Posts

A little-known protein may be fueling Alzheimer’s — and scientists found a way to block it

An experimental Alzheimer’s compound prevented damaging protein clumps from forming in the brains of mice, helping nerve cells survive longer and reducing amyloid buildup. The treatment also appeared to improve heart health and slow some signs of aging, raising hopes for an entirely new way to combat dementia. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3j2Mlpg

How to watch 'Lanterns' — HBO's gritty new Green Lantern show

Image
In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night… Come on, you know the rest! DC Comics' Green Lantern Corps. spans the infinite boundaries of the cosmos with its legion of 7,204 intergalactic space cops representing all races, genders, and biological entities patrolling thousands of Guardian sectors of the universe. The fabled interstellar law enforcement society based on the planet Oa, armed with the coolest oath ever recited, is getting its own gritty, grounded " Lanterns " TV series and fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their intrepid emerald ring-wearing heroes capable of manifesting an incredible arsenal of colorful mental constructs. Specific plot elements remain secretive and we're unsure which side of morality we’ll ultimately find Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his upstart John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) . Power up and let's parade into all the details of how to watch HBO...

COVID-19 awakens dormant viruses — and one is linked to long COVID

COVID-19 can reactivate dormant viruses hiding in the body, including Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, and several herpes viruses. One poorly understood viral family was strongly associated with long COVID and lasting disability, offering a potentially important clue to why some patients struggle to recover. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ANrO0pR

'This goes beyond showcasing technological soft power': China's new moon map signals bold space ambitions (video)

Image
Chinese researchers have presented a new map of the moon, updating a previous edition based on new scientific findings and recalibrating the moon's ancient geologic eras. The comprehensive map of the moon , with a scale of 1:5 million, was unveiled by the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (IGCAGS) on Aug. 6. The map is an update of a 2024 edition and puts forward new boundaries for the ancient Aitkenian, Nectarian and Imbrian lunar periods. (The researchers use the term Aitkenian, whereas the term pre-Nectarian is often used to describe the lunar geologic period from roughly around 4.5 billion to 3.9 billion years ago.) The map also uses reprocessed spectral data to update areas of KREEP terrane , which features crustal material enriched in potassium (K), rare-earth elements (REE), and phosphorus (P), and is found to be more continuous and abundant than previously e...

Stomp Rockets: The perfect start to model rocketry for kids?

Image
When it comes to space exploration, rockets are probably one of the coolest things you'll learn about as a kid. Zooming off into space, traveling to new planets and searching for potential life are all things that feel like they should be impossible. For any age of space enthusiast, it's pretty darn cool. For kids, though, learning about rockets can mark an amazing introduction, sparking a lifelong love of space. But, while real rockets aren't really obtainable, kids can always start out with model rocketry. One of the most child-friendly, affordable and safest ways to get into this hobby, though, is by trying out Stomp Rockets. These toy rockets can be propelled into the air by a simple stomp onto a launcher, hence the name. Attached with a flexible hose, when you compress the launcher, it releases the air into the rocket and makes it fly. A fairly simple concept, but one that can be...

New record! SpaceX launches 2 Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart

Image
SpaceX keeps setting spaceflight records. Elon Musk 's company launches far more frequently than any other outfit, and it operates the largest satellite constellation ever assembled — the Starlink broadband network, which consists of nearly 11,000 satellites (and counting). On Saturday evening (Aug. 15), SpaceX set another mark, for the shortest time between orbital flights: It launched two Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart, besting its old mark — set on Aug. 31, 2024 with two Starlink missions — by 27 minutes. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches eight satellites for the telecom company Globalstar from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Aug. 15, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX) The first liftoff, from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station , occurred Saturday at 9:12 p.m. EDT (0112 GMT on Aug. 16) and carried eight satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) for Louisia...

Is empty space really empty? This magnetic star may finally solve a 90-year-old mystery

Image
Empty space is not as empty as it looks. That is the takeaway of a new study examining signals from a dead star , offering what researchers say is the strongest evidence yet that extreme magnetic fields can alter the properties of a vacuum, causing seemingly empty space to act like a prism and changing how light travels through it The findings, led by Rachael Stewart, a graduate student in physics at the George Washington University, confirm a prediction of a strange effect first proposed 90 years ago. "The information we obtained from looking at this distant star core also gives us clues about the nature of the fabric of reality as we know it, and I find that to be incredible," Stewart said in a statement . The idea dates to 1936, when the German physicist Werner Heisenberg and his student Hans Euler proposed that space is never truly void. Instead, they argued, it is a simmering sea ...