Hundred-Year Storms? That’s how long they last on Saturn

closeup of beige planet with stormy swirls at top and shadow of rings at middle
A huge storm dominates the rather featureless surface of Saturn in an image taken by the Cassini spacecraft on Feb. 25, 2011, about 12 weeks after the powerful storm was first detected in the planet’s northern hemisphere. The megastorm is seen overtaking itself as it encircles the entire planet. Astronomers have found deep in the atmosphere the aftereffects of megastorms that occurred hundreds of years ago. The dark stripes are the shadows of Saturn’s rings.
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Megastorms leave marks on Saturn’s atmosphere for centuries. They regularly appear on Saturn, marring the relatively bland surface before disappearing. But radio observations show that the storms have long-lasting effects deeper in the atmosphere, in particular in the distribution of ammonia...

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Common Cold Virus Linked to Potentially Fatal Blood Clotting Disorder

Image: Red-colored region depicts region on platelet factor 4 (PF4) molecule recognized by VITT-like antibodies obtained from patient 2 (adult). Credit: Mercy Daka (co-author) and Dr. Ishac Nazy (co-author)

A new observation suggests that a life-threatening blood clotting disorder can be caused by an infection with adenovirus, one of the most common respiratory viruses in pediatric and adult patients.

Platelets, or thrombocytes, are specialized cellular fragments that form blood clots when we get scrapes and traumatic injuries. Viral infections, autoimmune disease, and other conditions can cause platelet levels to drop throughout the body, termed thrombocytopenia.

After a robust clinical and research collaboration, Stephan Moll, MD, and Jacquelyn Baskin-Miller, MD, both in the UN...

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Simple Ballpoint Pen can Write Custom LEDs

Handwriting LEDs

The invention of the printing press revolutionized duplication of the written word, giving the hands of tired scribes a break and making written material more accessible. A similar breakthrough has happened in reverse in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

Researchers working with Chuan Wang, associate professor of electrical & systems engineering, have developed ink pens that allow individuals to handwrite flexible, stretchable optoelectronic devices on everyday materials including paper, textiles, rubber, plastics and 3D objects. Flexible optoelectronics for emitting and detecting light, which are already found in everyday objects like smartphones and fitness trackers, can bend, fold and flex while maintaining functionality.

In a paper pub...

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Stellar Surf’s up: Monster Waves as tall as Three Suns are Crashing upon a Colossal Star

Artist conception of the system, where the smaller star induces breaking surface waves in the more massive companion.
Credit: Melissa Weiss, CfA

An extreme star system is giving new meaning to the phrase “surf’s up.”

The star system intrigued researchers because it is the most dramatic “heartbeat star” on record. Now new models have revealed that titanic waves, generated by tides, are repeatedly breaking on one of the stars in the system—the first time this phenomenon has ever been seen on a star.

Heartbeat stars are stars in close pairs that periodically pulse in brightness, like the rhythm of a beating heart on an EKG machine. The stars in heartbeat systems loop through elongated oval orbits. Whenever they swing close together, the stars’ gravities generate tides—just as the Moon creates ocean tides on Earth...

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