Lifeboat Foundation

A recent study has revealed that nearly half of black holes that consume stars during tidal disruption events (TDEs) later emit remnants of those stars, sometimes years after the initial event. TDEs occur when a star ventures too close to a black hole, where the black hole’s gravitational pull exerts intense tidal forces. This results in the star being stretched and compressed, a process known as spaghettification, which tears the star apart within hours. This destruction is marked by a burst of electromagnetic radiation visible as a bright flash.

As the star is consumed, part of its material is expelled, while the remaining material forms an accretion disk—a thin, rotating structure around the black hole. The accretion disk initially releases material in chaotic bursts, detectable through radio waves, but these emissions typically fade within a few months. Traditionally, astronomers only observed these radio emissions for a short period after the star’s destruction, missing any longer-term activity.

The new study, led by Yvette Cendes, a research associate at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, involved monitoring black holes for several years after TDEs. Published on Aug. 25 in the preprint database arXiv, the findings showed that in up to 50% of the cases, black holes expelled material years after consuming a star. In 10 of the 24 studied black holes, this delayed emission occurred between two and six years after the initial star-destroying event. These unexpected “burps” were observed as sudden bursts of radio waves, indicating that the black holes “turned on” again long after the initial event.

Human minibrains in little vials surprised scientists by surviving a stint in low-Earth orbit.

US researchers sent lab-grown blobs of human neural tissue known as organoids for a short holiday on the International Space Station back in 2019. What they got back a month later amazed them.

Continue reading “Human Minibrains Launched Into Space Thrived in an Unexpected Way” »

The brain is sometimes called the most complex machine in the known universe. But the thoughts that it outputs putter along at a trifling 10 bits per second, the pace of a conversation.

By Rachel Nuwer

Continue reading “The Human Brain Operates at a Stunningly Slow Pace” »

Regorafenib.

For patients with metastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma, inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway via the anti–VEGFR-2 antibody ramucirumab increases response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) when combined with second-line treatment with paclitaxel. The multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor regorafenib targets VEGFR and other pathways and has effectiveness in chemotherapy-refractory colorectal cancer.

Investigators now report results of the industry-sponsored, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled INTEGRATE IIa trial evaluating regorafenib (160 mg daily for 21 days of 28-day cycles) in patients with chemotherapy-refractory esophagogastric adenocarcinoma. Of the 251 patients enrolled, 63% were treated in Asia; 73% had gastric primaries; 42% had received a prior VEGF inhibitor; 59% had received two and 40% had received three or more lines of prior chemotherapy. For the analysis of OS, the primary endpoint, results were pooled with those from INTEGRATE I, a prior randomized, placebo-controlled, phase II trial in 147 patients.

Continue reading “A Potential New Treatment Option for Chemotherapy-Refractory Gastric Cancer” »

Change can take many forms.

Newly discovered altermagnetism at the Swiss Light Source SLS opens door to new physics & spintronics. Learn about this new addition to magnetic family!

Mapping the geometry of quantum worlds: measuring the quantum geometric tensor in solids.

Quantum states are like complex shapes in a hidden world, and understanding their geometry is key to unlocking the mysteries of modern physics. One of the most important tools for studying this geometry is the quantum geometric tensor (QGT). This mathematical object reveals how quantum states “curve” and interact, shaping phenomena ranging from exotic materials to groundbreaking technologies.

The QGT has two parts, each with distinct significance:

Continue reading “Physicists measure quantum geometry for first time” »

The most common form – obstructive sleep apnoea – happens when the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close, with symptoms including choking noises, loud snoring and waking up a lot.

The three-hour procedure to fit Nyxoah’s Genio implant was carried out by medics at University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust (UCLH) this month.

One of the two patients, Natalie Boller, 63, was feeling better within days and will return to the clinic to have the device activated in the coming weeks.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team at NASA has completed the integration of the telescope and its instruments onto the carrier, a significant milestone in the assembly process.

With the Coronagraph Instrument and the Optical Telescope Assembly in place, the Roman telescope is equipped to explore a vast array of astronomical phenomena, including exoplanets and cosmic mysteries like dark energy and dark matter. The Wide Field Instrument, a powerful 300-megapixel infrared camera, will enhance the telescope’s capability to survey the universe extensively. The project is on schedule for a 2026 completion and a 2027 launch.

Integration of roman space telescope components.