The True Planet Nine and Planet Ten are the new theoretical discoveries astronomers have made in the last two years

After astronomers have said that Pluto is a dwarf planet, and not a planet in full, the Solar system was never the same. However, scientist believe that there might be a true Planet Nine in the Solar system. The news came from the California Institute of Technology, whose team stated that there appears to be a planet which has 10 times the mass of Earth and that it is located in the remote recesses of our solar system.

True Planet Nine and Ten Lurking in Our Solar System

When the discovery was made, Mike Brown, the lead head of the research, noted that there is a highly probable existence of a ninth planet. He said, back then, that the new object had a chance of .001% of being a statistical fluke.

Although there is still no physical evidence of this, the theoretical discovery took the academia world by surprise. And for a good reason. In recent discoveries, however, Kathryn Volk and Renu Malhotra at the University of Arizona have noticed bizarre movement in the Kuiper Belt.

In their opinion, this would indicate the existence of a tenth planet. They hypothesis is supported by the fact that the Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) are far from any other major body present in our solar system. As such, no gravitational influence would be exercised upon them. And, most notably, their movements can still be predicted by the use of advanced technology.

A true Planet Nine, followed by a Tenth Planet is a real surprise. However, there are two possible outcomes. If the predictions of the Arizona researchers prove to be true, then it means that there is a Tenth Planet lurking there. If not, that would mean that there is another large object which resides beyond the present optical capabilities on Earth. And that body’s gravity affects the movement of the KBOs.

Image Source: Flickr

RV Investigator’s docking brought back more data on the bizarre species of the Australian abyss.

The end of a research mission targeting the oceanic abyss in Australia just revealed the discovery of even more bizarre species. Previous reports had already revealed a faceless fish and several other rare animals. Now, study results also point out the presence of peanut worms, among others.

Museums Victoria scientists conducted this research expedition to the Australian eastern abyss. These were also joined by CSIRO and several other research authorities. The scientific crew boarded the RV Investigator and carried out a month-long expedition.

What can we say? Our scientists went deep…check out the peanut worm and other discoveries here: https://t.co/RPUN2YZGKb #abysslife pic.twitter.com/60UpwpWzhN

— Museums Victoria (@museumsvictoria) June 19, 2017

After departing on May 15 from Launceston, Tasmania, the ship docked in Brisbane, Queensland on June 16. Now, the researchers revealed more of the wondrous, bizarre, or concerning data gathered throughout their expedition.

Bizarre Species and Rubbish?

Tim O’Hara, the mission’s senior curator, stated that the abyss, which covers around one-third of the Australian territory, is one of the “largest and deepest” habitats on Earth. Its great depths, going some 4,000 meters down, also make it a difficult to explore area. The crew managed to collect just a relatively small number of samples. But reports state that there will be much to learn from them.

“The data gathered on this trip will be crucial to understanding Australia’s deep-sea habitats, their biodiversity and the ecological processes that sustain them,” states O’Hara.

He then continued by adding that research results will assist in the management and conservation of this environment.

Scientists managed to map the abyss’s floor by using multibeam sonars. This also allowed them to send down collecting gear and bring up samples. The mission managed to collect more than 1,000 different bizarre species. More than a third of them are said to be completely new to science.

Still, the research team was also concerned about the significant amount of rubbish detected on the sea floor. O’Hara states that they discovered anything from beer cans to bottles, woodchips, and even PVC pipes.

Presently, the collection of gathered samples is being processed and photographed. The specimens will also be preserved for research and studies.

A number of samples will be on display at the Melbourne Museum sometimes later in 2017. Some others will go to be studied and perhaps displayed in museums from around the world.

The species discovered are quite bizarre looking due to the fact that they adapted to living in a low to no light, freezing, very deep environment.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Bake in Space, a German company, is trying to help bake a crumb-less but flavorful bread in space.

A German company named “Bake in Space” set out on a daring experiment to help astronauts do just that, bake fresh bread while up in space. To do so, researchers began working on a special dough, one that would not break down in crumbs.

This new experiment is scheduled to take off aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018.

Bake in Space Is Trying to Address Future Nutrition Needs

The team behind “Bake in Space” is based in Germany and made up of scientists, science communicators, and engineers. According to the company, its mission is not only to increase the food varieties on the astronauts’ menu. They are trying to address the future needs and requirements of space travel, which is starting to become available to more people and set to continue doing so.

 “Bake in Space seeks to address the scientific and technical challenges relating to the production of fresh bread in space. Baking where nobody baked before,” states the experiment team.

Sebastian Marcu, the founder and CEO of the “Bake in Space” company, said in a press interview that this experiment is looking to address future food needs. He considers that, as space tourism will be taking off, people will start spending more time outside the planet.

Bake in Space’s experiment will be trying to produce a “typical” weekend German bread roll. It will try to do so by using a low-energy convection or vacuum, compact oven and a special. This is composed as to rise into a tasty but crumb—free bread.

Breadcrumbs can be a bigger than believed problem when up in space. The microgravity environment would make the tiny particles float everyone, making it easier to choke on them. Also, they could get into the spacecraft’s ventilation filters or the electrical systems, which would give rise to even more problems.

The experiment team went to point out another issue with the space bread. Even if they will be able to make it crumb-free, the researchers also have to ensure that it will have a pleasing taste. Still, scientists consider that the finished product will be worth the hassle.

According to them, being able to break bread is fulfilling both from a nutritious point of view but also a psychological one as well.  The smell of fresh bread in itself is an important such factor.

Image Source: Flickr

Scientists could use gravitational microlensing in measuring the mass of stars.

As Albert Einstein published his Theory of General Relativity, part of what it contained was an explanation of how gravity could bend the path of light. A very concrete proof of this, Einstein predicted, would be if two stars lined up perfectly with the planet Earth.

The light from the farther star would not be blocked by the nearer. Rather, it would be affected by gravitational microlensing, a warping effect that would cause the light to bend around the closer star.

Einstein himself claimed that we would probably never witness this phenomenon, but scientists watched the path of over 5,000 stars to finally glimpse the perfect moment.

The Effects of Gravitational Microlensing: “Einstein Rings”

The effect created by a perfect alignment of this phenomenon is referred to as an “Einstein Ring”. In it, the light of the hindmost star appears as a ring around the nearer because of the gravitational microlensing.

When the effect is out of alignment, it can distort the position of the rear star. This was first seen around our own sun during a total solar eclipse in 1919. The light from distant stars bent slightly as it passed around our sun, causing their positions to seemingly change. However, it has never before been detected in two deep space stars, until now.

What scientists are calling an “asymmetric Einstein Ring” appeared when two stars in deep space aligned near perfectly with the Hubble telescope. Much as Einstein predicted, the light from the more distant star bent around the closer one, forming an asymmetric ring.

A fascinating practical use of this lensing is to weigh the mass of stars. This is something never done before. The astronomers were able to measure the level at which the light bent. They managed to do so by determining the mass of the gravitational body present.

Scientists continue the search, as more observations of this effect could lead to untold secrets. A research paper describing the spotted phenomenon is available in the journal Science.

Image Source: JPL/NASA

A closer look at the genetic data of ancient Egyptian mummies came with new info on their ancestry

Just recently, a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute revealed the results of their study on Ancient Egyptian mummies and the genetic data they gathered and analyzed from them. The scientists looked to determine if the various conquest left a genetic trace on the local population.

According to observations, the answer is a quite surprising “no”. However, this research did come with a bigger surprise. The study showed that the analyzed local ancient population had a different than expected ancestry.

Research results are available in the journal Nature Communications.

Ancient Egyptian Mummies Present Surprising Ancestry

The study team is part of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, in Jena, Germany. Led by Johannes Krause, they analyzed some 151-ancient human remains. Out of them, 90 presented incomplete genetic data while three had a perfectly preserved genome. All of these Egyptian mummies were discovered in Abusir el-Meleq, an ancient settlement on the Nile’s flood plain.

Previously conducted radiocarbon dating placed these remains as varying to in between around 1,400 BCE to about 400 CE. As such, their existence covers over 1,000 years of ancient Egyptian history. This spans from the rule of Amenhotep II to the Greek and Roman invasions and settlements in the area.

After sequencing the ancient Egyptian DNA, the researchers compared it to the genetic data of the area’s modern-day dwellers. As the team was looking for genetic data left behind by the conquests, they had quite a surprise.

The various invasions seem to have little or no trace. However, a genetic change did undoubtedly occur. Modern-day Egyptians have around 20 percent sub-Sahara genes. In contrast, their ancient counterparts did not present any DNA connected to sub-Saharan Africa.

Instead, it was more closely related to people living in the Near East, even modern-day ones. The researchers decided to focus on a single, local population, so their results may not apply to the whole ancient Egyptian nation. These genetic difference between the ancient and modern-day population may be due to an increase in trading and contact throughout the years. At least according to the study lead.

“The methodology presented here opens up promising avenues for future genetic research and can greatly contribute towards a more accurate and refined understanding of Egypt’s population history,” sais Krause.

Image Source: Wikimedia

For over a century, the Blood Falls waterfall has continued to intrigue with its crimson waters.

 

One of the most incredible features of the Antarctic continent is the so-called “Blood Falls”. For over a century, this waterfall’s bright red flow of water has surprised and unnerved both explorers and scientists. Now, through an understanding of where and how it flows, they may get a clearer glimpse of how glaciers melt, all thanks to a new study.

Blood Falls May Help Understand Glaciers

“We knew that there was a brine outflow creating the falls […]” said Jessica Badgeley, lead author of the study. “The mystery that remained was the link between that source and the outflow.”

Steve is an atmospheric phenomenon recently spotted by aurora watchers.

 

The group of Borealis enthusiasts, known as the Alberta Aurora Chasers, were recently combing through old photos of their favorite light phenomenon when they came across a few images of something they had not noticed before. Several of their photos had a bright purple streak that had not yet been identified. They have chosen to call this new phenomenon “Steve”.

What is Steve?

“It turns out that Steve is actually remarkably common, but we hadn’t noticed it before.”