Understanding the Moon’s History with Chang’e-5 Sample

Fresh Crater on Oceanus Procellarum
Fresh Crater on Oceanus Procellarum. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

The lunar sample returned by China’s 2020 lunar mission contained minerals that provide clues to their origin. China’s Chang’e-5, the first lunar sample return mission since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976, delivered 1.73 kilograms of regolith from the Oceanus Procellarum, a plane named for its vast size. The sample landed with CE-5 in late 2020 and included a new mineral, Changesite-(Y), as well as a perplexing combination of silica minerals. Researchers now compare CE-5’s material composition to other lunar and Martian regolith samples and examine potential causes and origins for the lunar sample’s unique makeup.

Earth’s moon achieved its Swiss cheese appearance from celestial objects crashing into ...

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Scientist shows Focused Ultrasound can Reach Deep into the Brain to Relieve Pain

Research reveals potential of using low-intensity focused ultrasound for pain management. Scientists have found soundwaves from low-intensity focused ultrasound aimed at a place deep in the brain called the insula can reduce both the perception of pain and other effects of pain, such as heart rate changes.

You feel a pain, so you pop a couple of ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If the pain is severe or chronic, you might be prescribed something stronger — an opioid pain killer that can be addictive under some circumstances.

But what if you could ease pain by non-invasively manipulating a spot inside your brain where pain is registered?

A new study by Wynn Legon, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and his team points to that possibility.

The ...

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Photonics-based Wireless Link Breaks Speed Records for Data Transmission

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Researchers from Osaka University and IMRA AMERICA use a stimulated Brillouin scattering laser to generate the signals needed by sub-terahertz transmitters and receivers, enabling super-high communication speeds for our tablets and phones.

Researchers demonstrated a 300 GHz-band wireless link that was able to transmit data over a single channel at a rate of 240 gigabits per second. The wireless communication system employs signal generators based on lasers that have ultra-low phase noise in the sub-terahertz band. This rate is the highest so far reported at these frequencies and is a substantial step forward in 300 GHz-band communications for 6G networks.

From coffee-shop customers who connect their laptop to the local Wi-Fi network to remote weather monitoring stations in the A...

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Gas on the run – ALMA spots the Shadow of a Molecular Outflow from a Quasar when the Universe was less than one billion years old

The molecular gas outflow from the quasar includes hydroxyl (OH) (top). Due to the motion of the molecular gas toward the observer, the OH peak in the absorption spectrum (bottom, dashed blue line) appears at a shorter wavelength (solid blue line), a phenomenon known as the Doppler effect. (Illustration: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) modified from Dragan Salak, et al. The Astrophysical Journal. February 1, 2024)
The molecular gas outflow from the quasar includes hydroxyl (OH) (top). Due to the motion of the molecular gas toward the observer, the OH peak in the absorption spectrum (bottom, dashed blue line) appears at a shorter wavelength (solid blue line), a phenomenon known as the Doppler effect. (Illustration: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) modified from Dragan Salak, et al. The Astrophysical Journal. February 1, 2024)

Theoretical predictions have been confirmed with the discovery of an outflow of molecular gas from a quasar when the Universe was less than a billion years old.

A quasar is a compact region powered by a supermassive black hole located in the center of a massive galaxy.

They are extremely luminous, with a point-like appearance similar to stars, and are extremely distant from Earth...

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