Exoplanet Climate ‘Decoder’ aids Search for Life

Globe with different suns
In this artistic rendering, different kinds of suns are shown as they interact with various Earth-like surfaces in distant solar systems. The combinations create an array of climates. Thus, in the search for exoplanets, astronomers can be guided by color for possible habitable planets.

After examining a dozen types of suns and a roster of planet surfaces, Cornell University astronomers have developed a practical model — an environmental color “decoder” — to tease out climate clues for potentially habitable exoplanets in galaxies far away.

“We looked at how different planetary surfaces in the habitable zones of distant solar systems could affect the climate on exoplanets,” said Jack Madden, who works in the lab of Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy and director of Cor...

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The Key to Weight Loss Through Exercise Could Be Picking The Right Time of Day.

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Finding time to commit to exercise can be a real challenge, forcing many of us to squeeze in a quick run or gym session whenever there’s a spare moment. But research suggests if you really want to make the most of your exercise, you should do it at the same time each day. It’s a schedule your body will thank you for.

A 2019 study lead by researchers from Brown Alpert Medical School in the US showed it really doesn’t matter if you’re a dawn jogger or a twilight cyclist; it’s the consistency that’s key if it’s weight-loss you’re after.

The US Department of Health and Human Services suggests two and a half hours of moderate physical activity each week is the least we should be doing to keep healthy.

And not just a minute here or there, but at least 10 minutes of heart-pounding e...

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Observation of Intervalley Transitions can boost Valleytronic Science and Technology

Multipath Optical Recombination of Intervalley Dark Excitons and Trions in Monolayer WSe2. Physical Review Letters, 2020; 124 (19) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.196802

An international research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has observed light emission from a new type of transition between electronic valleys, known as intervalley transmissions. The research provides a new way to read out valley information, potentially leading to new types of devices.

Current semiconductor technology uses electronic charge or spin to store and process information; the associated technologies are called electronics and spintronics, respectively...

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Astronomers Find a Record-Breaking Star That’s Nearly as Old as The Universe

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Artist’s impression of the first stars. (Wise, Abel, Kaehler (KIPAC/SLAC))

Another ancient star has been found lurking in the Milky Way. Around 35,000 light-years away, a red giant star named SMSS J160540.18–144323.1 was found to have the lowest iron levels of any star yet analysed in the galaxy.

This means that it’s one of the oldest stars in the Universe, probably belonging to the second generation of stars after the Universe burst into existence 13.8 billion years ago.

“This incredibly anaemic star, which likely formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang has iron levels 1...

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