Lifeboat Foundation

Can rocky exoplanets orbiting stars smaller than our Sun support life as we know it? This is what a recent study published in Nature Communications hopes to address as an international team of researchers examined the atmospheric stability of exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars, which typically range from 7.5 percent to 50 percent of our Sun’s mass and surface temperatures of approximately 3,500 degrees Celsius (6,300 degrees Fahrenheit) with our Sun boasting surface temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Celsius (9,000 degrees Fahrenheit). This study holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the conditions for finding life beyond Earth and where we can find it.

For the study, the researchers examined TRAPPIST-1, which is an M-dwarf star located approximately 40 light-years from Earth while boasting seven rocky exoplanets, several of which orbit within its star’s habitable zone (HZ). Using computer models, the team simulated the formation and evolution of the orbiting exoplanets to ascertain if their individual atmospheres could remain stable over time to form a habitable environment. In the end, the team found that the exoplanets that orbit close to their star likely do not possess stable atmospheres, but found promising results for exoplanets orbiting farther out, specifically TRAPPIST-1 e.

“One of the most intriguing questions right now in exoplanet astronomy is: Can rocky planets orbiting M-dwarf stars maintain atmospheres that could support life?” said Dr. Joshua Krissansen-Totton, who is an assistant professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington and lead author of the study. “Our findings give reason to expect that some of these planets do have atmospheres, which significantly enhances the chances that these common planetary systems could support life.”

An innovative method now allows DNA to store information as a binary code — the same strings of 0s and 1s used by standard computers.

‘Bricks’ of DNA, some of which have chemical tags, could one day be an alternative to storing information electronically.

The Turing Award recipient told ET that the path to achieving AGI (artificial general intelligence) is through AI systems being conscious of the physical world, having persistent memory and being able to reason. This may take 6–10 years and still have the intelligence of a cat, he said on the sidelines of Meta’s Build with AI Summit in Bengaluru.

“I don’t like the phrase AGI. I prefer human-level intelligence because human intelligence is not general. Internally, we call this AMI-advanced machine intelligence. We have a pretty good plan on how to get there,” said LeCun is often referred to as a ‘Godfather of AI’

Really the global debt and inflation causes the global financial crisis in price values.

The IMF warned of the risks posed by unsustainable public debt levels.

After weeks of hurricane delays, the crew successfully undocked on Wednesday and are on their way back to Earth.

Researchers have identified a key mechanism in the development of Alzheimer’s disease involving the growth and pause of amyloid β fibrils.

A newly discovered antibody can lock these fibrils in their paused state, offering a potential new approach for treatment that targets these critical growth points.

Continue reading “Breakthrough Discovery: Freezing Alzheimer’s Progress by Pausing Amyloid Fibrils” »

Revolutionary space-based coronagraph provides unprecedented views of solar storms that could impact Earth.

The first piece of the Euclid space telescope’s map of the universe is crammed with 14 million galaxies and 100 million sources of light. The mapping project is now 1% done.

In a remarkable encounter off the coast of Alaska, human scientists had what they describe as a “conversation” with a humpback whale named Twain. Dr. Brenda McCowan from the University of California Davis was at the heart of this unexpected exchange.

Dr. McCowan and her team, known as Whale-SETI, have been studying how humpback whales communicate. They’re aiming to understand whale communication systems to help in the search for life beyond Earth.

Using an underwater speaker, the team played a recorded humpback “contact” call into the ocean. To their astonishment, Twain approached their boat and began responding.