How are stars born? Absolutely Gorgeously. See for Yourself.

How are stars born?

After millennia of wondering, astronomers are now able to answer that question, at least to a large degree. Huge clouds of gas and dust in space collapse, and clumps of denser material form which then collapse more rapidly, their own gravity compressing them until they can ignite nuclear fusion in their cores.

A star is born.

But there are still a lot of questions to answer here, scads of details to fill in. And not just details but also big-picture questions. Literally.

So 90 astronomers from 30 institutions around the world formed a team to observe nearby galaxies using some of the planet's best telescopes. These galaxies are close enough to us that we can see individual star-forming regions inside them, but also far enough that we can see the entire galaxy at the same time, getting an overview of this process.

A process that is not only complex, but also surpassingly beautiful.

The other is the Very Large Telescope, a set of four 8.2-meter behemoths also in Chile. The camera used is called MUSE, for Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer. It takes spectra, breaking incoming light up into thousands of individual colors, which can be analyzed to determine a wealth of information about an object: its elemental composition (like hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and so on), elemental abundances, temperature, density, and much more.

Combing ALMA and VLT/MUSE allows astronomers to investigate star birth in more detail and on larger scales than has ever been achieved before.

The beauty of these images is staggering. Spiral galaxies — essentially huge flat disks with spiral patterns in them — tend to make lots of stars, so the astronomers targeted them. Moreover, they chose ones that were more or less face-on, so that minimizes looking through the disk; this way the gas clouds are easily seen and able to be examined at high resolution without interference. This is basically a checklist for creating intensely gorgeous images.

The science they seek is profound. We do understand a lot about how stars form, but we still don't understand things like how the process gets started in the first place; what exactly triggers a cold gas cloud to collapse? Does it collide with another cloud, a cosmic smashup that crunches both in a way that they fall in on themselves and start making stars? What are the intermediate steps? Are they the same everywhere in a galaxy?

Do stars prefer being born near the centers of galaxies, or farther out? Somewhere in between? Do they form more readily on the inside curve of a spiral arm or the outside? Does the size of the gas cloud matter? Do some nebulae make more massive stars easily, stars destined to explode as supernovae? We have some general answers to these questions, but we want details.

And speaking of which, stars affect their birthplace profoundly after they're born. They blast out fast winds of subatomic particles and intense ultraviolet light that eat away at the gas and dust around them, carving enormous cavities and affecting the way other stars are born. They also eventually explode, and you can just bet that affects things. A supernova is a terrifying event, releasing as much energy in a few weeks as the Sun will over its lifetime.

Answers to these questions can only be found by looking at what's going on at both small and large scales in these galaxies, which is what PHANGS is designed to do. There was an early release of ALMA results in 2019, and then a more complete one earlier this year. This new release includes the MUSE data, which is enormous: 15 million spectra of 30,000 nebulae, a treasure of astronomical data that will be mined for many years in pursuit of this understanding.

Not only that, but many of these galaxies have been or will be mapped by Hubble Space Telescope, which provides even higher resolution, and the project will be continued with the James Webb Space Telescope, which should launch within a year. It will obtain extremely high-resolution images and spectra of these galaxies in infrared, adding yet another chunk of the electromagnetic spectrum to the data.

I love this. I'm a big fan of ambitious, sweeping astronomical surveys that are undertaken for a specific purpose but which also provide the community with a vast and deep database of observations that can be used for a wide array of other projects, many of which haven't even been dreamed up. But when some young astronomer thinks of something cool to investigate, that data will be waiting.

And I can't help it: I love it when science and art walk hand-in-hand this way. Scientists are human, and we gasp at and are awed by the beauty we see in the heavens. Observations like these will further our knowledge of the Universe around us, helping us answer big questions, like, “How did we get here?”

And they are also just seriously beautiful and wondrous.

There is beauty in science, just as there is science in art. They are two sides of the same coin.

Palestine runs dry: ‘Our water they steal and sell to us’

Israeli authorities refuse to grant licenses to Palestinian water authorities to operate freely in areas under complete Israeli security control.

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – As Palestinians suffer through severe water shortages in the searing summer, illegal Israeli settlers nearby enjoy unlimited quantities not only for drinking but to fill swimming pools, irrigate crops, and wash their vehicles.

Black-and-white water tanks are ubiquitous on the roofs of Palestinian homes across West Bank cities and towns, to be filled when their water taps literally run dry for weeks at a time.

In contrast, such tanks are rarely seen in the neighbouring settlements because water is available around the clock and is never shut off because of “shortages”.

The Israeli authorities refuse to grant the necessary licenses to the Palestinian water authorities to operate freely in the areas classified as C and under complete Israeli security and administrative control, whether drilling additional wells or installing booster pumps.

Israel directly controls 85 percent of water resources in the West Bank and has a say in how the rest is distributed, Palestinian officials told Al Jazeera. The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, is seeking Israeli licenses to dig additional wells in the West Bank to fill the enormous need for more water.

Adel Yassin, director-general of strategic planning at the Palestinian Water Authority, told Al Jazeera the Israeli water company Mekorot that supplies the occupied territories controls 42 water wells, 34 of which are located in the Jordan Valley.

“The problem is not a shortage of water but the occupation’s control of our water,” said Yassin.

“We demand the drilling of new wells in the West Bank to increase the quantities of available water and not be subject to Israeli control, because water is one of the basics of stability and liberation, and any state without water is a state without sovereignty.”

‘Water once every 15 days’

The Palestinian Authority recently demanded that Israel increase the quantity of water it sells. Israel responded that the infrastructure was not ready for any boost in supply. However, it did offer increased quantities – in return for higher fees.

“This is our water they steal and sell to us.”

“Since the summer of 2018 until now, there are villages that receive water only once every 15 days. This summer we suffer from a greater water crisis than the previous summers and we have to deal with it,” said Bassam Sawalhi, an engineer with the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which sources water from the Israelis and produces its own supplies for about 400,000 Palestinians in 56 communities.

However, the average daily consumption rate is 60,000-65,000 cubic metres of water during the scorching Palestine summer season, while the Jerusalem Water Undertaking only has 53,000 cubic metres a day available to its customers.

“The population of the Jerusalem and Ramallah governorates has doubled repeatedly, and the water demand has increased in an unprecedented way,” said Sawalhi.

He said this summer the Israeli water company Mekorot reduced the quantity it supplies to 35,000 cubic metres of water a day from 38,000 cubic metres in previous years.

The difference of 3,000 cubic metres “was transferred to the settlements surrounding the Ramallah area, and they do not care that Ramallah is thirsty. The important thing is that the settlements enjoy all the water they need,” Sawalhi told Al Jazeera.

“This is our water they steal and sell to us,” Sawalhi said.

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Entire article available here.

Dying cells protect adjacent cells to maintain tissue integrity

To enable tissue renewal, human tissues constantly eliminate millions of cells, without jeopardizing tissue integrity, form and connectivity. The mechanisms involved in maintaining this integrity remain unknown. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS today revealed a new process which allows eliminated cells to temporarily protect their neighbors from cell death, thereby maintaining tissue integrity. This protective mechanism is vital, and if disrupted can lead to a temporary loss of connectivity. The scientists observed that when the mechanism is deactivated, the simultaneous elimination of several neighboring cells compromises tissue integrity. This lack of integrity could be responsible for chronic inflammation. The results of the research were published in the journal Developmental Cell on June 2, 2021.

Human epithelia are tissues found in several parts of the body (such as the epidermis and internal mucosa). They are composed of layers of contiguous cells that serve as a physical and chemical barrier. This role is constantly being put to the test by both the outside environment and their own renewal. Tissue renewal involves the formation of new cells by cell division and the elimination of dead cells. The mechanisms that regulate the ability of epithelia to maintain their integrity in contexts involving large numbers of eliminated cells remain poorly understood, despite the fact that this situation occurs regularly during embryogenesis or the maintenance of adult tissues. For example, more than ten billion cells can be eliminated every day in an adult intestine. How are these eliminations orchestrated to maintain tissue integrity and connectivity?

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS set out to identify the mechanisms involved in epithelial integrity and the conditions that can affect epithelial connectivity by using Drosophila (or vinegar flies), an organism studied in the laboratory with a similar epithelial architecture to humans.

Using protein-sensitive fluorescent markers, the research team revealed that when a cell dies, the EGFR-ERK pathway—a cell activation signaling pathway known for its involvement in the regulation of cell survival—is temporarily activated in the neighboring cells. The scientists observed that the activation of the EGFR-ERK pathway protected neighboring cells from cell death for approximately one hour, thereby preventing the simultaneous elimination of a group of cells. "We already knew that this pathway plays a key role in regulating cell survival in epithelial tissue, but we were surprised to observe such protective dynamics between cells," comments Romain Levayer, Head of the Cell Death and Epithelial Homeostasis Unit at the Institut Pasteur and last author of the study.

The scientists' research also shows that inhibiting this protective mechanism has a drastic effect on epithelial tissue: cell elimination becomes random and neighboring cells can be eliminated simultaneously, leading to repeated losses of connectivity. The elimination of groups of neighboring cells is never observed in epithelial tissue in normal conditions, when the EGFR-ERK pathway is not deliberately inhibited, even if a large number of cells are eliminated.

By using a new optogenetic tool that can control cell death in time and space and bypass the protective mechanism, the scientists confirmed that epithelial integrity was compromised when neighboring cells were eliminated simultaneously. "Surprisingly, epithelial tissue is highly sensitive to the spatial distribution of eliminated cells. Although it can withstand the elimination of a large number of cells, epithelial integrity is affected if just three neighboring cells are eliminated simultaneously," explains Léo Valon, a scientist in the Cell Death and Epithelial Homeostasis Unit at the Institut Pasteur and first author of the study.

The scientists' observations confirm that tissues need to develop mechanisms preventing the elimination of neighboring groups of cells. "These observations are important as they illustrate the incredible self-organizing ability of biological tissues, a property that enables them to withstand stressful conditions. So there is no need for a conductor to orchestrate where and when the cells should die; everything is based on highly local communications between neighboring cells," adds Romain Levayer.

This process seems to have been conserved during evolution. The same protective mechanism based on local EGFR-ERK activation was discovered independently in human cell lines by the research group led by Olivier Pertz at the University of Bern in Switzerland (the results are published in the same journal2). The results of the other study suggest that the protective mechanism is conserved between species separated by hundreds of millions of years, indicating that it is a relatively universal mechanism.

Future research will reveal whether disruption to this cell death coordination mechanism and repeated loss of connectivity in epithelial tissue could be one of the roots of chronic inflammation, a phenomenon responsible for various diseases that are currently among the leading causes of death worldwide.

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Original article available here.

ZOG Central Supreme Court upholds ethno-nationalism for Jews

When Israel adopts ethno-nationalism, it's merely "CONTROVERSIAL."  In the context in which it is couched, the subject of Israeli state sanctioned ethno-nationalism is a legitimate issue which has at least two factions advocating for and against.  

But it's "racism" / "xenophobia" / "intolerance" / "hate" if any White nation even thinks in terms of ethno-nationalism.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a CONTROVERSIAL law that defines the country as the nation state of the Jewish people -- rejecting claims by opponents that it discriminates against minorities.

In its ruling, the court acknowledged shortcomings in the so-called Nation State Law. But it said the law “did not negate Israel's democratic character” outlined in other laws.

Proponents of the 2018 law claimed the legislation merely enshrined Israel’s existing Jewish character. Critics said it further downgrades the status of Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up around 20% of the country’s population.

Israel’s Arab citizens have the right to vote and are well-represented in many professions, but nonetheless are second-class citizens, and furthermore suffer from widespread discrimination in areas such as housing and the job market.

The law was approved by the Knesset, or parliament, in July 2018. It defines Israel as the “nation-state” of the Jewish people and adds that “fulfilling the right to national self-determination in the state of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.” It also downgraded Arabic from an official state language to one with “special status.”

The law’s passage prompted vocal opposition from the country’s Arab minority, particularly among Druze Israelis, who serve in the military.

A number of Arab rights groups and civil society organizations appealed to the court to strike down the law. An 11-judge panel, the court’s largest configuration, considered the case.

In their 10-1 decision, the court said “equal rights are granted to all citizens of the state, including minority groups.” They said the right to national self-determination “does not deny recognized personal or cultural rights.” They also said the law did not detract from the status of the Arabic language or preclude “the promotion of its status.”

The court’s only Arab justice, George Karra, was the lone dissenter, calling the law discriminatory.

Justice Minister Gideon Saar, leader of the nationalist New Hope party, welcomed Thursday's ruling.

He said the law “anchors the essence and character of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people” and “does not infringe on the individual rights of any of the citizens of Israel.”

Adalah, an Arab rights group that tried to overturn the law, said the court upheld a law that “completely excludes those who do not belong to the majority group.” It said it would “continue to work internationally to expose the discriminatory and racist nature of this law.”

Legal expert Yuval Shany, vice president of the Israel Democracy Institute, an independent think tank, said the law is largely symbolic and provides a constitutional “background” for judges to consider when weighing other cases. But he said the ruling made clear that other laws, on issues like equality and minority rights, would also have to be taken into account Israel defines itself as a Jewish nation-state, and thereby those who support Israel endorse ethno-nationalism.

“Essentially, the court, says you will have to explore these issues on a case by case basis when future legislation comes before us,” he said.

"...explore these issues on a case by case basis..."

For some reason that has yet to be explicated, Israel's Supreme Court's rationale was, is, and seemingly forevermore will continue being, inapplicable to White European nations. Indeed, Judah's rules are very different when it comes to White people. Here is ZOG hard at work in North America, shortly after WWII:

And now that Judah is fortified and entrenched in Israel - courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer - the Judeo-plutocracy is working assiduously via their illegitimate senile puppet, Joe "Where am I?" Biden and their stolen, ZOG-Congress to open the U.S. southern border, in order to hasten the coming non-White majority demographic transformation.

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It's the same when the following law fails to pass the Kosher Knesset by a 59-59 tie vote:

Israel's new government fails to renew disputed citizenship law:

JERUSALEM, July 6 (Reuters) - Israel's parliament failed on Tuesday to renew a disputed law that bars granting citizenship or residency to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank or Gaza who are married to Israeli citizens, dealing a set back to the new coalition government.

An early-morning vote in the Knesset (parliament) tied at 59-59, short of a simple majority needed to extend the 2003 law, which expires at midnight. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the vote "a premeditated, direct blow to national security".

A law that would bar granting citizenship or residency to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank or Gaza who are married to Israeli citizens is merely "DISPUTED." 

But at least we know where the Senile Usurper's sympathies lie:

And he knows how to debase the United States of America as he kneels before his Masters:

Belated Fourth of July message to these Lowbrow NPR Cretins

NPR's "Examining A Racist Passage In The Declaration Of Independence"

These people are devoid of any intellect or critical insight.  They're ALL just a bunch of self-serving, PC, anti-White poseurs with no merit or substance whatsoever.  These White-hating pseudo-intellectuals don't deserve a shred of respect. 

  The only way these ZOG-bots can "win" is by censoring and banning everyone who disagrees with them.

Here's a taste of defiance for them to "examine":

“Our unalterable resolution should be to be free.”

- Sam Adams, to James Warren, 1776

k

"Let the cosmic tables turn!"

Freedom!