Searching for second Earth

Welcome to the “Sci-news.com” update from Hawaii Science Digest.

Top story:  A new telescope called the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory would use a telescope with mirror larger than Hubble’s.

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Accessed on 27 December 2019, 0705 UTC.

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ASTRONOMY

HabEx: New Mission Proposed to Search for Second Earth

HabEx, a space telescope with ultraviolet (UV), optical, and near-infrared (near-IR) imaging and spectroscopic capabilities, will have three primary science goals: (I) seek out nearby worlds and explore their habitability; (ii) map out nearby planetary systems and understand the diversity of the worlds they contain; (iii) enable new explorations of astrophysical systems from our own Solar System to galaxies and the Universe by extending our reach in the UV through near-IR. Image credit: Gaudi et al.The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) would use a telescope with a mirror larger than Hubble’s, and would employ origami techniques to utilize an external ‘starshade,’ which would block the light from target stars and enable the search for and characterization of Earth-like exoplanets around them. HabEx, a space telescope with ultraviolet (UV), optical, and near-infrared (near-IR) imaging…

SPACE EXPLORATION

Mars Express Captures New Views of Martian Moon Phobos

Martian moon Phobos. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona.On November 17, 2019, ESA’s Mars Express orbiter made a close flyby of Phobos, the larger and inner of the two natural satellites of Mars. The probe tracked Phobos as the tiny moon passed in front of the spacecraft’s High Resolution Stereo Camera, capturing Phobos’ motions and surface in detail. Phobos is an unusual satellite, orbiting closer to its planet than any other moon in the Solar…

ARCHAEOLOGY

Gold Jewelry and Artifacts Found in Two Bronze Age Tombs in Greece

A gold ring depicts bulls and barley, the first known representation of domesticated animals and agriculture in ancient Greece. Image credit: UC Classics.A team of archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati has found two Bronze Age tombs in Pylos, an ancient city on the southwest coast of Greece, while investigating the area around the recently-discovered tomb of the Griffin Warrior. The 3,500-year-old beehive-shaped tombs contained a wealth of cultural artifacts and jewelry and were littered with flakes of gold leaf. An aerial view of the site…

PALEONTOLOGY

Flowering Plants Reached Australia 126 Million Years Ago: Study

Rocks containing microscopic pollen were collected to determine the age of fossil leaves from Castle Cove, Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia. Image credit: Vera Korasidis.Australia’s oldest angiosperms (flowering plants) are approximately 126 million years old, and they resembled modern magnolias, buttercups and laurels, according to new research published in the Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. Rocks containing microscopic pollen were collected to determine the age of fossil leaves from Castle Cove, Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia. Image credit: Vera Korasidis. “Our…

BIOLOGY

Scientists Create Molecular Map of Striatum

Märtin et al define the molecular identity of striatal projections neurons, focusing on the characterization of the patch and matrix compartments; genetic labeling of mu opioid receptor (Oprm1)-expressing neurons reveals the identity of neuron subtypes, and also establishes spatial markers for the identification of subregions in striatum. Image credit: Märtin et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.096.Striatum, the inner part of the brain, is considered central to decision-making and the development of various addictions. In mouse models and with methods used for mapping cell types and brain tissue, a team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden was able to visualize the organization of different opioid-islands in striatum. Märtin et al define the molecular identity of striatal projections…

PHYSICS

Researchers Demonstrate Chip-to-Chip Quantum Teleportation

Llewellyn et al realize an array of microring resonators (MRRs) to generate multiple high-quality single photons, which are monolithically integrated with linear-optic circuits that process multiple qubits with high fidelity and low noise. Image credit: Llewellyn et al, doi: 10.1038/s41567-019-0727-x.A research team led by University of Bristol scientists has successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation of information between two programmable micrometer-scale silicon chips. The team’s work, published in the journal Nature Physics, lays the groundwork for large-scale integrated photonic quantum technologies for communications and computations. Llewellyn et al realize an array of microring…

MEDICINE

Blue Light is Less Disruptive to Sleep than Previously Thought

Changes in the spectral content of ambient light are detectable to most mammals as a blue shift in the color of twilight. Mouland et al show that these blue colors suppress circadian responses to light, supporting robust circadian entrainment when environmental conditions render light intensity a weak or unreliable indicator of time of day. Image credit: Johannes Plenio.Using dim, cooler lights in the evening and warmer lights in the day may be more beneficial to our health, according to a new study in mice from University of Manchester researchers. Changes in the spectral content of ambient light are detectable to most mammals as a blue shift in the color of twilight. Mouland et al show that these blue colors suppress circadian responses to light, supporting robust…

GENETICS

Researchers Use CRISPR to Create Compact Tomato Plants

A gene-edited tomato plant. Image credit: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.An international team of scientists has used the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology to restructure vine-like tomato plants into extremely compact, early yielding plants suitable for urban agriculture and even space missions. A gene-edited tomato plant. Image credit: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The new gene-edited tomato plants look nothing like the long vines you might find growing in a backyard…

GEOLOGY

Southwestern U.S. Was Once Similar to Today’s Tibetan Plateau: Study

This map shows locations of samples analyzed to estimate crustal thickness during the Laramide orogeny. Text in white boxes is the average crustal thickness and average age for locations (labeled in brown) with over 5 samples. CRM - Catalina-Rincon Mountains, BM - Baboquivari Mountains. Image credit: Chapman et al, doi: 10.1130/G47117.1.New research suggests that during the Late Cretaceous epoch to the Early Paleogene epoch (80-50 million years ago), much of the southwestern United States had elevations in excess of 3 km (10,000 feet) and looked more like the Tibetan plateau. This map shows locations of samples analyzed to estimate crustal thickness during the Laramide orogeny. Text in white boxes is the average crustal thickness…

OTHER SCIENCES

Scientists Create Molecular Map of Striatum

Märtin et al define the molecular identity of striatal projections neurons, focusing on the characterization of the patch and matrix compartments; genetic labeling of mu opioid receptor (Oprm1)-expressing neurons reveals the identity of neuron subtypes, and also establishes spatial markers for the identification of subregions in striatum. Image credit: Märtin et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.096.Striatum, the inner part of the brain, is considered central to decision-making and the development of various addictions. In mouse models and with methods used for mapping cell types and brain tissue, a team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden was able to visualize the organization of different opioid-islands in striatum. Märtin et al define the molecular identity of striatal projections…

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Russ Roberts

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