livescience--2020-10-28--13 disturbing Halloween horrors come to life

Halloween is a ghoulish time of year , when people tell ghost stories about werewolves , black cats , zombies and vampires .
Some of these creepy tales have leaped from the realm of the mythical into real life : humans who felt as though they were transforming into wolves , a man who not only drank his blood but also the blood of complete strangers , and a woman who got an exorcism after she saw disturbing faces circling her .
Here 's the science behind 10 particularly disturbing Halloween horrors that have come to life .
It sounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man with bloody tears pouring down his face .
But for one man in Italy , such tears were the real thing ; the result of a rare condition that causes people to cry blood .
The 52-year-old man went to an emergency room after bloody tears fell from both his eyes , something that had never happened to him before , according to a report of the case , published in The New England Journal of Medicine .
Although the tears looked dramatic , they were not painful , and the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He also had normal vision and was able to move both of his eyes without problems , Live Science previously reported .
Deep in the rainforests of Guyana live the most enormous spiders you 've ever seen — bigger than what you 're imagining .
Known as the South American Goliath birdeater ( Theraphosa blondi ) , the colossal arachnid is the world 's largest spider , according to Guinness World Records .
Its leg span can reach up to a foot ( 30 centimeters ) , or about the size of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a body the size of `` a large fist , '' Piotr Naskrecki , an entomologist and photographer at Harvard University 's Museum of Comparative Zoology , previously told Live Science .
And the spider can weigh more than 6 oz .
( 170 grams ) — about as much as a young puppy , the scientist wrote on his blog .
Despite its name , the birdeater does n't usually eat birds , although it is certainly capable of killing small mammals .
`` They will essentially attack anything that they encounter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ See photos of the goliath birdeater spider A woman in Russia noticed a migrating lump in her face that she could n't explain .
She eventually visited an eye doctor , who also witnessed a `` superficial moving oblong nodule at the left upper eyelid '' — in other words , a lump — according to a report of the case published in The New England Journal of Medicine .
The woman was infected with a type of parasitic worm called Dirofilaria repens .
These thread-like worms naturally infect dogs , cats , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typically live in the tissue under the skin , Live Science previously reported .
Humans are `` accidental '' hosts — in other words , not where the worms want to end up — and once a worm gets into a human , it typically ca n't reproduce .
Related : 8 Awful Parasite Infections That Will Make Your Skin Crawl In a similar , but even more-rare case , a woman visiting the central California coast contracted a horrifying infection with a rare parasitic eye worm when she went on a trail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The woman is only the second person known to have contracted this particular worm , which typically infects cows , according to a report of the case , published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases .
The woman said she felt irritation in her right eye and so flushed the eye with tap water .
That 's when a 0.5-inch ( 1.3 centimeters ) , wriggly roundworm came out .
After this discovery , she looked more closely at her eye and saw a second roundworm , which she also removed , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transforming into werewolves , is a common staple of horror movies ( and music videos , thanks to Michael Jackson 's `` Thriller '' ) .
Most people know this transformation is fantastical , but that 's not the case for people with clinical lycanthropy , a delusional condition that leads the patient to believe that it is happening for real .
Since 1850 , there have been 13 reported cases of lycanthropy in human patients , according to a 2014 research article in the journal History of Psychiatry .
The condition usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychotic depression or bipolar disorder , according to the study .
The first case , from 1852 , documents how a man in France was convinced he had become a wolf .
To prove his case , the man `` parted his lips with his fingers to show his alleged wolf 's teeth , and complained that he had cloven feet and a body covered with long hair .
He said that he only wanted to eat raw meat , but when it was given to him , he refused it because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Science previously reported .
Imagine seeing a monster but being unable to move a muscle after waking up from a deep sleep .
This scary scene can be a reality for people with sleep paralysis who also hallucinate .
Sleep paralysis happens when a person wakes up during a stage of sleep called rapid eye movement ( REM ) , when they are typically dreaming , but paralyzed , Live Science previously reported .
This inability to move might be an adaption to keep people from acting out their dreams .
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with sleep paralysis also hallucinate .
But one idea is that the brain is trying to make sense of the paralysis and projects an image of the person 's own body onto a hallucination , according to a 2014 article in the journal Medical Hypotheses , Live Science previously reported .
After experiencing several traumatic events , a man in Turkey began drinking blood , just like a mythical vampire .
The man started by cutting himself and drinking his own blood .
But soon , his compulsion drove him to attack other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drink their blood , too .
Doctors diagnosed the man with dissociative identity disorder ( commonly known as multiple personality disorder ) , post-traumatic stress disorder , chronic depression and alcohol abuse , Live Science previously reported .
Some Halloween monsters have teeth growing in unexpected places .
This horrifying condition became a reality for a 4-month-old infant in Maryland , whose brain had several teeth growing in it .
The child had a tumor known as craniopharyngioma , which can grow to the size of a golf ball .
Doctors removed it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously reported .
Other tumors , known as teratomas , are known to grow teeth .
But this was the first reported case of a craniopharyngioma tumor sprouting teeth , the doctors said .
A `` zombie '' outbreak struck a New York neighborhood after people there started taking a type of synthetic marijuana known as AK-47 24 Karat Gold .
People who took the drug developed zombie-like symptoms , including a slow response time to questions and staring blankly into space , Roy Gerona , a clinical chemist at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the drug , previously told Live Science .
Synthetic marijuana can be dangerous , sometimes causing seizures and kidney damage , Gerona said .
But , in this case , the drug appeared to cause depressant symptoms that had a `` zombie-like '' effect , he said .
A young woman in Italy sweats blood , and her case has baffled doctors .
The woman told doctors that for the past three years , she had periodically bled from her face and palms , even though she did n't have any cuts there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 minutes , she said .
Historical documents dating to hundreds of years ago show that this condition is n't new in people , but its origins are unclear .
It 's possible that increased pressure in blood vessels causes blood cells to leak into the ducts of sweat glands , but it 's hard to say for sure , Live Science previously reported .
After a 67-year-old woman told her family that she was seeing odd-looking faces hovering around her , her concerned relatives asked a priest whether he would perform an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being haunted by wispy demons .
Rather , she had Charles Bonnet syndrome , a condition in which a person with declining vision sees complex hallucinations , Live Science previously reported .
The woman had macular degeneration , meaning that the central part of the retinal tissue in her eyes was deteriorating .
Sometimes , when the brain experiences a decline from a sensory input , such as vision , it invents its own input , which can lead to visual hallucinations , Dr. Bharat Kumar , an internal medicine resident at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , previously told Live Science .
In a nightmare case , a man in Brazil was bitten by a vampire bat and died of rabies .
Vampire bats do n't usually prey on humans , but one species of the bat ( Diphylla ecaudata ) does , according to new research .
Rabies can be stopped if it 's caught and treated early enough .
But tragically , this man did n't get treatment in time , Live Science previously reported .
Related : How rabies inspired folktales of werewolves and vampires Male @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fungus become zombies with an undercover mission : They broadcast a female 's sexy come-hither message to other male cicadas , luring their unsuspecting victims to join the zombie cicada horde .
As the parasitic fungus called Massospora eats away at a cicada 's abdomen , replacing it with a mass of yellow spores , the fungus also compels males to flick their wings in movements that are typically performed by females to attract mates , Live Science previously reported .
Healthy males hurry over for what they think is some female company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected male , which passes along the Massospora infection .
This and other new discoveries are helping scientists to piece together how Massospora turns cicadas into mind-controlled zombies , according to a study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens .
Black cats are a mainstay of Halloween .
But research shows that a parasite carried by all types of cats ( not just black ) is linked to increased suicide attempts in women .
Women infected with the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii were 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than women who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a 2012 study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry .
The parasite causes a common condition known as toxoplasmosis .
It 's unclear why T. gondii would lead to more suicide attempts , but the researchers did control for mental health problems , meaning that the finding was independently linked to the parasite , not just to mental disorders , Live Science previously reported .
Originally published on LiveScience .
This article was originally published on Oct. 26 , 2017 and was last updated on Oct. 28 , 2020 .

Real-life Halloween horrors
Halloween is a ghoulish time of year, when people tell ghost stories about werewolves, black cats, zombies and vampires.
Some of these creepy tales have leaped from the realm of the mythical into real life: humans who felt as though they were transforming into wolves, a man who not only drank his blood but also the blood of complete strangers, and a woman who got an exorcism after she saw disturbing faces circling her.
Here's the science behind 10 particularly disturbing Halloween horrors that have come to life.
1. Tears of blood
People who have tears of blood probably don't look this frightening, but this Halloween, so we're letting our imagination run wild. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
It sounds like a scary Halloween costume: A man with bloody tears pouring down his face. But for one man in Italy, such tears were the real thing; the result of a rare condition that causes people to cry blood.
The 52-year-old man went to an emergency room after bloody tears fell from both his eyes, something that had never happened to him before, according to a report of the case, published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Although the tears looked dramatic, they were not painful, and the man had not experienced any facial trauma.
He also had normal vision and was able to move both of his eyes without problems, Live Science previously reported.
2. Gargantuan spiders
Deep in the rainforests of Guyana live the most enormous spiders you've ever seen — bigger than what you're imagining.
Known as the South American Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi), the colossal arachnid is the world's largest spider, according to Guinness World Records. Its leg span can reach up to a foot (30 centimeters), or about the size of "a child's forearm," with a body the size of "a large fist," Piotr Naskrecki, an entomologist and photographer at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, previously told Live Science. And the spider can weigh more than 6 oz. (170 grams) — about as much as a young puppy, the scientist wrote on his blog.
Despite its name, the birdeater doesn't usually eat birds, although it is certainly capable of killing small mammals. "They will essentially attack anything that they encounter," Naskrecki said.
Related: See photos of the goliath birdeater spider
3. Wriggling worms beneath the skin
Those aren't weird bug bites on the surface...that's a worm crawling beneath her skin. (Image credit: The New England Journal of Medicine ©2018)
A woman in Russia noticed a migrating lump in her face that she couldn't explain. She eventually visited an eye doctor, who also witnessed a "superficial moving oblong nodule at the left upper eyelid" — in other words, a lump — according to a report of the case published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The woman was infected with a type of parasitic worm called Dirofilaria repens. These thread-like worms naturally infect dogs, cats, foxes and other wild mammals, and typically live in the tissue under the skin, Live Science previously reported. Humans are "accidental" hosts — in other words, not where the worms want to end up — and once a worm gets into a human, it typically can't reproduce.
Related: 8 Awful Parasite Infections That Will Make Your Skin Crawl
In a similar, but even more-rare case, a woman visiting the central California coast contracted a horrifying infection with a rare parasitic eye worm when she went on a trail run, Live Science previously reported.
The woman is only the second person known to have contracted this particular worm, which typically infects cows, according to a report of the case, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The woman said she felt irritation in her right eye and so flushed the eye with tap water. That's when a 0.5-inch (1.3 centimeters), wriggly roundworm came out. After this discovery, she looked more closely at her eye and saw a second roundworm, which she also removed, the report said.
4. Werewolf transformation
Werewolves aren't real, but some people won't believe you. (Image credit: Mickey Maker/The Denver Post/Getty)
Lycanthropy, or people transforming into werewolves, is a common staple of horror movies (and music videos, thanks to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"). Most people know this transformation is fantastical, but that's not the case for people with clinical lycanthropy, a delusional condition that leads the patient to believe that it is happening for real.
Since 1850, there have been 13 reported cases of lycanthropy in human patients, according to a 2014 research article in the journal History of Psychiatry. The condition usually occurs in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, psychotic depression or bipolar disorder, according to the study.
The first case, from 1852, documents how a man in France was convinced he had become a wolf. To prove his case, the man "parted his lips with his fingers to show his alleged wolf's teeth, and complained that he had cloven feet and a body covered with long hair. He said that he only wanted to eat raw meat, but when it was given to him, he refused it because it was not rotten enough," Live Science previously reported.
5. Sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a real (albeit unpleasant), and relatively common disorder. Henry Fuseli's "The Nightmare" may have been inspired by the chest-crushing sensation and hallucinations of sleep paralysis. (Image credit: Universal History Archive/Getty)
Imagine seeing a monster but being unable to move a muscle after waking up from a deep sleep. This scary scene can be a reality for people with sleep paralysis who also hallucinate.
Sleep paralysis happens when a person wakes up during a stage of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM), when they are typically dreaming, but paralyzed, Live Science previously reported. This inability to move might be an adaption to keep people from acting out their dreams.
It's less clear why a subset of people with sleep paralysis also hallucinate. But one idea is that the brain is trying to make sense of the paralysis and projects an image of the person's own body onto a hallucination, according to a 2014 article in the journal Medical Hypotheses, Live Science previously reported.
6. Real-life vampire
Vampires feed on human blood in movies, but not in real life...right? (Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty)
After experiencing several traumatic events, a man in Turkey began drinking blood, just like a mythical vampire.
The man started by cutting himself and drinking his own blood. But soon, his compulsion drove him to attack other people with sharp objects so he could drink their blood, too.
Doctors diagnosed the man with dissociative identity disorder (commonly known as multiple personality disorder), post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic depression and alcohol abuse, Live Science previously reported.
7. Toothy tumor
A brain tumor in an infant was found to contain teeth. One the left, a brain scan of the boy's tumor. On the right, an image of the teeth that were removed during brain surgery. (Image credit: New England Journal of Medicine/Massachusetts Medical Society)
Some Halloween monsters have teeth growing in unexpected places. This horrifying condition became a reality for a 4-month-old infant in Maryland, whose brain had several teeth growing in it.
The child had a tumor known as craniopharyngioma, which can grow to the size of a golf ball. Doctors removed it during a successful surgery, Live Science previously reported.
Other tumors, known as teratomas, are known to grow teeth. But this was the first reported case of a craniopharyngioma tumor sprouting teeth, the doctors said.
8. Zombie stoner outbreak
Apparently bad synthetic weed could turn you into a real-life zombie. (Image credit: Nebojsa Markovic/Shutterstock.com)
A "zombie" outbreak struck a New York neighborhood after people there started taking a type of synthetic marijuana known as AK-47 24 Karat Gold.
People who took the drug developed zombie-like symptoms, including a slow response time to questions and staring blankly into space, Roy Gerona, a clinical chemist at the University of California, San Francisco, who studied the drug, previously told Live Science.
Synthetic marijuana can be dangerous, sometimes causing seizures and kidney damage, Gerona said. But, in this case, the drug appeared to cause depressant symptoms that had a "zombie-like" effect, he said.
9. Sweating blood
An Italian woman has a rare condition that causes her to sweat blood. On the left, an image of the woman's face during a bleeding episode. On the right, an image of the woman's skin under a microscope, which showed normal tissue. (Image credit: CMAJ)
A young woman in Italy sweats blood, and her case has baffled doctors.
The woman told doctors that for the past three years, she had periodically bled from her face and palms, even though she didn't have any cuts there. These episodes lasted between 1 and 5 minutes, she said.
Historical documents dating to hundreds of years ago show that this condition isn't new in people, but its origins are unclear. It's possible that increased pressure in blood vessels causes blood cells to leak into the ducts of sweat glands, but it's hard to say for sure, Live Science previously reported.
10. Terrifying hallucinations
Hallucinations of creepy faces floating above you is definitely something you expect to see in horror movies, but not in real life. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
After a 67-year-old woman told her family that she was seeing odd-looking faces hovering around her, her concerned relatives asked a priest whether he would perform an exorcism.
But the woman wasn't being haunted by wispy demons. Rather, she had Charles Bonnet syndrome, a condition in which a person with declining vision sees complex hallucinations, Live Science previously reported.
The woman had macular degeneration, meaning that the central part of the retinal tissue in her eyes was deteriorating. Sometimes, when the brain experiences a decline from a sensory input, such as vision, it invents its own input, which can lead to visual hallucinations, Dr. Bharat Kumar, an internal medicine resident at the University of Kentucky who treated the woman, previously told Live Science.
11. Vampire bats
Vampire bats are actually pretty cute, except for in the very rare occasions when they bite humans and cause disease. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
In a nightmare case, a man in Brazil was bitten by a vampire bat and died of rabies.
Vampire bats don't usually prey on humans, but one species of the bat (Diphylla ecaudata) does, according to new research.
Rabies can be stopped if it's caught and treated early enough. But tragically, this man didn't get treatment in time, Live Science previously reported.
Related: How rabies inspired folktales of werewolves and vampires
12. Zombie fungus
This unsuspecting cicada may be the zombie fungus' next victim. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Male cicadas infected by a particularly gruesome parasitic fungus become zombies with an undercover mission: They broadcast a female's sexy come-hither message to other male cicadas, luring their unsuspecting victims to join the zombie cicada horde.
As the parasitic fungus called Massospora eats away at a cicada's abdomen, replacing it with a mass of yellow spores, the fungus also compels males to flick their wings in movements that are typically performed by females to attract mates, Live Science previously reported.
Healthy males hurry over for what they think is some female company, then try to mate with the infected male, which passes along the Massospora infection. This and other new discoveries are helping scientists to piece together how Massospora turns cicadas into mind-controlled zombies, according to a study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
Related: Mind control: See photos of zombie ants
13. Cat ladies (horrifying!)
Look at the cute kitty, carrying it's terrifying human mind-control parasite. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Black cats are a mainstay of Halloween. But research shows that a parasite carried by all types of cats (not just black) is linked to increased suicide attempts in women.
Women infected with the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii were 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than women who do not have the parasite, according to a 2012 study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. The parasite causes a common condition known as toxoplasmosis.
It's unclear why T. gondii would lead to more suicide attempts, but the researchers did control for mental health problems, meaning that the finding was independently linked to the parasite, not just to mental disorders, Live Science previously reported.
Originally published on LiveScience. This article was originally published on Oct. 26, 2017 and was last updated on Oct. 28, 2020.


livescience--2020-10-28--How Hurricane Zeta rapidly strengthened before slamming New Orleans

Zeta was n't supposed to be this bad .
On Saturday ( Oct. 24 ) , National Hurricane Center ( NHC ) forecasters looking at the weather system — called Tropical Depression Twenty Eight — that it would likely become a tropical storm , but that cool waters in the Gulf of Mexico made further strengthening unlikely .
Now , it 's Wednesday ( Oct. 28 ) , and Zeta is hitting Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane — the record-breaking fifth tropical cyclone to make landfall in Louisiana and the ninth to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right — Zeta weakened significantly by Tuesday ( Oct. 27 ) , torn apart after a hurricane-strength landfall on Mexico 's Yucatan Peninsula .
Zetat lost its shape and meteorologists saw its sustained wind speed drop to 65 mph ( 105 km/h ) .
But by yesterday , it was clear that the storm would likely regain strength .
At 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday , the NHC wrote that the clouds above Zeta were becoming more organized as the storm moved toward warmer water in the northern Gulf , a signature of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improving cloud pattern of Zeta is usually one that favors intensification in the short term , '' the NHC , `` and sometimes that strengthening is on the rapid side . ''
Sure enough , the storm strengthened rapidly over the course of Wednesday morning and afternoon , regaining hurricane status and then strengthening to a Category 2 storm before landfall , with 110 mph ( 180 km/h ) sustained winds .
A powerful block of air moving across Texas is at the same time shoving the storm eastward as it moves north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it right through eastern Louisiana toward Mississippi and Alabama , with the eye likely passing close to New Orleans .
The most dangerous storm surge is expected to the east of New Orleans , with 6 to 9 feet ( 1.8 to 2.7 meters ) of surge likely between the Pearl River on the Louisiana-Mississippi border and Dauphin Island , Alabama .
The storm surge around New Orleans itself is forecast only 1 to 2 feet lower , and is still very dangerous .
At least 1 to 3 feet ( 30 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across a region stretching from the central Louisiana coast to Yankeetown , Florida .
Zeta is expected to move fast across the U.S. , bringing damaging wind , dumping rain and triggering floods across Mississippi , Alabama , northern Georgia , the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia through Thursday ( Oct. 29 ) .
Powerful wind is likely across the southern Appalachians , the NHC wrote .
It 's not yet November and Zeta is already the 27th Atlantic tropical cyclone of 2020 , nearing the record of 28 set in 2005 — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exhausted its prepared list of storm names and moved on to Greek letters .
The final storm of 2005 , also named Zeta , did n't form until late December .
This is the first year when any Greek letter storms have made landfall in the U.S. Zeta is the third , after Tropical Storm Beta ( which made landfall in Texas ) and Hurricane Delta ( which made landfall in western Louisiana ) .
Zeta will also be the first 110 mph-plus hurricane to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1985 , as Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach noted on .
Up until this point , the New Orleans region has actually had an easier time this year than western Louisiana , which weathered a barrage of storms in a six-week period ( the most intense of which was Hurricane Laura . )
Many people were still homeless after Hurricane Laura when Delta hit .

Hurricane Zeta wasn't supposed to be this bad.
On Saturday (Oct. 24), National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters looking at the weather system — called Tropical Depression Twenty Eight — wrote that it would likely become a tropical storm, but that cool waters in the Gulf of Mexico made further strengthening unlikely. Now, it's Wednesday (Oct. 28), and Zeta is hitting Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane — the record-breaking fifth tropical cyclone to make landfall in Louisiana and the ninth to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico this year.
So what happened?
The early predictions were right — Zeta weakened significantly by Tuesday (Oct. 27), torn apart after a hurricane-strength landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Zetat lost its shape and meteorologists saw its sustained wind speed drop to 65 mph (105 km/h).
But by yesterday, it was clear that the storm would likely regain strength. At 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, the NHC wrote that the clouds above Zeta were becoming more organized as the storm moved toward warmer water in the northern Gulf, a signature of a storm about to strengthen.
"The improving cloud pattern of Zeta is usually one that favors intensification in the short term," the NHC wrote , "and sometimes that strengthening is on the rapid side."
Sure enough, the storm strengthened rapidly over the course of Wednesday morning and afternoon, regaining hurricane status and then strengthening to a Category 2 storm before landfall, with 110 mph (180 km/h) sustained winds. A powerful block of air moving across Texas is at the same time shoving the storm eastward as it moves north. The storm's current track takes it right through eastern Louisiana toward Mississippi and Alabama, with the eye likely passing close to New Orleans.
Related: A history of destruction: 8 great hurricanes
The most dangerous storm surge is expected to the east of New Orleans, with 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) of surge likely between the Pearl River on the Louisiana-Mississippi border and Dauphin Island, Alabama. The storm surge around New Orleans itself is forecast only 1 to 2 feet lower, and is still very dangerous. At least 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters) of surge is likely across a region stretching from the central Louisiana coast to Yankeetown, Florida.
Zeta is expected to move fast across the U.S., bringing damaging wind, dumping rain and triggering floods across Mississippi, Alabama, northern Georgia, the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia through Thursday (Oct. 29). Powerful wind is likely across the southern Appalachians, the NHC wrote.
It's not yet November and Zeta is already the 27th Atlantic tropical cyclone of 2020, nearing the record of 28 set in 2005 — the only other year during which the NHC exhausted its prepared list of storm names and moved on to Greek letters. The final storm of 2005, also named Zeta, didn't form until late December. This is the first year when any Greek letter storms have made landfall in the U.S. Zeta is the third, after Tropical Storm Beta (which made landfall in Texas) and Hurricane Delta (which made landfall in western Louisiana).
Zeta will also be the first 110 mph-plus hurricane to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico this late in the year since Hurricane Kate in 1985, as Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach noted on Twitter .
#Zeta continues to strengthen and now has max winds of 110 mph. Only 1 #hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico has had 110+ mph winds later in the calendar year on record: Kate (1985). pic.twitter.com/hAywbmHRAwOctober 28, 2020 See more
Up until this point, the New Orleans region has actually had an easier time this year than western Louisiana, which weathered a barrage of storms in a six-week period (the most intense of which was Hurricane Laura.) Many people were still homeless after Hurricane Laura when Delta hit.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-28--Trump lifts protections for Tongass National Forest, allowing logging, road development

President Donald Trump will strip Alaska 's Tongass National Forest from protections put in place nearly two decades ago , opening up millions of acres of pristine wilderness to road development and logging , according to a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted on Wednesday ( Oct. 28 ) .
The Tongass , which covers most of southeast Alaska , is one of the world ’ s largest remaining temperate rainforests and serves as a major carbon sink , absorbing at least 9 % of all the stored in all of the continental U.S. forests combined , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tropical rainforests are the lungs of the planet , the Tongass is the lungs of North America , ” Dominick DellaSala , chief scientist with the Earth Island Institute ’ s Wild Heritage project told The Post .
“ It ’ s America ’ s last climate sanctuary.
” It 's also home to many ancient trees and magnificent wildlife , from brown bears to wild salmon .
Related : Power of the future : 10 ways to run the 21st century Much of the Tongass was protected from logging and road construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was put in place by former President Bill Clinton .
But starting tomorrow ( Oct. 29 ) , the Tongass National Forest will be exempt from this rule , meaning that logging companies can legally build roads and cut timber throughout the forest .
This exemption is one of the biggest public land rollbacks Trump has enacted , according to The Post .
Throughout Trump 's presidency , the administration has expanded logging in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest , according to The Post .
But several of the administration 's plans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sale of 1.8 million acres ( 728,000 hectares ) of timber on the Tongass 's Prince of Wales Island , were thrown out in federal court .
Still , the Trump Administration has reversed , revoked or rolled back more than 70 environmental rules , including climate policies and rules around clean air , water , wildlife and toxic chemicals , according to The New York Times .
The administration is currently in the process of revoking a couple dozen more .
You can read the full Washington Post article .

President Donald Trump will strip Alaska's Tongass National Forest from protections put in place nearly two decades ago, opening up millions of acres of pristine wilderness to road development and logging, according to a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted on Wednesday (Oct. 28).
The Tongass, which covers most of southeast Alaska, is one of the world’s largest remaining temperate rainforests and serves as a major carbon sink, absorbing at least 9% of all the carbon stored in all of the continental U.S. forests combined, according to The Washington Post .
“While tropical rainforests are the lungs of the planet, the Tongass is the lungs of North America,” Dominick DellaSala, chief scientist with the Earth Island Institute’s Wild Heritage project told The Post. “It’s America’s last climate sanctuary.” It's also home to many ancient trees and magnificent wildlife, from brown bears to wild salmon.
Related: Power of the future: 10 ways to run the 21st century
Much of the Tongass was protected from logging and road construction by the 2001 Roadless Rule, which was put in place by former President Bill Clinton. But starting tomorrow (Oct. 29), the Tongass National Forest will be exempt from this rule, meaning that logging companies can legally build roads and cut timber throughout the forest.
This exemption is one of the biggest public land rollbacks Trump has enacted, according to The Post. Throughout Trump's presidency, the administration has expanded logging in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, according to The Post. But several of the administration's plans, such as one that would involve the sale of 1.8 million acres (728,000 hectares) of timber on the Tongass's Prince of Wales Island, were thrown out in federal court.
Still, the Trump Administration has reversed, revoked or rolled back more than 70 environmental rules, including climate policies and rules around clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals, according to The New York Times . The administration is currently in the process of revoking a couple dozen more.
You can read the full Washington Post article here .
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-28--Greenland ice melt is changing the shape of its coastline

Rapid melt is reshaping coastal , potentially altering the human and animal ecosystems along the country 's coast .
New research published in the on Oct. 27 finds that the ice retreat in Greenland has changed the way glaciers flow and where they dump into the sea .
These changes could impact ice loss from Greenland in the future , the researchers wrote .
Recent studies have shown that Greenland is each year , more than can be replenished by new snowfall .
Annual ice loss is 14 % greater today than it was between 1985 and 1999 .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that it slides more easily on its underlying bedrock , hastening the continued melt .
The new study , led by National Snow and Ice Data Center research scientist Twila Moon , breaks down the changes in more detail .
Moon and her colleagues combined two types of data from satellite imagery : how fast the ice sheet is moving and where glaciers terminate on their path downhill .
When a glacier retreats , its terminus does n't reach as far downvalley as it once did .
They found , first , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Greenland .
Eighty-nine percent of glaciers had retreated substantially within the last decade , the researchers wrote in their paper .
Virtually none had advanced .
However , this reshaping of glaciers translated into a variety of changes in glacier movement .
Some glaciers were speeding up , flowing more rapidly toward the sea , the researchers found ; others were flowing more slowly .
And over several years to a decade , a single glacier could do both , depending on the topography around it .
Glaciers are rivers of ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just by how quickly they 're melting , but by what 's underneath them .
For example , the Kjer and Hayes glaciers in northwestern Greenland sped up at their primary outlets to the sea from the 1990s to 2010 , but other ice outlets to the ocean nearby slowed down .
In one case , the southerly portion of one of those outlets sped up , then slowed again .
The researchers saw evidence of ice channels narrowing , of re-routing meltwater paths , and even of the slowing of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place , more like lakes than rivers .
All of this local variation may be very important for predicting how quickly Greenland 's ice will disappear in the future .
The changes will also likely affect how and where nutrients enter the water , where there are open fjords versus ice , and where freshwater is available .
`` As the Arctic ocean and atmosphere warm , we can clearly see the flow of ice into the ocean accelerate and the ice edge retreat , '' study co-author Alex Gardner , a research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Pasadena , California , .
`` When we look more closely , however , we can see the complexity of how individual glaciers respond , owing to differences in the properties of the ocean water that reach the glacier front , the bedrock and till that lie below , and in how meltwater runoff is routed beneath .
Understanding the complexity of individual glacier response is critical to improving projections of ice sheet change and the associated sea level rise that will arrive at our shores . ''

Rapid melt is reshaping coastal Greenland , potentially altering the human and animal ecosystems along the country's coast.
New research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface on Oct. 27 finds that the ice retreat in Greenland has changed the way glaciers flow and where they dump into the sea. These changes could impact ice loss from Greenland in the future, the researchers wrote.
Recent studies have shown that Greenland is losing 500 gigatons of ice each year, more than can be replenished by new snowfall. Annual ice loss is 14% greater today than it was between 1985 and 1999. And the meltwater from this ice loss is lubricating the ice sheet so that it slides more easily on its underlying bedrock, hastening the continued melt.
Related: Photos of Greenland's gorgeous glaciers
The new study, led by National Snow and Ice Data Center research scientist Twila Moon, breaks down the changes in more detail. Moon and her colleagues combined two types of data from satellite imagery: how fast the ice sheet is moving and where glaciers terminate on their path downhill. When a glacier retreats, its terminus doesn't reach as far downvalley as it once did.
They found, first, that glacier retreat is now the norm in Greenland. Eighty-nine percent of glaciers had retreated substantially within the last decade, the researchers wrote in their paper. Virtually none had advanced.
However, this reshaping of glaciers translated into a variety of changes in glacier movement. Some glaciers were speeding up, flowing more rapidly toward the sea, the researchers found; others were flowing more slowly. And over several years to a decade, a single glacier could do both, depending on the topography around it. Glaciers are rivers of ice, so their flow is partially determined not just by how quickly they're melting, but by what's underneath them.
For example, the Kjer and Hayes glaciers in northwestern Greenland sped up at their primary outlets to the sea from the 1990s to 2010, but other ice outlets to the ocean nearby slowed down. In one case, the southerly portion of one of those outlets sped up, then slowed again. The researchers saw evidence of ice channels narrowing, of re-routing meltwater paths, and even of the slowing of new ice so that glaciers are stranded in place, more like lakes than rivers.
All of this local variation may be very important for predicting how quickly Greenland's ice will disappear in the future. The changes will also likely affect how and where nutrients enter the water, where there are open fjords versus ice, and where freshwater is available.
"As the Arctic ocean and atmosphere warm, we can clearly see the flow of ice into the ocean accelerate and the ice edge retreat," study co-author Alex Gardner, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement . "When we look more closely, however, we can see the complexity of how individual glaciers respond, owing to differences in the properties of the ocean water that reach the glacier front, the bedrock and till that lie below, and in how meltwater runoff is routed beneath. Understanding the complexity of individual glacier response is critical to improving projections of ice sheet change and the associated sea level rise that will arrive at our shores."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-29--Building blocks of language evolved before humans split from chimps and monkeys

The building blocks of human language were around at least 40 million years ago , long before humans evolved , scientists have discovered .
Researchers recently found that humanity 's last shared ancestor with great and — our closest primate relatives — had evolved the ability to detect relationships between groups of sounds , a foundational skill for understanding language , according to the new study .
Structurally , language is made up of sentences , and in a sentence , every word has meaning .
But meaning also comes from grammar , or how the words are arranged .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ between phrases in a sentence is an important part of how our process language .
To explore the origins of that ability , researchers created an original `` language '' of audio tones in six acoustic categories , grouping the tones to form `` sentences . ''
They then tested humans , marmosets and chimpanzees to see if all three groups could recognize when the structure of a `` sentence '' was incorrect , and the scientists found `` notable similarities '' in all the primate subjects ' responses , according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups of words in a sentence may be connected even when they 're not right next to each other — a relationship known as nonadjacent dependency .
For example , in the phrase `` The dog that bit the cat ran away , '' the act of running away is linked to `` the dog , '' and not `` the cat . ''
For the study , researchers composed computer-generated sounds that could be combined into sequences , like phrases in a sentence .
`` Of course these sounds are meaningless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Comparative Linguistics at the University of Zürich in Switzerland .
`` But the fact that sound ' A ' always occurred in the same sequences as sound ' B ' gave them a kind of relationship one could begin to compare with syntax , '' Watson told Live Science in an email .
The researchers then familiarized 24 humans , 17 chimps and 16 marmosets with these `` artificial grammar '' sequences ; next , they recorded subjects ' responses to grammar that broke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` we exposed them to the sounds for five hours , spread out over a week , before testing whether they had learned anything , '' Watson said .
Prior experiments had established that monkeys , which diverged from our last shared ancestor about 40 million years ago , could recognize these grammatical violations , the study authors reported .
Chimps and humans diverged more recently , just 5 million to 6 million years ago .
By testing chimps as well as humans and marmosets , a type of Old World monkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this cognitive ability originated in a common ancestor — in which case it would be shared by all three primate groups — or if it appeared only in monkeys and humans because of , in which similar traits evolve independently in different species .
The study authors found that all of the groups were able to not only recognize the rules of the new `` language , '' but also to spot when those rules were overturned .
For the chimps and marmosets , this meant that when they heard audio sequences that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time looking toward the speakers than they did when the grammar of the `` sentences '' was correct .
This suggests that the cognitive ability to process nonadjacent dependencies in language was in place at least 40 million years ago , when humans , apes and monkeys last shared a common ancestor and before language itself had evolved .
However , a number of questions still remain , Watson said .
`` If primates have the intelligence necessary to process these complex acoustic sequences , why do n't they produce structures of similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Watson asked .
Perhaps in this aspect of language development , humans are unique among primates , he explained .
However , it 's also possible that other primates possess these capabilities for communicating with each other , `` and we just have n't identified them yet , '' Watson said .
The findings were published online Oct. 21 in the journal .

The building blocks of human language were around at least 40 million years ago, long before humans evolved, scientists have discovered.
Researchers recently found that humanity's last shared ancestor with great apes and monkeys — our closest primate relatives — had evolved the ability to detect relationships between groups of sounds, a foundational skill for understanding language, according to the new study.
Structurally, language is made up of sentences, and in a sentence, every word has meaning. But meaning also comes from grammar, or how the words are arranged. Being able to recognize and interpret relationships between phrases in a sentence is an important part of how our brains process language.
To explore the origins of that ability, researchers created an original "language" of audio tones in six acoustic categories, grouping the tones to form "sentences." They then tested humans, marmosets and chimpanzees to see if all three groups could recognize when the structure of a "sentence" was incorrect, and the scientists found "notable similarities" in all the primate subjects' responses, according to a new study.
Related: 8 human-like behaviors of primates
In human languages, groups of words in a sentence may be connected even when they're not right next to each other — a relationship known as nonadjacent dependency. For example, in the phrase "The dog that bit the cat ran away," the act of running away is linked to "the dog," and not "the cat."
For the study, researchers composed computer-generated sounds that could be combined into sequences, like phrases in a sentence.
"Of course these sounds are meaningless," said lead study author Stuart Watson, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Comparative Linguistics at the University of Zürich in Switzerland.
"But the fact that sound 'A' always occurred in the same sequences as sound 'B' gave them a kind of relationship one could begin to compare with syntax," Watson told Live Science in an email. The researchers then familiarized 24 humans, 17 chimps and 16 marmosets with these "artificial grammar" sequences; next, they recorded subjects' responses to grammar that broke the established rules.
For non-human participants, "we exposed them to the sounds for five hours, spread out over a week, before testing whether they had learned anything," Watson said.
Recognizing rules
Prior experiments had established that monkeys, which diverged from our last shared ancestor about 40 million years ago, could recognize these grammatical violations, the study authors reported. Chimps and humans diverged more recently, just 5 million to 6 million years ago. By testing chimps as well as humans and marmosets, a type of New World monkey, the scientists hoped to learn if this cognitive ability originated in a common ancestor — in which case it would be shared by all three primate groups — or if it appeared only in monkeys and humans because of convergent evolution , in which similar traits evolve independently in different species.
The study authors found that all of the groups were able to not only recognize the rules of the new "language," but also to spot when those rules were overturned. For the chimps and marmosets, this meant that when they heard audio sequences that broke the rules, they spent more time looking toward the speakers than they did when the grammar of the "sentences" was correct. This suggests that the cognitive ability to process nonadjacent dependencies in language was in place at least 40 million years ago, when humans, apes and monkeys last shared a common ancestor and before language itself had evolved.
However, a number of questions still remain, Watson said.
"If primates have the intelligence necessary to process these complex acoustic sequences, why don't they produce structures of similar complexity in their own communication system?" Watson asked. Perhaps in this aspect of language development, humans are unique among primates, he explained.
However, it's also possible that other primates possess these capabilities for communicating with each other, "and we just haven't identified them yet," Watson said.
The findings were published online Oct. 21 in the journal Science Advances .
Editor's Note: Updated at 10:11 a.m. EST on Jan. 12, 2022 to note that marmosets are New World, not Old World, monkeys.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-29--What happens at the center of a black hole?

Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute , host of Ask a Spaceman and Space Radio , and author of How to Die in Space .
Sutter contributed this article to Space.com 's Expert Voices : Op-Ed & Insights .
The singularity at the center of a is the ultimate no man 's land : a place where matter is compressed down to an infinitely tiny point , and all conceptions of time and space completely break down .
And it does n't really exist .
Something has to replace the singularity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It could be that deep inside a black hole , matter does n't get squished down to an infinitely tiny point .
Instead , there could be a smallest possible configuration of matter , the tiniest possible pocket of volume .
This is called a , and it 's a theoretical possibility envisioned by loop quantum gravity , which is itself a highly hypothetical proposal for creating a quantum version of gravity .
In the world of loop quantum gravity , space and time are quantized — the universe around us is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at such an incredibly tiny scale that our movements appear smooth and continuous .
This theoretical chunkiness of space-time provides two benefits .
One , it takes the dream of to its ultimate conclusion , explaining gravity in a natural way .
And two , it makes it impossible for singularities to form inside black holes .
As matter squishes down under the immense gravitational weight of a collapsing star , it meets resistance .
The discreteness of space-time prevents matter from reaching anything smaller than the Planck length ( around 1.68 times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the material that has ever fallen into the black hole gets compressed into a ball not much bigger than this .
Perfectly microscopic , but definitely not infinitely tiny .
This resistance to continued compression eventually forces the material to un-collapse ( i.e.
, explode ) , making black holes only temporary objects .
But because of the around black holes , from our perspective in the outside universe it takes billions , even trillions , of years before they go boom .
So we 're all set for now .
Another attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does n't rely on untested theories of quantum gravity — is known as the gravastar .
It 's such a theoretical concept that my spell checker did n't even recognize the word .
The difference between a black hole and a gravastar is that instead of a singularity , the gravastar is filled with .
Dark energy is a substance that permeates space-time , causing it to expand outward .
It sounds like sci-fi , but it 's real : dark energy is currently in operation in the larger cosmos , causing our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As matter falls onto a gravastar , it is n't able to actually penetrate the event horizon ( due to all that dark energy on the inside ) and therefore just hangs out on the surface .
But outside that surface , gravastars look and act like normal black holes .
However , recent observations of merging black holes with gravitational wave detectors have potentially ruled out the existence of gravastars , because merging gravastars will give a different signal than merging black holes , and outfits like LIGO ( the ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ examples by the day .
While gravastars are n't exactly a no-go in our universe , they are definitely on thin ice .
The universe : Big Bang to now in 10 easy steps Planck stars and gravastars may have awesome names , but the reality of their existence is in doubt .
So maybe there 's a more mundane explanation for singularities , one that 's based on a more nuanced — and realistic — view of black holes in .
The idea of a single point of infinite density comes from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncharged , rather boring black holes .
Real black holes are much more interesting characters , especially when they spin .
The spin of a rotating black hole stretches the singularity into a ring .
And according to the math of ( which is the only math we 've got ) , once you pass through the ring singularity , you enter a wormhole and pop out through a white hole ( the polar opposite of a black hole , where nothing can enter and matter rushes out at the speed of light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patch of the universe .
One challenge : the interiors of rotating black holes are catastrophically unstable .
And this is according to the very same math that leads to the prediction of the traveling-to-a-new-universe stuff .
The problem with rotating black holes is that … well , they rotate .
The singularity , stretched into a ring , is rotating at such a fantastic pace that it has incredible centrifugal force .
And in general relativity , strong enough centrifugal forces act like antigravity : they push , not pull .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , called the inner horizon .
Outside this region , radiation is falling inward towards the singularity , compelled by the extreme gravitational pull .
But radiation is pushed by the antigravity near the ring singularity , and the turning point is the inner horizon .
If you were to encounter the inner horizon , you would face a wall of infinitely energetic radiation — the entire past history of the universe , blasted into your face in less than a blink of an eye .
The formation of an inner horizon sows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black hole .
But rotating black holes certainly exist in our universe , so that tells us that our math is wrong and something funky is going on .
What 's really happening inside a black hole ?
We do n't know — and the scary part is that we may never know .
Learn more by listening to the episode `` What really happens at the center of a black hole ? ''
on the Ask A Spaceman podcast , available on and on the Web at .
Thanks to Andy P. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S. , Vladimir B. , Jack S. , @ Grobillard , and James L. for the questions that led to this piece !
Ask your own question on Twitter using # AskASpaceman or by following Paul and .

Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of Ask a Spaceman and Space Radio, and author of How to Die in Space . Sutter contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
The singularity at the center of a black hole is the ultimate no man's land: a place where matter is compressed down to an infinitely tiny point, and all conceptions of time and space completely break down. And it doesn't really exist. Something has to replace the singularity, but we're not exactly sure what.
Let's explore some possibilities.
Related: Black holes of the universe (images)
Planck stars
It could be that deep inside a black hole, matter doesn't get squished down to an infinitely tiny point. Instead, there could be a smallest possible configuration of matter, the tiniest possible pocket of volume.
This is called a Planck star , and it's a theoretical possibility envisioned by loop quantum gravity, which is itself a highly hypothetical proposal for creating a quantum version of gravity. In the world of loop quantum gravity, space and time are quantized — the universe around us is composed of tiny discrete chunks, but at such an incredibly tiny scale that our movements appear smooth and continuous.
This theoretical chunkiness of space-time provides two benefits. One, it takes the dream of quantum mechanics to its ultimate conclusion, explaining gravity in a natural way. And two, it makes it impossible for singularities to form inside black holes.
As matter squishes down under the immense gravitational weight of a collapsing star, it meets resistance. The discreteness of space-time prevents matter from reaching anything smaller than the Planck length (around 1.68 times 10^-35 meters, so…small). All the material that has ever fallen into the black hole gets compressed into a ball not much bigger than this. Perfectly microscopic, but definitely not infinitely tiny.
This resistance to continued compression eventually forces the material to un-collapse (i.e., explode), making black holes only temporary objects. But because of the extreme time dilation effects around black holes, from our perspective in the outside universe it takes billions, even trillions, of years before they go boom. So we're all set for now.
Gravastars
Another attempt to eradicate the singularity — one that doesn't rely on untested theories of quantum gravity — is known as the gravastar. It's such a theoretical concept that my spell checker didn't even recognize the word.
The difference between a black hole and a gravastar is that instead of a singularity, the gravastar is filled with dark energy . Dark energy is a substance that permeates space-time, causing it to expand outward. It sounds like sci-fi, but it's real: dark energy is currently in operation in the larger cosmos, causing our entire universe to accelerate in its expansion.
As matter falls onto a gravastar, it isn't able to actually penetrate the event horizon (due to all that dark energy on the inside) and therefore just hangs out on the surface. But outside that surface, gravastars look and act like normal black holes.
However, recent observations of merging black holes with gravitational wave detectors have potentially ruled out the existence of gravastars, because merging gravastars will give a different signal than merging black holes, and outfits like LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ) and Virgo are getting more and more examples by the day. While gravastars aren't exactly a no-go in our universe, they are definitely on thin ice.
The universe: Big Bang to now in 10 easy steps
Let's go for a spin
Planck stars and gravastars may have awesome names, but the reality of their existence is in doubt. So maybe there's a more mundane explanation for singularities, one that's based on a more nuanced — and realistic — view of black holes in our universe .
The idea of a single point of infinite density comes from our conception of stationary, non-rotating, uncharged, rather boring black holes. Real black holes are much more interesting characters, especially when they spin.
The spin of a rotating black hole stretches the singularity into a ring. And according to the math of Einstein's theory of general relativity (which is the only math we've got), once you pass through the ring singularity, you enter a wormhole and pop out through a white hole (the polar opposite of a black hole, where nothing can enter and matter rushes out at the speed of light) into an entirely new and exciting patch of the universe.
One challenge: the interiors of rotating black holes are catastrophically unstable. And this is according to the very same math that leads to the prediction of the traveling-to-a-new-universe stuff.
The problem with rotating black holes is that … well, they rotate. The singularity, stretched into a ring, is rotating at such a fantastic pace that it has incredible centrifugal force. And in general relativity, strong enough centrifugal forces act like antigravity: they push, not pull.
This creates a boundary inside the black hole, called the inner horizon. Outside this region, radiation is falling inward towards the singularity, compelled by the extreme gravitational pull. But radiation is pushed by the antigravity near the ring singularity, and the turning point is the inner horizon. If you were to encounter the inner horizon, you would face a wall of infinitely energetic radiation — the entire past history of the universe, blasted into your face in less than a blink of an eye.
The formation of an inner horizon sows the seeds for the destruction of the black hole. But rotating black holes certainly exist in our universe, so that tells us that our math is wrong and something funky is going on.
What's really happening inside a black hole? We don't know — and the scary part is that we may never know.


livescience--2020-10-29--This failed planet is slowly rusting in space

Roughly two to three times Earth 's distance from the sun , in the Asteroid Belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter , 16 Psyche makes its home .
This giant metal asteroid is one of the most massive objects in the Asteroid Belt , categorized as a minor planet .
Astronomers think that 16 Psyche is the exposed core of a full planet that did n't make it all the way , and we 're itching to know more about it .
NASA will be sending a probe to check it out in the next few years , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to glean what they can from Earth .
Now , for the first time , 16 Psyche has been studied in ultraviolet wavelengths using the Hubble Space Telescope , revealing that , just as we thought , the dense chunk of space rock is remarkably metallic .
`` We 've seen meteorites that are mostly metal , but Psyche could be unique in that it might be an asteroid that is totally made of iron and nickel , '' said planetary scientist Tracy Becker of the Southwest Research Institute .
`` Earth has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crust .
It 's possible that as a Psyche protoplanet was forming , it was struck by another object in our Solar System and lost its mantle and crust . ''
16 Psyche is a pretty fascinating chunk of rock .
It 's about 226 kilometers ( 140 miles ) across , and just a little less dense than Earth .
Its composition seems to consist of somewhere between 30 to 60 percent metal , and the rest low-iron silicate .
If 16 Psyche is a protoplanetary core , it 's possible such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Planets are thought to form when their stars are very young — possibly even in tandem — and are surrounded by a thick cloud of dust and gas .
Material in this cloud starts to stick together , first electrostatically , then gravitationally as the object grows more massive .
As these bodies grow , they become hot and a bit molten , allowing material to move around .
Core differentiation is the process whereby denser material sinks inwards towards the center of the object , and less dense material rises outwards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differentiated core , the protoplanet would once have had to have been much bigger than it is now .
Exactly when , and how , its outer mantle was stripped away is a bit of a head-scratcher .
But Becker 's team 's research could be the breadcrumbs that put us on the trail to figuring it out .
`` We were able to identify for the first time on any asteroid what we think are iron oxide ultraviolet absorption bands , '' she said .
`` This is an indication that oxidation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be a result of the solar wind hitting the surface . ''
In other words , 16 Psyche is rusting .
And we might be able to work out how old its surface is based on how much oxidation has occurred — which in turn could give us a timeline of when the asteroid was stripped of its outer material .
The asteroid 's high reflectivity at ultraviolet wavelengths suggests that it 's been a long time ; usually , ultraviolet brightness is linked with space weathering .
But we wo n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probe reaches the asteroid sometime around 2026 .
Scientists are also keen to get a closer look at 16 Psyche 's composition .
There 's a lot of wiggle room between 30 and 60 percent metal that has made it hard to track down smaller pieces of rock that may have resulted from the impact fragmentation of the 16 Psyche 's mantle .
It was once thought that the relatively metallic mesosiderite meteorites were remnants of 16 Psyche , but more recent research has found the connection weak .
The work of Becker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is consistent with pure iron , but that may be misleading - as little as 10 percent iron on the surface could dominate the ultraviolet spectrum .
There are also very few analogous observations of planetary surfaces in ultraviolet against which to compare the new views of 16 Psyche .
So , we obviously just have to go and check it out with an actual orbiting probe , which in turn will indicate how well we 've done trying to figure out this strange object from hundreds of millions of kilometers away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be like looking at a solar system time capsule .
`` What makes Psyche and the other asteroids so interesting is that they 're considered to be the building blocks of the solar system , '' Becker said .
`` To understand what really makes up a planet and to potentially see the inside of a planet is fascinating .
Once we get to Psyche , we 're really going to understand if that 's the case , even if it does n't turn out as we expect .
Any time there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exciting . ''
The research has been published in The Planetary Science Journal .
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert .
Read the original article here .

Roughly two to three times Earth's distance from the sun, in the Asteroid Belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter, 16 Psyche makes its home. This giant metal asteroid is one of the most massive objects in the Asteroid Belt, categorized as a minor planet.
Astronomers think that 16 Psyche is the exposed core of a full planet that didn't make it all the way, and we're itching to know more about it. NASA will be sending a probe to check it out in the next few years, and in the meantime, scientists are working to glean what they can from Earth.
Now, for the first time, 16 Psyche has been studied in ultraviolet wavelengths using the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing that, just as we thought, the dense chunk of space rock is remarkably metallic.
"We've seen meteorites that are mostly metal, but Psyche could be unique in that it might be an asteroid that is totally made of iron and nickel," said planetary scientist Tracy Becker of the Southwest Research Institute.
"Earth has a metal core, a mantle and crust. It's possible that as a Psyche protoplanet was forming, it was struck by another object in our Solar System and lost its mantle and crust."
16 Psyche is a pretty fascinating chunk of rock. It's about 226 kilometers (140 miles) across, and just a little less dense than Earth. Its composition seems to consist of somewhere between 30 to 60 percent metal, and the rest low-iron silicate.
If 16 Psyche is a protoplanetary core, it's possible such impacts stripped it of its accumulating material. Planets are thought to form when their stars are very young — possibly even in tandem — and are surrounded by a thick cloud of dust and gas. Material in this cloud starts to stick together, first electrostatically, then gravitationally as the object grows more massive.
As these bodies grow, they become hot and a bit molten, allowing material to move around. Core differentiation is the process whereby denser material sinks inwards towards the center of the object, and less dense material rises outwards. For 16 Psyche to be a differentiated core, the protoplanet would once have had to have been much bigger than it is now.
Exactly when, and how, its outer mantle was stripped away is a bit of a head-scratcher. But Becker's team's research could be the breadcrumbs that put us on the trail to figuring it out.
"We were able to identify for the first time on any asteroid what we think are iron oxide ultraviolet absorption bands," she said. "This is an indication that oxidation is happening on the asteroid, which could be a result of the solar wind hitting the surface."
In other words, 16 Psyche is rusting. And we might be able to work out how old its surface is based on how much oxidation has occurred — which in turn could give us a timeline of when the asteroid was stripped of its outer material.
The asteroid's high reflectivity at ultraviolet wavelengths suggests that it's been a long time; usually, ultraviolet brightness is linked with space weathering. But we won't know for sure until NASA's Psyche probe reaches the asteroid sometime around 2026.
Scientists are also keen to get a closer look at 16 Psyche's composition. There's a lot of wiggle room between 30 and 60 percent metal that has made it hard to track down smaller pieces of rock that may have resulted from the impact fragmentation of the 16 Psyche's mantle.
It was once thought that the relatively metallic mesosiderite meteorites were remnants of 16 Psyche, but more recent research has found the connection weak.
The work of Becker and her team revealed a spectrum that is consistent with pure iron, but that may be misleading - as little as 10 percent iron on the surface could dominate the ultraviolet spectrum. There are also very few analogous observations of planetary surfaces in ultraviolet against which to compare the new views of 16 Psyche.
So, we obviously just have to go and check it out with an actual orbiting probe, which in turn will indicate how well we've done trying to figure out this strange object from hundreds of millions of kilometers away. Whatever we learn, it's going to be like looking at a solar system time capsule.
"What makes Psyche and the other asteroids so interesting is that they're considered to be the building blocks of the solar system," Becker said.
"To understand what really makes up a planet and to potentially see the inside of a planet is fascinating. Once we get to Psyche, we're really going to understand if that's the case, even if it doesn't turn out as we expect. Any time there's a surprise, it's always exciting."
The research has been published in The Planetary Science Journal.
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert. Read the original article here.


livescience--2020-10-29--Monster bird fossils unearthed in Antarctica

Not long after the dinosaurs went extinct , a new breed of giants rose : Monster birds with wingspans that stretched up to 21 feet ( 6.4 meters ) long , about the length of a U-Haul truck .
These enormous birds darkened the skies above as early as 50 million years ago , a new examination of fossils from the continent finds .
The new research reveals that very large species of these birds , called pelagornithids , arose less than 15 million years after an asteroid wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs .
The new study was published Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a bone from a bird 's foot , collected on Seymour Island near the Antarctic Peninsula in the 1980s .
In 2015 , Peter Kloess , a University of California , Berkeley , paleontology graduate student found the bone in the collections of the University of California Museum of Paleontology .
As he looked over the notes accompanying the bone , he realized that the bones were from older rock than had originally been recognized .
Instead of being 40 million years old , as it said on the label , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and far larger than other pelagornithid bones found of that age .
`` I love going to collections and just finding treasures there , '' Kloess .
`` Somebody has called me a museum rat , and I take that as a badge of honor .
I love scurrying around , finding things that people overlook . ''
The bone was overlooked no longer .
Kloess and his colleagues discovered another pelagornithid bone from the same island and era — a partial lower jaw .
Analyzing them both , the researchers concluded that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 feet ( 60 centimeters ) long .
The animal would have been among the biggest , if not the biggest , pelagornithid ever found .
Pelagornithids were known to be a very old group of birds .
The oldest fossil from these birds dates back 62 million years .
However , that fossil was from a species much smaller than the one discovered by Kloess and colleagues .
The newly discovered birds were more similar to the modern-day , with huge wingspans that would have allowed them to soar for days or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open ocean .
Modern-day albatross , however , top out with wingspans of 11.5 feet ( 3.5 m ) .
The 50-million-year-old pelagornithid would have had a wingspan nearly double that .
The beaks of these ancient sky monsters also had bony projections covered in keratin .
These toothlike structures , about 1 inch ( 3 cm ) tall , would have helped the birds hang on to fish and squid scooped from the seas .
Fifty million years ago , Antarctica was warmer than it is today .
It was a haven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as now-extinct mammals , such as the hoofed sparnotheriodontids , according to a 2014 study in the journal Paleontology .
Large pelagornithids likely dominated the skies .
`` [ T ] hese bony-toothed birds would have been formidable predators that evolved to be at the top of their ecosystem , '' study co-author Thomas Stidman of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in the statement .
Pelagornithids likely boasted the largest wingspan of any bird , followed by a group of scavenging birds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years later .
( Some pterosaurs had them both beat : Questzalcoatlus northropi , for example , could extend its giant wings up to 43 feet , or 13 m. ) The last pelagornithids went extinct 2.5 million years ago .

An artist's depiction of ancient albatrosses harassing a pelagornithid — with its fearsome toothed beak — as penguins frolic in the oceans around Antarctica 50 million years ago.
Not long after the dinosaurs went extinct, a new breed of giants rose: Monster birds with wingspans that stretched up to 21 feet (6.4 meters) long, about the length of a U-Haul truck.
These enormous birds darkened the skies above Antarctica as early as 50 million years ago, a new examination of fossils from the continent finds. The new research reveals that very large species of these birds, called pelagornithids, arose less than 15 million years after an asteroid wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs.
The new study was published Oct. 27 in the journal Scientific Reports . It focused on a bone from a bird's foot, collected on Seymour Island near the Antarctic Peninsula in the 1980s. In 2015, Peter Kloess, a University of California, Berkeley, paleontology graduate student found the bone in the collections of the University of California Museum of Paleontology. As he looked over the notes accompanying the bone, he realized that the bones were from older rock than had originally been recognized. Instead of being 40 million years old, as it said on the label, the bone was 50 million years old, and far larger than other pelagornithid bones found of that age.
Related: 25 amazing ancient beasts
"I love going to collections and just finding treasures there," Kloess said in a statement . "Somebody has called me a museum rat, and I take that as a badge of honor. I love scurrying around, finding things that people overlook."
This 5-inch-long segment of fossilized jaw, which was discovered in Antarctica in the 1980s, dates from 40 million years ago. The skull of the bird would have been about 2 feet long, while the pseudoteeth, which were originally covered with horny keratin, would have been up to an inch long. (Image credit: UC Berkeley image by Peter Kloess)
The bone was overlooked no longer. Kloess and his colleagues discovered another pelagornithid bone from the same island and era — a partial lower jaw. Analyzing them both, the researchers concluded that the bird's skull would have been 2 feet (60 centimeters) long. The animal would have been among the biggest, if not the biggest, pelagornithid ever found.
Pelagornithids were known to be a very old group of birds. The oldest fossil from these birds dates back 62 million years. However, that fossil was from a species much smaller than the one discovered by Kloess and colleagues.
The newly discovered birds were more similar to the modern-day albatrosses , with huge wingspans that would have allowed them to soar for days or even weeks at a time over the open ocean. Modern-day albatross, however, top out with wingspans of 11.5 feet (3.5 m). The 50-million-year-old pelagornithid would have had a wingspan nearly double that.
The beaks of these ancient sky monsters also had bony projections covered in keratin. These toothlike structures, about 1 inch (3 cm) tall, would have helped the birds hang on to fish and squid scooped from the seas.
Fifty million years ago, Antarctica was warmer than it is today. It was a haven for birds, including early penguins, as well as now-extinct mammals, such as the hoofed sparnotheriodontids, according to a 2014 study in the journal Paleontology. Large pelagornithids likely dominated the skies.
"[T]hese bony-toothed birds would have been formidable predators that evolved to be at the top of their ecosystem," study co-author Thomas Stidman of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in the statement.
Pelagornithids likely boasted the largest wingspan of any bird, followed by a group of scavenging birds called teratorns, which evolved 40 million years later. (Some pterosaurs had them both beat: Questzalcoatlus northropi, for example, could extend its giant wings up to 43 feet, or 13 m.) The last pelagornithids went extinct 2.5 million years ago.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-29--COVID-19 causes some patients' immune systems to attack their own bodies

Across the world , immunologists who retooled their labs to join the fight against SARS-CoV-2 are furiously trying to explain why some people get so sick while others recover unscathed .
The pace is dizzying , but some clear trends have emerged .
One area of focus has been the production of antibodies – powerful proteins capable of disabling and killing invading pathogens like viruses .
Of great concern has been the sporadic identification of so-called autoreactive antibodies that , instead of targeting disease causing microbes , target the tissues of individuals suffering from severe cases of COVID-19 .
Early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clots forming in patients admitted to intensive care .
More recently , they have been linked to severe disease by inactivating critical components of viral immune defenses in a significant fraction of patients with severe disease .
As an immunologist within the Lowance Center for Human Immunology at Emory University , I have been investigating the immune response responsible for producing antibodies in COVID-19 .
Under the direction of Dr. Ignacio Sanz , our group has previously investigated immune responses contributing to autoantibody production in autoimmune disorders like lupus , and more recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while we were able to characterize the response in COVID-19 patients as autoimmunelike , we could not confirm the production of autoantibodies hidden within their antiviral responses .
Now we can .
In a newly released study awaiting peer-review , we describe the alarming finding that in the sickest patients with COVID-19 , autoantibody production is common – a finding with large potential impact on both acute patient care and infection recovery .
Autoantibodies come in “ flavors ” that are usually associated with specific disease types .
Patients with lupus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that target their own DNA – the molecules that make up the human genome .
Patients with the autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis are less likely to have those antibodies , but more likely to show positive tests for rheumatoid factor – antibodies that target other antibodies .
In this study , the Lowance Center group analyzed the medical charts of 52 patients in intensive care who were diagnosed with COVID-19 .
None of them had a history of autoimmune disorders .
However , they were tested during infection for autoantibodies found in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stark .
More than half of the 52 patients tested positive for autoantibodies .
In patients with the highest levels of c-reactive protein ( a marker of inflammation ) in the blood , more than two-thirds displayed evidence that their immune system was producing antibodies attacking their own tissue .
While these findings raise concerns , there are things that our data don ’ t reveal .
Although patients with severe disease clearly display autoantibody responses , the data don ’ t tell us to what extent these autoantibodies contribute to the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be that severe viral illness routinely results in the production of autoantibodies with little consequence ; this could just be the first time we ’ re seeing it .
We also don ’ t know how long the autoantibodies last .
Our data suggest that they are relatively stable over a few weeks .
But , we need follow-up studies to understand if they are persisting routinely beyond infection recovery .
Importantly , we believe that the autoreactive responses we have identified here are specific to the SARS-CoV-2 infection – there is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be expected through vaccination against the virus .
Understanding the role of autoantibodies in COVID-19 However , while it is possible that these autoantibodies are benign , or even helpful in a yet-unidentified manner , it ’ s also possible that they aren ’ t .
Maybe these self-targeted antibody responses do indeed contribute to disease severity , helping explain the delayed onset of severe symptoms in some patients that may correlate with antibody production .
This could be a reason that treatment with dexamethasone , an immunosuppressant often used to quell “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be effective in treating patients with only the most severe disease .
It is also possible that these responses are not short lived , outlasting the infection and contributing to ongoing symptoms now experienced by a growing number of “ long-hauler ” COVID-19 patients .
Most concerning , it is possible that these responses could self-perpetuate in some patients , resulting in the emergence of new , permanent autoimmune disorders .
My colleagues and I sincerely hope that this is not the case – rather , that the emergence of autoantibodies in these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quirk of a viral immune response in some patients that will resolve on its own .
But we need to do better than hope – we need to ask the right questions and figure out the answers .
Fortunately , this study also gives us the tools to do that .
The tests that were run on these patients to determine their “ autoreactive profile ” are not specialized .
They are available to most hospital labs across the country .
Indeed , the two most common antibodies that we find in these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are detected by common tests used by rheumatologists .
Our study shows that by testing for just these two autoantibodies , and the inflammatory marker c-reactive protein , we may be able to identify patients more likely to be experiencing potentially dangerous immune responses that might benefit from more aggressive immune modulation .
[ Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research .
Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Further , autoreactivity testing might help identify patients who might benefit from rheumotological follow-up to monitor recovery , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ long-hauler ” COVID-19 might be related to persisting autoantibodies .
If so , these patients might respond to the same immune-targeted therapies that have been successful in MIS-C where autoantibody production has now been documented .
Finally , by testing patients immediately following COVID-19 recovery , we can establish baselines and begin to track the possible emergence of new cases of autoimmunity following this terrible disease , and plan early rheumatological intervention if needed .
We now have the tools .
It ’ s time to start using them .
This article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter .
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher .
This version of the article was originally published on Live Science .

Across the world, immunologists who retooled their labs to join the fight against SARS-CoV-2 are furiously trying to explain why some people get so sick while others recover unscathed. The pace is dizzying, but some clear trends have emerged.
One area of focus has been the production of antibodies – powerful proteins capable of disabling and killing invading pathogens like viruses. Of great concern has been the sporadic identification of so-called autoreactive antibodies that, instead of targeting disease causing microbes, target the tissues of individuals suffering from severe cases of COVID-19.
Early studies implicated these autoantibodies in dangerous blood clots forming in patients admitted to intensive care. More recently, they have been linked to severe disease by inactivating critical components of viral immune defenses in a significant fraction of patients with severe disease.
As an immunologist within the Lowance Center for Human Immunology at Emory University, I have been investigating the immune response responsible for producing antibodies in COVID-19. Under the direction of Dr. Ignacio Sanz, our group has previously investigated immune responses contributing to autoantibody production in autoimmune disorders like lupus, and more recently in severe cases in COVID-19. However, while we were able to characterize the response in COVID-19 patients as autoimmunelike, we could not confirm the production of autoantibodies hidden within their antiviral responses.
Now we can.
In a newly released study awaiting peer-review, we describe the alarming finding that in the sickest patients with COVID-19, autoantibody production is common – a finding with large potential impact on both acute patient care and infection recovery.
Severe infection is linked with autoantibody production
Autoantibodies come in “flavors” that are usually associated with specific disease types. Patients with lupus, for example, will often have antibodies that target their own DNA – the molecules that make up the human genome.
Patients with the autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis are less likely to have those antibodies, but more likely to show positive tests for rheumatoid factor – antibodies that target other antibodies.
In this study, the Lowance Center group analyzed the medical charts of 52 patients in intensive care who were diagnosed with COVID-19. None of them had a history of autoimmune disorders. However, they were tested during infection for autoantibodies found in a variety of disorders.
The results are stark. More than half of the 52 patients tested positive for autoantibodies. In patients with the highest levels of c-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) in the blood, more than two-thirds displayed evidence that their immune system was producing antibodies attacking their own tissue.
While these findings raise concerns, there are things that our data don’t reveal. Although patients with severe disease clearly display autoantibody responses, the data don’t tell us to what extent these autoantibodies contribute to the most severe symptoms of COVID-19.
It could be that severe viral illness routinely results in the production of autoantibodies with little consequence; this could just be the first time we’re seeing it. We also don’t know how long the autoantibodies last. Our data suggest that they are relatively stable over a few weeks. But, we need follow-up studies to understand if they are persisting routinely beyond infection recovery.
Importantly, we believe that the autoreactive responses we have identified here are specific to the SARS-CoV-2 infection – there is no reason to believe that similar results would be expected through vaccination against the virus.
Understanding the role of autoantibodies in COVID-19
However, while it is possible that these autoantibodies are benign, or even helpful in a yet-unidentified manner, it’s also possible that they aren’t. Maybe these self-targeted antibody responses do indeed contribute to disease severity, helping explain the delayed onset of severe symptoms in some patients that may correlate with antibody production.
This could be a reason that treatment with dexamethasone, an immunosuppressant often used to quell “flare-ups” of autoimmune disorders, might be effective in treating patients with only the most severe disease. It is also possible that these responses are not short lived, outlasting the infection and contributing to ongoing symptoms now experienced by a growing number of “long-hauler” COVID-19 patients.
Most concerning, it is possible that these responses could self-perpetuate in some patients, resulting in the emergence of new, permanent autoimmune disorders.
My colleagues and I sincerely hope that this is not the case – rather, that the emergence of autoantibodies in these patients is a red herring, a quirk of a viral immune response in some patients that will resolve on its own. But we need to do better than hope – we need to ask the right questions and figure out the answers. Fortunately, this study also gives us the tools to do that.
Autoreactive antibody test may reveal better treatments
The tests that were run on these patients to determine their “autoreactive profile” are not specialized. They are available to most hospital labs across the country. Indeed, the two most common antibodies that we find in these patients, antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor, are detected by common tests used by rheumatologists.
Our study shows that by testing for just these two autoantibodies, and the inflammatory marker c-reactive protein, we may be able to identify patients more likely to be experiencing potentially dangerous immune responses that might benefit from more aggressive immune modulation.
[Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Further, autoreactivity testing might help identify patients who might benefit from rheumotological follow-up to monitor recovery, and help us understand whether some cases of “long-hauler” COVID-19 might be related to persisting autoantibodies. If so, these patients might respond to the same immune-targeted therapies that have been successful in MIS-C where autoantibody production has now been documented.
Finally, by testing patients immediately following COVID-19 recovery, we can establish baselines and begin to track the possible emergence of new cases of autoimmunity following this terrible disease, and plan early rheumatological intervention if needed.
We now have the tools. It’s time to start using them.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-10-29--Arctic sea ice goes through 'historic' loss in 2020

Arctic sea ice has been in decline for a while now , but 2020 is turning out to be — by far — one of the worst years ever .
Every year , like clockwork , the northern ice cap , or sea ice , shrinks in the spring and summer — reaching its minimum extent in September — and then it grows in the fall and winter to reach its maximum extent in March .
But as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have warmed the planet , the area covered by this summer sea ice has gotten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has failed to reach its usual maximum extent in the winter .
This is a change that 's come on fast , with recent years producing much worse sea ice even than the period from 1981 to 2010 .
But even compared with the worst years of the last decade , this summer has been devastating .
`` A historic event is ongoing in the # Arctic , '' Zack Labe , an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University who tracks events in the Arctic .
`` We have to pay attention to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared a chart of how the sea ice has grown and shrunk in the Laptev Sea — a region of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia — between 1979 and the present .
Laptev sea ice shrank much earlier in 2020 than in any previous year , and bottomed out in late August , with sea-ice coverage not even beginning to return until mid-October .
That 's part of why the 2020 Arctic sea-ice minimum shattered previous records , becoming the second-lowest minimum behind only 2012 , according to the National Snow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to NASA 's estimate , the likely 2020 minimum was 1.44 million square miles ( 3.74 million square kilometers ) .
That 's 958,000 square miles ( 2.48 million sq km ) below the 1981-2010 average —— a loss of sea ice equivalent to the areas of Texas , Alaska and South Carolina combined .
`` A Siberian heat wave in spring 2020 began this year 's Arctic sea-ice melt season early , and with Arctic temperatures being 14 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit ( 8 to 10 degrees Celsius ) warmer than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' NASA .
Melting sea ice does n't directly raise sea level , because the ice already sits on top of the sea surface .
But researchers believe that it does accelerate the overall rate of warming in a vicious cycle .
When the northern polar ice cap is thick and vast , it acts as a huge white mirror , reflecting energy back into space , reducing warming .
But when the ice melts , it exposes more water — a darker surface that absorbs more sunlight and leads to faster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , each year with abnormally high sea-ice melt makes future `` bad '' ice years more likely .
A huge central chunk of the Arctic ice cap has stayed frozen for many winters and grown thick and seemingly resistant to melt .
But years like 2020 thin and weaken the ice .
When patches of sea ice that once remained frozen year-round melt and then freeze again the next winter , the new young ice is much thinner and much less likely to survive warming temperatures .
With each summer now , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the , creeping closer to the center of the ice cap .

As "ground zero" for global warming, the Arctic Circle is a popular destination for scientists researching the effects of climate change.
Arctic sea ice has been in decline for a while now, but 2020 is turning out to be — by far — one of the worst years ever.
Every year, like clockwork, the northern ice cap, or sea ice, shrinks in the spring and summer — reaching its minimum extent in September — and then it grows in the fall and winter to reach its maximum extent in March. But as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have warmed the planet, the area covered by this summer sea ice has gotten smaller and smaller. And the ice has failed to reach its usual maximum extent in the winter. This is a change that's come on fast, with recent years producing much worse sea ice even than the period from 1981 to 2010. But even compared with the worst years of the last decade, this summer has been devastating.
"A historic event is ongoing in the #Arctic," tweeted Zack Labe, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University who tracks events in the Arctic. "We have to pay attention to these climate change indicators."
Related: Time-lapse images of retreating glaciers
Labe shared a chart of how the sea ice has grown and shrunk in the Laptev Sea — a region of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia — between 1979 and the present.
A historic event is ongoing in the #Arctic. We have to pay attention to these climate change indicators. pic.twitter.com/MH30qBau6sOctober 23, 2020 See more
Laptev sea ice shrank much earlier in 2020 than in any previous year, and bottomed out in late August, with sea-ice coverage not even beginning to return until mid-October.
That's part of why the 2020 Arctic sea-ice minimum shattered previous records, becoming the second-lowest minimum behind only 2012, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) .
According to NASA's estimate, the likely 2020 minimum was 1.44 million square miles (3.74 million square kilometers). That's 958,000 square miles (2.48 million sq km) below the 1981-2010 average — a loss of sea ice equivalent to the areas of Texas, Alaska and South Carolina combined.
"A Siberian heat wave in spring 2020 began this year's Arctic sea-ice melt season early, and with Arctic temperatures being 14 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit (8 to 10 degrees Celsius) warmer than average, the ice extent kept declining," NASA said in a statement .
Related: Photos: The vanishing glaciers of Europe's Alps
Melting sea ice doesn't directly raise sea level, because the ice already sits on top of the sea surface. But researchers believe that it does accelerate the overall rate of warming in a vicious cycle. When the northern polar ice cap is thick and vast, it acts as a huge white mirror,reflecting energy back into space, reducing warming. But when the ice melts, it exposes more water — a darker surface that absorbs more sunlight and leads to faster warming.
In addition, NASA said, each year with abnormally high sea-ice melt makes future "bad" ice years more likely. A huge central chunk of the Arctic ice cap has stayed frozen for many winters and grown thick and seemingly resistant to melt. But years like 2020 thin and weaken the ice. When patches of sea ice that once remained frozen year-round melt and then freeze again the next winter, the new young ice is much thinner and much less likely to survive warming temperatures. With each summer now, the extent of old ice shrinks, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center , creeping closer to the center of the ice cap.
Originally published on Live Science.