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    Rare Encounters between Cosmic Heavyweights

    August 31, 2020, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    SDSS J141637.44+003352.2, a dual quasar at a distance for which the light reaching us was emitted 4.6 billion years ago. The two quasars are 13,000 light years apart on the sky, placing them near the center of a single massive galaxy that appears to be part of a group, as shown by the neighboring galaxies in the left panel. In the lower panels, optical spectroscopy has revealed broad emission lines associated with each of the two quasars, indicating that the gas is moving at thousands of kilometers per second in the vicinity of two distinct supermassive black holes. The two quasars are different colors, due to different amounts of dust in front of them. Credit: Silverman et al.

    Maunakea observatories discover three pairs of merging supermassive blackholes...

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    Researchers 3D Print lifelike Heart Valve Models

    August 30, 2020, Categories  Physics, Health/Medical, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    Model
    Patient-specific organ models, which include integrated 3D-printed soft sensor arrays, are fabricated using specialized inks and a customized 3D printing process. Such models can be used in preparation for minimally invasive procedures to improve outcomes in thousands of patients worldwide. Credit: McAlpine Group, University of Minnesota

    Organ model could improve surgical outcomes for thousands of patients worldwide. Researchers from the University of Minnesota, with support from Medtronic, have developed a groundbreaking process for multi-material 3D printing of lifelike models of the heart’s aortic valve and the surrounding structures that mimic the exact look and feel of a real patient.

    These patient-specific organ models, which include 3D-printed soft sensor arrays integrated in...

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    Hubble Maps Giant Halo around Andromeda Galaxy

    August 30, 2020, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This illustration shows the location of the 43 quasars scientists used to probe Andromeda’s gaseous halo. These quasars—the very distant, brilliant cores of active galaxies powered by black holes—are scattered far behind the halo, allowing scientists to probe multiple regions. Looking through the immense halo at the quasars’ light, the team observed how this light is absorbed by the halo and how that absorption changes in different regions. By tracing the absorption of light coming from the background quasars, scientists are able to probe the halo’s material.
    Credits: NASA, ESA, and E. Wheatley (STScI)

    In a landmark study, scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have mapped the immense envelope of gas, called a halo, surrounding the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest large g...

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    How Vitamin C could help over 50s retain Muscle Mass

    August 28, 2020, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Foods containing vitamin C

    New University of East Anglia (UEA) research shows that vitamin C could help over 50s retain muscle mass in later life. The study shows that older people who eat plenty of vitamin C – commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables – have the best skeletal muscle mass.

    This is important because people tend to lose skeletal muscle mass as they get older — leading to sarcopenia (a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function), frailty and reduced quality of life.

    Lead researcher Prof Ailsa Welch, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School said: “As people age, they lose skeletal muscle mass and strength.

    “People over 50 lose up to one per cent of their skeletal muscle mass each year, and this loss is thought to affect more than 50 million people worldwide.”

    “It’s a...

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