livescience--2020-09-29--The 'rubber ducky' comet is glowing

The 'rubber ducky' comet is glowing

The rubber ducky comet is glowing .
But you ca n't see it .
*That 's because this cometary aurora shines in the far-ultraviolet range , a part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a higher frequency than any light human eyes can detect .
Researchers discovered this first cometary aurora in data from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko , which the European Space Agency ( ESA ) visited with the probe Rosetta from 2014 to 2016 .
Digging through Rosetta 's recordings of light around the duck-shaped comet , they uncovered the ultraviolet glow .
They showed that glow came from charged particles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the comet , the same effect that produces shimmering auroras around the poles on Earth .
And the glow is more intense the closer you get to the rocky , icy heart of the comet , known as the nucleus .
`` The effect gets more pronounced closer to the nucleus as also the density of water molecules increases , '' said Martin Rubin , a co-author of the study and an astrophysicist at the University of Bern in Switzerland .
The nucleus of the comet spits out dust and gas as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tail .
Bern and his coauthors showed that electrons — negatively charged particles from the sun — excite the water particles in the comet ’ s tail to produce an aurora just like they do the particles in Earth 's atmosphere .
When an electron strikes a molecule of water vapor , that molecule gets excited to a higher energy state , Rubin told Live Science .
Then the energy state drops down again , and the excess energy blasts off of the particle in the form of an ultraviolet photon , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planets , this same process produces a visible-light effect high in the atmosphere over the polar latitudes .
Earth 's powerful magnetic field deflects most of the sun 's charged particles — its solar wind — away from the surface .
The particles follow the magnetic field lines around the planet and mostly have no effect at all .
`` However , at the poles the magnetic field passes through the terrestrial atmosphere , '' Rubin said .
`` and charged solar wind particles moving along these field lines strike atoms and molecules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interaction of charged particles and Earth 's complex atmosphere produces ghostly , towering lights in the sky .
Comets do n't have magnetic fields though .
So on comet 67p the charged particles can penetrate all the way through the tail to the comet 's surface .
The ultraviolet glow is everywhere — except maybe on the nighttime side of the comet , where the ice and rock block the charged particles , and there is little gas coming off the comet there anyway .
The comet 's aurora is most intense in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nucleus , he said , and fainter toward the low-density parts of the tail .
The aurora extends up to about 60 miles ( 100 kilometers ) from the nucleus .
The paper was published Sept. 21 in the journal Nature Astronomy .

This series of images of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was captured by the Rosetta spacecraft's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on Aug. 12, 2015, a few hours before the comet reached perihelion, or the closest point to the sun along its 6.5-year orbit.
The rubber ducky comet is glowing. But you can't see it.
*That's because this cometary aurora shines in the far-ultraviolet range, a part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a higher frequency than any light human eyes can detect. Researchers discovered this first cometary aurora in data from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which the European Space Agency (ESA) visited with the probe Rosetta from 2014 to 2016. Digging through Rosetta's recordings of light around the duck-shaped comet, they uncovered the ultraviolet glow. They showed that glow came from charged particles from the sun hitting gas particles around the comet, the same effect that produces shimmering auroras around the poles on Earth.
And the glow is more intense the closer you get to the rocky, icy heart of the comet, known as the nucleus.
"The effect gets more pronounced closer to the nucleus as also the density of water molecules increases," said Martin Rubin, a co-author of the study and an astrophysicist at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
The nucleus of the comet spits out dust and gas as the comet approaches the sun, forming a tail. Bern and his coauthors showed that electrons — negatively charged particles from the sun — excite the water particles in the comet’s tail to produce an aurora just like they do the particles in Earth's atmosphere.
Related: Danger! Falling rocks: meteorites and asteroids (Infographic)
When an electron strikes a molecule of water vapor, that molecule gets excited to a higher energy state, Rubin told Live Science. Then the energy state drops down again, and the excess energy blasts off of the particle in the form of an ultraviolet photon, or light particle.
On Earth and other planets, this same process produces a visible-light effect high in the atmosphere over the polar latitudes. Earth's powerful magnetic field deflects most of the sun's charged particles — its solar wind — away from the surface. The particles follow the magnetic field lines around the planet and mostly have no effect at all.
This aurora over Earth was captured on camera from the International Space Station on June of 2017. (Image credit: NASA)
"However, at the poles the magnetic field passes through the terrestrial atmosphere," Rubin said. "and charged solar wind particles moving along these field lines strike atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere."
The interaction of charged particles and Earth's complex atmosphere produces ghostly, towering lights in the sky.
Comets don't have magnetic fields though. So on comet 67p the charged particles can penetrate all the way through the tail to the comet's surface. The ultraviolet glow is everywhere — except maybe on the nighttime side of the comet, where the ice and rock block the charged particles, and there is little gas coming off the comet there anyway.
The comet's aurora is most intense in the densest parts of the tail around the nucleus, he said, and fainter toward the low-density parts of the tail. The aurora extends up to about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the nucleus.
The paper was published Sept. 21 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-29--Antarctica could melt 'irreversibly' due to climate change, study warns

contains more than half of the world 's freshwater in its sprawling , frozen ice sheet , but humanity 's decisions over the next century could send that water irreversibly into the sea .
If is allowed to continue unchecked , Antarctica will soon pass a `` point of no return '' that could reduce the continent to a barren , ice-free mass for the first time in more than 30 million years , according to a new study published Sep. 23 in the journal .
`` Antarctica is basically our ultimate heritage from an earlier time in Earth 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly 34 million years , '' study co-author Anders Levermann , a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research ( PIK ) in Germany , .
`` Now our simulations show that once it 's melted , it does not regrow to its initial state [ until ] temperatures go back to pre-industrial levels … a highly unlikely scenario .
In other words : What we lose of Antarctica now , is lost forever . ''
In the study , PIK researchers ran computer simulations to model how Antarctica will look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how high average global temperatures rise in response to modern emissions .
They found that , if average temperatures rise 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit ( 4 degrees Celsius ) above pre-industrial levels for any sustained period of time , much of the ice in West Antarctica will crumble , resulting in 21 feet ( 6.5 meters ) of global sea-level rise ; that amount of rise would devastate coastal cities like New York , Tokyo and London .
This scenario could be a reality within decades ; a global average temperature rise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently considered the “ worst-case ” warming scenario if current greenhouse gas emission levels are allowed to continue through the year 2100 , according to the UN ’ s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) .
If those IPCC projections are off , things could get much , much worse , the authors of the new study found .
Should global temperatures rise between 11 and 16 F ( 6 to 9 C ) above pre-industrial levels for any sustained period of time over the coming millennia , more than 70 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be lost `` irreversibly , '' the study authors wrote .
And , if temperatures rise by 18 F ( 10 C ) , the continent is doomed to be `` virtually ice-free . ''
Should the continent lose all of its ice , global sea levels will rise by nearly 200 feet ( 58 m ) .
A short video accompanying the study ( shown here ) illustrates that reality in grim detail , showing the continent 's ice vanishing first from the coasts , then all across the mainland until nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This cataclysmic melting will not occur in our lifetimes ; the full effects would likely not be seen for roughly 150,000 years , Andrew Shepherd , a climatologist from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom , who was not involved in the study , .
However , the study authors warned , humankind 's failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions this century could trigger an irreversible feedback cycle that seals Antarctica 's fate for millennia to come .
The rapid depletion of Antarctica 's ice shelves — large plates of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side and floating freely over the ocean on the other — represent one particularly dangerous feedback mechanism , the researchers wrote .
As warm ocean water laps against the underside of ice shelves , the point where the base of the shelf meets the water ( also called the grounding line ) retreats farther and farther back , destabilizing the entire shelf and allowing enormous chunks of ice from the mainland to slide into the ocean .
Many ice shelves in West Antarctica are already experiencing this sort of runaway melt , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ice in danger of collapsing , in the journal Geophysical Research Letters .
Antarctica 's fate is in the hands of current policymakers , the study authors concluded .
The Paris Climate Accord , which 73 nations agreed to in 2015 ( and which the in June 2017 at the behest of President Donald Trump ) , aims to limit the planet 's average temperature from rising by more than 2.7 F ( 1.5 C ) above the preindustrial average , to forestall the worst effects of climate change .
While emissions earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic , a published earlier this month warns that the world is currently not on track to meet the goals laid out in the Paris Accord , with average global temperatures lingering around 2 F ( 1.1 C ) above pre-industrial levels between 2016 and 2020 .
The report added that there 's a 20 % chance the annual global mean temperature will have increased by more than 2.7 F ( 1.5 C ) , at least temporarily , by the year 2024 .

Antarctica contains more than half of the world's freshwater in its sprawling, frozen ice sheet, but humanity's decisions over the next century could send that water irreversibly into the sea.
If global warming is allowed to continue unchecked, Antarctica will soon pass a "point of no return" that could reduce the continent to a barren, ice-free mass for the first time in more than 30 million years, according to a new study published Sep. 23 in the journal Nature .
"Antarctica is basically our ultimate heritage from an earlier time in Earth's history. It's been around for roughly 34 million years," study co-author Anders Levermann, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, said in a statement . "Now our simulations show that once it's melted, it does not regrow to its initial state [until] temperatures go back to pre-industrial levels … a highly unlikely scenario. In other words: What we lose of Antarctica now, is lost forever."
Related: 6 Unexpected effects of climate change
In the study, PIK researchers ran computer simulations to model how Antarctica will look thousands of years from now, depending on how high average global temperatures rise in response to modern greenhouse gas emissions.
They found that, if average temperatures rise 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels for any sustained period of time, much of the ice in West Antarctica will crumble, resulting in 21 feet (6.5 meters) of global sea-level rise; that amount of rise would devastate coastal cities like New York, Tokyo and London. This scenario could be a reality within decades; a global average temperature rise of 9 F (5 C) is currently considered the “worst-case” warming scenario if current greenhouse gas emission levels are allowed to continue through the year 2100, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
If those IPCC projections are off, things could get much, much worse, the authors of the new study found. Should global temperatures rise between 11 and 16 F (6 to 9 C) above pre-industrial levels for any sustained period of time over the coming millennia, more than 70% of Antarctica's present-day ice will be lost "irreversibly," the study authors wrote. And, if temperatures rise by 18 F (10 C), the continent is doomed to be "virtually ice-free." Should the continent lose all of its ice, global sea levels will rise by nearly 200 feet (58 m).
A short video accompanying the study (shown here) illustrates that reality in grim detail, showing the continent's ice vanishing first from the coasts, then all across the mainland until nothing but green plains and rocky cliffs remains.
This cataclysmic melting will not occur in our lifetimes; the full effects would likely not be seen for roughly 150,000 years, Andrew Shepherd, a climatologist from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the study, told the Daily Mail .
However, the study authors warned, humankind's failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions this century could trigger an irreversible feedback cycle that seals Antarctica's fate for millennia to come.
The rapid depletion of Antarctica's ice shelves — large plates of ice anchored to the mainland on one side and floating freely over the ocean on the other — represent one particularly dangerous feedback mechanism, the researchers wrote. As warm ocean water laps against the underside of ice shelves, the point where the base of the shelf meets the water (also called the grounding line) retreats farther and farther back, destabilizing the entire shelf and allowing enormous chunks of ice from the mainland to slide into the ocean. Many ice shelves in West Antarctica are already experiencing this sort of runaway melt, with roughly 25% of the region's ice in danger of collapsing, according to a 2019 study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Antarctica's fate is in the hands of current policymakers, the study authors concluded. The Paris Climate Accord, which 73 nations agreed to in 2015 (and which the United States abandoned in June 2017 at the behest of President Donald Trump), aims to limit the planet's average temperature from rising by more than 2.7 F (1.5 C) above the preindustrial average, to forestall the worst effects of climate change.
While emissions dropped by a trivial amount earlier this year, due to mass quarantining during the pandemic, a UN report published earlier this month warns that the world is currently not on track to meet the goals laid out in the Paris Accord, with average global temperatures lingering around 2 F (1.1 C) above pre-industrial levels between 2016 and 2020.
The report added that there's a 20% chance the annual global mean temperature will have increased by more than 2.7 F (1.5 C), at least temporarily, by the year 2024.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-29--It's not magic: Mysterious 'fairy circles' are built by grasses

These regular barren patches that pop up in grasslands in Australia and Namibia have long created controversy , with some researchers arguing that they might be the result of .
But now , the most detailed monitoring effort ever shows that fairy circles are engineered by the grasses themselves .
The research , published Sept. 21 in the , reveals how harsh , dry conditions in Australia , punctuated by occasional heavy rainstorms , create a hostile crust of clay that makes up the barren part of the fairy circles .
But water runs off this crust , creating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can make a home .
It 's a self-fulfilling cycle : Where there are no plants , weathering from rain and sun makes the soil ever more inhospitable , while areas where grass has managed to grow become a safe haven , where the vegetation cover lowers the soil temperature by up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit ( 25 degrees Celsius ) , traps water and allows new seedlings to take root .
Related : In images : Fairy circles of the Namib desert '' This is the positive feedback , where plants do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ecosystem engineering to benefit as much as possible from the limited water in this harsh environment , '' study lead author Stephan Getzin , an ecologist at the University of Göttingen and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany , wrote in an email to Live Science .
Getzin and his colleagues had previously theorized that fairy circles are an example of what 's called a Turing mechanism .
This is a type of pattern formation first identified by English mathematician Alan Turing , in which spotted or striped patterns arise naturally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But to clinch this explanation for the bizarre speckled pattern in arid grasslands , the researchers needed hard evidence .
They hauled 175 pounds ( 80 kilograms ) of drone equipment and environmental monitors 745 miles ( 1,200 kilometers ) to Newman , Australia , a remote outpost in Western Australia .
They used the drones to get a bird's-eye view of the arrangement of the fairy circles outside of town , where the air temperature can reach 118 F ( 48 C ) in the summer .
They also monitored the fairy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up a weather station and soil-monitoring equipment about an inch beneath both barren and vegetated parts of the landscape .
The desert outside of Newman is dominated by a single group of grasses in the genus Trioda .
This is key to the formation of the fairy-circle patterns , Getzin said , because if there were more grass species around , they would take advantage of different ecological niches and likely cover the barren spots .
The monitoring showed that brief , intense rainfall pounds the coarse sand on the surface into fine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a plug between the grains of sand , sealing off the surface .
It only takes a couple of hard rains to create this crust , Getzin said .
After that , the rainwater runs off rather than penetrating the ground .
However , Getzin said , this runoff also creates the potential for plants to survive in gaps between the barren zones .
The remarkably regular , honeycomb-style pattern of 13-foot-diameter ( 4 meter ) fairy circles forms because the plants are availing themselves of as much of this gap space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between end up as far from each other as they can be .
The regular , circular structure benefits the plants , too , because each gap 's runoff is taken in by the maximum number of plants .
The soil monitoring also showed that the soil under the vegetation is much , much cooler than that in the barren patches .
Getzin and his team once measured the top centimeter of the barren crust at 167 F ( 75 C ) , well into egg-frying territory .
The new study , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that vegetation lowered the soil temperature dramatically in the midafternoon , when temperatures were highest .
The cooler soil temperature makes it possible for seeds to germinate and seedlings to grow , Getzin said .
The field monitoring happened to coincide with a wildfire that cleared the desert of grasses , but the same patterns re-emerged when the grasses started again from zero , the researchers found .
`` We could show for the first time with many and very detailed field investigations that Turing 's theory and all the assumptions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Getzin wrote in his email .
Getzin and his team are now doing a similar project in Namibia , where the fairy circles look similar but grow in sandy , rather than clay-rich soil .
The different soils mean that the mechanisms for the formation of the circles must be different , Getzin said , but they are still almost certainly forced by the limits on water in the arid environment .
`` How else can , in Namibia , perfectly circular grass rings form if it is not the competition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Fairy circles might finally make sense.
These regular barren patches that pop up in grasslands in Australia and Namibia have long created controversy, with some researchers arguing that they might be the result of underground termite activity . But now, the most detailed monitoring effort ever shows that fairy circles are engineered by the grasses themselves .
The research, published Sept. 21 in the Journal of Ecology , reveals how harsh, dry conditions in Australia, punctuated by occasional heavy rainstorms, create a hostile crust of clay that makes up the barren part of the fairy circles. But water runs off this crust, creating a relative oasis at its edges where grasses can make a home. It's a self-fulfilling cycle: Where there are no plants, weathering from rain and sun makes the soil ever more inhospitable, while areas where grass has managed to grow become a safe haven, where the vegetation cover lowers the soil temperature by up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), traps water and allows new seedlings to take root.
Related: In images: Fairy circles of the Namib desert
"This is the positive feedback, where plants do 'self-organized patch formation:' They do ecosystem engineering to benefit as much as possible from the limited water in this harsh environment," study lead author Stephan Getzin, an ecologist at the University of Göttingen and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany, wrote in an email to Live Science.
A drone image of the weather station and a fairy circle from above. All cables of temperature and soil-moisture sensors have been buried under ground. (Image credit: S Getzin, University of Göttingen)
Self-organizing patterns
Getzin and his colleagues had previously theorized that fairy circles are an example of what's called a Turing mechanism. This is a type of pattern formation first identified by English mathematician Alan Turing, in which spotted or striped patterns arise naturally from the interaction of two substances.
But to clinch this explanation for the bizarre speckled pattern in arid grasslands, the researchers needed hard evidence. They hauled 175 pounds (80 kilograms) of drone equipment and environmental monitors 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) to Newman, Australia, a remote outpost in Western Australia. They used the drones to get a bird's-eye view of the arrangement of the fairy circles outside of town, where the air temperature can reach 118 F (48 C) in the summer.
They also monitored the fairy circles on a detailed scale, setting up a weather station and soil-monitoring equipment about an inch beneath both barren and vegetated parts of the landscape. The desert outside of Newman is dominated by a single group of grasses in the genus Trioda. This is key to the formation of the fairy-circle patterns, Getzin said, because if there were more grass species around, they would take advantage of different ecological niches and likely cover the barren spots.
The monitoring showed that brief, intense rainfall pounds the coarse sand on the surface into fine silt and clay. The clay acts like a plug between the grains of sand, sealing off the surface. It only takes a couple of hard rains to create this crust, Getzin said. After that, the rainwater runs off rather than penetrating the ground.
Drone image of the Australian fairy circles, taken at a flying altitude of 130 feet (40 meters). (Image credit: S Getzin, University of Göttingen)
Circles of life
However, Getzin said, this runoff also creates the potential for plants to survive in gaps between the barren zones. The remarkably regular, honeycomb-style pattern of 13-foot-diameter (4 meter) fairy circles forms because the plants are availing themselves of as much of this gap space as possible; the barren circles in between end up as far from each other as they can be. The regular, circular structure benefits the plants, too, because each gap's runoff is taken in by the maximum number of plants.
The soil monitoring also showed that the soil under the vegetation is much, much cooler than that in the barren patches. Getzin and his team once measured the top centimeter of the barren crust at 167 F (75 C), well into egg-frying territory. The new study, which measured soil temperatures 2 centimeters down, found that vegetation lowered the soil temperature dramatically in the midafternoon, when temperatures were highest. The cooler soil temperature makes it possible for seeds to germinate and seedlings to grow, Getzin said.
The field monitoring happened to coincide with a wildfire that cleared the desert of grasses, but the same patterns re-emerged when the grasses started again from zero, the researchers found.
"We could show for the first time with many and very detailed field investigations that Turing's theory and all the assumptions in the model/theory are indeed met in nature," Getzin wrote in his email.
Getzin and his team are now doing a similar project in Namibia, where the fairy circles look similar but grow in sandy, rather than clay-rich soil. The different soils mean that the mechanisms for the formation of the circles must be different, Getzin said, but they are still almost certainly forced by the limits on water in the arid environment.
"How else can, in Namibia, perfectly circular grass rings form if it is not the competition of the grasses?" Getzin said.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-30--Small air leak on space station traced to Russian service module

The case of the may be nearly cracked .
Investigators have traced the source of the leak to the `` main work area '' of the Zvezda Service Module , the heart of the Russian part of the station , NASA officials announced Tuesday ( Sept. 29 ) .
`` Additional work is underway to precisely locate the source of the leak , '' agency officials .
`` The leak , which has been investigated for several weeks , poses no immediate danger to the crew at the current leak rate and only a slight deviation to the crew ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Expedition 63 mission to the International Space Station That deviation included a wakeup call last night for the three astronauts living aboard the orbiting lab , NASA 's Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner .
The trio collected data with an ultrasound leak detector throughout the Russian segment of the station , augmenting measurements previously made in the U.S. portion , NASA officials said .
When the spaceflyers began their work , it looked like the leak had grown .
But the apparent increase `` has since been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the station , with the overall rate of leak remaining unchanged , '' NASA officials wrote in the statement .
The leak is causing an atmospheric pressure decrease of 1 millimeter every 8 hours , officials with Roscosmos , the Russian federal space agency , said via Twitter this morning , also stressing that Cassidy , Ivanishin and Vagner remain safe .
The overnight checks are done , the hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments are open again and normal activities have resumed aboard the station , NASA officials said in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The orbiting complex continuously loses tiny amounts of gas to space and is regularly repressurized using nitrogen tanks brought up by cargo spacecraft .
In September 2019 , station managers noticed a slight uptick in that normal background rate .
It took a while to characterize the leak fully , because crewmembers and station managers were occupied with spacewalks , spacecraft arrivals and departures , and other big-ticket orbital activities , NASA officials have said .
The leak investigation did n't really get going .
There are lots more big-ticket activities coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will launch to the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Oct. 14 , and four more crewmembers are scheduled to head toward the orbiting lab aboard SpaceX 's .
And Cassidy , Ivanishin and Vagner will return to Earth aboard a Soyuz in October , ending their six-month orbital stay .
Mike Wall is the author of `` Out There '' ( Grand Central Publishing , 2018 ; illustrated by Karl Tate ) , a book about the search for alien life .
Follow him on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter @ Spacedotcom or Facebook .

The International Space Station, photographed by Expedition 56 crewmembers from a Soyuz spacecraft in October 2018. NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Ricky Arnold and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev executed a flyaround of the orbiting laboratory to take pictures of the station before returning home after spending 197 days in space.
The case of the small air leak on the International Space Station may be nearly cracked.
Investigators have traced the source of the leak to the "main work area" of the Zvezda Service Module, the heart of the Russian part of the station, NASA officials announced Tuesday (Sept. 29).
"Additional work is underway to precisely locate the source of the leak," agency officials wrote in an update Tuesday . "The leak, which has been investigated for several weeks, poses no immediate danger to the crew at the current leak rate and only a slight deviation to the crew’s schedule."
In photos: The Expedition 63 mission to the International Space Station
That deviation included a wakeup call last night for the three astronauts living aboard the orbiting lab, NASA's Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The trio collected data with an ultrasound leak detector throughout the Russian segment of the station, augmenting measurements previously made in the U.S. portion, NASA officials said.
When the spaceflyers began their work, it looked like the leak had grown. But the apparent increase "has since been attributed to a temporary temperature change aboard the station, with the overall rate of leak remaining unchanged," NASA officials wrote in the statement.
The leak is causing an atmospheric pressure decrease of 1 millimeter every 8 hours, officials with Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, said via Twitter this morning , also stressing that Cassidy, Ivanishin and Vagner remain safe.
The overnight checks are done, the hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments are open again and normal activities have resumed aboard the station, NASA officials said in their update.
Currently the search is underway to precisely locate the leak. With that, the general atmosphere pressure decrease rates remain at 1 mm per 8 hours. The situation poses no danger to the crew’s life and health and doesn’t hinder the station continued crewed operation.September 29, 2020 See more
The International Space Station is not completely airtight. The orbiting complex continuously loses tiny amounts of gas to space and is regularly repressurized using nitrogen tanks brought up by cargo spacecraft.
In September 2019, station managers noticed a slight uptick in that normal background rate. It took a while to characterize the leak fully, because crewmembers and station managers were occupied with spacewalks, spacecraft arrivals and departures, and other big-ticket orbital activities, NASA officials have said. The leak investigation didn't really get going until last month .
There are lots more big-ticket activities coming up. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will launch to the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Oct. 14, and four more crewmembers are scheduled to head toward the orbiting lab aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule on Oct. 31 . And Cassidy, Ivanishin and Vagner will return to Earth aboard a Soyuz in October, ending their six-month orbital stay.
Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.


livescience--2020-09-30--Failed brain surgery and possible human sacrifice revealed in Stone Age burial

A Stone Age skull found in a Spanish cave bears the marks of a failed brain surgery and postmortem decapitation .
The skull , which may have belonged to an adult woman , dates back to approximately 4800 B.C .
to 4550 B.C .
Archaeologists found the skull deep inside Dehesilla Cave on the Iberian peninsula , alongside a second adult skull — perhaps from a man — and the remains of a young goat , they reported Aug. 13 in the journal .
The morbid and unusual discovery raises the possibility that the bones were brought to the cave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study author Daniel García-Rivero , an archaeologist at the University of Seville in Spain , wrote in the paper .
One or both of the individuals may have even been victims of human sacrifice .
Dehesilla Cave is a set of caverns in Spain 's Baetic Mountains .
Stone Age artifacts were found near the mouth of the cave in the 1970s , but the new discovery comes from Room 4 , one of the deepest caverns in the system .
There , a 2017 excavation revealed two jawless skulls , buried alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of the skeleton of a sheep or goat that was likely less than 10 days old at death .
The cave also contained a stone altar and an ash-rich circle , apparently the remains of a 7,000-year-old fire .
It 's difficult to determine the sex of an individual from a skull alone , but the size and shape of the skulls suggested that one might have been female and the other male .
Both were adults , but it was not possible to pinpoint their ages precisely .
On the upper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ archaeologists found something strange : a depression or divot , about 0.7 inches ( 19 millimeters ) wide showing signs of later bone growth and healing .
There were no cracks radiating from this divot , leading the researchers to conclude that the woman had been the subject of a Stone Age brain surgery called .
Trepanation was the practice of drilling or scraping a hole through the skull into the brain ; hundreds of Stone Age skulls have been found with trepanation holes in them .
Modern surgeons sometimes remove parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relieve pressure from swelling , and it 's possible that had the same reasons for trepanation .
But they may also have carried out the surgery because they believed it released .
Whatever the reason , the trepanation carried out on the skull was incomplete ; the hole did not go completely through the skull .
The person likely lived for years after the procedure , the researchers wrote , and the trepanation may have had nothing to do with the woman 's strange postmortem fate .
Cut marks on the skull indicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her body soon after death , while there was still flesh on the bones .
The scene in the cave suggests some sort of ritual , perhaps even a sacrificial ritual , the researchers wrote .
The ancient people likely killed the goat for the ritual , but it 's not clear whether they also sacrificed the two humans .
They may have died naturally , or one may have died naturally and the other may have been a human sacrifice laid to rest with them .
Or both may have been deliberately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines of research and anthropological scenarios , '' García-Rivero .
In these scenarios , human and animal sacrifice may have been part of the rituals of cults dedicated to one 's ancestry or part of festivals of commemoration , he said .
Very little is known about the burial practices of the Middle Neolithic , when these skulls were placed in the cave .
The new discovery is also an opportunity to compare the practices of people of the Southern Iberian Stone Age with their neighbors farther east , García-Rivero said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only because of its peculiarity , but also because it constitutes a sealed , intact ritual deposit , which is a great opportunity to gain a more detailed insight into the funerary and ritual behaviours of the Neolithic populations of the Iberian Peninsula , '' he said .

Archaeologists found two Stone Age skulls in Dehesilla Cave on the Iberian peninsula. One of the skulls (front) showed signs of a type of brain surgery called trepanation.
A Stone Age skull found in a Spanish cave bears the marks of a failed brain surgery and postmortem decapitation.
The skull, which may have belonged to an adult woman, dates back to approximately 4800 B.C. to 4550 B.C. Archaeologists found the skull deep inside Dehesilla Cave on the Iberian peninsula, alongside a second adult skull — perhaps from a man — and the remains of a young goat, they reported Aug. 13 in the journal PLOS ONE .
The morbid and unusual discovery raises the possibility that the bones were brought to the cave for some sort of religious ritual, study author Daniel García-Rivero, an archaeologist at the University of Seville in Spain, wrote in the paper. One or both of the individuals may have even been victims of human sacrifice.
Related: 25 grisly archaeological discoveries
Strange grave
The burial was found deep inside the cave in "Room 4," shown here. (Image credit: García-Rivero et al., PLOS ONE/ CC by 4.0
Dehesilla Cave is a set of caverns in Spain's Baetic Mountains. Stone Age artifacts were found near the mouth of the cave in the 1970s, but the new discovery comes from Room 4, one of the deepest caverns in the system.
There, a 2017 excavation revealed two jawless skulls, buried alongside stone tools, bits of pottery and most of the skeleton of a sheep or goat that was likely less than 10 days old at death. The cave also contained a stone altar and an ash-rich circle, apparently the remains of a 7,000-year-old fire.
It's difficult to determine the sex of an individual from a skull alone, but the size and shape of the skulls suggested that one might have been female and the other male. Both were adults, but it was not possible to pinpoint their ages precisely.
Related: 25 cultures to practice human sacrifice
On the upper left side of the possibly-female skull, archaeologists found something strange: a depression or divot, about 0.7 inches (19 millimeters) wide showing signs of later bone growth and healing. There were no cracks radiating from this divot, leading the researchers to conclude that the woman had been the subject of a Stone Age brain surgery called trepanation . Trepanation was the practice of drilling or scraping a hole through the skull into the brain; hundreds of Stone Age skulls have been found with trepanation holes in them. Modern surgeons sometimes remove parts of the skull after a brain injury to relieve pressure from swelling, and it's possible that ancient surgeons had the same reasons for trepanation. But they may also have carried out the surgery because they believed it released evil spirits .
Whatever the reason, the trepanation carried out on the skull was incomplete; the hole did not go completely through the skull. The person likely lived for years after the procedure, the researchers wrote, and the trepanation may have had nothing to do with the woman's strange postmortem fate. Cut marks on the skull indicate that her head had been removed from her body soon after death, while there was still flesh on the bones.
On the upper left side of the possibly-female skull, archaeologists found a small divot, which could indicate where "surgeons" drilled a hole through her skull in a brain-surgery practice called trepanation. (Image credit: García-Rivero et al., PLOS ONE/ CC by 4.0
Unknown era
The scene in the cave suggests some sort of ritual, perhaps even a sacrificial ritual, the researchers wrote. The ancient people likely killed the goat for the ritual, but it's not clear whether they also sacrificed the two humans. They may have died naturally, or one may have died naturally and the other may have been a human sacrifice laid to rest with them. Or both may have been deliberately killed.
"This finding opens new lines of research and anthropological scenarios," García-Rivero said in a statement . In these scenarios, human and animal sacrifice may have been part of the rituals of cults dedicated to one's ancestry or part of festivals of commemoration, he said.
Very little is known about the burial practices of the Middle Neolithic, when these skulls were placed in the cave. The new discovery is also an opportunity to compare the practices of people of the Southern Iberian Stone Age with their neighbors farther east, García-Rivero said.
"This discovery is of great importance not only because of its peculiarity, but also because it constitutes a sealed, intact ritual deposit, which is a great opportunity to gain a more detailed insight into the funerary and ritual behaviours of the Neolithic populations of the Iberian Peninsula," he said.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-30--During Fat Bear Week, bears compete in a battle of the bulge

are always large and in charge , but during September in southern Alaska 's Katmai National Park and Preserve ( KNPP ) , the brown bears that gather at Brooks River grow cartoonishly round , ushering in a magical time of year — .
This annual tournament , which runs from today ( Sept. 30 ) through Oct. 6 , celebrates the titanic proportions achieved by these bears prior to their winter , and invites members of the public to vote for the fattest contenders .
And if the prospect of Fat Bear Week was n't exciting enough , park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weight gain by pinging them from a distance with lasers , KNPP representatives wrote in a on Sept. 24 .
From June through October , dozens of the park 's bears gorge on plentiful salmon in Brooks River , gaining as much as 4 lbs .
( 2 kilograms ) in a single day , according to the U.S. Department of the Interior ( DOI ) .
During this period , adult bears can gain several hundred pounds , while younger bears that are still growing can increase their weight by up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boak .
Accumulating all that extra weight enables the bears to survive months of fasting during winter hibernation , as well as the lean months of early spring when grasses and other plants are the only available food , KNPP rangers told Live Science .
Approximately 2,200 Alaska Peninsula brown bears ( Ursus arctos gyas ) live in the park ; they represent a population subset of the on the mainland , said KNPP Media Ranger Brooklyn White .
This year , rangers counted about 80 bears in the Brooks River area , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least a decade .
Bears near Brooks River grow fatter during pre-hibernation binge-eating than other park bears because the river provides them with `` an endless buffet '' of high-calorie salmon — a single fish contains 2,500 to 6,000 calories , White said .
These bears do n't need to burn precious foraging ; they simply loiter around the river and feast .
`` In June and in July , some bears eat 40 salmon per day , '' Boak told Live Science .
In fact , there 's so much salmon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eat only the fattiest parts of the fish , `` so you see salmon fillets all over the banks of the river , '' Boak said .
`` It makes the gulls very happy , and it makes the younger bears very happy , because sometimes they ca n't compete for the whole fish . ''
How can rangers and scientists track how fat or skinny the animals are if they ca n't get them on a scale ?
This year , for the first time , a National Park Service ( NPS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to conduct long-distance data collection on the bears , using the Terrestrial Laser Scanning Systems , KNPP representatives wrote on Facebook .
The system fires lasers that rebound off the bodies of fishing bears ( the animals need to remain stationary for about 30 seconds ) , pinging back data points in 3D space that software assembles into a model ; from the model , researchers can determine a bear 's volume , White explained .
`` The best documented data we have is the volume of bear , to see how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the river .
We have been able to verify that Katmai bears are some of the largest in the world , '' she said .
The mighty Beefy Beadnose ( aka `` Bear 409 '' ) was voted the park 's burliest bruin in 2018 , and a portly female named Holly ( `` Bear 435 '' ) squashed the competition in 2019 .
But will Holly 's hopes be crushed this year by a bear who 's even fatter ?
Recent photos of Chunk ( `` Bear 32 '' ) , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brow ridge , '' display an impressive bulging belly , according to competition host , a live nature cam network and documentary film channel website .
Even at his skinniest , Chunk is well-padded — `` especially on his hind quarters , '' Explore says .
However , photos of another male adult named Walker ( `` Bear 151 '' ) , one of the largest of the Brooks River bears , highlight a remarkably rounded rear .
The website hosts a of the Brooks Falls bears , so viewers can watch them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though only one Brooks River contestant will take home the title of fattest bear , every fat bear is a success story , Boak told Live Science .
`` What we 're celebrating in Fat Bear Week is the success of these bears in doing their jobs well to survive and thrive , '' and every extra pound they gain is a testament to the abundance of the river 's pristine water , the health of the salmon , and the balance of the entire ecosystem , Boak said .
Each day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to choose between two of the park 's biggest bruisers in the official bracket .
You can download a bracket of all the contestants and cast your vote at the ; matchups will be open for voting Sept. 30 through Oct. 6 , from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT .

Grazer ("Bear 128"), with medium blonde coat and light fluffy ears, stands at the edge of the water with tall grass behind her.
Bears are always large and in charge, but during September in southern Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve (KNPP), the brown bears that gather at Brooks River grow cartoonishly round, ushering in a magical time of year — Fat Bear Week .
This annual tournament, which runs from today (Sept. 30) through Oct. 6, celebrates the titanic proportions achieved by these bears prior to their winter hibernation , and invites members of the public to vote for the fattest contenders.
And if the prospect of Fat Bear Week wasn't exciting enough, park rangers keep tabs on the bears' weight gain by pinging them from a distance with lasers, KNPP representatives wrote in a Facebook post on Sept. 24.
Related: Image gallery: Beastly bears
From June through October, dozens of the park's bears gorge on plentiful salmon in Brooks River, gaining as much as 4 lbs. (2 kilograms) in a single day, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). During this period, adult bears can gain several hundred pounds, while younger bears that are still growing can increase their weight by up to 60%, said Media Ranger Naomi Boak.
Accumulating all that extra weight enables the bears to survive months of fasting during winter hibernation, as well as the lean months of early spring when grasses and other plants are the only available food, KNPP rangers told Live Science.
Approximately 2,200 Alaska Peninsula brown bears (Ursus arctos gyas) live in the park; they represent a population subset of the grizzly bears on the mainland, said KNPP Media Ranger Brooklyn White. This year, rangers counted about 80 bears in the Brooks River area, more than they've seen there in at least a decade.
Bears near Brooks River grow fatter during pre-hibernation binge-eating than other park bears because the river provides them with "an endless buffet" of high-calorie salmon — a single fish contains 2,500 to 6,000 calories, White said. These bears don't need to burn precious calories foraging; they simply loiter around the river and feast.
"In June and in July, some bears eat 40 salmon per day," Boak told Live Science. In fact, there's so much salmon in the river that the bears often eat only the fattiest parts of the fish, "so you see salmon fillets all over the banks of the river," Boak said. "It makes the gulls very happy, and it makes the younger bears very happy, because sometimes they can't compete for the whole fish."
Laser surveys produced cloud point generated images of bears, revealing their volume. (Image credit: NPS Photo)
Biggest by volume
How can rangers and scientists track how fat or skinny the animals are if they can't get them on a scale? This year, for the first time, a National Park Service (NPS) survey team from Anchorage used lasers to conduct long-distance data collection on the bears, using the Terrestrial Laser Scanning Systems, KNPP representatives wrote on Facebook. The system fires lasers that rebound off the bodies of fishing bears (the animals need to remain stationary for about 30 seconds), pinging back data points in 3D space that software assembles into a model; from the model, researchers can determine a bear's volume, White explained.
"The best documented data we have is the volume of bear, to see how much space that bear is taking up on the river. We have been able to verify that Katmai bears are some of the largest in the world," she said.
Image 1 of 7 Bear 32 — "Chunk" — with dark brown coat, walking through the water. (Image credit: NPS Photo/N. Boak) "Chunk"
Bear 151 — "Walker" — with dark brown coat, standing on the edge of a waterfall, looking toward the river below. (Image credit: NPS Photo/N. Boak) "Walker" Bear 402, with dark brown coat, walking across a trail toward tall grass. (Image credit: NPS Photo/L. Lewis) "Bear 402" Bear 909, with medium brown fur and light fluffy ears, standing on the edge of the waterfall. (Image credit: NPS Photo/N. Boak) "Bear 909" Bear 856, with medium brown coat and slight scarring around the neck, walking through the water. (Image credit: NPS Photo/N. Boak) "Bear 856" Bear 812, with dark brown fur, standing in the river. (Image credit: NPS Photo/N. Boak) "Bear 812" Bear 747, with dark brown coat, standing in the rushing river. (Image credit: NPS Photo/N. Boak) "Bear 747"
The mighty Beefy Beadnose (aka "Bear 409") was voted the park's burliest bruin in 2018, and a portly female named Holly ("Bear 435") squashed the competition in 2019. But will Holly's hopes be crushed this year by a bear who's even fatter? Recent photos of Chunk ("Bear 32"), a big adult male with "a prominent brow ridge," display an impressive bulging belly, according to competition host Explore , a live nature cam network and documentary film channel website. Even at his skinniest, Chunk is well-padded — "especially on his hind quarters," Explore says.
However, photos of another male adult named Walker ("Bear 151"), one of the largest of the Brooks River bears, highlight a remarkably rounded rear. The website hosts a live video feed of the Brooks Falls bears, so viewers can watch them fatten up in real time.
But even though only one Brooks River contestant will take home the title of fattest bear, every fat bear is a success story, Boak told Live Science.
"What we're celebrating in Fat Bear Week is the success of these bears in doing their jobs well to survive and thrive," and every extra pound they gain is a testament to the abundance of the river's pristine water, the health of the salmon, and the balance of the entire ecosystem, Boak said.
Each day of Fat Bear Week brings a new opportunity to choose between two of the park's biggest bruisers in the official bracket. You can download a bracket of all the contestants and cast your vote at the Explore website ; matchups will be open for voting Sept. 30 through Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-30--Here's everything we know about the secretive spy satellite launching tonight

The U.S. government is putting something big and secret in orbit tonight ( Sept 30 ) .
Such classified launches are n't all that rare .
The military and various intelligence agencies routinely put satellites and other cargo into space without telling anyone what they 're for .
But any orbital mystery is interesting , and there are a few details we can glean from what 's been made known about tonight 's scheduled launch , a mission designated NROL-44 .
The satellite 's main job is probably 'signal intelligence' NROL-44 's cargo belongs to the National Reconnaissance Office ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintains the nation 's spy satellites .
NRO satellites perform all sorts of functions , like snapping high-resolution photographs , studying ground sites with radar and watching for missile launches .
This launch does n't fit any of those profiles , however .
NROL-44 will loft cargo into a geosynchronous orbit that keeps it over a particular part of the at all times .
At low orbits , satellites will circle the planet many times a day .
To remain stationary relative to the spinning planet below , a satellite must orbit about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth — 9.2 % of the way to the moon .
GPS satellites orbit at that altitude .
The International Space Station , by way of contrast , orbits at about 254 miles ( 408 kilometers ) above Earth .
Satellites that take high-resolution images of the planet tend to orbit at space station-like altitudes ; that way they are close enough to show clear details in images .
An NRO satellite launched in 2013 known as USA-245 , for example , orbits between 171 and 627 miles ( 276 and 1,010 km @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes it over the poles .
Analysts believe its job is to take high-resolution pictures , as The Los Angeles Times .
A geosynchronous orbit is probably too high up for high-quality imagery .
But it 's a great place for intercepting from anyone the NRO wants to spy on , as .
Satellites that take high-resolution images of the planet tend to orbit at space station-like altitudes ; that way they are close enough to show clear details in images .
An NRO satellite launched in 2013 known as USA-245 , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles ( 276 and 1,010 km ) in altitude on a path that takes it over the poles .
Analysts believe its job is to take high-resolution pictures , as The Los Angeles Times .
A geosynchronous orbit is probably too high up for high-quality imagery .
But it 's a great place for intercepting from anyone the NRO wants to spy on , as .
Whatever it is , it 's probably pretty heavy Assuming all goes well , the satellite will ride a United Launch Alliance ( ULA ) Delta IV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Station in Florida into orbit at 11:54 p.m. EDT ( 0354 UTC ) .
ULA , a joint project of Boeing and Lockheed Martin to compete for space projects , is phasing out the Delta IV Heavy , but it 's still one of the most powerful heavy lifters in the U.S. toolkit .
Only the SpaceX Falcon Heavy can lift more mass into space .
We do n't know the exact mass of the satellite , but the Delta IV Heavy can carry up to 14,880 lbs .
( 6,750 kilograms ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The NRO pays ULA $ 440 million each time the Delta IV Heavy launches , according to .
So the office likely only uses the Delta IV Heavy for tasks that require that much power .
There are cheaper rockets available that can handle launches to geostationary orbit , like the $ 110 million-per-launch Atlas-V .
But they carry much less weight .

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches into space carrying the classified NROL-37 satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida on June 11, 2016. That launch was also mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
Update: The launch of the U.S. spy satellite was aborted just 7 seconds before liftoff.
The U.S. government is putting something big and secret in orbit tonight (Sept 30).
Such classified launches aren't all that rare. The military and various intelligence agencies routinely put satellites and other cargo into space without telling anyone what they're for. But any orbital mystery is interesting, and there are a few details we can glean from what's been made known about tonight's scheduled launch, a mission designated NROL-44.
The satellite's main job is probably 'signal intelligence'
NROL-44's cargo belongs to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the intelligence branch that maintains the nation's spy satellites. NRO satellites perform all sorts of functions, like snapping high-resolution photographs, studying ground sites with radar and watching for missile launches.
Related: Top 10 ways to destroy Earth
This launch doesn't fit any of those profiles, however. NROL-44 will loft cargo into a geosynchronous orbit that keeps it over a particular part of the Earth at all times. At low orbits, satellites will circle the planet many times a day. To remain stationary relative to the spinning planet below, a satellite must orbit about 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth — 9.2% of the way to the moon. GPS satellites orbit at that altitude. The International Space Station, by way of contrast, orbits at about 254 miles (408 kilometers) above Earth.
Satellites that take high-resolution images of the planet tend to orbit at space station-like altitudes; that way they are close enough to show clear details in images. An NRO satellite launched in 2013 known as USA-245, for example, orbits between 171 and 627 miles (276 and 1,010 km) in altitude on a path that takes it over the poles. Analysts believe its job is to take high-resolution pictures, as The Los Angeles Times reported .
A geosynchronous orbit is probably too high up for high-quality imagery. But it's a great place for intercepting radio waves from anyone the NRO wants to spy on, as Spaceflight Now reported .
Satellites that take high-resolution images of the planet tend to orbit at space station-like altitudes; that way they are close enough to show clear details in images. An NRO satellite launched in 2013 known as USA-245, for example, orbits between 171 and 627 miles (276 and 1,010 km) in altitude on a path that takes it over the poles. Analysts believe its job is to take high-resolution pictures, as The Los Angeles Times reported .
A geosynchronous orbit is probably too high up for high-quality imagery. But it's a great place for intercepting radio waves from anyone the NRO wants to spy on, as Spaceflight Now reported .
Whatever it is, it's probably pretty heavy
Assuming all goes well, the satellite will ride a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida into orbit at 11:54 p.m. EDT (0354 UTC).
(Success is not guaranteed. As Live Science sister site Space.com reported , NROL-44 was originally scheduled to launch on Aug. 29, but a computer aborted the launch just 3 seconds before liftoff due to a problem in the rocket. It was then scheduled to launch last night, Sept. 29, but was delayed for bad weather and a hydraulics issue.)
ULA, a joint project of Boeing and Lockheed Martin to compete for space projects, is phasing out the Delta IV Heavy, but it's still one of the most powerful heavy lifters in the U.S. toolkit. Only the SpaceX Falcon Heavy can lift more mass into space.
We don't know the exact mass of the satellite, but the Delta IV Heavy can carry up to 14,880 lbs. (6,750 kilograms) all the way into geosynchronous orbit. The NRO pays ULA $440 million each time the Delta IV Heavy launches, according to Space News . So the office likely only uses the Delta IV Heavy for tasks that require that much power. There are cheaper rockets available that can handle launches to geostationary orbit, like the $110 million-per-launch Atlas-V. But they carry much less weight.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-30--Did NASA detect a hint of life on Venus in 1978 and not realize it?

If life does exist on Venus , NASA may have first detected it back in 1978 .
But the finding went unnoticed for 42 years .
Life on Venus is still a long shot .
But there 's reason to take the idea seriously .
On Sept. 14 , a team of scientists made a bombshell announcement in the journal : Using telescopes , they 'd detected phosphine , a toxic gas long proposed as a possible sign of alien microbial life , in the upper part of the planet 's thick atmosphere .
The detection was a landmark in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the , which has mostly focused attention on Mars and a few moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn .
Meanwhile , Venus , hot and poisonous , was long considered too inhospitable for anything to survive .
But now , digging through archival NASA data , Rakesh Mogul , a biochemist at Cal Poly Pomona in California , and colleagues have found a hint of phosphine picked up by Pioneer 13 — a probe that reached Venus in December 1978 .
`` When the [ Nature Astronomy paper ] came out , I immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Mogul told Live Science .
Related : 6 reasons astrobiologists are holding out hope for life on Mars Mogul and his coauthors were broadly familiar with the data from the missions , he said .
`` So , for us , it was a natural next step to give the data another look .
As such , after consulting with my co-authors , we identified the original scientific articles , and promptly started looking for phosphorous compounds . ''
The discovery , published to the database Sept. 22 and not yet peer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond what was reported in Nature Astronomy — though it does make the presence of phosphine ( made up of a atom and three ) even more certain , they said .
The 1978 data comes from the Large Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer ( LNMS ) , one of several instruments that descended into Venus ' atmosphere as part of the Pioneer 13 mission .
Pioneer 13 dropped a large probe ( the LNMS ) into Venus ' clouds ; suspended from a parachute , the probe collected data and beamed it back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death .
( Three smaller probes also dropped from Pioneer 13 without parachutes . )
The LNMS sampled the atmosphere and ran those samples through , a standard lab technique used to identify unknown chemicals .
When scientists first described the LNMS results in the 1970s , they did n't discuss -based compounds like phosphine , focusing instead on other chemicals .
When Mogul 's team reexamined the LNMS data from Venus ' lower and middle clouds ( a potential habitable zone on the planet ) , they found signals that look a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
The scientists also found definitive evidence for of phosphorus in the atmosphere , which likely came from a heavier gas such as phosphine .
LNMS was n't built to hunt phosphine-like compounds , and would have had a hard time distinguishing the gas from other molecules that have similar masses .
But Pioneer 13 's sample did have evidence of some molecule present in the gas that had the same mass as phosphine — in amounts that match the levels described in the Nature Astronomy paper .
`` I believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be signatures of life ] in the legacy data were sort of discounted because it was thought that they could not exist in the atmosphere , '' Mogul said .
`` I think many people are now revisiting the notion of Venus as a fully oxidizing environment . ''
( A `` fully oxidizing environment '' would n't include phosphine or most other chemicals seen as signs of life . )
Mogul and his colleagues also found hints of other chemicals that should n't arise naturally in Venus ' clouds — substances like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We believe this to be an indication of chemistries not yet discovered , '' they wrote , `` and/or chemistries potentially favorable for life . ''
What 's needed , they wrote , is further , sustained exploration of Venus .
`` We need a more sustained approach for exploration like that of Mars , '' Mogul said .
NASA and the European , Indian and Russian space agencies have plans for Venus probes that might be helpful , he said .
`` However , when considering the past , current , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would need longer-term chemical and geology studies to understand the sources of any potential chemical [ anomalies ] in the clouds , '' he said .
`` This could be from orbital probes , balloon-suspended probes in the clouds , and/or heat-stable lander probes . ''
The phrase `` heat-stable '' is important , given the planet 's habit of killing any robot that lands on its sizzling hot surface .

If life does exist on Venus, NASA may have first detected it back in 1978. But the finding went unnoticed for 42 years.
Life on Venus is still a long shot. But there's reason to take the idea seriously. On Sept. 14, a team of scientists made a bombshell announcement in the journal Nature Astronomy : Using telescopes, they'd detected phosphine, a toxic gas long proposed as a possible sign of alien microbial life, in the upper part of the planet's thick atmosphere. The detection was a landmark in the long hunt for life elsewhere in the solar system , which has mostly focused attention on Mars and a few moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. Meanwhile, Venus, hot and poisonous, was long considered too inhospitable for anything to survive. But now, digging through archival NASA data, Rakesh Mogul, a biochemist at Cal Poly Pomona in California, and colleagues have found a hint of phosphine picked up by Pioneer 13 — a probe that reached Venus in December 1978.
"When the [Nature Astronomy paper] came out, I immediately thought of the legacy mass spectra," Mogul told Live Science.
Related: 6 reasons astrobiologists are holding out hope for life on Mars
Mogul and his coauthors were broadly familiar with the data from the missions, he said. "So, for us, it was a natural next step to give the data another look. As such, after consulting with my co-authors, we identified the original scientific articles, and promptly started looking for phosphorous compounds."
The discovery, published to the arXiv database Sept. 22 and not yet peer reviewed, doesn't tell researchers much beyond what was reported in Nature Astronomy — though it does make the presence of phosphine (made up of a phosphorus atom and three hydrogens ) even more certain, they said. The 1978 data comes from the Large Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer (LNMS), one of several instruments that descended into Venus' atmosphere as part of the Pioneer 13 mission.
An image shows how Pioneer 13's large probe, which carried the LNMS, might have looked as it plunged through Venus's clouds. (Image credit: NASA)
Pioneer 13 dropped a large probe (the LNMS) into Venus' clouds; suspended from a parachute, the probe collected data and beamed it back to Earth as it plummeted toward its robotic death. (Three smaller probes also dropped from Pioneer 13 without parachutes.) The LNMS sampled the atmosphere and ran those samples through mass spectrometry , a standard lab technique used to identify unknown chemicals. When scientists first described the LNMS results in the 1970s, they didn't discuss phosphorus -based compounds like phosphine, focusing instead on other chemicals.
When Mogul's team reexamined the LNMS data from Venus' lower and middle clouds (a potential habitable zone on the planet), they found signals that look a great deal like phosphine, the researchers wrote. The scientists also found definitive evidence for atoms of phosphorus in the atmosphere, which likely came from a heavier gas such as phosphine.
LNMS wasn't built to hunt phosphine-like compounds, and would have had a hard time distinguishing the gas from other molecules that have similar masses. But Pioneer 13's sample did have evidence of some molecule present in the gas that had the same mass as phosphine — in amounts that match the levels described in the Nature Astronomy paper.
"I believe that evidence for [trace chemicals that could be signatures of life] in the legacy data were sort of discounted because it was thought that they could not exist in the atmosphere," Mogul said. "I think many people are now revisiting the notion of Venus as a fully oxidizing environment." (A "fully oxidizing environment" wouldn't include phosphine or most other chemicals seen as signs of life.)
Mogul and his colleagues also found hints of other chemicals that shouldn't arise naturally in Venus' clouds — substances like chlorine, oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.
"We believe this to be an indication of chemistries not yet discovered," they wrote, "and/or chemistries potentially favorable for life."
What's needed, they wrote, is further, sustained exploration of Venus.
"We need a more sustained approach for exploration like that of Mars," Mogul said.
NASA and the European, Indian and Russian space agencies have plans for Venus probes that might be helpful, he said.
"However, when considering the past, current, and future habitability of Venus, we would need longer-term chemical and geology studies to understand the sources of any potential chemical [anomalies] in the clouds," he said. "This could be from orbital probes, balloon-suspended probes in the clouds, and/or heat-stable lander probes."
The phrase "heat-stable" is important, given the planet's habit of killing any robot that lands on its sizzling hot surface.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-30--How to see the full moons on Oct. 1 and Halloween

Get ready to gaze on the first of two full moons slated for October ; the first will dazzle sky watchers this Thursday ( Oct. 1 ) and the second will shine eerily later this month on ( Oct. 31 ) .
It 's rare to have two full moons in one month .
To mark the occasion , the second full moon will be known as a `` blue moon , '' although it wo n't actually appear blue .
( The moon looks blue only when there are massive amounts of particles in Earth 's atmosphere , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which scatter different wavelengths of light differing amounts . )
Another `` blue moon '' definition highlights the third of four full moons in a single season .
To see Thursday 's full moon , also known as the harvest moon , set an alarm for 5:05 p.m. EDT ( 2105 UTC ) , the moment when the moon appears `` opposite '' the sun , in Earth-based longitude , .
If you 're busy at that moment , you can still catch the celestial show , as the moon will appear full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sept. 30 ) through Saturday morning ( Oct. 3 ) .
The harvest moon is tied to the time of year when farmers historically had to rely on moonlight when they worked late .
In fact , the harvest moon is an old European name ; it was first published in 1706 , according to the Oxford English Dictionary .
Most years , the harvest moon shines in September , but this year it 's lighting up the night sky in October , as it 's the full moon closest to the , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( As a result , took the name `` corn moon . ''
) Other names for the Oct. 1 moon include the travel moon , dying grass moon and sanguine or blood moon ( per the Algonquin tribes , who lived in the American Northeast , at least according to the now-defunct 1930s Maine Farmer 's Almanac ) .
This full moon also corresponds with autumnal and harvest festivals in Asia , including the Moon Festival and Mooncake Festival in China , and Chuseok , a harvest festival in Korea that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their hometowns to pay respect to the spirits of their ancestors , according to NASA .
Meanwhile , the blue moon will shine brightly at 9:49 a.m. EDT ( 14:49 UTC ) on Halloween .
Traditionally , this full moon would have helped trick-or-treaters find their way in the dark , but this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) says that `` participating in traditional trick-or-treating , where treats are handed to children who go door to door , '' is a high-risk activity , due to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , having a virtual costume contest and watching Halloween-related movies with your household , the CDC said .
Moderate-risk activities include socially-distanced trick-or-treating ( when a bowl of candy is left out for little ghouls ) and socially-distanced costume parades .
October skygazers can also see other noteworthy events this month .
For example , comet NEOWISE ( named for NASA 's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer , which spotted the comet ; and also known as comet C/2020 P1 ) might be visible the morning of Oct. 17 or 18 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current background of stars will appear to move westward each morning , while Venus will appear to shift slowly eastward , NASA reported .
Venus and the star Regulus will appear at their closest this week , on Oct. 2 and 3 .

Get ready to gaze on the first of two full moons slated for October; the first will dazzle sky watchers this Thursday (Oct. 1) and the second will shine eerily later this month on Halloween (Oct. 31).
It's rare to have two full moons in one month. To mark the occasion, the second full moon will be known as a "blue moon," although it won't actually appear blue. (The moon looks blue only when there are massive amounts of particles in Earth's atmosphere, such as dust from a volcanic eruption , which scatter different wavelengths of light differing amounts.) Another "blue moon" definition highlights the third of four full moons in a single season.
To see Thursday's full moon, also known as the harvest moon, set an alarm for 5:05 p.m. EDT (2105 UTC), the moment when the moon appears "opposite" the sun, in Earth-based longitude, according to NASA .
Related: Gallery: The fantastic full moon
If you're busy at that moment, you can still catch the celestial show, as the moon will appear full for three days, starting today (Sept. 30) through Saturday morning (Oct. 3).
The harvest moon is tied to the time of year when farmers historically had to rely on moonlight when they worked late. In fact, the harvest moon is an old European name; it was first published in 1706, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Most years, the harvest moon shines in September, but this year it's lighting up the night sky in October, as it's the full moon closest to the fall equinox , which fell on Sept. 22 this year. (As a result, September's full moon took the name "corn moon.")
Other names for the Oct. 1 moon include the travel moon, dying grass moon and sanguine or blood moon (per the Algonquin tribes, who lived in the American Northeast, at least according to the now-defunct 1930s Maine Farmer's Almanac). This full moon also corresponds with autumnal and harvest festivals in Asia, including the Moon Festival and Mooncake Festival in China, and Chuseok, a harvest festival in Korea that's observed when city dwellers return to their hometowns to pay respect to the spirits of their ancestors, according to NASA.
Meanwhile, the blue moon will shine brightly at 9:49 a.m. EDT (14:49 UTC) on Halloween. Traditionally, this full moon would have helped trick-or-treaters find their way in the dark, but this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that "participating in traditional trick-or-treating, where treats are handed to children who go door to door," is a high-risk activity, due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Lower-risk activities include carving pumpkins, having a virtual costume contest and watching Halloween-related movies with your household, the CDC said. Moderate-risk activities include socially-distanced trick-or-treating (when a bowl of candy is left out for little ghouls) and socially-distanced costume parades.
October skygazers can also see other noteworthy events this month. For example, comet NEOWISE (named for NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, which spotted the comet; and also known as comet C/2020 P1) might be visible the morning of Oct. 17 or 18, NASA said.
What's more, the current background of stars will appear to move westward each morning, while Venus will appear to shift slowly eastward, NASA reported. Venus and the star Regulus will appear at their closest this week, on Oct. 2 and 3.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-09-30--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!