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☆ Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented. ArmasThe team believe that Rakus intentionally used the plant to treat his wound as he applied it repeatedly in a process that researchers say took several minutes. “This possibly innovative behavior presents the first report of active wound management with a biological active plant in a great ape species,” she said. As for how Rakus would have learned how to treat a wound, one possibility is “accidental individual innovation,” said Laumer. Another possible explanation is that Rakus learned how to treat a wound from other orangutans in the area where he was born, said Laumer.

Persons: Kuning, Rakus, Isabelle Laumer, Armas, Laumer, ” Organizations: CNN, Max Planck, Animal Locations: Indonesia, Gunung Leuser

☆ Stone Age Paleo diet was not rich in meat, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —What did people in the Stone Age eat before the advent of farming around 10,000 years ago? Scientists analyzed chemical signatures preserved in bones and teeth belonging to at least seven different Iberomaurusians and found that plants, not meat, were their primary source of dietary protein. The evidence suggested that the Iberomaurusians consumed “fermentable starchy plants” such as wild cereals or acorns, according to the study. The work undermines the idea that a Stone Age diet was meat heavy — a rigid assumption perpetuated by present-day dietary trends like the Paleo diet. The transition to agriculture was a complex process that occurred at different times and proceeded at different rates, in different ways with different foods, in different places, Pobiner said.

Persons: Heiko Temming, ”, Zineb Moubtahij, Max Planck, Klervia Jaouen, ” Jaouen, Iberomaurusians, ” Moubtahij, —, Briana Pobiner, wasn’t, Jaouen, Pobiner, “ Organizations: CNN, Géosciences Environnement, Max Planck Institute, Stone, Smithsonian National Museum of Locations: what’s, Morocco, Cave, Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, France, Leipzig, Germany, Taforalt, Peru, Levant

☆ Sex and marriage patterns in an ancient empire revealed by DNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

With opulent graves but no written records, the empire and its people have remained largely in the shadows of history until recently. But a landmark April 2022 study involving ancient DNA taken from the graves of the Avar elite shed light on the empire’s far-flung origins. A tiny sample is drilled from a bone at the ancient DNA laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. In the case of men, researchers found two partners in 10 cases, three partners in four cases and four partners in one case. “Polygamy (having multiple marriage partners), serial monogamous marriages and extramarital relations are all possible explanations,” she said.

Persons: ”, Zsófia Rácz, Rácz, aren’t, Guido Alberto Gnecchi, Max Planck, Eötvös Loránd University Múzeum Lara Cassidy, “, polygyny, Ruscone, Cassidy, Bryan Miller, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd, Múzeum, University’s, Archaeological Sciences, Max, Max Planck Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Trinity College Dublin, Turks, Central, University of Michigan Locations: Central, Eastern Europe, Hungary, Rákóczifalva, Budapest, Leipzig, Germany, Europe, Mongolia, Caucasus, what’s, Constantinople, Byzantine, Eurasia

☆ On the Trail of the Denisovans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

March 2, 2024Neanderthals may have vanished 40,000 years ago, but they are no strangers to us today. But there’s no such familiarity with the Denisovans, a group of humans that split from the Neanderthal line and survived for hundreds of thousands of years before going extinct. In a new review paper, anthropologists tally all of the fossils that have been clearly identified as Denisovan since the first discovery in 2010. Nevertheless, many scientists are growing increasingly fascinated by Denisovans. “I find Denisovans way more interesting,” said Emilia Huerta-Sánchez, a geneticist at Brown University.

Persons: Kevin Bacon, ”, Janet Kelso, Max Planck, Denisovans, Emilia Huerta, Sánchez Organizations: Max, Max Planck Institute, Brown University Locations: Africa, Leipzig, Germany

☆ Great apes tease each other just like humans do, says new study
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Researchers have found a new way in which great apes are similar to humans: they tease each other. Researchers found that all four species of great apes demonstrated “intentionally provocative behavior, frequently accompanied by characteristics of play,” according to the press release. The study details 18 different teasing behaviors, many of which were used to provoke a response or attract another ape’s attention. The authors also differentiate playful teasing, which is one-sided, from play, where both apes reciprocate. While primatologists had observed similar behaviors in the past, the study is the first to systematically study playful teasing, Laumer said.

Persons: Isabelle Laumer, Laumer, ’ ”, primatologists, ” Organizations: CNN —, BOS Foundation BPI, Max Planck, Animal, CNN, Royal Society, Biological Sciences Locations: Leipzig, Germany, San Diego

☆ Human bones unearthed from a German cave have altered the timeline of ancient human history
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This led them to Ilsenhöhle cave in Ranis, Germany, one of several sites across Northwestern Europe where LRJ artifacts have been found. AdvertisementMining ancient DNAWhen they excavated the cave, the researchers uncovered more than just LRJ artifacts — they came upon tiny bone fragments, too. AdvertisementTo that end, they extracted DNA, which confirmed the bones belong to Homo sapiens, providing strong evidence that they were responsible for the LRJ artifacts. According to their data, Homo sapiens were present in Ranis 47,500 years ago — thousands of years earlier than previously thought. Geoff M. SmithQuestions remain about how warm-weather-adapted Homo sapiens survived such a dramatic transition.

Persons: —, Josephine Schubert, sapiens, ”, Jean, Jacques Hublin, Hublin, Tim Schüler, Max Planck, ” Hublin, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki, Homo sapiens, Marcel Weiss, “ It’s, sapien, Geoff M, Smith, Geoff Smith, “ Organizations: Service, Business, Burg, College of France, Max, Max Planck Institute, University of Kent Locations: Ranis, Europe, Germany, Northwestern Europe, Western Europe, Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia

☆ Webb telescope spies millions of stars in stunning spiral galaxies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has captured scintillating portraits of 19 spiral galaxies — and the millions of stars that call them home — in unprecedented detail never seen before by astronomers. Astronomers believe that about 60% of all galaxies are spiral galaxies — and our solar system resides in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. Webb’s observations can help astronomers better understand star formation and the evolution of spiral galaxies like our own. The James Webb Space Telescope captured images of 19 spiral galaxies in near- and mid-infrared light. The images will be used to help astronomers determine the distribution of gas and dust in spiral galaxies, as well as how galaxies both nurture and cease the formation of stars.

Persons: James Webb, Janice Lee, Thomas Williams, ”, Webb’s, cocooned, Erik Rosolowsky, Webb, Rosolowsky, ” Webb, Adam Leroy, Eva Schinnerer, Max Planck, Leroy, ” Leroy Organizations: CNN, Telescope, James Webb Space, NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Hubble, Telescope Science, University of Alberta, Ohio State University, Max, Max Planck Institute, Astronomy Locations: Oxford, Chile, Baltimore, Edmonton, Columbus, Heidelberg, Germany

☆ What old bones reveal about the earliest Europeans
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Modern humans, or homo sapiens, weren’t previously known to have lived as far north as the region where the tools were made. “The Ranis cave site provides evidence for the first dispersal of Homo sapiens across the higher latitudes of Europe. It also shows that Homo sapiens, our species, crossed the Alps into the cold climes of northern and central Europe earlier than thought. Using the same technique, the team also managed to identify human remains among bones excavated during the 1930s. However, the protein analysis was only able to identify the bones as belonging to hominins — a category that includes Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis, or Neanderthals.

Persons: weren’t, ”, Jean, Jacques Hublin, Max Planck, Marcel Weiss, Friedrich, “, hominins, neanderthalensis, Elena Zavala, ” Zavala, denning, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki “, Sarah Pederzani, William E, Banks, ” Banks, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Max, Max Planck Institute, Alexander University Erlangen, Evolutionary Anthropology, University of California, University of La, University of Bordeaux Locations: Europe, Ranis, Germany, France, Paris, Leipzig, Moravia, Poland, British, Nürnberg, Berkeley, Siberia, Eurasia, University of La Laguna, Spain, “

☆ Hubble finds water vapor in small exoplanet’s atmosphere
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have detected water molecules in the atmosphere of a small, blazing-hot exoplanet 97 light-years from Earth. The planet, named GJ 9827d, is about twice Earth’s diameter, and it’s the smallest exoplanet found to have water vapor in its atmosphere, according to a new study. Starlight filtering through the planet’s atmosphere helped astronomers measure the signature of water molecules. It’s possible that the planet is a mini-Neptune with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere that contains water vapor. Or astronomers suspect that GJ 9827d could be a warmer version of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, which contains an ocean beneath a thick, icy crust.

Persons: ”, Laura Kreidberg, Max Planck, Björn Benneke, Hubble, Ian Crossfield, Pierre, Alexis Roy, we’re, ” Benneke, “, GJ, Benneke, Thomas Greene, James Webb, Webb, ” Kreidberg Organizations: CNN —, Hubble, Max, Max Planck Institute, Astronomy, University of Montreal’s Trottier Institute for Research, University of Kansas, University of Montreal’s Trottier Institute, GJ 9827d, NASA’s Ames Research, James Webb Space Telescope, ”, 9827d Locations: Heidelberg, Germany, Lawrence , Kansas, Silicon

☆ Chinstrap penguins take thousands of 4-second naps a day so they can stay alert and guard their newborns around-the-clock, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Christina Larson | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinstrap penguins take catnaps instead sleeping for a long period of time, researchers found. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. Chinstrap penguins, named for the thin line of black facial feathers resembling a chinstrap, usually lay their eggs in pebble nests in November. For the first time, the scientists tracked the sleeping behavior of chinstrap penguins in an Antarctic breeding colony by attaching sensors that measure brain waves. "For these penguins, microsleeps have some restorative functions — if not, they could not endure," he said.

Persons: —, Niels Rattenborg, Max Planck, Chinstrap, King, King George Island, Won Young Lee, Paul, Antoine Libourel, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart Organizations: Service, WASHINGTON, Max, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Korean Polar Research, Neuroscience Research, of Lyon, Penguins, Oceanographic, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Germany, King George, Antarctica, France, Massachusetts

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. These short “microsleeps,” totaling around 11 hours per day, appear to be enough to keep the parents going for weeks. “For these penguins, microsleeps have some restorative functions — if not, they could not endure,” he said.

Persons: —, ”, Niels Rattenborg, Max Planck, “, King, King George Island, Won Young Lee, Paul, Antoine Libourel, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart Organizations: WASHINGTON, Max, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Korean Polar Research, Neuroscience Research, of Lyon, “ Penguins, Oceanographic, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Germany, King George, Antarctica, France, Massachusetts

Among other lifestyle changes, "I stopped using chemical straighteners," she says. Breast cancer risk was similar for Black and white women, but straightener use was far more common among Black women. Notably, research also has shown that rates of aggressive subtypes of the disease surged in the recent past among U.S. women, with Black women particularly affected. Yet aside from cancer, hair care may pose an additional concern for people planning to get pregnant. More than half of Black study participants reported using their first relaxer before they were 10 years old.

Persons: Mirtha Aguilar, Fort, flaking, Aguilar, she’s, –, who’d, Jordan Geller, it’s, Geller, ”, Elena A, Dr, Monte Swarup, ” Swarup, Johanna Lukate, Lukate, Christofides Organizations: National Institutes of Health, University of North, Hill, National Cancer Institute, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, American, Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Max Planck Institute, Institute Locations: Fort Myers , Florida, University of North Carolina, straighteners, Los Angeles, Florida, Columbus , Ohio, Arizona, Germany, U.S

☆ Scientists detect oxygen in noxious atmosphere of Venus
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter is used in an undated composite image of the planet Venus. Its thick and noxious atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide - 96.5% - with lesser amounts of nitrogen and trace gases. In fact, with Venus getting far less scientific attention than other planets such as Mars, the direct detection of its oxygen has remained difficult. They noted that this atomic oxygen, which consists of a single oxygen atom, differs from molecular oxygen, which consists of two oxygen atoms and is breathable. "The Venus atmosphere is very dense.

Persons: Heinz, Wilhelm Hübers, Hübers, Helmut Wiesemeyer, Max Planck, Wiesemeyer, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NASA, JPL, Caltech, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Venus, Boeing, German Aerospace Center, Nature Communications, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Thomson Locations: SOFIA, Hawaii, Germany

☆ Euclid telescope’s first images reveal new cosmic details
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What Euclid’s first images revealEuclid focused on an array of targets for its first scientific images. While dark matter has never actually been detected, it is believed to make up 85% of the total matter in the universe. Both dark matter and dark energy also play a role in the distribution and movement of objects, such as galaxies and stars, across the cosmos. These observations will effectively allow Euclid to see how the universe has evolved over the past 10 billion years. “Euclid will make a leap in our understanding of the cosmos as a whole, and these exquisite Euclid images show that the mission is ready to help answer one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics,” said Carole Mundell, ESA Director of Science, in a statement.

Persons: James Webb, “, ”, René Laureijs, Euclid, Matthias Kluge, Max Planck, Ludwig Maximilian, Koshy George, Georges Lemaître, Edwin Hubble, Carole Mundell Organizations: CNN, European Space Agency, Perseus, Max, Max Planck Institute, Ludwig Maximilian University, Orion, Ludwig Locations: Garching, Munich, Alexandria

Only the fifth woman to win a Nobel physics prize, French-born L'Huillier works at Lund University in Sweden, while Agostini, who was also born in France, is a emeritus professor at Ohio State University in the United States. Agostini and Krausz then demonstrated how this could be used to create shorter light pulses than previously possible. These experiments all showed that attosecond pulses could be observed and measured, and could be used in new experiments. While the award for peace can take the limelight, the physics prize has also often taken centre stage with winners such as Albert Einstein and awards for science that has fundamentally changed how we see the world. Announced on consecutive weekdays in early October, the physics prize announcement will be followed by ones for chemistry, literature, peace and economics, the latter a later addition to the original line-up.

Persons: Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L'Huillier, Eva Olsson, Krausz, L'Huillier, Agostini, Emmanuel Macron, Hans Ellegren, Mats Larsson, Katalin Kariko, Drew Weissman, Alfred Nobel, Albert Einstein, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Terje Solsvik, Elizabeth Pineau, Ayhan Uyanik, Christine Uyanik, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Michaela Cabrera, Alexandra Hudson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Reuters, Max Planck, Quantum Optics, Lund University, Ohio State University, Royal Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Hungarian, Garching, Germany, French, Sweden, France, United States, Stockholm, Austria, Paris, COVID, Oslo, Krisztina, Budapest, Amsterdam

CNN —The 2023 Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to a team of scientists who created a ground-breaking technique using lasers to understand the extremely rapid movements of electrons, which were previously thought impossible to follow. “An attosecond is to one second as one second is to the age of the universe,” the committee explained. Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier shared this year's physics prize. Rapid movements blur together, making extremely short events impossible to observe. Electrons’ movements in atoms and molecules are so rapid that they are measured in attoseconds.

Persons: Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L’Huillier “, “, Bob Rosner, ”, Rosner, Anne L'Huillier, Max Planck, ” L’Huillier, Hans Ellegren, L’Huillier, Olle Eriksson, —, Michael Moloney, ” Moloney Organizations: CNN, American Physical Society, University of Chicago, Ohio State University, Max, Quantum Optics, National Academy of Sciences, Lund University, Max Planck, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Uppsala University, American Institute of Physics Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, Germany

“The electrons are very fast, and the electrons are really the workforce in everywhere,” Nobel Committee member Mats Larsson said. WHAT DISCOVERY WON THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS? “Let’s take one second, which is the time of a heartbeat,” Nobel Committee chair Eva Olsson said. “I was very concentrated, forgot about the Nobel Prize and tried to finish my lecture,” L'Huillier told the AP. The physics prize comes a day after two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Persons: Anne L’Huillier, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Mats Larsson, “, ” L’Huillier, ” L'Huillier, Eva Olsson, Mark Pearce, “ It's, that's, ” Krausz, Krausz, L'Huillier, ANNE L'HUILLIER, FERENC KRAUSZ, PIERRE AGOSTINI, L’Huillier, ”, wasn't, Agostini, it's, Max, Ludwig Maximilian, I'd, Wolf, Paul Corkum, Corkum, Alfred Nobel, ___ Borenstein, Mike Corder, Nicolas Garriga, Jan M, Olsen, Geir Moulson Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Lund University, Associated Press, “, Lund, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Ohio State University, Max Planck, Quantum Optics, Ludwig, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University of Ottawa, COVID Locations: French, Swedish, Hungarian, Sweden, Stockholm, “, Paris, Columbus, Washington, Leicester, The Hague, Netherlands, Copenhagen, Berlin

In the past few months alone, researchers have linked Neanderthal DNA to a serious hand disease, the shape of people's noses and various other human traits. Research shows some African populations have almost no Neanderthal DNA, while those from European or Asian backgrounds have 1% to 2%. For example, Neanderthal DNA has been linked to auto-immune diseases like Graves’ disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The list goes on: Research has linked Neanderthal genetic variants to skin and hair color, behavioral traits, skull shape and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found the skulls of domesticated dogs in Homo sapiens sites much further back in time than anyone had found before.

Persons: We’re, ”, Mary Prendergast, Hugo Zeberg, Svante Paabo, Zeberg, It's, Graves, Homo sapiens, Chris Stringer, “, Rick Potts, Paabo, ” Zeberg, Raghavan, Potts, Denisovans, sapiens, Eleanor Scerri, Prendergast, Janet Young, Pat Shipman, John Hawks Organizations: Rice University, Karolinska, Research, Smithsonian Institution, University of Chicago, Germany’s Max Planck Institute, Geoanthropology, Canadian Museum, University of Wisconsin -, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Sweden, Melanesia, New Guinea, Fiji, Africa, Europe, Asia, London, Eurasia, Germany’s, University of Wisconsin - Madison

☆ Astronomers aren't crying 'aliens' yet, but NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is making this planet look a lot more habitable
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovered signs of a vast ocean on the planet K2-18 b. Astronomers can't directly look at the surface of the planet, called K2-18 b, but Webb analyzed its atmosphere for hints of what may lie below. That's a strong mark against the molecule's existence on K2-18 b. Confirming these findings requires a lot more observation of K2-18 b. As Blain put it: "K2-18 b is not exactly an Earth twin."

Persons: NASA's James Webb, Webb, James Webb, Madhusudhan, That's, Aaron Gronstal, Doriann Blain, Max Planck, Blain, peered, Webb’s, Crawford, J, Olmsted, haven't, Eliza Kempton, we've, Markus Scheucher, Kempton, I'd, there's, Marianne Guenot Organizations: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, Service, NASA, University of Cambridge, DMS, Max, Max Planck Institute, Astronomy, Hubble, European Space Agency, CSA, ESA, Cambridge University, Astrophysical Journal, University of Maryland, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ ‘The scent of eternal life’ resurrects an ancient Egyptian aroma
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A long time agoDammar resin, an ingredient used in embalming, appears next to a bottle of the recreated ancient scent. When the ice disappears, the bears are forced to go on land and attempt to survive without access to food. The planetary nebula, an enormous cloud of cosmic gas and dust, is home to the remnants of a dying star. See images from around the world showcasing this rare sight, which won’t happen again until 2037. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Barbara Huber, balms, ”, James Webb, Shashwat Harish, Kathy Moran, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Moesgaard Museum, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, James Webb Space Telescope, ESA, Webb, NASA, — Pilots, CNN Space, Science Locations: Egypt, Indonesian, Flores, London, Italy, Florida, India

☆ Humanity’s Ancestors Nearly Died Out, Genetic Study Suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Carl Zimmer | More About Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“About 98.7 percent of human ancestors were lost at the beginning of the bottleneck, thus threatening our ancestors with extinction,” the scientists wrote. But outside experts said they were skeptical of the novel statistical methods that the researchers used for the study. The studies all take advantage of the same basic facts of our biology: every baby is born with dozens of new genetic mutations, and some of those mutations can be handed down over thousands or even millions of years. By comparing genetic variations in DNA, scientists can trace people’s ancestry to ancient populations that lived in different parts of the world, moved around and interbred. They can even infer the size of those populations at different times in history.

Persons: ”, Stephan Schiffels Organizations: Max Planck Institute Locations: Leipzig, Germany

☆ 3,500-year-old ancient Egyptian mummification balm aroma recreated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Scientists have decoded an ancient aroma by identifying the ingredients used in Egyptian mummification balms — and resurrected the scent. The exact recipes used in the mummification have long been debated because ancient Egyptian texts don’t name precise ingredients. The new findings suggest that the relatively complex balms used in Senetnay’s preservation may have been the beginning of a trend of more elaborate ones used later on. Dammar resin, an ingredient used in embalming, appears next to a bottle of the recreated ancient scent. “The scent of eternal life” will be part of an ancient Egyptian exhibit at the Danish museum that opens in October.

Persons: ”, Barbara Huber, ” Huber, Pharaoh Amenhotep II, Pharaoh Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, Senetnay, Christian Tepper, Howard Carter, Carter, Pharaoh, Nicole Boivin, Carole Calvez, dammar, it’s, ” Boivin, Dammar, Sofia Collette Ehrich, Huber, Barbara Huber “, “ Organizations: CNN —, Moesgaard Museum, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Max Planck Institute, Geoanthropology Locations: Denmark, Egypt’s Valley, Germany, “, Hannover, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Saqqara

☆ Images from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft reveal tiny flares shooting from a 'hole' in the sun. They could explain how the sun blasts Earth with charged particles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementPicoflares could be the source of the solar wind that's blasting EarthAn animation of the solar wind shows particles streaming from the sun towards Earth. That stream, called the "solar wind," gets supercharged when coronal holes or big solar flares are pointed at our planet. Seeing the sun up close, at smaller scales, could reveal its secretsImages from the Solar Orbiter are the closest ever taken of the sun. "Jets, in general, have previously been observed in the solar corona," Chitta, who led the Solar Orbiter study and a team at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, told Space.com. NASA/SDONASA and the ESA launched Solar Orbiter in 2020, with a goal of studying these winds at their source.

Persons: Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta, NASA's Parker, Chitta, Space.com, it's, Andrei Zhukov Organizations: Service, Orbiter, Solar Orbiter, NASA Solar Dynamics, NASA, Lights, EUI Team, ESA, CSL, MPS, UCL, Probe, Jets, Solar, Max Planck Institute, Solar System Research, European Space Agency, Royal Observatory of Locations: Wall, Silicon, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels

☆ Solar Orbiter observes jets of material escaping the sun
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Solar Orbiter mission has discovered jets of material rapidly releasing from the sun’s outer atmosphere. An artist's concept shows the Solar Orbiter spacecraft circling the sun. The advanced instruments aboard Solar Orbiter, as well as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, are helping to unlock the biggest mysteries that remain about the sun. The sun’s magnetic field is so massive that it stretches beyond Pluto, providing a pathway for solar wind to travel directly across the solar system. Solar Orbiter works in tandem with Parker Solar Probe, which is orbiting the sun on a seven-year mission after launching in August 2018.

Persons: “, ”, Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta, Max Planck, NASA’s Parker, Andrei Zhukov, ESA’s Daniel Müller, Parker Organizations: CNN, Orbiter, NASA, European Space Agency, Solar, ESA, Max, Max Planck Institute, Solar System Research, Probe, Space, Royal Observatory of, Solar Orbiter, Parker Locations: Germany, Royal Observatory of Belgium

☆ Sun-observing spacecraft sheds light on the solar wind's origin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The sun as seen by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft in extreme ultraviolet light in this mosaic of 25 individual images taken on March 7, 2023, by the high resolution telescope of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument. New observations by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft may provide an answer. "Unlike the wind on Earth that circulates the globe, solar wind is ejected outward into interplanetary space," Chitta said. "Earth and the other planets in the solar system whiz through the solar wind as they orbit around the sun. "This finding is important as it sheds more light on the physical mechanism of the solar wind generation," said solar physicist and study co-author Andrei Zhukov of the Royal Observatory of Belgium.

Persons: Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta, Max Planck, Chitta, Andrei Zhukov, Eugene Parker, Zhukov, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Solar Orbiter, Solar, Max Planck Institute, Solar System Research, European Space Agency, NASA, Orbiter, Royal Observatory of, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Germany, U.S, Royal Observatory of Belgium, American

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