New Images reveal the Magnetic Fields in the Horsehead Nebula

Magnetic field detections overlaid on a two-color composite of Hubble Space Telescope image taken at two near-IR wavelengths (Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes). Black and orange segments show magnetic field orientations inferred from JCMT and Palomar Observatory. Credit: Hwang et al. 2023.

Located near the summit of Maunakea, Hawaii, the 15-meter (~49 ft) James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) at the East Asia Observatory (EAO) is the largest telescope in the world designed to operate exclusively in the submillimeter-wavelength. In 2018, Molokai’i High School alumna Mallory Go was awarded time with the JCMT under the Maunakea Scholars program. With the assistance of EAO astronomer Dr...

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Immune Cells of the Brain are Not All the Same: New research could open Novel Therapeutic Pathways

Immune cells of the brain are not all the same – new research could open novel therapeutic pathways
Microglia (in red) surround an ARG1+microglia cell (in yellow) that expresses the enzyme ARG1. Credit: Vassilis Stratoulias

A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience indicates that, contrary to common belief, the immune cells of the brain, known as microglia, are not all the same. Researchers found that a unique microglial subset with unique features and function is important for establishing proper cognitive functions in mice. Evidence for such microglial subsets exists also for the human brain, opening exciting new possibilities for novel therapies.

An international collaboration led by researchers from University of Helsinki, Karolinska Institutet and University of Seville characterized ARG1+ microglia, a subset of microglial cells, that produces the enzyme called arginase-...

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Leaky-Wave Metasurfaces: A Perfect Interface between Free-Space and Integrated Optical Systems

Six holographic images produced by leaky-wave metasurfaces
Left two figures: Two holographic images produced by a leaky-wave metasurface at two different distances from the device surface. Right four figures: Four distinct holographic images produced by a single leaky-wave metasurface at two different distances from the device surface and at two orthogonal polarization states. Credit: Heqing Huang, Adam Overvig, and Nanfang Yu/Columbia Engineering

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new class of integrated photonic devices – “leaky-wave metasurfaces” – that can convert light initially confined in an optical waveguide to an arbitrary optical pattern in free space...

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Astronomers reveal the Largest Cosmic Explosion ever seen

Impression of black hole accretion
Artist impression of a black hole accretion. Credit John A. Paice

A team of astronomers led by the University of Southampton have uncovered the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed.

The explosion is more than ten times brighter than any known supernova (exploding star) and three times brighter than the brightest tidal disruption event, where a star falls into a supermassive black hole.

The explosion, known as AT2021lwx, has currently lasted over three years, compared to most supernovae which are only visibly bright for a few months. It took place nearly 8 billion light years away, when the universe was around 6 billion years old, and is still being detected by a network of telescopes.

The researchers believe that the explosion is a result of a vast cloud of gas, possibly th...

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