livescience--2020-11-11--Rare squid with 'elbow' tentacles baffles scientists in spooky new footage

It looks like an alien — head dwarfed by enormous flapping fins , body blobbing through dark water , thin blue tentacles streaming behind it in a tangle of neon spaghetti .
But despite its otherworldly appearance , the elusive known simply as the Bigfin squid ( Magnapinnidae ) may be more common in 's deep oceans than scientists ever knew .
In the 113 years since its discovery , the Bigfin squid has been spotted in the wild only 12 times around the world .
Now , a study published Wednesday ( Nov. 11 ) in the journal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all of them captured thousands of feet below the surface of the Great Australian Bight in South Australia .
Not only do the sightings mark the first time that Bigfin squid have been seen in Australian waters , but it 's also the first time that five of them have been caught hanging out together in one place .
The resulting footage — captured by underwater cameras trailing behind a large research vessel — provides an unprecedented look at the bizarre cephalopod 's anatomy and behavior , lead study author Deborah Osterhage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stunned and excited when I first saw the Bigfin squid in a photo collected by our camera , '' Osterhage , a marine researcher with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ( or CSIRO , Australia 's government science agency ) , said in an email .
`` I recognized it immediately , with its distinctive large fins and extremely long and slender arms and tentacles . ''
Scientists identified the first Bigfin squid specimen , which was caught by fishers near Portugal , in 1907 .
It took more than 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wild , swimming 15,535 feet ( 4,735 meters ) underwater off the coast of Brazil in 1988 .
The squid is distinct , with giant fins jutting off of its body like Dumbo the elephant 's ears .
These fins are as wide as the squid 's upper body ( or mantle ) is long , Osterhage said , and Bigfins propel themselves through the water by flapping them like wings .
That 's nothing new for cephalopods ( just ask the adorably named ) , but what really sets the Bigfin squid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredibly long , stringy tentacles .
Now , researchers have a better idea of just how long and stringy they can get .
In the new study , which culminates from more than 40 hours of underwater observations at depths of 3,100 to 7,900 feet ( 950 to 2400 m ) below the surface , the team not only sighted the gaggle of Bigfins swimming through the Bight , but they even measured one of them with more accurate methods than ever before .
`` We were able to measure [ one specimen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as previous measurements are estimates based on nearby objects , '' Osterhage said .
`` It measured 5.9 feet ( 1.8 m ) in length .
The specimen 's mantle was around 6 inches ( 15 centimeters ) , with the remaining 5.9 feet [ 1.8 m ] made up of those long arms and tentacles . ''
Think , an upper body as long as a U.S. dollar bill , trailing tentacles as long as U.S. tennis champ Serena Williams .
And that may even be on the small side ; according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Bigfin squid can grow to 22 feet ( 7 m ) long .
Stranger still may be how the squids hold those tentacles .
Unlike most cephalopods , whose tentacles hang below their bodies , the Bigfin squid 's appendages jut out at perpendicular angles to their mantles before bending and curling away , making each tentacle look like an `` elbow , '' Osterhage said .
During one of the team 's sightings , a Bigfin surprised the researchers by raising one long arm above its body and holding it there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in squids , the researchers wrote .
The posture could have something to do with filter feeding , they speculated , but the truth is nobody knows for sure .
Finding the answer to that ( and many other outstanding questions about the oddball squid ) will require many more encounters in the wild .
`` There is much to learn about the Bigfin squid — basic questions such as what it feeds upon , how it reproduces , etc.
, are still unknown , '' Osterhage said .
`` But one exciting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five specimens were found clustered in close spatial and temporal proximity of each other , which has never been seen before . ''
Why they were clustered together is yet another question without an answer , but this behavior is often associated with survival or mating opportunities , Osterhage said .
Future sightings will help determine the squid 's specific needs , she added — but for now , maybe it 's safest just to say that aliens of a feather ( or tentacle ) stick together .

It looks like an alien — head dwarfed by enormous flapping fins, body blobbing through dark water, thin blue tentacles streaming behind it in a tangle of neon spaghetti. But despite its otherworldly appearance, the elusive cephalopod known simply as the Bigfin squid (Magnapinnidae) may be more common in Earth 's deep oceans than scientists ever knew.
In the 113 years since its discovery, the Bigfin squid has been spotted in the wild only 12 times around the world. Now, a study published Wednesday (Nov. 11) in the journal PLOS ONE , adds five new sightings to the tally, all of them captured thousands of feet below the surface of the Great Australian Bight in South Australia.
Not only do the sightings mark the first time that Bigfin squid have been seen in Australian waters, but it's also the first time that five of them have been caught hanging out together in one place. The resulting footage — captured by underwater cameras trailing behind a large research vessel — provides an unprecedented look at the bizarre cephalopod's anatomy and behavior, lead study author Deborah Osterhage told Live Science.
Related: 8 crazy facts about octopuses
"I was stunned and excited when I first saw the Bigfin squid in a photo collected by our camera," Osterhage, a marine researcher with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (or CSIRO, Australia's government science agency), said in an email. "I recognized it immediately, with its distinctive large fins and extremely long and slender arms and tentacles."
Researchers sighted five Bigfin squid specimens in the waters south of Australia -- more than doubling the total number of Southern Hemisphere sightings. (Image credit: Osterhage et al. (PLOS ONE, 2020))
Scientists identified the first Bigfin squid specimen, which was caught by fishers near Portugal, in 1907. It took more than 80 years before anyone saw one in the wild, swimming 15,535 feet (4,735 meters) underwater off the coast of Brazil in 1988. The squid is distinct, with giant fins jutting off of its body like Dumbo the elephant's ears. These fins are as wide as the squid's upper body (or mantle) is long, Osterhage said, and Bigfins propel themselves through the water by flapping them like wings.
That's nothing new for cephalopods (just ask the adorably named Dumbo octopus ), but what really sets the Bigfin squid apart from its other deep-sea cousins are incredibly long, stringy tentacles. Now, researchers have a better idea of just how long and stringy they can get. In the new study, which culminates from more than 40 hours of underwater observations at depths of 3,100 to 7,900 feet (950 to 2400 m) below the surface, the team not only sighted the gaggle of Bigfins swimming through the Bight, but they even measured one of them with more accurate methods than ever before.
"We were able to measure [one specimen] with lasers — a first, as previous measurements are estimates based on nearby objects," Osterhage said. "It measured 5.9 feet (1.8 m) in length. The specimen's mantle was around 6 inches (15 centimeters), with the remaining 5.9 feet [1.8 m] made up of those long arms and tentacles."
Think, an upper body as long as a U.S. dollar bill, trailing tentacles as long as U.S. tennis champ Serena Williams. And that may even be on the small side; according to Osterhage, previous studies have estimated that Bigfin squid can grow to 22 feet (7 m) long.
Stranger still may be how the squids hold those tentacles. Unlike most cephalopods, whose tentacles hang below their bodies, the Bigfin squid's appendages jut out at perpendicular angles to their mantles before bending and curling away, making each tentacle look like an "elbow," Osterhage said.
During one of the team's sightings, a Bigfin surprised the researchers by raising one long arm above its body and holding it there — a baffling behavior never before seen in squids, the researchers wrote. The posture could have something to do with filter feeding, they speculated, but the truth is nobody knows for sure. Finding the answer to that (and many other outstanding questions about the oddball squid) will require many more encounters in the wild.
"There is much to learn about the Bigfin squid — basic questions such as what it feeds upon, how it reproduces, etc., are still unknown," Osterhage said. "But one exciting thing about our paper is that all five specimens were found clustered in close spatial and temporal proximity of each other, which has never been seen before."
Why they were clustered together is yet another question without an answer, but this behavior is often associated with survival or mating opportunities , Osterhage said. Future sightings will help determine the squid's specific needs, she added — but for now, maybe it's safest just to say that aliens of a feather (or tentacle) stick together.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-11--Ancient gold stash found in jug in Jerusalem

A thousand-year-old piggy bank has been discovered in Jerusalem .
A small jug discovered in the Israeli capital 's Jewish Quarter last month turns out to contain four gold coins — the equivalent of four month 's salary for a common laborer at the time the coins were tucked away more than 1,000 years ago .
Archaeologists discovered the hidden loot while surveying a site prior to the construction of an elevator to the Western Wall Plaza , a historic public square in Jerusalem 's Old City .
Israel Antiquities Authority ( IAA ) inspector Yevgenia Kapil found the juglet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a coffee cup .
Weeks later , excavation director David Gellman , an IAA archaeologist , upended the juglet into his hand and was shocked when a handful of coins came out with the dirt .
`` This is the first time in my career as an archaeologist that I have discovered gold , and it is tremendously exciting , '' Gellman said in a statement .
Related : In images : The largest stash of gold coins in Israel The coins were exciting not simply because they were gold , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine the age of the treasure cache .
They all dated to between the years 940 and 970 , according to the IAA .
This era was one of major political change , when the Shiite Fatimid dynasty conquered Egypt , Syria and Israel , all which had previously been under the rule of the Sunni Abbasid dynasty .
The coins represent this transition : Two were minted in the city of Ramla in central Israel during the rule of the Sunni Caliph al-Muti ' and his regional governor , Abu 'Ali al-Qasim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' l-Qasim Unujur ibn al-Ikhshid ) , who was in charge between 946 and 961 .
The other two were minted in Cairo during the reign of the Shiite ruler al-Mu'izz ( A.D. 953–975 ) and his successor , al-'Aziz ( A.D. 975–996 ) .
The coins were perfectly preserved and did n't even need to be cleaned to be identified , Robert Kool , a coin expert at IAA , said in the statement .
It 's the first time in 50 years that a gold cache from the Fatimid period has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he added .
The money might have represented someone 's entire savings , or perhaps just a fraction of a family 's wealth , depending on who stashed it away .
`` Four dinars was a considerable sum of money for most of the population , who lived under difficult conditions at the time , '' Kool said .
`` It was equal to the monthly salary of a minor official , or four months ' salary for a common laborer . ''
But others would have made far more , Kool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could earn 7,000 gold dinars a month , '' Kool said , `` and also receive additional incomes from his rural estates amounting to hundreds of thousands of gold dinars a year . ''
This finding comes after the discovery of an in Israel this past summer and a hidden trove of in the Israeli city of Yavne in January .

Not much bigger than a Starbucks cup, the juglet was well-preserved, with four gold coins inside.
A thousand-year-old piggy bank has been discovered in Jerusalem.
A small jug discovered in the Israeli capital's Jewish Quarter last month turns out to contain four gold coins — the equivalent of four month's salary for a common laborer at the time the coins were tucked away more than 1,000 years ago.
Archaeologists discovered the hidden loot while surveying a site prior to the construction of an elevator to the Western Wall Plaza, a historic public square in Jerusalem's Old City. Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) inspector Yevgenia Kapil found the juglet, a clay vessel not much bigger than a coffee cup. Weeks later, excavation director David Gellman, an IAA archaeologist, upended the juglet into his hand and was shocked when a handful of coins came out with the dirt.
"This is the first time in my career as an archaeologist that I have discovered gold, and it is tremendously exciting," Gellman said in a statement.
Related: In images: The largest stash of gold coins in Israel
The coins were exciting not simply because they were gold, but also because they made it easy to determine the age of the treasure cache. They all dated to between the years 940 and 970, according to the IAA. This era was one of major political change, when the Shiite Fatimid dynasty conquered Egypt, Syria and Israel, all which had previously been under the rule of the Sunni Abbasid dynasty.
The coins represent this transition: Two were minted in the city of Ramla in central Israel during the rule of the Sunni Caliph al-Muti' and his regional governor, Abu 'Ali al-Qasim ibn al-Ihshid Unujur (also spelled Abu'l-Qasim Unujur ibn al-Ikhshid), who was in charge between 946 and 961. The other two were minted in Cairo during the reign of the Shiite ruler al-Mu'izz (A.D. 953–975) and his successor, al-'Aziz (A.D. 975–996).
Image 1 of 5 Four gold coins dating back at least 1,050 years to the Fatimid dynasty. (Image credit: Dafna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority) Robert Kool, a coin expert at the IAA, weighs one of the gold coins found in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. (Image credit: Shai Halevi/Israel Antiquities Authority) Coin expert Robert Kool examines one of the gold coins found in the juglet. The coins were so well-preserved that they were identifiable even without cleaning. (Image credit: Shai Halevi/Israel Antiquities Authority) The coins would have represented four months' wages for a common laborer at the time. (Image credit: Dafna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority) Excavation director David Gellman with the Israel Antiquities Authority points to the spot where the gold-filled jug was found opposite the Western Wall Plaza. (Image credit: Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)
The coins were perfectly preserved and didn't even need to be cleaned to be identified, Robert Kool, a coin expert at IAA, said in the statement. It's the first time in 50 years that a gold cache from the Fatimid period has been found in Jerusalem's Old City, he added. The money might have represented someone's entire savings, or perhaps just a fraction of a family's wealth, depending on who stashed it away.
"Four dinars was a considerable sum of money for most of the population, who lived under difficult conditions at the time," Kool said. "It was equal to the monthly salary of a minor official, or four months' salary for a common laborer."
But others would have made far more, Kool said. "A senior treasury official could earn 7,000 gold dinars a month," Kool said, "and also receive additional incomes from his rural estates amounting to hundreds of thousands of gold dinars a year."
This finding comes after the discovery of an 1,100-year-old gold coin stash in Israel this past summer and a hidden trove of 1,200-year-old gold coins in the Israeli city of Yavne in January.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-11--Coronavirus vaccine could be ready for all Americans by April, Fauci says

A coronavirus vaccine could be available to the general U.S. population by April 2021 , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , told CNN Tuesday ( Nov. 10 ) .
This comes on the the heels of Pfizer 's announcement that its experimental coronavirus vaccine , developed with German drug company BioNTech , may be more than 90 % effective in preventing an infection .
While noting that this early vaccine data is n't yet published or peer-reviewed and the trial is still ongoing , public health experts reacted to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cautious optimism , Live Science reported .
And there are a handful of other experimental vaccines in late-stage trials , such as a similar one developed by Moderna ; results from these trials are expected to be released soon .
Anyone in the general public in the U.S. who wants a vaccine will likely be able to get one within the first four months of 2021 , Fauci said .
`` We 're talking probably by April , the end of April . ''
Health care workers , elderly people and those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher risk for an infection will likely receive the vaccine earlier .
`` It is likely , though the final determination has n't been made that health care providers who put themselves in harms way to take care of individuals will be of the highest priority , '' Fauci said .
Ultimately , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , are responsible for prioritizing who gets the coronavirus vaccine first , Fauci said .
They do this with the help of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicine .
However , there are a few roadblocks to vaccinating wide swaths of the U.S. public , Live Science previously reported .
Distribution remains one of the big challenges to widespread vaccination .
For example , Pfizer 's vaccine needs to be kept at extremely cold temperatures and thus likely ca n't just be distributed to every doctor 's office and pharmacy , according to the report .
But perhaps the biggest hurdle will be convincing people to get vaccinated .
`` One of the things that we were concerned about , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people in the U.S. who may not want to get a vaccine right away , Fauci told CNN .
`` It might take well into the second and third quarter to finally get people to be convinced to get vaccinated . ''
However , if people see that the vaccine is very effective , the incentive to get it will be higher , he said .
`` When you hear something is 90-95 % effective , it makes it much more likely that someone would want to get vaccinated , '' he @ @

A coronavirus vaccine could be available to the general U.S. population by April 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN Tuesday (Nov. 10).
This comes on the the heels of Pfizer's announcement that its experimental coronavirus vaccine, developed with German drug company BioNTech, may be more than 90% effective in preventing an infection.
While noting that this early vaccine data isn't yet published or peer-reviewed and the trial is still ongoing, public health experts reacted to the higher-than-expected efficacy rate with surprise and a cautious optimism, Live Science reported. And there are a handful of other experimental vaccines in late-stage trials, such as a similar one developed by Moderna; results from these trials are expected to be released soon.
Related: The most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates
Anyone in the general public in the U.S. who wants a vaccine will likely be able to get one within the first four months of 2021, Fauci said. "We're talking probably by April, the end of April."
Health care workers, elderly people and those who have underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for an infection will likely receive the vaccine earlier. "It is likely, though the final determination hasn't been made that health care providers who put themselves in harms way to take care of individuals will be of the highest priority," Fauci said.
Ultimately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are responsible for prioritizing who gets the coronavirus vaccine first, Fauci said. They do this with the help of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and some guidance from the National Academy of Medicine.
However, there are a few roadblocks to vaccinating wide swaths of the U.S. public, Live Science previously reported.
Distribution remains one of the big challenges to widespread vaccination. For example, Pfizer's vaccine needs to be kept at extremely cold temperatures and thus likely can't just be distributed to every doctor's office and pharmacy, according to the report.
But perhaps the biggest hurdle will be convincing people to get vaccinated.
"One of the things that we were concerned about," is that there are a lot of people in the U.S. who may not want to get a vaccine right away, Fauci told CNN. "It might take well into the second and third quarter to finally get people to be convinced to get vaccinated."
However, if people see that the vaccine is very effective, the incentive to get it will be higher, he said. "When you hear something is 90-95% effective, it makes it much more likely that someone would want to get vaccinated," he said.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-12--Can the EmDrive actually work for space travel?

The `` `` claims to make the impossible possible : a method of pushing spacecraft around without the need for — well , pushing .
No propulsion .
No exhaust .
Just plug it in , fire it up and you can cruise to the destination of your dreams .
But the EmDrive does n't just violate our fundamental understanding of the universe ; the experiments that claim to measure an effect have n't been replicated .
When it comes to the EmDrive , keep dreaming .
It goes by various names — the EmDrive , the Q-Drive , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — but all the incarnations of the device claim to do the same thing : bounce some radiation around inside a closed chamber , and presto-chango you can get propulsion .
This is a big deal , because all forms of ( and indeed , all forms of motion across the entire universe ) require conservation of momentum .
In order to set yourself in motion , you have to push off of something .
Your feet push off of the ground , airplanes push themselves off of the air , and rockets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an exhaust gas ) out the back end to make them go forward .
But the EmDrive does n't .
It 's just a box with microwaves inside it , bouncing around .
And supposedly it is able to move itself .
Explanations for how the EmDrive could possibly work go past the boundaries of known physics .
Perhaps it 's somehow interacting with the of space-time ( even though the quantum vacuum energy of space-time does n't allow anything to push off of it ) .
Perhaps our understanding of momentum is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other examples in our entire history of experiment ) .
Perhaps it 's some brand-new physics , heralded by the EmDrive experiments .
Let 's talk about the momentum part .
Conservation of momentum is pretty straightforward : in a closed system , you can add up the momenta of all the objects in that system .
Then they interact .
Then you add up the momenta of all the objects again .
The total momentum at the beginning must equal the total momentum at the end : momentum is conserved .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been with us for centuries ( it 's even implied by Newton 's famous second law ) , but in the early 1900s it gained a new status .
The brilliant mathematician Emmy Noether proved that conservation of momentum ( along with other conservation laws , like conservation of energy ) are a reflection of the fact that has certain symmetries .
For example , you can choose a suitable location to perform a physics experiment .
You can then pick up your physics experiment , transport it to anywhere in the universe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you account for environmental differences ( say , different air pressures or ) , your results will be identical .
This is a symmetry of nature : physics does n't care about where experiments take place .
Noether realized that this symmetry of space directly leads to conservation of momentum .
You ca n't have one without the other .
So , if the EmDrive demonstrates a violation of momentum conservation ( which it claims to do ) , then this fundamental symmetry of nature must be broken .
But almost every single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory , expresses space symmetry ( and momentum conservation ) in their base equations .
Indeed , most modern theories of physics are simply complicated restatements of momentum conservation .
To find a breaking in this symmetry would n't just be an extension of known physics — it would completely upend centuries of understanding of how the universe works .
The universe : Big Bang to now in 10 easy steps That 's certainly not impossible ( scientific revolutions have happened before ) , but it 's going to take a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the experiments so far have not been all that satisfying .
Ever since the introduction of the EmDrive concept in 2001 , every few years a group claims to have measured a net force coming from its device .
But these researchers are measuring an incredibly tiny effect : a force so small it could n't even budge a piece of paper .
This leads to significant statistical uncertainty and measurement error .
Indeed , of all the published results , none have produced a measurement beyond `` barely qualifying for publication , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , other groups have developed their own EmDrives , attempting to replicate the results , like good scientists should .
Those replication attempts either fail to measure anything at all , or found some confounding variable that can easily explain the measured meager results , like the interaction of the cabling in the device with the Earth 's magnetic field .
So that 's what we have , nearly 20 years after the initial EmDrive proposal : a bunch of experiments that have n't really delivered , and no explanation ( besides `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of physics , violating every other experiment of the past 100 years '' ) of how they could work .
Groundbreaking , physics-defying revolution in space travel or a pipe dream ?
It 's pretty clear which side Nature is on .
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 .
He contributed this article to Space.com 's Expert Voices : Opinions and Insights .
Learn more by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` EmDrive '' really work ?
on the Ask A Spaceman podcast , available on and on the Web at .
Thanks to Mitchell L. for the questions that led to this piece !
Ask your own question on Twitter using # AskASpaceman or by following Paul and .
Follow us on Twitter @ Spacedotcom or Facebook .

The " EmDrive " claims to make the impossible possible: a method of pushing spacecraft around without the need for — well, pushing. No propulsion. No exhaust. Just plug it in, fire it up and you can cruise to the destination of your dreams.
But the EmDrive doesn't just violate our fundamental understanding of the universe; the experiments that claim to measure an effect haven't been replicated. When it comes to the EmDrive, keep dreaming.
Related: Superfast spacecraft propulsion concepts (images)
Microwaves of the future
It goes by various names — the EmDrive, the Q-Drive, the RF Resonant Cavity, the Impossible Drive — but all the incarnations of the device claim to do the same thing: bounce some radiation around inside a closed chamber, and presto-chango you can get propulsion.
This is a big deal, because all forms of rocketry (and indeed, all forms of motion across the entire universe) require conservation of momentum. In order to set yourself in motion, you have to push off of something. Your feet push off of the ground, airplanes push themselves off of the air, and rockets push parts of themselves (e.g., an exhaust gas) out the back end to make them go forward.
But the EmDrive doesn't. It's just a box with microwaves inside it, bouncing around. And supposedly it is able to move itself.
Explanations for how the EmDrive could possibly work go past the boundaries of known physics. Perhaps it's somehow interacting with the quantum vacuum energy of space-time (even though the quantum vacuum energy of space-time doesn't allow anything to push off of it). Perhaps our understanding of momentum is broken (even though there are no other examples in our entire history of experiment). Perhaps it's some brand-new physics, heralded by the EmDrive experiments.
Don't play with momentum
Let's talk about the momentum part. Conservation of momentum is pretty straightforward: in a closed system, you can add up the momenta of all the objects in that system. Then they interact. Then you add up the momenta of all the objects again. The total momentum at the beginning must equal the total momentum at the end: momentum is conserved.
The idea of the conservation of momentum has been with us for centuries (it's even implied by Newton's famous second law), but in the early 1900s it gained a new status. The brilliant mathematician Emmy Noether proved that conservation of momentum (along with other conservation laws, like conservation of energy) are a reflection of the fact that our universe has certain symmetries.
For example, you can choose a suitable location to perform a physics experiment. You can then pick up your physics experiment, transport it to anywhere in the universe and repeat it. As long as you account for environmental differences (say, different air pressures or gravitational fields ), your results will be identical.
This is a symmetry of nature: physics doesn't care about where experiments take place. Noether realized that this symmetry of space directly leads to conservation of momentum. You can't have one without the other.
So, if the EmDrive demonstrates a violation of momentum conservation (which it claims to do), then this fundamental symmetry of nature must be broken.
But almost every single physical theory, from Newton's laws to quantum field theory, expresses space symmetry (and momentum conservation) in their base equations. Indeed, most modern theories of physics are simply complicated restatements of momentum conservation. To find a breaking in this symmetry wouldn't just be an extension of known physics — it would completely upend centuries of understanding of how the universe works.
The universe: Big Bang to now in 10 easy steps
The reality of experiment
That's certainly not impossible (scientific revolutions have happened before), but it's going to take a lot of convincing to make that happen.
And the experiments so far have not been all that satisfying.
Ever since the introduction of the EmDrive concept in 2001, every few years a group claims to have measured a net force coming from its device. But these researchers are measuring an incredibly tiny effect: a force so small it couldn't even budge a piece of paper. This leads to significant statistical uncertainty and measurement error.
Indeed, of all the published results, none have produced a measurement beyond "barely qualifying for publication," let alone anything significant.
Still, other groups have developed their own EmDrives, attempting to replicate the results, like good scientists should. Those replication attempts either fail to measure anything at all, or found some confounding variable that can easily explain the measured meager results, like the interaction of the cabling in the device with the Earth's magnetic field .
So that's what we have, nearly 20 years after the initial EmDrive proposal: a bunch of experiments that haven't really delivered, and no explanation (besides "let's just go ahead and break all of physics, violating every other experiment of the past 100 years") of how they could work.
Groundbreaking, physics-defying revolution in space travel or a pipe dream? It's pretty clear which side Nature is on.
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. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Opinions and Insights.
Learn more by listening to the episode "Could the "EmDrive" really work? on the Ask A Spaceman podcast, available on iTunes and on the Web at http://www.askaspaceman.com . Thanks to Mitchell L. for the questions that led to this piece! Ask your own question on Twitter using #AskASpaceman or by following Paul @PaulMattSutter and facebook.com/PaulMattSutter .
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.


livescience--2020-11-12--Earth is fighting a laser duel with the exploding Carina Nebula

Four orange laser beams blaze through the Milky Way while an angry purple nebula transfixes us with its death-stare .
Happily ( or sadly , depending on how much news you 've consumed this week ) , is not doomed ; in fact , it 's an Earthly telescope that 's launching the lasers in this epic image from the European Southern Observatory ( ESO ) .
Dubbed , this shot looks like a cosmic battle to the death , but it actually captures a clever astronomical trick that scientists use to peer across time and space .
The purple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nebula , sometimes called the nebula in honor of its most famous star system .
Eta Carinae — actually a pair of two giant stars — has been steadily exploding in a spectacular eruption of gas and dust for nearly 200 years .
Though the system is located about 7,500 from Earth , this ever-brightening explosion has rendered it one of the most luminous star systems in the Milky Way .
Related : 9 Strange Excuses for Why We Have n't Met Aliens Yet Seeing that far into space can be tricky , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ galaxy 's brightest objects through one of Earth 's mightiest telescopes ( in this case , the ESO 's Very Large Telescope , located in Chile ) .
One niggling problem : Earth 's gassy atmosphere always gets in the way , blurring and distorting the view of celestial objects .
That 's where the lasers come in .
According to the ESO , scientists fire these lasers from one of the Very Large Telescope 's component pieces to simulate distant stars .
( particles in the atmosphere cause the beams to glow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these artificial stars to measure how much the beams are being blurred by Earth 's atmosphere .
By practicing with fake stars , astronomers can more effectively calibrate the telescope to correct for atmospheric blurring when looking at real stars , galaxies and explosive objects like Eta Carinae , according to the ESO .
So , to summarize : Earth scientists are actively shooting lasers into the heart of an exploding star system — but only so they can get to know it better .
In our strange and beautiful Milky Way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do .

Four orange laser beams blaze through the Milky Way while an angry purple nebula transfixes us with its death-stare. Happily (or sadly, depending on how much news you've consumed this week), Earth is not doomed; in fact, it's an Earthly telescope that's launching the lasers in this epic image from the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
Dubbed ESO's picture of the week , this shot looks like a cosmic battle to the death, but it actually captures a clever astronomical trick that scientists use to peer across time and space. The purple star system pictured here is the Carina Nebula, sometimes called the Eta Carinae nebula in honor of its most famous star system. Eta Carinae — actually a pair of two giant stars — has been steadily exploding in a spectacular eruption of gas and dust for nearly 200 years. Though the system is located about 7,500 light-years from Earth, this ever-brightening explosion has rendered it one of the most luminous star systems in the Milky Way.
Related: 9 Strange Excuses for Why We Haven't Met Aliens Yet
The Carina Nebula sits roughly 7,500 light-years from Earth. (Image credit: ESO/G. Hüdepohl)
Seeing that far into space can be tricky, even when gazing at one of our galaxy's brightest objects through one of Earth's mightiest telescopes (in this case, the ESO's Very Large Telescope, located in Chile). One niggling problem: Earth's gassy atmosphere always gets in the way, blurring and distorting the view of celestial objects.
That's where the lasers come in. According to the ESO, scientists fire these lasers from one of the Very Large Telescope's component pieces to simulate distant stars. ( Sodium particles in the atmosphere cause the beams to glow orange.) Astronomers then focus on these artificial stars to measure how much the beams are being blurred by Earth's atmosphere. By practicing with fake stars, astronomers can more effectively calibrate the telescope to correct for atmospheric blurring when looking at real stars, galaxies and explosive objects like Eta Carinae, according to the ESO.
So, to summarize: Earth scientists are actively shooting lasers into the heart of an exploding star system — but only so they can get to know it better. In our strange and beautiful Milky Way, it's just the neighborly thing to do.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-12--Teen contracts 'hot tub lung' from indoor swimming pool

Severe breathing difficulties sent a 17-year-old in Queensland , Australia , to the emergency room with `` hot tub lung '' — inflammation caused by inhaling microbes in steam , usually contracted from hot tubs .
But the teen picked up the infection not from a hot tub , but from his family 's humid indoor swimming pool , after they started using a `` non-chlorine alternative '' to disinfect the water , doctors wrote in a case report .
In fact , all other members of the teen 's family — his parents , younger brother and grandmother — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same source ( the grandmother did not live with the family , but was a frequent visitor ) .
The mother and 14-year-old brother experienced episodes of labored breathing , and all family members had persistent coughs that first appeared three months earlier , the doctors reported .
Ten days before the teen was admitted to the emergency room , he had undergone ankle reconstruction surgery .
After returning home several days later , he spent most of his time in the family 's media room , adjacent to their indoor pool .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trouble , he developed shortness of breath that quickly worsened , accompanied by a cough and low-grade fevers , according to the report , published online today ( Nov. 11 ) in the journal .
Hot tub lung ( HTL ) is a disease caused by inhaling aerosolized mycobacteria , a microbial genus that includes the pathogens responsible for ( Mycobacterium leprae ) and ( Mycobacterium tuberculosis ) .
Most cases of HTL are caused by steam inhalation of non-tubercular mycobacterium such as Mycobacterium avium , another team of researchers reported in 2013 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient 's lung tissue revealed the mycobacteria species Mycobacterium intracellulare .
Samples of the pool water also contained Mycobacterium intracellulare , as well as Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium marinum .
No other water samples from the family 's home contained these mycobacteria species , according to the report .
`` Further questioning identified that the family ’ s indoor swimming pool had recently transitioned from chlorine-based sanitation to a non-chlorine based ( Perox and hybrid ozone ) infiltration system , '' the study authors wrote .
This alternative method for disinfecting pools combines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made of three oxygen atoms per molecule — to increase oxygen levels in water , according to , a company that produces a version of the chlorine-free system .
`` Commercial cleaning of the property and disinfection of the pool was undertaken as per the local health authority 's 'Responding to Unsatisfactory Water Sample Results Procedure , ' '' the doctors said .
During a follow-up medical visit for the family two years later , tests showed that their respiratory symptoms were gone ; however , their lungs still showed mild reduction in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In some cases , lung damage from hot tub lung can be permanent , but when patients are otherwise healthy `` long-term outcomes are favorable , '' according to the report .

Severe breathing difficulties sent a 17-year-old in Queensland, Australia, to the emergency room with "hot tub lung" — inflammation caused by inhaling microbes in steam, usually contracted from hot tubs.
But the teen picked up the lung infection not from a hot tub, but from his family's humid indoor swimming pool, after they started using a "non-chlorine alternative" to disinfect the water, doctors wrote in a case report.
In fact, all other members of the teen's family — his parents, younger brother and grandmother — described respiratory problems that doctors traced to the same source (the grandmother did not live with the family, but was a frequent visitor). The mother and 14-year-old brother experienced episodes of labored breathing, and all family members had persistent coughs that first appeared three months earlier, the doctors reported.
Related: 5 weird ways hot tubs can make you sick
Ten days before the teen was admitted to the emergency room, he had undergone ankle reconstruction surgery. After returning home several days later, he spent most of his time in the family's media room, adjacent to their indoor pool. Though he had no history of breathing trouble, he developed shortness of breath that quickly worsened, accompanied by a cough and low-grade fevers, according to the report, published online today (Nov. 11) in the journal Respirology Case Reports .
Hot tub lung (HTL) is a disease caused by inhaling aerosolized mycobacteria, a microbial genus that includes the pathogens responsible for leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae) and tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Most cases of HTL are caused by steam inhalation of non-tubercular mycobacterium such as Mycobacterium avium, another team of researchers reported in 2013 in the journal European Respiratory Review .
Analysis of the patient's lung tissue revealed the mycobacteria species Mycobacterium intracellulare. Samples of the pool water also contained Mycobacterium intracellulare, as well as Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium marinum. No other water samples from the family's home contained these mycobacteria species, according to the report.
"Further questioning identified that the family’s indoor swimming pool had recently transitioned from chlorine-based sanitation to a non-chlorine based (Perox and hybrid ozone) infiltration system," the study authors wrote. This alternative method for disinfecting pools combines hydrogen peroxide with ozone — a gas made of three oxygen atoms per molecule — to increase oxygen levels in water, according to Hydroxypure , a company that produces a version of the chlorine-free system.
"Commercial cleaning of the property and disinfection of the pool was undertaken as per the local health authority's 'Responding to Unsatisfactory Water Sample Results Procedure,'" the doctors said.
During a follow-up medical visit for the family two years later, tests showed that their respiratory symptoms were gone; however, their lungs still showed mild reduction in their ability to process carbon monoxide. In some cases, lung damage from hot tub lung can be permanent, but when patients are otherwise healthy "long-term outcomes are favorable," according to the report.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-12--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

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90-year-old woman in the UK receives first dose of Pfizer vaccine, FDA review confirms vaccine is safe and effective A 90-year-old woman (who will turn 91 next week) became the first in the world to be given Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials, according to the BBC. Margaret Keenan, who is originally from Northern Ireland, was given the vaccine at the University Hospital in Coventry, England. She received the first of 800,000 doses expected to be administered in the U.K. in the coming weeks, according to the BBC. "I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," Keenan said, according to the BBC."It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year." "My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too," she added. Up to four million doses of Pfizer's vaccine is expected to be given to people in the U.K. by the end of the month. Meanwhile, a 53-page Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review published Tuesday (Dec. 8) confirmed that Pfizer's vaccine is safe and effective, according to The Washington Post.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine starts to work just 10 days after 1st dose Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine starts to protect people from the novel coronavirus just 10 days after the first dose, according to new documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The documents were released on Tuesday (Dec. 8), two days before a meeting of the FDA's vaccine advisory panel, which will vote on whether to recommend authorization of the vaccine in the U.S, Live Science reported . The FDA analyzed data from Pfizer's phase 3 clinical trial, which included some 44,000 people in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Turkey, about half of whom received the vaccine while the other half received a placebo. Both groups received two shots, 21 days apart. About 10 days after the first dose, there was a noticeable drop-off in new COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group compared with the placebo group, indicating that even one dose provides some protection, the report said. However, scientists don't know how long the protection from a single dose will last, so it will still be important for people to receive two shots, according to The New York Times . Overall, the vaccine was 52% effective after the first dose and 95% effective after the second dose, the report said.
People with significant allergies should avoid Pfizer vaccine, UK warns The U.K.'s Regulatory Agency is advising people with a history of "significant" allergic reactions to avoid Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, after two National Health Service members developed severe allergic reactions to it on Tuesday (Dec. 8), Live Science reported. "As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday," Stephen Powis, the national medical director for England's National Health Service said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 9). Both workers have a history of severe allergies and carry adrenaline auto injectors (such as EpiPens) around with them, according to The Guardian. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, both NHS workers developed anaphylaxis-like symptoms, or severe allergic reactions, but have recovered after receiving treatment. The MHRA will investigate further and Pfizer and BioNTech will support their investigation, according to Reuters. "Allergic reaction occurs with quite a number of vaccines, and perhaps even more frequently with drugs. So it is not unexpected," Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said in remarks to journalists published by Britain's Science Media Center. “What would be wise, as the MHRA have already advised, would be for anyone who has known severe allergic reaction such that they need to carry an EpiPen, to delay having a vaccination until the reason for the allergic reaction has been clarified," he said. For the general population this does not mean that they would need to be anxious about receiving the vaccination, he added. "One has to remember that even things like marmite [a quintessential British food spread] can cause unexpected severe allergic reactions.”
Canada approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine Canada has authorized Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine, with the first doses expected to be administered there as early as next week. Health Canada, the country's health regulatory agency, said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 9) that it had determined that the vaccine "meets the Department's stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada," according to CTV News . "We expect vaccines to arrive maybe as early as Monday [Dec. 14]. It takes time to prepare the vaccine," said Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the top military general leading the vaccine rollout for the Public Health Agency of Canada, according to CTV News. The first doses could be administered by the middle of next week, he said. Canada is the third country in the world to authorize the Pfizer vaccine, following the United Kingdom and Bahrain. The country should receive up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of December, and has purchased 20 million doses total, with the option to purchase more, CTV News reported.
Daily COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. reaches record-high, surpassed 9/11 On Wednesday (Dec. 9), the U.S. recorded 3,124 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily death toll to date, according to CNN . In comparison, 2,977 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. has now recorded 280,488 deaths related to the virus, according to The COVID Tracking Project . A forecast from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the total death toll can increase to between 332,000 and 362,000 by January 2, according to CNN. There are currently 106,671 people hospitalized with the virus in the U.S.; 20,903 of them are currently in the ICU and 7,621 are currently on a ventilator, according to the COVID Tracking Project. On Thursday (Dec. 10), the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is set to meet to discuss an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
FDA panel recommends authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine A panel of experts for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that the agency authorize Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. On Thursday (Dec. 10), the panel voted 17 to 4 to recommend that the vaccine receive emergency use authorization (EUA) for people ages 16 and older, according to The New York Times . The FDA typically follows the advice of its panels, and so today's vote is an important step towards the vaccine's authorization. It is anticipated that the agency will officially authorize the vaccine on Saturday (Dec. 12), the Times reported. Several countries have already authorized Pfizer's vaccine, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Bahrain.
Vaccine approval could come this weekend, as U.S. continues to record high daily death tolls On Thursday (Dec. 10), the U.S. recorded another 2,902 COVID-19 deaths, a day after the country set a record of 3,253 deaths, according to Reuters . “Probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we’re going to have more deaths per day than we had on 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, according to Reuters. "The reality is the vaccine approval this week is not going to really impact that, I think, to any degree for the next 60 days." On Thursday, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee discussed, voted and recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved in the U.K. and in Canada, and FDA approval for use in the U.S. could come this weekend.
Australia abandons local COVID-19 vaccine after it caused false-positive HIV tests An Australian COVID-19 vaccine that had shown promising results in early trials is being abandoned after researchers found that the shot caused false-positive results on HIV tests. On Friday (Dec. 11), Australian officials said they had canceled an order for some 51 million doses of the vaccine, which was being developed by The University of Queensland and CSL Ltd., a local biotech company, according to The New York Times . In an early trial with 216 participants, the vaccine appeared to be safe and to produce a robust immune response against COVID-19, according to a statement from CSL . But some volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV, which officials feared would undermine trust in the vaccine, the Times reported. The vaccine contained small fragments of an HIV protein, which helped stabilize the vaccine. Some of the participants developed antibodies against these fragments, and these antibodies triggered false positive results on some HIV tests. It's important to note that there is no way for the vaccine to cause an HIV infection, because it contains harmless fragments of the virus.
ICU nurse in New York becomes first person in the US to receive a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials New York, the worst-hit state at the start of the pandemic, just became the first to administer a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials, kicking off a long, massive effort to vaccinate the American people, Live Science reported. Around 9 a.m. E.T. on Monday (Dec. 14), the very first dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine was given to Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse in Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, according to The New York Times. This comes as the U.S. continues to battle a massive wave of the virus that has more than 109,000 people currently hospitalized, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Since the start of the pandemic, New York has recorded more than 780,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 35,100 deaths, according to The Times. "This vaccine is exciting because I believe this is the weapon that will end the war," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a live broadcast of the first vaccination. "It's the beginning of the last chapter of the book, but now we just have to do it."
FDA analysis confirms Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective, emergency authorization is likely to come Friday A new briefing document from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released on Tuesday (Dec. 15) confirmed that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, according to NPR . Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is 94% effective and has "a favorable safety profile," according to the document. A panel of experts is set to meet on Thursday (Dec. 17) to discuss the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and vote on whether or not the FDA should grant emergency approval to the vaccine. Last week, the same panel voted that the FDA should grant emergency approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine; the authorization came a day late and the first doses were given on Monday (Dec. 15). The FDA will likely approve Moderna's vaccine for emergency use on Friday (Dec. 18), according to The New York Times .
FDA authorizes first over-the-counter COVID-19 test The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first over-the-counter COVID-19 test, which can be done at home and does not need a prescription. The test, made by the Australia-based company Ellume, provides results in as little as 20 minutes, according to a statement from the FDA . It is a "lateral flow antigen test," meaning it works in a similar way to a home pregnancy test, by running a "liquid sample along a surface with reactive molecules," the FDA said. The test works in conjunction with a smartphone app. Users take a nasal swab and place their sample in an analyzer, which communicates to the smartphone app via Bluetooth. The results are delivered through the app, and also reported to public health authorities (based on a user's zip code) through a secure cloud connection, the company said . Ellume is ramping up production of its test, and expects to produce three million tests in January 2021, and 20 million within the first half of 2021.
A wild mink tested positive for the coronavirus, it may be the first wild animal to have a confirmed case A wild mink in Utah may be the first "free-ranging, native wild animal" confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Live Science reported. The mink was found near a mink farm and likely picked up the infection from the farmed mink. There's no evidence that the virus spread to other minks or wild animals; but if the virus does begin circulating in wild animals, it could pick up mutations that COVID-19 vaccines may not protect well against if it spreads back to humans, according to the report. "If it does [establish a reservoir], then we've got a long-term issue here, where this virus has the potential to be with us for millennia," Sarah Olson, associate director of the health program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told Vox. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has screened other animal species for the virus near mink farms in Utah, Michigan and Wisconsin, but all of them have tested negative so far, according to a statement.
An FDA advisory panel will meet today to vote on whether to recommend Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval On Thursday (Dec. 17), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will meet to determine whether to recommend that Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval, according to The New York Times . This panel, composed of independent experts, will vote on whether to recommend the vaccine after hearing from the company, FDA scientists and the public, according to The Times. Last week, the same panel of experts met to discuss Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine and voted to recommend emergency authorization; the authorization came the next day. There have now been more than 16.9 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 307,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard . There are currently 113,090 people hospitalized across the country with more than 21,900 of them in the ICU and 7,778 on a ventilator, according to The COVID Tracking Project .
California becomes new epicenter of COVID-19 in U.S. California, once praised for its early pandemic response, is now the new U.S. hotspot for COVID-19 infections. The state has reported an alarming surge in cases, breaking previous records for daily cases. On Thursday (Dec. 17), the state reported some 50,000 COVID-19 infections in 24 hours, and nearly 100,000 in 48 hours, according to The Washington Post . That's more than the daily cases reported in many countries, including India, Germany and Britain, the Post reported. The state also set a record for daily deaths on Thursday, with 379 fatalities reported, up from the previous high of 293. Capacity in intensive care units has also dropped dramatically, with hospitals in Southern California reporting zero percent capacity on Thursday. "I want to be very clear: Our hospitals are under siege, and our model shows no end in sight," said Christina Ghaly, director of Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services, the Post reported.
FDA expected to authorize Moderna's vaccine on Friday The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday (Dec. 18). Once authorized, it will be the second coronavirus vaccine to get the green light from the agency in just a week, with Pfizer's vaccine gaining authorization on Dec. 11. Moderna is expected to begin shipping 5.9 million doses of its vaccine on Sunday (Dec. 20), with the first deliveries arriving Monday (Dec. 21), according to The New York Times . Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna's vaccine does not require storage in extremely cold temperatures, and states are hoping to distribute the vaccine to rural hospitals and community health centers, the Times reported.
COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the U.S. There have now been more than 17 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 300,000 deaths, according to The COVID Tracking Project . There are currently 114,237 people hospitalized across the country and 21,900 people in the ICU. California is facing a massive surge in cases; the state reported 41,012 new COVID-19 cases and 300 new deaths on Thursday (Dec. 17), according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard . By comparison, at the start of November, California was reporting a seven-day average of 4,183 cases, compared to an average of 38,774 on Thursday, according to CNN . "We're experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health Director said, according to CNN. Intensive care unit beds are rapidly filling up across the state; there are only 1,234 ICU beds left available in California, according to the dashboard. Current closures across California are impacting around 98% of the state's population, according to CNN.
London and southeast England are under an emergency lockdown Following concerns of a new version of the coronavirus that might be more transmissible, London and most of southeast England are now under an emergency lockdown, according to The New York Times . Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown on Saturday (Dec. 19) citing concerns that the mutated virus — which was detected a couple of weeks ago in southeast England — may be as much as 70% more transmissible than previous versions, according to the Times. The new version of the coronavirus is detected in more than 60% of new infections in London and have also been detected in several other countries, according to the Times. But it's not yet clear if this coronavirus version is any more infectious than the last and thorough analyses will need to be conducted before conclusions are made, scientists cautioned. In South Africa, a similar version of the virus has been found in up to 90% of new cases detected since mid-November, according to The Times . It's common for viruses to mutate, and this particular coronavirus has mutated many times since the start of the pandemic. But experts told The Times that it would take years for the virus to mutate enough such that it would make the current vaccines developed to fight COVID-19 ineffective.
Biden gets Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine President-elect Joe Biden received a dose of Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine on Monday (Dec. 21), according to The New York Times . He received the shot on camera at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. "I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it's available to take the vaccine. There's nothing to worry about," Biden said.
Antarctica has its 1st COVID-19 outbreak The first COVID-19 cases have been reported in Antarctica , meaning the disease has now spread to every continent in the world. On Tuesday (Dec. 22), Chilean officials reported an outbreak of 36 COVID-19 cases at the Chilean research base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme on the Antarctic Peninsula, according to the BBC . Of these, 26 cases were military personnel and 10 were maintenance workers, the BBC reported. All of these cases have been evacuated from Antarctica to Punta Arenas, Chile, according to The Guardian . Antarctica had been COVID-19 free up until the current outbreak. The continent has no permanent residents, but about 1,000 people, including scientists and other workers, stayed there this past winter, The Guardian reported.
Live updates will continue in 2021!


livescience--2020-11-12--Birth of magnetar seen for the first time

Two neutron stars slammed together far away from .
The energy of their collision lit up their corner of the sky with a brief flash of , followed by a softer , longer-lasting glow across the spectrum .
Peering into that fading light , researchers spotted an unusual signal — the first-ever recorded signature , they believe , of a newborn cosmic behemoth , a magnetar .
A magnetar is a neutron star with an unusually strong magnetic field .
Astronomers have spotted magnetars elsewhere in the universe , but they 've never before seen one being born .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spotted a newborn magnetar because of an unusual pattern of flashing light .
First , there was a short , ultrabright burst of gamma radiation ( GRB ) .
Then there was a longer-lasting , glowing `` kilonova , '' a telltale sign of neutron stars colliding .
And that glow was much brighter than usual , suggesting a phenomenon astronomers had never seen before .
To detect neutron star collisions , scientists look for both short GRBs and longer-lasting light sources from the collision .
Related : 8 ways you can see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life Under normal circumstances , said Wen-fai Fong , a Northwestern University astrophysicist who led the research , the glow left over from a neutron star collision has two parts : There 's short-lived `` afterglow , '' which last for a couple days and results from material speeding away from the collision and slamming at high velocity into the dust and gas between stars .
And then there 's the `` kilonova '' glow of stirred-up particles swirling around the collision site .
The recent event , called GRB 200522A , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different .
Scientists know from their models and previous observations how bright a kilonova should look .
GRB 200522A was much brighter , particularly in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum .
`` I can count on my hands the number of kilonovas that have been discovered from short gamma-ray bursts , '' Fong told Live Science .
`` But this was 10 times brighter than any of those . ''
To explain why the kilonova was so bright , the researchers needed to figure out what new ingredient was present in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We settled on a very large magnetar , '' Fong said .
Like a whirling figure skater bringing their arms close to their body , the two orbiting neutron stars combined to form a faster-spinning magnetar .
Its powerful magnetic fields acted like the blades of a blender , stirring up the already-energized kilonova particles , making them glow even brighter .
There are other explanations , too , the researchers said .
One possibility is a `` reverse shock . ''
Two waves of the fast-moving particles from the afterglow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If conditions were just right , that crash might mimic a newborn magnetar .
Similarly , some unexpected , decaying radioactive particles in the kilonova might have made GRB 200522A glow brighter .
But Fong said both of these scenarios are unlikely .
Assuming it is a magnetar , Fong said , future observations should reveal emissions from the distant site .
And one day , the James Webb Space Telescope , not yet launched , should be able to peer further into short GRB sites , revealing still-unseen details of these collisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues ' work was published today ( Nov. 12 ) in The Astrophysical Journal .

A Hubble Space Telescope image shows the part of the sky where the unusual light pattern came from, indicating the birth of a magnetar.
Two neutron stars slammed together far away from Earth . The energy of their collision lit up their corner of the sky with a brief flash of gamma radiation , followed by a softer, longer-lasting glow across the electromagnetic spectrum. Peering into that fading light, researchers spotted an unusual infrared signal — the first-ever recorded signature, they believe, of a newborn cosmic behemoth, a magnetar.
A magnetar is a neutron star with an unusually strong magnetic field. Astronomers have spotted magnetars elsewhere in the universe, but they've never before seen one being born. This time, researchers suspected they’d spotted a newborn magnetar because of an unusual pattern of flashing light. First, there was a short, ultrabright burst of gamma radiation (GRB). Then there was a longer-lasting, glowing "kilonova," a telltale sign of neutron stars colliding. And that glow was much brighter than usual, suggesting a phenomenon astronomers had never seen before.
To detect neutron star collisions, scientists look for both short GRBs and longer-lasting light sources from the collision.
Related: 8 ways you can see Einstein's theory of relativity in real life
Under normal circumstances, said Wen-fai Fong, a Northwestern University astrophysicist who led the research, the glow left over from a neutron star collision has two parts: There's short-lived "afterglow," which last for a couple days and results from material speeding away from the collision and slamming at high velocity into the dust and gas between stars. And then there's the "kilonova" glow of stirred-up particles swirling around the collision site.
The recent event, called GRB 200522A, had a visible kilonova, but something was different.
Scientists know from their models and previous observations how bright a kilonova should look. GRB 200522A was much brighter, particularly in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
"I can count on my hands the number of kilonovas that have been discovered from short gamma-ray bursts," Fong told Live Science. "But this was 10 times brighter than any of those."
To explain why the kilonova was so bright, the researchers needed to figure out what new ingredient was present in the aftermath of the neutron star collision.
"We settled on a very large magnetar," Fong said.
Like a whirling figure skater bringing their arms close to their body, the two orbiting neutron stars combined to form a faster-spinning magnetar. Its powerful magnetic fields acted like the blades of a blender, stirring up the already-energized kilonova particles, making them glow even brighter.
There are other explanations, too, the researchers said.
One possibility is a "reverse shock." Two waves of the fast-moving particles from the afterglow might have slammed into each other. If conditions were just right, that crash might mimic a newborn magnetar. Similarly, some unexpected, decaying radioactive particles in the kilonova might have made GRB 200522A glow brighter. But Fong said both of these scenarios are unlikely.
Assuming it is a magnetar, Fong said, future observations should reveal radio emissions from the distant site. And one day, the James Webb Space Telescope, not yet launched, should be able to peer further into short GRB sites, revealing still-unseen details of these collisions.
The paper describing Fong and her colleagues' work was published today (Nov. 12) in The Astrophysical Journal.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-12--31,000-year-old burial holds world's oldest known identical twins

An ancient grave in Austria may represent the oldest burial of twins on record , a new study finds .
The 31,000-year-old burial dates to the Upper Paleolithic ( a period lasting from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago ) , also known as the Old Stone Age .
One of the infants died shortly after childbirth , while his twin brother lived for about 50 days , or just over 7 weeks , according to analyses of both babies .
A third infant , a 3-month-old , interred in a burial about 5 feet ( 1.5 meters ) away is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research , published online Nov. 6 in the journal .
Related : Photos : 2 paleolithic boys were buried with fox teeth and spears Researchers found the twins ' oval-shaped burial at the archaeological site of Krems-Wachtberg , on the bank of the Danube River by the town center of Krems in 2005 .
The twin infants ' remains were covered with , a red pigment often used in ancient burials across the world .
The double burial also contained 53 beads made out of ivory that were likely once threaded on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three perforated mollusks , which were possibly necklace pendants , the researchers said .
A mammoth shoulder blade placed over the burial protected the small bodies interred beneath it over the millennia .
The nearby burial of the other infant also contained ochre , as well as a 3-inch-long ( 8 centimeters ) mammoth-ivory pin , which may have fastened a leather garment together at the time of burial , the researchers said .
The finding made headlines shortly after its discovery , and researchers even created a replica of the twins ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Natural History Museum Vienna in 2013 .
However , scientists still had much to learn about the ancient burial .
So , in the new project , an interdisciplinary group of researchers teamed up to decipher the relationship between these three infants and to determine their sex and age at death .
The study is the first on record to use ancient to confirm twins in the archaeological record , the researchers said .
And not just any twins , but .
This is the `` earliest proof of a twin birth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an associate professor in the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna , ( translated from German with Google Translate ) .
Researchers do n't know how common twin births were during the Upper Paleolithic ( the rate fluctuates by region and time ) , but today , twins ( both identical and fraternal ) happen in about one in 85 births , while identical twins are born in about one in 250 births .
`` To discover a multiple burial from the Paleolithic period is a specialty in itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a biologist at the Natural History Museum Vienna , said in the statement .
`` The fact that sufficient and high-quality old DNA could be extracted from the fragile child 's remains for a genome analysis exceeded all of our expectations and can be compared to a lottery ticket . ''
A genetic analysis of the third infant revealed that he was a third-degree male relative , likely a cousin , the researchers found .
Related : Back to the Stone Age : 17 key milestones in Paleolithic life To determine at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers looked at each baby 's top second incisor .
The team paid special attention to the so-called `` newborn line , '' a dark line in the tooth enamel that separates the enamel formed prenatally from that formed after birth , Teschler-Nicola said .
Those newborn lines , as well the infants ' skeletal development , suggested the twins were either full , or nearly full-term , babies .
It appears that the infants ' hunter-gatherer group buried the first twin , then reopened the grave when they buried his brother .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopening a grave for the purpose of reburial , which had never been documented before in a Paleolithic burial , the researchers said .
The team also analyzed chemical elements , including isotopes of , and barium , in the tooth enamel , revealing that each of the twins was breastfed .
Even though the twins ' cousin survived for three months , `` stress lines '' in his teeth suggest that he had feeding difficulties , perhaps because his mother had a painful breast infection known as mastitis , or maybe because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's unknown exactly why these infants died , but the deaths of these twins and their cousin were likely painful events for this Paleolithic hunter-gatherer group , who set up camp and buried their babies by the Danube so long ago .
`` The babies were obviously of particular importance to the group and highly respected and esteemed , '' Teschler-Nicola told Live Science .
The extraordinary burials `` seems to imply that the death of the babies was a great loss for the community and their survival . ''

An ancient grave in Austria may represent the oldest burial of twins on record, a new study finds.
The 31,000-year-old burial dates to the Upper Paleolithic (a period lasting from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago), also known as the Old Stone Age. One of the infants died shortly after childbirth, while his twin brother lived for about 50 days, or just over 7 weeks, according to analyses of both babies.
A third infant, a 3-month-old, interred in a burial about 5 feet (1.5 meters) away is likely their cousin, according to the research, published online Nov. 6 in the journal Communications Biology .
Related: Photos: 2 paleolithic boys were buried with fox teeth and spears
Researchers found the twins' oval-shaped burial at the archaeological site of Krems-Wachtberg, on the bank of the Danube River by the town center of Krems in 2005. The twin infants' remains were covered with ochre , a red pigment often used in ancient burials across the world. The double burial also contained 53 beads made out of mammoth ivory that were likely once threaded on a necklace, and a perforated fox incisor and three perforated mollusks, which were possibly necklace pendants, the researchers said. A mammoth shoulder blade placed over the burial protected the small bodies interred beneath it over the millennia.
The nearby burial of the other infant also contained ochre, as well as a 3-inch-long (8 centimeters) mammoth-ivory pin, which may have fastened a leather garment together at the time of burial, the researchers said.
The finding made headlines shortly after its discovery, and researchers even created a replica of the twins' burial, which went on display at the Natural History Museum Vienna in 2013. However, scientists still had much to learn about the ancient burial. So, in the new project, an interdisciplinary group of researchers teamed up to decipher the relationship between these three infants and to determine their sex and age at death.
Image 1 of 2 Grave goods in the twins' burial included mammoth-ivory beads (top and bottom left), a perforated fox incisor (far right) and three perforated mollusks (second to right). (Image credit: OREA ÖAW) Researchers excavate the double burial in Krems am Wachtberg. (Image credit: OREA ÖAW)
The study is the first on record to use ancient DNA to confirm twins in the archaeological record, the researchers said. And not just any twins, but identical twins .
This is the "earliest proof of a twin birth," study senior researcher Ron Pinhasi, an associate professor in the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna, said in a statement (translated from German with Google Translate). Researchers don't know how common twin births were during the Upper Paleolithic (the rate fluctuates by region and time), but today, twins (both identical and fraternal) happen in about one in 85 births, while identical twins are born in about one in 250 births.
"To discover a multiple burial from the Paleolithic period is a specialty in itself," study lead researcher Maria Teschler-Nicola, a biologist at the Natural History Museum Vienna, said in the statement. "The fact that sufficient and high-quality old DNA could be extracted from the fragile child's skeletal remains for a genome analysis exceeded all of our expectations and can be compared to a lottery ticket."
A genetic analysis of the third infant revealed that he was a third-degree male relative, likely a cousin, the researchers found.
Related: Back to the Stone Age: 17 key milestones in Paleolithic life
Image 1 of 2 The twins' bodies were covered with the red pigment ochre. (Image credit: OREA ÖAW) A replica of the double burial on display at Natural History Museum Vienna. (Image credit: Kurt Kracher/© NHM Vienna)
To determine at what age the babies died, the researchers looked at each baby's top second incisor. The team paid special attention to the so-called "newborn line," a dark line in the tooth enamel that separates the enamel formed prenatally from that formed after birth, Teschler-Nicola said.
Those newborn lines, as well the infants' skeletal development, suggested the twins were either full, or nearly full-term, babies. It appears that the infants' hunter-gatherer group buried the first twin, then reopened the grave when they buried his brother.
This finding confirms the cultural-historical practice of reopening a grave for the purpose of reburial, which had never been documented before in a Paleolithic burial, the researchers said.
The team also analyzed chemical elements, including isotopes of carbon , nitrogen and barium, in the tooth enamel, revealing that each of the twins was breastfed. Even though the twins' cousin survived for three months, "stress lines" in his teeth suggest that he had feeding difficulties, perhaps because his mother had a painful breast infection known as mastitis, or maybe because she didn't survive the birth.
It's unknown exactly why these infants died, but the deaths of these twins and their cousin were likely painful events for this Paleolithic hunter-gatherer group, who set up camp and buried their babies by the Danube so long ago. "The babies were obviously of particular importance to the group and highly respected and esteemed," Teschler-Nicola told Live Science. The extraordinary burials "seems to imply that the death of the babies was a great loss for the community and their survival."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-12--Botched restoration leaves Spanish statue looking like a confused potato head

Is it ... a statue that 's melted in the heat ?
Forky from `` Toy Story 4 ? ''
A clay figure crafted by a preschooler ?
President Donald Trump ?
In yet another extraordinary restoration-gone-awry , a 20th-century Spanish statue of a smiling woman next to a flock of livestock has turned into a slightly confused-looking lump with large holes for eyes , a button nose and a grimacing mouth .
The once-elegant statue , first unveiled in 1923 , is sculpted on the front of a bank in the northern city of Palencia , according to The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likened the restored statue to a `` potato '' and President Donald Trump , according to The Art Newspaper .
“ It looks like the head of a cartoon character , '' Antonio Guzmán Capel , an artist who first pointed out the botched restoration , said in a Facebook post .
`` I 'm sure whoever did it got paid for it , '' Capel said .
`` But the bigger crime was committed by the person who commissioned it and then tried to carry on as though nothing was wrong .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a long line of botched restoration efforts in Spain .
In 2012 , an 81-year-old church member repainted a 19th-century fresco of Jesus that ended up looking like a monkey and earned the nickname `` Monkey Christ , '' according to NPR .
In 2018 , an amateur restorer painted a 15th-century Spanish wooden statue of the Virgin Mary , Saint Anne and the infant Jesus in neon colors , according to NPR .
Early this year , a furniture restorer turned a copy of a famous `` immaculate conception '' painting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bartolomé Esteban Murillo into a smudged , unrecognizable mess , Live Science previously reported .
Conservation experts continue to call for stricter regulations to restorations .
This is `` NOT professional restoration , '' Spain 's Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators wrote on Twitter .
`` Restoring is not repairing , serious interventions must follow criteria , which are internationally approved , as well as those applied by the IPCE [ the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute ] , and other accredited entities that exist in Spain , '' the Valencia-based conservator Illanos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Art Newspaper reported .

Is it ... a statue that's melted in the heat? Forky from "Toy Story 4?" A clay figure crafted by a preschooler? President Donald Trump?
In yet another extraordinary restoration-gone-awry, a 20th-century Spanish statue of a smiling woman next to a flock of livestock has turned into a slightly confused-looking lump with large holes for eyes, a button nose and a grimacing mouth.
The once-elegant statue, first unveiled in 1923, is sculpted on the front of a bank in the northern city of Palencia, according to The Art Newspaper. Now, people have likened the restored statue to a "potato" and President Donald Trump, according to The Art Newspaper.
“It looks like the head of a cartoon character," Antonio Guzmán Capel, an artist who first pointed out the botched restoration, said in a Facebook post. "I'm sure whoever did it got paid for it," Capel said. "But the bigger crime was committed by the person who commissioned it and then tried to carry on as though nothing was wrong."
Related: In photos: The world's oldest cave art
This statue is just one in a long line of botched restoration efforts in Spain. In 2012, an 81-year-old church member repainted a 19th-century fresco of Jesus that ended up looking like a monkey and earned the nickname "Monkey Christ," according to NPR.
In 2018, an amateur restorer painted a 15th-century Spanish wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, Saint Anne and the infant Jesus in neon colors, according to NPR. Early this year, a furniture restorer turned a copy of a famous "immaculate conception" painting of the Virgin Mary by 17th-century Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo into a smudged, unrecognizable mess, Live Science previously reported.
Conservation experts continue to call for stricter regulations to restorations. This is "NOT professional restoration," Spain's Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators wrote on Twitter.
"Restoring is not repairing, serious interventions must follow criteria, which are internationally approved, as well as those applied by the IPCE [the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute], and other accredited entities that exist in Spain," the Valencia-based conservator Illanos Argudo, wrote on Twitter, The Art Newspaper reported.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-13--Mushroom hunter unearths gorgeous Bronze Age sword

A man searching for mushrooms in a forest in the Czech Republic found much more than he was looking for when he uncovered an ancient sword and bronze axe , both thought to date from around 3,300 years ago .
Roman Novák was `` mushrooming '' in spring on a forested hillside near his home in the eastern Jesenicko region soon after it had rained , according to .
Searching for edible mushrooms is a popular pastime in rural areas of the Czech Republic , and the fruiting body — the part of the known as a mushroom — quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the organism stays buried .
Perhaps because he was looking at the ground , `` I saw a piece of metal sticking out of some stones , '' Novák told RPI .
`` I kicked it and found that it was a blade , part of a sword .
I then dug some more to find a bronze axe . ''
Related : The 25 most mysterious archaeological finds on Earth Novák reported his find to archaeologists , and a formal excavation of the site is now planned by a team from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opava .
The ancient sword is especially striking in appearance : Its pommel and hilt are intricately decorated with engraved circles and rows of crescent-shaped marks , and although the blade is broken near the hilt it is otherwise complete .
`` At the moment , we are thoroughly traversing the site and looking for other possible finds , '' archaeologist Jiří Juchelka from the Silesian Museum told Live Science in an email .
The site was well away from contemporary towns and known prehistoric settlements , he said , in an `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finds had been reported .
Juchelka and his colleagues have completed several analyses of the artifacts , including tests of its chemical make-up and scans to reveal internal structures .
They 've established that the ornately decorated bronze sword was crafted during the Bronze Age in northern Europe — and appears most similar to `` Vasby '' swords , named after a town in Sweden where an early example was found .
The types of metals used in the sword indicate it was probably made outside the region where it was found , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local production , he said .
Juchelka told Radio Prague International that the sword would have been an expensive item at the time , when the Urnfield culture was just emerging in central Europe — a Bronze-Age culture so-called because of the practice of burying the dead in urns in fields .
X-rays showed air bubbles throughout the sword , likely the result of how it was crafted — the most common sword-making technique at the time involved pouring molten bronze into a mold , rather than the later practice of hammering red-hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also explain why the sword was n't especially strong , the researchers said .
Juchelka said the sword may have been used for ceremonies , rather than in combat ; the archaeologists , however , are n't sure how the sword and axe ended up together in the Czech forest .
`` The finds may be related to a religious theme , [ or ] they may be part of a bronze treasure , '' he said .
`` It is not easy to say , based on what we know . ''

The cast-bronze hilt and pommel of the sword are intricately decorated with engravings of circles and rows of crescent-shaped marks.
A man searching for mushrooms in a forest in the Czech Republic found much more than he was looking for when he uncovered an ancient sword and bronze axe, both thought to date from around 3,300 years ago.
Roman Novák was "mushrooming" in spring on a forested hillside near his home in the eastern Jesenicko region soon after it had rained, according to Radio Prague International .
Searching for edible mushrooms is a popular pastime in rural areas of the Czech Republic, and the fruiting body — the part of the fungus known as a mushroom — quickly swells with rainwater while the rest of the organism stays buried. Perhaps because he was looking at the ground, "I saw a piece of metal sticking out of some stones," Novák told RPI. "I kicked it and found that it was a blade, part of a sword. I then dug some more to find a bronze axe."
Related: The 25 most mysterious archaeological finds on Earth
Novák reported his find to archaeologists, and a formal excavation of the site is now planned by a team from the nearby Silesian Museum in the city of Opava.
The ancient weapons were found among rocks on a forested hillside in the Czech Republic's eastern Jesenicko region by a man out looking for mushrooms. (Image credit: Silesian Museum, Czech Republic)
The ancient sword is especially striking in appearance: Its pommel and hilt are intricately decorated with engraved circles and rows of crescent-shaped marks, and although the blade is broken near the hilt it is otherwise complete.
"At the moment, we are thoroughly traversing the site and looking for other possible finds," archaeologist Jiří Juchelka from the Silesian Museum told Live Science in an email. The site was well away from contemporary towns and known prehistoric settlements, he said, in an "archaeologically marginal" area where no other finds had been reported.
Bronze sword
Image 1 of 5 The blade of the bronze sword is broken in one place, but the ornately-decorated ancient weapon is otherwise intact. Archaeologists estimate it is about 3300 years old. (Image credit: Silesian Museum, Czech Republic) The bronze blade of the sword is hollow for part of its length and X-ray analysis has shown it was not very strong – it may have been used in ceremonies, rather than for combat. (Image credit: Silesian Museum, Czech Republic) The pommel is decorated with the same engraved marks seen on the hilt. Archaeologists think the sword and the axe it was found with may have had a religious purpose. (Image credit: Silesian Museum, Czech Republic) The cast-bronze hilt and pommel of the sword are intricately decorated with engravings of circles and rows of crescent-shaped marks. (Image credit: Silesian Museum, Czech Republic) The ancient weapons were found among rocks on a forested hillside in the Czech Republic's eastern Jesenicko region by a man out looking for mushrooms. (Image credit: Silesian Museum, Czech Republic)
Juchelka and his colleagues have completed several analyses of the artifacts, including tests of its chemical make-up and X-ray scans to reveal internal structures.
They've established that the ornately decorated bronze sword was crafted during the Bronze Age in northern Europe — and appears most similar to "Vasby" swords, named after a town in Sweden where an early example was found.
Related: The 22 weirdest military weapons
The types of metals used in the sword indicate it was probably made outside the region where it was found, while the bronze axe may be a local production, he said.
Juchelka told Radio Prague International that the sword would have been an expensive item at the time, when the Urnfield culture was just emerging in central Europe — a Bronze-Age culture so-called because of the practice of burying the dead in urns in fields.
X-rays showed air bubbles throughout the sword, likely the result of how it was crafted — the most common sword-making technique at the time involved pouring molten bronze into a mold, rather than the later practice of hammering red-hot metal into shape. The air bubbles also explain why the sword wasn't especially strong, the researchers said.
Juchelka said the sword may have been used for ceremonies, rather than in combat; the archaeologists, however, aren't sure how the sword and axe ended up together in the Czech forest.
"The finds may be related to a religious theme, [or] they may be part of a bronze treasure," he said. "It is not easy to say, based on what we know."
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-11-13--NASA's next Mars rover will land in less than 100 days

NASA 's newest Mars car will touch down on the Red Planet less than 100 days from now .
The life-hunting , which launched on July 30 , is scheduled to land inside the 28-mile-wide ( 45 kilometers ) Jezero Crater on the afternoon of Feb. 18 , 2021 — just 97 days from Friday ( Nov. 13 ) .
The home stretch will be busy for the car-size robot 's handlers .
`` While we call the six-and-a-half-month trip from Earth to Mars 'cruise , I assure you there is not much croquet going on at , '' mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California , .
`` Between checking out the spacecraft and planning and simulating our landing and surface operations , the entire team is on the clock , working toward our exploration of Jezero Crater , '' McNamee said .
Perseverance — the centerpiece of NASA 's $ 2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission — will employ the landing strategy pioneered by its predecessor , the : A rocket-powered sky crane will lower Perseverance to Jezero 's floor on cables , then fly off to crash-land a safe distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instrument suite to hunt for signs of ancient Mars life in Jezero , which harbored a lake and river delta billions of years ago .
The rover will also collect and cache samples and demonstrate technologies that could aid future exploration of the Red Planet .
For example , one of Perseverance 's instruments , called MOXIE ( short for `` Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment '' ) , will generate oxygen from the thin , carbon dioxide-dominated Martian atmosphere .
A scaled-up version of MOXIE could help humanity get a foothold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said .
( The agency plans to launch its first crewed Mars missions in the 2030s . )
And a tiny is flying to Mars on Perseverance 's belly .
After the rover has touched down and found a good place for the helicopter to conduct test flights , Ingenuity will detach and make a few short forays into the Martian skies — the first-ever flights by a rotorcraft on a world beyond Earth .
If Ingenuity is successful , future Mars missions could employ helicopters to gather data in hard-to-reach places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two other Mars missions are also scheduled to arrive at the Red Planet in February 2021 — , a weather-studying orbiter operated by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency , and .
Tianwen-1 consists of an orbiter and a lander-rover duo ; the surface craft are expected to touch down a few months after the mission slides into orbit around Mars .
Mike Wall is the author of `` `` ( Grand Central Publishing , 2018 ; illustrated by Karl Tate ) , a book about the search for alien life .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Follow us on Twitter @ Spacedotcom or Facebook .

NASA's Perseverance rover will store rock and soil samples in sealed tubes on the Martian surface for future missions to retrieve and bring back to Earth.
NASA's newest Mars car will touch down on the Red Planet less than 100 days from now.
The life-hunting Mars 2020 Perseverance rover , which launched on July 30, is scheduled to land inside the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater on the afternoon of Feb. 18, 2021 — just 97 days from Friday (Nov. 13).
The home stretch will be busy for the car-size robot's handlers.
Related: NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission in photos
"While we call the six-and-a-half-month trip from Earth to Mars 'cruise, I assure you there is not much croquet going on at the lido deck ," mission project manager John McNamee, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement .
"Between checking out the spacecraft and planning and simulating our landing and surface operations, the entire team is on the clock, working toward our exploration of Jezero Crater," McNamee said.
Perseverance — the centerpiece of NASA's $2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission — will employ the landing strategy pioneered by its predecessor, the Curiosity rover : A rocket-powered sky crane will lower Perseverance to Jezero's floor on cables, then fly off to crash-land a safe distance away.
Perseverance will use its advanced instrument suite to hunt for signs of ancient Mars life in Jezero, which harbored a lake and river delta billions of years ago. The rover will also collect and cache samples for future return to Earth and demonstrate technologies that could aid future exploration of the Red Planet.
For example, one of Perseverance's instruments, called MOXIE (short for "Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment"), will generate oxygen from the thin, carbon dioxide-dominated Martian atmosphere. A scaled-up version of MOXIE could help humanity get a foothold on the Red Planet , NASA officials have said. (The agency plans to launch its first crewed Mars missions in the 2030s.)
And a tiny helicopter named Ingenuity is flying to Mars on Perseverance's belly. After the rover has touched down and found a good place for the helicopter to conduct test flights, Ingenuity will detach and make a few short forays into the Martian skies — the first-ever flights by a rotorcraft on a world beyond Earth. If Ingenuity is successful, future Mars missions could employ helicopters to gather data in hard-to-reach places and serve as scouts for rovers, Ingenuity team members have said .
Two other Mars missions are also scheduled to arrive at the Red Planet in February 2021 — Hope , a weather-studying orbiter operated by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, and China's Tianwen-1 mission . Tianwen-1 consists of an orbiter and a lander-rover duo; the surface craft are expected to touch down a few months after the mission slides into orbit around Mars.