Dead Planets can ‘Broadcast’ for up to a Billion Years

Planetary nebula with white dwarf illustration (stock image).
Credit: © Peter Jurik / Adobe Stock

Astronomers are planning to hunt for cores of exoplanets around white dwarf stars by ‘tuning in’ to the radio waves that they emit. In new research led by the University of Warwick, scientists have determined the best candidate white dwarfs to start their search, based upon their likelihood of hosting surviving planetary cores and the strength of the radio signal that we can ‘tune in’ to.

Published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the research led by Dr Dimitri Veras from the Department of Physics assesses the survivability of planets that orbit stars which have burnt all of their fuel and shed their outer layers, destroying nearby objects and removing the outer l...

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Unique Electrical Properties in Quantum materials can be Controlled using Light

A microscopic image of multiple electrodes on a sheet of Weyl semimetal, with red and blue arrows depicting the circular movement of the light-induced electrical current by either left- (blue) or right-circularly polarized light (right). (Photo: Zhurun Ji)

A new study found that Weyl semimetals, a class of quantum materials, have bulk quantum states whose electrical properties can be controlled using light. Insights from quantum physics have allowed engineers to incorporate components used in circuit boards, optical fibers, and control systems in new applications ranging from smartphones to advanced microprocessors...

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Novel Nano-Vaccine for Melanoma

Melanoma in skin biopsy with H&E stain — this case may represent superficial spreading melanoma. Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0

Injection of Nanoparticle has proven effective in Mouse Models, researchers say. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a novel nano-vaccine for melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer. Their innovative approach has so far proven effective in preventing the development of melanoma in mouse models and in treating primary tumors and metastases that result from melanoma.

The focus of the research is on a nanoparticle that serves as the basis for the new vaccine. The study was led by Prof...

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How Deep Space Travel could affect the Brain

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Radiation exposure alters the electrophysiological properties of neurons in the hippocampus. The image is credited to Acharya et al., eNeuro 2019.

Radiation exposure impairs learning and memory, causes anxiety. Exposure to chronic, low dose radiation – the conditions present in deep space – causes neural and behavioral impairments in mice, researchers report in eNeuro. These results highlight the pressing need to develop safety measures to protect the brain from radiation during deep space missions as astronauts prepare to travel to Mars.

Radiation is known to disrupt signaling among other processes in the brain. However, previous experiments used short-term, higher dose-rate exposures of radiation, which does not accurately reflect the conditions in space.

To investigate how d...

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