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A new study shows that an AI tool can draft responses to patients' EHR queries as accurately as their human healthcare professionals, and with greater perceived 'empathy.'

A new study of radar experiment data from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has yielded fresh insights related to the makeup and activity of the liquid hydrocarbon seas near the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn's 146 known moons.

Physicists are developing quantum microscopy which enables them for the first time to record the movement of electrons at the atomic level with both extremely high spatial and temporal resolution. Their method has the potential to enable scientists to develop materials in a much more targeted way than before.

A strange 'garden sprinkler-like' jet coming from a neutron star has been pictured for the first time. The S-shaped structure is created as the jet changes direction due to the wobbling of the disc of hot gas around the star -- a process called precession, which has been observed with black holes but, until now, never with neutron stars.

The liquid hydrocarbon seas, lakes and rivers on Titan have varying compositions and signs of active tides or currents

To even out the intermittent power supply from wind and solar, we need to build vast energy storage facilities. It turns out the best solution might be cheap, simple ideas like heating bricks and lifting weights

The official definition of a planet, which famously saw Pluto demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006, doesn't really work for worlds outside of our solar system. Now there is a fix – but Pluto is still left out

James Blilie came through with a photo contribution, but of course we need more.  The captions for James’s photos for today (taken yesterday in Oregon) are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them:

These photos are from this morning (15-Jul-2024), taken on an easy hike to Wahclella Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, near our home.

Our son Jamie is home from WSU Pullman for the summer and is mostly working; but we hike at least once a week on his days off.

This is a pretty easy hike to a spectacular 60-foot high waterfall.  It’s close to Portland, Oregon, so it gets lots of traffic.  If you don’t like crowds, go any time other than Memorial Day through Labor Day!  I was able to exclude the large numbers of tourists by careful framing and waiting.

The creek that goes over the falls is Tanner Creek and it is known by local birders as a good spot to see American Dippers (Cinclus mexicanus; a.k.a. water ouzels). Today fully justified that reputation.  We found Dippers all along the stream, including a juvenile bird that was (successfully) begging food from its parent.  All the photos of the Dippers are taken by our my son, Jamie, the family wildlife photographer.  Dippers get their name from their odd behavior of “dipping” up and down on their legs, perhaps signaling to other birds.

First some stage-setting:  Photos of the hike that I took.  At the lower end of the trail.  A basic view of falls.

Next, some basic portraits of the Dippers.

Then photos of Dippers foraging on rocks in the fast moving water of the stream.  The insects or insect larvae they were feeding on seemed to be abundant.  In one photo, the bird seems to have shining necklace of water and it shakes the water off its feathers.  These birds swim very readily and they are fast under water.

Then photos of the juvenile Dipper begging from its parent.  One photo showing it calling for food.  The other shows the parent at upper left and the juvenile at lower right:

Finally my photo of the bird photographer (Homo sapiens) at work with the falls behind him.

 

Equipment:

Jamie:  Nikon D5600 (crop factor = 1.5), Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens (225mm-900mm equivalent; quite a sharp lens), Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED lens, Nikkor AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens (an amazingly sharp lens that goes 1:1 macro and is a great portrait lens)

Me:  Olympus OM-D E-M5 (micro 4/3 camera, crop factor = 2.0), LUMIX G X Vario, 12-35mm, f/2.8 ASPH.  (24mm-70mm equivalent), LUMIX 35-100mm  f/2.8 G Vario  (70-200mm equivalent)

Astronomers have discovered multiple “pits” on the surface of the moon – these look superficially like craters, but on closer inspection are actually vertical pits. There has been considerable speculation that these pits might be cave openings. Now, an analysis of data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from 2010 reveals that at least one of these pits is in fact a cave opening.

The pit is located in the Mare Tranquillitatis, near the site of the Apollo 11 landing (the Sea of Tranquility) and is therefore called the Mare Tranquillitatis Pit (MTP). It is 100 meters across and 130-170 meters deep. The study used radar data at a downward angle which was able to image the sides of the bottom of the pit, showing that there is a possible conduit there for an underground cave system. This conduit is at least tens of meters long, but could be much larger.

While this is exciting, it’s not surprising. One hypothesis is that these lunar pits are “skylights” of underground cave systems, carved out by lava tubes when the Moon was more geologically active. If true, then it’s possible that they are extensive, and can also be quite large. Why is this so exciting?

There are two main reasons NASA and others are interested in lunar caves. One is geological – such cave systems might be billions of years old, and therefore can preserve lunar rocks by protecting them from the radiation and micro meteors that pummel the lunar surface. When we send astronauts back to the Moon (or even just highly capable robots) they could explore these caves and are likely to make some interesting discoveries about the Moon.

But the second application is the most intriguing. I have deliberately buried the lede here, partly because I suspect most readers know where this story is going. Such lunar caves could be ideal locations for future lunar bases. This is for the same reason they are good locations to do some geological investigations on the Moon – the caves are protected. This is something that science fiction shows give very short shrift to, and for this reason perhaps is greatly underappreciated by the public. Space is a very dangerous place, and not just because it’s largely a cold vacuum. Space is full of radiation, and stellar systems are full of fast-moving debris.

The Moon has no significant atmosphere or magnetic field to protect the surface, so it is bombarded with galactic cosmic rays. These are high energy particles that diffuse the galaxy, mostly from supernova and other high energy events. They are comprised of 87% protons, 12% helium nuclei, and 1% other heavier nuclei, and represent about 75% of the radiation hitting the lunar surface. From Smithsonian:

According to NASA, the standard radiation dose for a person on Earth is about 0.0036 Sv/ year (0.36 rad). The Apollo astronauts received an average radiation dose on the skin of 0.38 rad — equivalent to two head CT scans. Overall, Apollo 14 received the skin dose of 1.14 rad, which was the highest. All this during missions not longer than 12 days.

How long could an astronaut survive on a surface lunar base? We don’t really know. The longer they are there, the more radiation they are exposed to, the more DNA damage they get, and the higher their risk for cancer. But cosmic rays are not the only risk. There are also solar storms. The solar wind is another form of constant radiation – plasma from the solar surface, including electrons, protons, and alpha particles (2 protons and 2 neutrons). Since these are mostly charged particles, a magnetic field could protect from them, but again, the Moon does not have one. Also – there are solar storms and coronal mass ejections. If these hit the Moon they would be much more dangerous to astronauts, even potentially fatal.

There are also micro meteors, and larger meteors, that hit the lunar surface. On the Earth, such particles would burn up in the atmosphere, but on the Moon they just hit the surface. These could potentially cause massive damage to any lunar surface station.

All of these hazards can be avoided, however, if a lunar base were built under ground. You could also build a base with a 2-3 foot thick concrete wall, which would block a lot of radiation and micrometeors, but that would not be as good as just building the base underground. This is where lunar lava tubes, pits, and cave systems come it.

The MTP, for example, might be an excellent site for a lunar base. That far under ground there would essentially be no radiation, and you would be protected from all but the largest meteors. In the permanent shade of the caves there could also be volatiles in the lunar regolith, including water. Tubes could even theoretically be sealed off and pressurized, creating a large living area. There are challenges, however. One is simply getting down through the deep pit into the cave. An astronaut could climb down on a rope, or be lowered, but that is not very safe or convenient. Ideally a large elevated can be installed from the bottom of the pit to the surface. That kind of infrastructure will take time to install on the Moon, however.

The second challenge is that the walls of such caves, protected from weathering effects on the surface, could be very sharp. Space suits might not fair well in such an environment. Imagine walking through a cave of glass where one tear in your suit means death. This is a solvable issue, but is one more engineering problem that will need to be tackled. Robots, for example, could be equipped with machinery that will polish down the surfaces of the cave, making them smooth and safe. Of course, this will be after scientists get all the data they can. Or at least there will need to be some sections of the cave left pristine for scientific investigation, while other sections are smoothed down for habitation.

All this is still a bit speculative. We need to get probes down into these caves to see what the actually conditions are. But if they are truly billions of years old, which seems likely, then they are also likely highly stable. There are estimates, however, that some of these lunar caves may be huge, hundreds of meters across – large enough to build a small city in. The potential benefits of these locations are too huge to ignore. If we want long term or permanent occupation of the Moon, lunar caves are the likely option.

The post Evidence Suggests Lunar Cave first appeared on NeuroLogica Blog.

A pacemaker-like implant detected opioid overdoses in pigs within 1 minute and successfully administered a treatment

Calculating the distance to far-away objects, such as galaxy clusters and quasars, is difficult. But it is also critical to our understanding of how the universe evolves. Luckily, humanity has a trusty workhorse that has been collecting data for such calculations for decades—Hubble. It is by far the best telescope suited to the job, as described by a recent NASA press release about a distance measurement to a supernova in a nearby galaxy.

The NGC 3810 galaxy is a spectacular example of a spiral galaxy in the Virgo Supercluster, which had a Type Ia Supernova happen late in 2022. Hubble began observing it in 2023, and some of that data was used to create an absolutely stunning image of the galaxy, as seen in the header image.

Calculations showed that the galaxy is about 50 million light-years away and around 60,000 light-years across. But how did Hubble arrive at those numbers? It used the unique physics around Type Ia supernovae.

Fraser explains the difference between a nova and a supernova.

Type Ia supernovae happen when a white dwarf explodes, but importantly, the absolute magnitude of each explosion happens with little variation. Each Type Ia supernova is expected to produce about 5 billion times brighter light than the Sun. And since there is hardly any variation in that brightness level, astronomers can use the brightness we observe on Earth to calculate the distance the light traveled to reach us.

That seems simple enough, but there is one confounding factor—intergalactic dust. While on their own, these sparse particles of matter in the intergalactic voice might not seem like much, when taken as a whole, they can significantly dim the light from a far-away supernova.

However, that is only the case in certain wavelengths. For example, in ultraviolet light, the light from a Type Ia supernova is almost completely absorbed by the dust. In contrast, in infrared light, the light almost completely passes through. Hubble is still our only functional space telescope capable of seeing in both wavelengths using a single instrument. Not even the James Webb Space Telescope can do that.

Supernovae can happen extremely quickly, as Fraser explains in this video.

Using the difference in data from the ultraviolet and infrared bands on Hubble, astronomers can calculate the brightness of any given Type Ia the telescope can look at, thereby providing a rough estimate of the distance to that supernova and its host galaxy. It’s always good to counter-check a distance measurement, though, and in the case of NGC 3810, astronomers used a technique that calculates the distance by comparing the rotation speed to its brightness. That result confirmed the estimate that the galaxy is about 50 million light-years from Earth.

Unfortunately, in the future, these measurements will not be as easy for Hubble to complete. This data set was collected during 2023, but as we reported more recently, trouble with the telescope’s gyroscopes is forcing it to slow down some of its observations. Given the fleeting nature of Type Ia supernovae, that slower speed could impact its ability to provide this critical data to astronomers. 

Until then, we will have to rely on simultaneous measurements from telescopes like JWST, though there currently isn’t any space-based telescope other than Hubble that can take ultraviolet images. NASA’s planned Ultraviolet Explorer mission will do so, but it isn’t scheduled to launch until 2030. So, soon, Hubble will remain our workhorse for this particular astronomical measurement, no matter how much it might be slowing down.

Learn More:
NASA – Hubble Measures the Distance to a Supernova
UT – Uh oh. Hubble’s Having Gyro Problems Again
UT – Hubble’s Back, but Only Using One Gyro
UT – This Galaxy Hosted One of the Most Powerful Supernovae Ever Seen

Lead Image:
Image of galaxy NGC 3810, including the supernova that led to the estimation of its distance 50 million light years from Earth.
Credit – ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Sand, R. J. Foley

The post Only Hubble Could Make this Measurement of a Supernova appeared first on Universe Today.

Perhaps the EKG of my bulldog. TCPM wouldn't have a clue what was going on.

The post Pulse Diagnostics first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.

Pseudoarchaeologists often will cite the Younger Dryas climatic event as proof of their ancient advanced civilization.

Ten people in the US have been infected with a strain of bird flu called H5N1, but patchy surveillance means that some cases may be slipping through the cracks

Rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries are an emerging technology that could someday power cell phones and laptops for days with a single charge. Offering significantly enhanced energy density, they are a safer alternative to the flammable lithium-ion batteries currently used in consumer electronics -- but they are not environmentally friendly. Current recycling methods focus on the limited recovery of metals contained within the cathodes, while everything else goes to waste.

Biodegradable electronics allow for medical devices -- such as drug delivery systems, pacemakers or neural implants -- to safely degrade into materials that are absorbed by the body after they are no longer needed. But if the water-soluble devices degrade too quickly, they cannot accomplish their purpose. Now, researchers have developed the ability to control the dissolve rate of these biodegradable electronics by experimenting with dissolvable elements, like inorganic fillers and polymers, that encapsulate the device.

If history has taught us one thing, it is that science fiction often gives way to science fact. Consider the Star Trek communicator and the rise of flip phones in the late 1990s and early 2000s, or how 2001: A Space Odyssey predicted orbiting space stations and reusable space planes – like the International Space Station (ISS) and the Space Shuttle. And who can forget Jules Verne’s classic, From the Earth to the Moon, and how it anticipated that humans would one day walk on the Moon? Almost a century later, this dream would be realized with the Apollo Program.

The latest comes from Cornell University, where a team of researchers has developed a novel in-suit urine collection and filtration system inspired by the suits the Fremen wore in Frank Herbert’s Dune. Once integrated into NASA’s standard spacesuit—the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU)—this system has the potential to provide astronauts with additional water while reducing the risk of hygiene-related medical events. In short, the stillsuit technology has the potential to enable longer-duration missions on the surface of the Moon, Mars, and orbit.

The research team was led by student researchers Sofia Etlin, Luca Bielski, and Julianna Rose, specialists in space medicine, ornithology, and plant science at Cornell University. They were joined by multiple colleagues from the Department of Biology and the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell University. Their paper that described their system appeared on July 11th in Frontiers in Space Technologies. As they indicate in their study, astronauts have been conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) aboard the ISS using the same spacesuits as their Apollo predecessors.

The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). Credit: NASA

These suits include a disposable diaper, the Maximum Absorbency Garment (MAG), which collects urine and feces during EVAs lasting up to 8 hours. According to a report by the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO), astronauts are expected to have seven urination and two defecation events daily, but the frequency varies during spacewalks. Based on the 37 EVAs conducted aboard the ISS between 2021 and 2023, NASA recorded an average spacewalk duration of 6 hours and 26 minutes, while the longest lasted 8 hours and 56 minutes.

Exposure to waste for extended periods leads to hygiene problems that could develop into urinary tract infections (UTIs) and gastrointestinal distress. In addition, the current EMU comes with a 0.95 liter (0.25 gallon) In-suit Drink Bag (IDB). According to NASA guidelines, this volume is roughly 25% to 35% of what an astronaut needs to consume daily – 3.7 liters (1 gallon) for men and 2.7 liters (0.71 gallons) for women. Given that missions on the lunar surface and Mars are expected to entail long-duration EVAs, neither of these systems is sufficient for NASA’s Moon to Mars mission architecture. As Etlin told Universe Today via email:

The next-generation spacesuits, known as the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), were designed to reflect the recently updated Extravehicular Activity (EVA) hydration guideline of approximately 240 mL (~8 oz) per hour – effectively increasing the suit’s water supply to 2 liters (0.5 gallons). But as Etlin told Universe Today via email, these designs still fall short in the hygiene department. “In the new generation of spacesuits, which are currently being produced by the company Axiom Space, the system that deals with urine is being left as it was in the original suits from the 70s,” she said.

To address this, the team developed a novel in-suit urine collection and filtration system that addresses both concerns. Not only will it ensure that astronauts have a reserve supply of water that is replenished as they conduct long-duration EVAs. It also addresses the issue of health and hygiene by preventing the astronauts from remaining in contact with their urine. As Etlin explained, the inspiration came from the Fremen stillsuits featured in Frank Herbert’s Dune, which she read as an undergrad in 2022:

“In the novel and film adaptations, the stillsuit is a full-body suit worn by the Fremen, the people of the desert planet Arrakis. It collects all water produced by their body—primarily sweat and urine—and filters it into drinking water, helping them survive on their water-scarce planet. As I dove more into space, I came across Dr. Chris Mason through his book, The Next 500 Years, and decided to cold-email him, presenting my stillsuit idea. We had the chance to meet a couple of months later, and his first thought was: ‘Why not build this into a spacesuit for astronauts?'”

Artist’s illustration of the new spacesuit NASA and Axiom are designing for Artemis astronauts. It’s called the xEMU, or Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit. Credit: NASA

However, instead of building a full-body suit to accommodate this new system, the team designed a module focused specifically on urine collection and filtration that can fit into existing spacesuits. In time, a multidisciplinary team that included Mason, Bielski, and Rose was assembled, and from this, their stillsuit technology was born! As Elfin explained, the new system consists of two elements: the Urine Collection Device (UCD) and the Urine Filtration System (UFS).

“The first part of our design would replace the diaper, or MAG, that the astronauts currently wear with a garment that sucks urine away from the body when the astronaut starts to urinate. The key function of this is to avoid excessive exposure to urine, which causes some of the hygiene issues we outline in the paper. Next, the urine goes through a two-stage filtration system that uses forward osmosis coupled with reverse osmosis to produce pure water while minimizing energy use, which is another big concern in spacesuits. This clean water is then brough to the in-suit drink bag to be consumed.”

The urine collection garment (see above) maintains a diaper-like portion for feces, which Elfin and her colleagues hope to address in the future. The whole apparatus is intended to be placed in a pouch weighing about 8 kg (17.6 lbs) and measuring 38 x 23 x 23 cm (15 x 9 x 9 inches). This pouch could be mounted on the back of the AxEMU along with the suit’s portable life support system (aka the backpack), which provides air, heating and cooling, food, and water. The team emphasizes that the slight increase in weight and bulk will be offset by the increased comfort and resource efficiency provided by the system.

This system and its successors could become a regular feature in spacesuits worn by Artemis astronauts as they explore the lunar surface. The ability to remain healthy, hydrated, and comfortable for longer periods will ensure that NASA and its international and commercial partners can build the necessary infrastructure to allow for a “sustained program of lunar exploration and development.” Said Elfin:

“Spacewalks are going to become longer, more frequent, and more physically demanding when we go back to the Moon and in the decades following as we attempt to establish a more permanent presence there. After looking at the current spacesuit designs, we think they may be insufficient to keep the astronauts healthy and performing at a high level through these increasing challenges. The increased water available to astronauts would make them more productive and decrease the risks of any health complications during the spacewalk itself, while the urine collection component of our system would better preserve their health and morale in the long term.”

Further Reading: Frontiers in Space Technology

The post Dune-Inspired Stillsuits Could Allow Astronauts to Recycle Their Urine Into Water appeared first on Universe Today.

A device that generates a small electrical current from falling raindrops is able to power lights and fans

Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have finally confirmed what models have previously predicted: An exoplanet has differences between its eternal morning and eternal evening atmosphere. WASP-39 b, a giant planet with a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter, but similar mass to Saturn that orbits a star about 700 light-years away from Earth, is tidally locked to its parent star. This means it has a constant dayside and a constant nightside -- one side of the planet is always exposed to its star, while the other is always shrouded in darkness.

Researchers are training neural networks to make decisions more like humans would. This science of human decision-making is only just being applied to machine learning, but developing a neural network even closer to the actual human brain may make it more reliable, according to the researchers.