Jupiter’s clouds are hiding something big

Gigantic storms swirl across the surface of Jupiter
Gigantic storms swirl across the surface of Jupiter. These storms have made it impossible to see what lies beneath—but a new simulation led by a UChicago scientist adds new depth to our understanding.Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, Image processing by Kevin M. Gill, © CC BY

Jupiter’s swirling storms have concealed its true makeup for centuries, but a new model is finally peeling back the clouds. Researchers found the planet likely holds significantly more oxygen than the Sun, a key clue to how Jupiter—and the rest of the solar system—came together. The study also reveals that gases move through Jupiter’s atmosphere much more slowly than scientists once thought. Together, the findings reshape our understanding of the solar system’s largest planet.

Towering clou...

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Early signs of Parkinson’s can be identified in the blood

Early signs of Parkinson’s can be identified in the blood
A team led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology has succeeded in identifying biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease in its earliest stages – before extensive brain damage has occurred. The biological processes leave measurable traces in the blood, but only for a limited period. The discovery reveals a window of opportunity that could be crucial for future treatment, but also early diagnosis via blood tests.
The image shows a blood sample prepared for a lab test.

Credit
Nicola Pietro Montaldo

A team led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has succeeded in identifying biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease in its earliest stages, before extensive brain damage has occurred...

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2D discrete time crystals realized on a quantum computer for the first time

quantum processor
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Physical systems become inherently more complicated and difficult to produce in a lab as the number of dimensions they exist in increases—even more so in quantum systems. While discrete time crystals (DTCs) had been previously demonstrated in one dimension, two-dimensional DTCs were known to exist only theoretically. But now, a new study, published in Nature Communications, has demonstrated the existence of a DTC in a two-dimensional system using a 144-qubit quantum processor.

What is a discrete time crystal?
Like regular crystalline materials, DTCs exhibit a kind of periodicity...

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A possible ice-cold Earth discovered in the archives of the retired Kepler Space Telescope

Artist’s concept of exoplanet candidate HD 137010 b, dubbed a “cold Earth” because it’s a possible rocky planet slightly larger than Earth, orbiting a Sun-like star about 146 light-years away.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Keith Miller (Caltech/IPAC)

Scientists continue to mine data gathered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, retired in 2018, and continue to turn up surprises. A new paper reveals the latest: a possible rocky planet slightly larger than Earth, orbiting a sun-like star about 146 light-years away. The candidate planet, HD 137010b, might be remarkably similar to Earth, but it has one potentially big difference: It could be colder than perpetually frozen Mars.

A promising Earth-sized exoplanet emerges
An international science team published a paper on the discovery, “A Cool Earth-sized ...

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