt the equilibrium, causing all the previously still gas and dust inside the larger galaxy to slosh around like ripples on the water.

In some areas of the Milky Way, these ripples would lead to higher concentrations of dust and gas, while emptying others. The high density of material in those areas would then trigger the formation of new stars. Carme Gallart, also of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, is a co-author of the paper. Gallart said:

It seems that not only did Sagittarius shape the structure and influence the dynamics of how stars are moving in the Milky Way, it has also led to a build-up of the Milky Way. It seems that an important part of the Milky Way’s stellar mass was formed due to the interactions with Sagittarius and wouldn’t exist otherwise.

The birth of the sun

In fact, it seems possible that even the sun and its planets would not have existed if the Sagittarius dwarf had not gotten trapped by the gravitational pull of the Milky Way and eventually smashed through its disk. Gallart said:

The sun formed at the time when stars were forming in the Milky Way because of the first passage of Sagittarius. We don’t know if the particular cloud of gas and dust that turned into the sun collapsed because of the effects of Sagittarius or not. But it is a possible scenario because the age of the sun is consistent with a star formed as a result of the Sagittarius effect.

Every collision stripped Sagittarius of some of its gas and dust, leaving the galaxy smaller after each passage. Existing data suggest that Sagittarius might have passed through the Milky Way’s disk again quite recently, in the last few hundred million years, and is currently very close to it. In fact, the new study found evidence of a recent burst of star formation, suggesting a possible new and ongoing wave of stellar birth.

Bottom line: A new study suggests that the formation of the sun and the solar system may be a consequence of a collision between our Milky Way galaxy and a smaller galaxy called Sagittarius.

Source: The recurrent impact of the Sagittarius dwarf on the Milky Way star formation history

Read more from ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/30e6kdQ

The Sagittarius dwarf galaxy has been orbiting the Milky Way for billions for years. As its orbit around the 10,000 times more massive Milky Way gradually tightened, it started colliding with our galaxy’s disk. The three known collisions between Sagittarius and the Milky Way have, according to a new study, triggered major star formation episodes, one of which may have given rise to the solar system. Image via ESA.

Via European Space Agency (ESA)

The formation of the sun, the solar system and the subsequent emergence of life on Earth may be a consequence of a collision between our galaxy, the Milky Way, and a smaller galaxy called Sagittarius, discovered in the 1990s to be orbiting our galactic home. That’s according to a new study published May 25, 2020, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Astronomy.

Astronomers have known that Sagittarius repeatedly smashes through the Milky Way’s disk, as its orbit around the galaxy’s core tightens as a result of gravitational forces. Previous studies suggested that Sagittarius, a so-called dwarf galaxy, had had a profound effect on how stars move in the Milky Way. Some astronomers even claim that the 10,000 times more massive Milky Way’s trademark spiral structure might be a result of the at least three known crashes with Sagittarius over the past six billion years.

The new study, based on data gathered by ESA’s galaxy mapping Gaia spacecraft, revealed for the first time that the influence of Sagittarius on the Milky Way may be even more substantial. The ripples caused by the collisions seem to have triggered major star formation episodes, one of which roughly coincided with the time of the formation of the sun some 4.7 billion years ago.

Astrophysicist Tomás Ruiz-Lara of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Tenerife, Spain, is lead author of the study. He said in a statement:

It is known from existing models that Sagittarius fell into the Milky Way three times – first about five or six billion years ago, then about two billion years ago, and finally one billion years ago.

When we looked into the Gaia data about the Milky Way, we found three periods of increased star formation that peaked 5.7 billion years ago, 1.9 billion years ago and 1 billion years ago, corresponding with the time when Sagittarius is believed to have passed through the disk of the Milky Way.

The Sagittarius dwarf galaxy has been orbiting the Milky Way for billions for years. As its orbit around the 10,000 times more massive Milky Way gradually tightened, it started colliding with our galaxy’s disk. The 3 known collisions between Sagittarius and the Milky Way have, according to a new study, triggered major star formation episodes, one of which may have given rise to the solar system. Image via ESA.

Ripples on the water

The researchers looked at luminosities, distances and colors of stars within a sphere of about 6,500 light-years around the sun and compared the data with existing stellar evolution models. According to Ruiz-Lara, the notion that the dwarf galaxy may have had such an effect makes a lot of sense. He said:

At the beginning you have a galaxy, the Milky Way, which is relatively quiet. After an initial violent epoch of star formation, partly triggered by an earlier merger as we described in a previous study, the Milky Way had reached a balanced state in which stars were forming steadily. Suddenly, you have Sagittarius fall in and disrupt the equilibrium, causing all the previously still gas and dust inside the larger galaxy to slosh around like ripples on the water.

In some areas of the Milky Way, these ripples would lead to higher concentrations of dust and gas, while emptying others. The high density of material in those areas would then trigger the formation of new stars. Carme Gallart, also of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, is a co-author of the paper. Gallart said:

It seems that not only did Sagittarius shape the structure and influence the dynamics of how stars are moving in the Milky Way, it has also led to a build-up of the Milky Way. It seems that an important part of the Milky Way’s stellar mass was formed due to the interactions with Sagittarius and wouldn’t exist otherwise.

The birth of the sun

In fact, it seems possible that even the sun and its planets would not have existed if the Sagittarius dwarf had not gotten trapped by the gravitational pull of the Milky Way and eventually smashed through its disk. Gallart said:

The sun formed at the time when stars were forming in the Milky Way because of the first passage of Sagittarius. We don’t know if the particular cloud of gas and dust that turned into the sun collapsed because of the effects of Sagittarius or not. But it is a possible scenario because the age of the sun is consistent with a star formed as a result of the Sagittarius effect.

Every collision stripped Sagittarius of some of its gas and dust, leaving the galaxy smaller after each passage. Existing data suggest that Sagittarius might have passed through the Milky Way’s disk again quite recently, in the last few hundred million years, and is currently very close to it. In fact, the new study found evidence of a recent burst of star formation, suggesting a possible new and ongoing wave of stellar birth.

Bottom line: A new study suggests that the formation of the sun and the solar system may be a consequence of a collision between our Milky Way galaxy and a smaller galaxy called Sagittarius.

Source: The recurrent impact of the Sagittarius dwarf on the Milky Way star formation history

Read more from ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/30e6kdQ