venezuela
British Space Startup Launches Longevity Lab Into Orbit
The lab will beam back data to train AI models to predict how proteins behind age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and certain cancers behave. Space is becoming the next frontier in longevity research. A British startup just launched self-run chemical experiments into orbit, in the hopes zero-gravity data might shine a light on a group of disease-causing proteins too difficult to study on Earth. But first they need to check their autonomous laboratory will work in space. Mass Balance's grapefruit-sized apparatus containing chemicals, sensors and control elements to keep the chemicals functioning launched on a SpaceX transporter on Tuesday morning.
What if the Universe Isn't as Uniform as Scientists Think?
What if the Universe Isn't as Uniform as Scientists Think? A study based on 47 million galaxies found that the cosmic web retains patterns on enormous scales, which could force a reevaluation of a pillar of cosmology. One of the fundamental pillars of modern cosmology may be beginning to wobble. A study published in Nature has found evidence that the universe may not behave the same way in every direction on the largest observable scales. "What we found is a network of enormous filaments and walls of galaxies that remain aligned and interconnected across billions of light-years," says Francesco Sylos Labini, research director of physics at the Enrico Fermi Research Center in Italy and the study's lead author. What Should the Universe Look Like?
There's a Global Network of Fungi Under Your Feet. This Is the First Complete Map
A new study has succeeded in mapping, on a global scale, the fungal network that supports plant life and helps regulate our planet's climate. Beneath the Earth's surface lies an extraordinary underground fungal network of almost unimaginable scale. An international team of researchers has, for the first time, produced a global map of this vast mycorrhizal network--the system of fungal filaments that forms mutually beneficial partnerships with plants across the planet. They estimate that the network stretches for roughly 110 quadrillion kilometers in total, nearly 1 billion times the distance between the Earth and the sun. The findings were published in Science. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) form underground networks that support plant life and help regulate the Earth's climate.
Penalty Shootouts: Is the Team That Kicks First More Likely to Win?
Penalty Shootouts: Is the Team That Kicks First More Likely to Win? Penalty kicks are already proving critical to big wins at this year's World Cup. But the advantage in penalty kicks has more to do with psychological effects than who kicks first. A penalty kick during the Netherlands' round of 32 match against Morocco. In a World Cup, some of the most important matches are decided by a penalty shootout. When that moment comes, the captains want to win the coin toss to decide the order of the kicks.
Venezuela Earthquake Destruction Revealed in New Satellite Images
The maps and images show the extent of destruction and give rescue operations a tool to find any remaining survivors. A satellite image from Vantor shows collapsed apartment buildings and widespread damage caused by the earthquake in the Playa Grande neighborhood of La Guaira. Satellite Technology Is being used to streamline rescue efforts in Venezuela following the two earthquakes that struck on June 24. Space agencies have shared images with emergency authorities and the Venezuelan government that not only reveal the magnitude of the disaster but also allow response teams to identify where to focus their efforts--and the challenges on the ground. Following the twin earthquakes in Venezuela, the Copernicus satellite system activated its emergency mapping mode at the request of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
The Brazilian Director Who's Up for Multiple Oscars
Kleber Mendonça Filho wants his films to reclaim lost history. For Kleber Mendonça Filho, filmmaking is an act of both provocation and preservation. Mendonça was born in 1968, in the early years of a ruthless military dictatorship--a time when cinema, like much else, was harshly constrained. His mother, Joselice Jucá, was a historian who studied Brazil's abolitionist movement, and she taught him that filling gaps in the cultural memory was a way to expose concealed truths. His relationship with film is inextricably linked with his home town, Recife--a port city where attractive beaches and high-rise developments coexist with sprawling favelas and rampant crime. In his youth, Mendonça was fascinated by the city's grand cinema palaces. He carried a Super 8 camera to the tops of marquees and shot dizzying images; he spent hours in projection booths, learning the mechanics of how films reached the screen. Over time, Mendonça watched those theatres fall into decline, an experience that he likened to being aboard a ship as it wrecked. But even as Recife lost its allure, he made the city a fixture of his films--a way of vindicating its place in history. His first narrative feature, "Neighboring Sounds," takes place on a street where he lived as a child, a setting that he spent years documenting. Later, he made "Pictures of Ghosts," a documentary about Recife told largely through its cinemas.
The Information Networks That Connect Venezuelans in Uncertain Times
The people of Venezuela have spent years learning resilience in the face of censorship, disinformation, and repression. They now rely on those tools more than ever. In the early morning hours of Saturday, January 3, the roar of bombs dropping from the sky announced the US military attack on Venezuela, waking the sleeping residents of La Carlota, in Caracas, a neighborhood adjacent to the air base that was a target of Operation Absolute Resolve. Marina G.'s first thought, as the floors, walls, and windows of her second-story apartment shook, was that it was an earthquake. Her cat scrambled and hid for hours, while the neighbors' dogs began to bark incessantly.
The Doomsday Clock Is Now 85 Seconds to Midnight. Here's What That Means
The Doomsday Clock Is Now 85 Seconds to Midnight. Catastrophic risks are increasing, cooperation is declining, and swift action is needed from global leaders to correct course. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever. The Doomsday Clock has just been set to 85 seconds to midnight. Nearly 80 years after its creation, this time represents the closest the clock has ever been to midnight.