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    Cheers! NASA’s Webb finds Ethanol, other Icy Ingredients for Worlds

    March 18, 2024, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Graphic titled “NGC 1333 IRAS 2A Protostar, MIRI Medium -Resolution Spectroscopy” shows a graph of optical depth on the y-axis versus wavelength of light in microns on the x-axis. The x-axis ranges from 6.8 microns on the left to 8.6 microns on the right, labeled in even increments of 0.2 microns. The y-axis ranges from 0 on the top to about 0.65 on the bottom, with labeled tick marks at 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6. A jagged white line with several prominent valleys extends horizontally. Vertical bands in different colors mark different wavelength regions and are labeled with molecular names and formulas.
    NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) has identified a variety of complex organic molecules that are present in interstellar ices surrounding two protostars. These molecules, which are key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds, include ethanol, formic acid, methane, and likely acetic acid, in the solid phase. The finding came from the study of two protostars, IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385, both of which are so young that they are not yet forming planets.
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI). Science: W. Rocha (Leiden University).

    What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 233...

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    Tryptophan in Diet and Gut Bacteria Protect against E. Coli Infection, study shows

    March 15, 2024, Categories  Uncategorized

    Tryptophan in diet, gut bacteria protect against E. coli infection
    Dietary Trp protects against infection with C. rodentium strain DBS100 in a mouse model of EHEC infection. Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07179-5

    Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal failure, according to a study published March 13 in Nature.

    The research reveals how dietary tryptophan—an amino acid found mostly in animal products, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes—can be broken down by gut bacteria into small molecules called metabolites...

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    Batteries for Airborne Electric Vehicles that Take Off and Land Vertically

    March 15, 2024, Categories  Uncategorized

    The operating phases of an eVTOL need varying amounts of power; some require the battery to discharge high amounts of current rapidly, reducing the distance the vehicle can travel before its battery must be recharged. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
    The operating phases of an eVTOL need varying amounts of power; some require the battery to discharge high amounts of current rapidly, reducing the distance the vehicle can travel before its battery must be recharged. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

    eVTOL battery analysis reveals unique operating demands. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are taking cleaner transportation to the skies by creating and evaluating new batteries for airborne electric vehicles that take off and land vertically.

    These aircraft, commonly called eVTOLs, range from delivery drones to urban air taxis. They are designed to rise into the air like a helicopter and fly using wing-borne lift like an airplane...

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    Condor Telescope reveals a New World for Astrophysicists

    March 14, 2024, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Condor Image
    A view created by Condor and computer technologies of extremely faint shells of ionized gas surrounding the dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis. Credit: Condor Team

    A new telescope called the “Condor Array Telescope” may open up a new world of the very-low-brightness universe for astrophysicists. Four new papers, published back to back in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) this month, present the first scientific findings based on observations acquired by Condor. The project is a collaborative led by scientists in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

    According to lead researchers Kenneth M. Lanzetta, Ph.D...

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