The Living Cosmos: Webb Makes First Detection of Crucial Carbon Molecule / Evidence of the Amino Acid Tryptophan Found in Space

 

A team of international scientists has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to detect a new carbon compound in space for the first time. Known as methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) (CH3+), the molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506, which is located about 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula.

Carbon compounds form the foundations of all known life, and as such are particularly interesting to scientists working to understand both how life developed on Earth, and how it could potentially develop elsewhere in our universe. The study of interstellar organic (carbon-containing) chemistry, which Webb is opening in new ways, is an area of keen fascination to many astronomers.

The unique capabilities of Webb made it an ideal observatory to search for this crucial molecule. Webb’s exquisite spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity, all contributed to the team’s success. In particular, Webb’s detection of a series of key emission lines from CH3+ cemented the discovery.

“This detection not only validates the incredible sensitivity of Webb but also confirms the postulated central importance of CH3+ in interstellar chemistry,” said Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel of the University of Paris-Saclay in France, a member of the science team.While the star in d203-506 is a small red dwarf, the system is bombarded by strong ultraviolet (UV) light from nearby hot, young, massive stars. Scientists believe that most planet-forming disks go through a period of such intense UV radiation, since stars tend to form in groups that often include massive, UV-producing stars.

Typically, UV radiation is expected to destroy complex organic molecules, in which case the discovery of CH3+ might seem to be a surprise. However, the team predicts that UV radiation might actually provide the necessary source of energy for CH3+ to form in the first place. Once formed, it then promotes additional chemical reactions to build more complex carbon molecules.

Broadly, the team notes that the molecules they see in d203-506 are quite different from typical protoplanetary disks. In particular, they could not detect any signs of water.

“This clearly shows that ultraviolet radiation can completely change the chemistry of a protoplanetary disk. It might actually play a critical role in the early chemical stages of the origins of life,” elaborated Olivier Berné of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Toulouse, lead author of the study.

These findings, which are from the PDRs4ALL Early Release Science program, have been published in the journal Nature.

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Using data from the Spitzer space observatory, Dr Susana Iglesias-Groth, a researcher from The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has found evidence for the existence of the amino acid tryptophan in the interstellar material in a nearby star-forming region. The research is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

High amounts of tryptophan were detected in the Perseus Molecular Complex, specifically in the IC348 star system, a star-forming region that lies 1000 light years away from Earth - relatively close in astronomical terms. The region is generally invisible to the naked eye, but shines brightly when viewed in infrared wavelengths.

Tryptophan is one of the 20 amino acids essential for the formation of key proteins for life on Earth and produces one of the richest patterns of spectral lines in the infrared. It was therefore an obvious candidate to be explored using the extensive spectroscopic database of the Spitzer satellite, a space-based infrared telescope.

The analysis of the infrared light emitted from the region revealed 20 emission lines of the molecule tryptophan. The temperature of the tryptophan is about 280 Kelvin, or 7 degrees Celsius. Iglesias-Groth has previously found water and hydrogen at the same temperatures in IC348.

The study suggests that the emission lines associated with tryptophan may also be present in other star-forming regions and that their presence is common in the gas and dust from which stars and planets form.

Amino acids are commonly found in meteorites and were present during the formation of our Solar System.  This new work could indicate that these protein-building agents - that are key to the development of life - exist naturally in the regions where stars and planetary systems form and may contribute to the early chemistry of planetary systems around other stars.

Dr Iglesias-Groth says, "The evidence for tryptophan in the Perseus molecular complex should encourage additional effort to identify other amino acids in this region, and in other star-forming regions. It is a very exciting possibility that the building blocks of proteins are widely present in the gas from which stars and planets form - it may be key for the development of life in exoplanetary systems”.

Pro-German AfD wins local election in ‘watershed moment’ for German politics

Central Council of Jews says it is devastated by populist party’s first victory in eastern town of Sonneberg

Because God forbid that the Germans reclaim control of their own destiny and save themselves from demographic genocide.

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland has won a district council election in Germany for the first time, in what is being referred to as a watershed moment in the country’s politics.

The eastern town of Sonneberg, in the state of Thuringia, elected Robert Sesselmann to the post of district administrator, the equivalent of a mayor, with 52.8% of the vote, ousting the Christian Democrats’ (CDU) Jurgen Köpper on 47.2%.

The Thuringia branch of the anti-immigrant party has been classed as rightwing extremist by intelligence services. It is led by Björn Höcke, who is considered to be part of the AfD’s far right or völkisch wing, which was officially disbanded but is still widely believed to exist.

Observers say the win, which AfD’s leadership said would give the party a much-needed boost in its efforts to expand its influence across Germany, could be a bellwether for upcoming votes, in particular in the east. State parliament elections are taking place next year in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg.

Established parties from the Social Democrats to the CDU as well as civil society organisations called the result a turning point to which defenders of democracy would be forced to find a way of responding.

"Defenders of democracy" = anti-German haters

The Central Council of Jews in Germany said it was devastated by the result. “To be clear, not everyone who voted for the AfD has a rightwing extremist mindset,” its president, Josef Schuster, told the Jüdische Allgemeine newspaper. “But the party whose candidate they have elected is, according to the regional intelligence service, rightwing extremist … This is the bursting of a dam, which the political powers in this country cannot simply take on the chin.”

Because opposing your own genocide is "rightwing extremism."

Christoph Heubner, the executive vice-president of the International Auschwitz Committee, called it a “sad day” for Sonneberg, Germany and democracy. “A majority of voters have turned their backs on democracy and deliberately decided in favour of a rightwing extremist, Nazi-dominated party of destruction,” he said.

Because "democracy" means your People must go extinct.

Sonneberg, which has about 57,000 inhabitants, is one of Germany’s smallest administrative regions, and voter participation was low at just 58%. However, the result’s significance goes far beyond the town itself, and this was being recognised across the country on Monday. Political scientists called it a warning to the established parties, which had joined forces and, along with other organisations such as trade unions, urged voters to abandon any existing party loyalties and back Köpper in an effort to squeeze Sesselmann out of the running, a move that appears to have backfired.

Why doesn't the Central Council of Jews in Germany deal with the self-described "fascist homophobe" Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister in Israel's governing Likud coalition.

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Tino Chrupalla, a co-leader of the AfD, tweeted: “That was just the beginning. We will convince the majority with our politics of showing an interest in the people. This is how we will turn the tide for the better.”

The Path of the Upward Spiral and Consciousness: Inducing Spirit

 

Summary: Researchers uncovered swirling spiral patterns of brain signals on the human cortex. The research indicates that these patterns, observed during both resting and cognitive states, play a crucial role in organizing brain activity and cognitive processing.

The discovery, which suggests the spirals facilitate intricate interactions for computational efficiency, could significantly advance our understanding of the human brain’s function and dynamics. This could also pave the way for powerful computing machines inspired by the brain’s complex workings.

Key Facts:

1. The study’s findings were obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans of 100 young adults, which the researchers analyzed using methods typically employed to understand complex wave patterns in turbulence.
2. A key characteristic of these brain spirals is that they often emerge at the boundaries separating different functional networks in the brain. Through their rotational motion, these spirals effectively coordinate the flow of activity between these networks.
3. These interacting brain spirals allow for flexible reconfiguration of brain activity during various tasks involving natural language processing and working memory. This is achieved by changing their rotational directions.

Source: University of Sydney

University of Sydney and Fudan University scientists have discovered human brain signals traveling across the outer layer of neural tissue that naturally arrange themselves to resemble swirling spirals.

The research, published today in Nature Human Behaviour, indicates these ubiquitous spirals, which are brain signals observed on the cortex during both resting and cognitive states, help organise brain activity and cognitive processing.

Senior author Associate Professor Pulin Gong, from the School of Physics in the Faculty of Science, said the discovery could have the potential to advance powerful computing machines inspired by the intricate workings of the human brain.

The discovery opens up new avenues for understanding how the brain works and provides valuable insights into the fundamental functions of the human brain. It could help medical researchers understand the effects of brain diseases, such as dementia, by examining the role they play.

“Our study suggests that gaining insights into how the spirals are related to cognitive processing could significantly enhance our understanding of the dynamics and functions of the brain,” said Associate Professor Gong, who is a member of the Complex Systems research group in Physics.

“These spiral patterns exhibit intricate and complex dynamics, moving across the brain’s surface while rotating around central points, known as phase singularities.

“Much like vortices act in turbulence, the spirals engage in intricate interactions, playing a crucial role in organising the brain’s complex activities.

“The intricate interactions among multiple co-existing spirals could allow neural computations to be conducted in a distributed and parallel manner, leading to remarkable computational efficiency.”

PhD student Yiben Xu, the lead author of the research from the School of Physics, said the location of the spirals on the cortex could allow them to connect activity in different sections, or networks, of the brain – acting as a bridge of communication. Many of the spirals are large enough to cover multiple networks.

The cortex of the brain, also known as the cerebral cortex, is the outermost layer of the brain that is responsible for many complex cognitive functions, including perception, memory, attention, language and consciousness.

“One key characteristic of these brain spirals is that they often emerge at the boundaries that separate different functional networks in the brain,” Mr. Xu said.

“Through their rotational motion, they effectively coordinate the flow of activity between these networks.

“In our research we observed that these interacting brain spirals allow for flexible reconfiguration of brain activity during various tasks involving natural language processing and working memory, which they achieve by changing their rotational directions.”

The scientists gathered their findings from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans of 100 young adults, which they analysed by adapting methods used to understand complex wave patterns in turbulence.

Neuroscience has traditionally focused on interactions between neurons to understand brain function. There is a growing area of science looking at larger processes within the brain to help us understand its mysteries.

“By unraveling the mysteries of brain activity and uncovering the mechanisms governing its coordination, we are moving closer to unlocking the full potential of understanding cognition and brain function,” Associate Professor Gong said.

All 6 elements needed for life have now been found on one of Saturn’s moons

 

Enceladus has icy volcanoes, a ‘soda ocean’ and recently discovered sodium phosphate, a form of phosphorus.

Enceladus, a moon orbiting Saturn, has a form of phosphorus beneath its icy surface, according to the journal Nature.

Researchers from Germany, Japan, the U.S. and Finland had a “tantalizing moment” when the discovery was made, lead author of the study Frank Postberg told The New York Times.

Postberg, a professor at the Free University of Berlin, said the discovery of dissolved sodium phosphate in the waters of Enceladus makes it “the most habitable place in the solar system, at least as far as we know,” according to The Washington Post.

“But that doesn’t mean that it’s actually hosting life, that it’s inhabited,” Postberg told the Post.

What are the six elements of life?

There are six elements needed for life to be sustained in a habitat: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur, according to NASA.

Nature said phosphorus is the rarest element to find out of the six and hasn’t been found in an ocean beyond Earth’s until now.

Enceladus’ ocean “is hidden beneath a layer of ice many miles thick, but frozen particles migrate through cracks in the ice and spurt into space,” the Post said.

Postberg told The New York Times, “You could call it a ‘soda ocean,’” because of its high carbonation and bubbly nature.

Sodium phosphate was found in the ice orbiting Enceladus, spewed into space by ice volcanoes, the Times said, and analyzed “using data from Cassini, a joint NASA-European orbiter that concluded its study of Saturn, its rings and moons in 2017.”

Nature said further research and experiments suggest high amounts of phosphates could be found on the seafloor of the icy planet and other planets with a similar environment.

“Beyond Enceladus, Postberg says, this discovery may indicate that other ocean worlds in the outer solar system, like Jupiter’s moon Europa or the dwarf planet Pluto, are rich in phosphates — and thus potentially habitable,” the Times said.

Planetary scientist Yasuhito Sekine told Science News that the phosphate could have originated from reactions between seawater and a phosphate-bearing mineral called apatite on Enceladus’ seafloor.

Sekine questioned the possibility of alien life on the icy planet.

“If life exists (on) Enceladus, why (does) such (an) abundance of chemical energy and nutrients remain?” Sekine said to Science News.

Mikhail Zolotov, a planetary geochemist at Arizona State University, told the Post, “We don’t know how life originated, and under what conditions,” and that there are many unknowns concerning which planet besides Earth is most habitable.