For the first time a phenomenon called light-by-light scattering has been observed, and is the first direct evidence of light interacting with itself at high energy. The observation took place at the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) ATLAS detector in 2015 when lead nuclei were smashed together and, owing to the higher than normal energy used in the collision, a dense cloud of photons was involved. Light-by-light scattering was first described by the Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian published in 1936 by Hans Heinrich Euler and Werner Heisenberg (of the uncertainty principle), and is impossible in classical theories of electromagnetism, but provides a sensitive test of our understanding of QED, the quantum theory of electromagnetism. The next run of the LHC is planned for the end of 2018, and holds the promise for a new field of study. To find out more check out ATLAS sees first direct evidence of light-by-light scattering at high energy.
First evidence that the Trappist-1 system might contain Water
Back in February, NASA announced the discovery of Trappist-1, a solar system with seven Earth-like planets that may contain water. Now, an international team of scientists has found further evidence that these planets might be habitable. Using data from Space Telescope Imaging Spectograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope, the scientists investigated the amounts of ultraviolet radiation impacting each planet in the system, which could provide further insights into their atmospheres. From the STIS data, they were able detect escaped hydrogen gas around the atmosphere of each planet, which helps to determine the likelihood of atmospheric water vapour, and found that the two innermost planets could have lost vast amounts of water — as much as 20 Earth-oceans worth over the last 8 billion years, and that the five remaining planets, including the three in the system's habitable zone, have lost much less water and might still have some water remaining on their surfaces. To find out more check out Hubble delivers first hints of possible water content of TRAPPIST-1 planets.
Carbon capture may soon become a reality
A new, US$140 million, 50-megawatt natural gas power plant is being constructed in an industrial zone in La Porte in Texas, which, if all goes to plan, will capture most of the carbon dioxide it produces without incurring significantly higher costs. If the natural gas demonstration plant, called Net Power, works as expected it should capture carbon at nearly no cost. Currently, most coal and natural gas plants work by burning fossil fuels that generate heat, which then converts water into steam that turns turbines and generate electricity — any excess heat and greenhouse gases are vented to the atmosphere. Attempts at carbon capture have involved adding scrubbers at the end of the system, which adds costs. Net Power, however, uses the so-called Allam Cycle, in which the steam cycle is eliminated by replacing water with supercritical carbon dioxide, which behaves as both a liquid and gas and acts as a “working fluid” for driving the turbines. The system recuperates as much of the heat as possible and returns the carbon dioxide to the beginning of the cycle. To find out more check out NET POWER BREAKS GROUND ON DEMONSTRATION PLANT FOR WORLD’S FIRST EMISSIONS-FREE, LOW-COST FOSSIL FUEL POWER TECHNOLOGY.
Absolutely amazing!
Physicists have used a laser to cool molecules down to a record low temperature, breaking a barrier that seemed almost impassable, which could shed light on how atoms are bound together in molecules. By firing a laser tuned to a particular frequency at atoms confined in a space by a magnetic field, called a magneto-optical trap, researchers from The Centre for Cold Matter at Imperial College London were able to cool molecules of calcium monofluoride down to temperatures of just 50 trillionths of a kelvin, or 0.00000000005 degrees Celsius above absolute zero — minus 273.15 degrees Celsius. Referred as Doppler cooling, atoms that move into the laser at a given velocity absorb a photo of light, bumping one of its electrons to a new energy level, which then emits a photon in a random direction when it comes back down. The process results in an overall decrease in momentum for the atoms, which slows down leading to cooling. To find out more check out Laser Cooling Molecules.
U.S. FDA approves trials for ecstasy as treatment for PTSD
Last week the US Food and Drug Administration announced 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, as a 'breakthrough therapy' in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The announcement, made by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), means that 'Phase 3' trails to determine the effectiveness of the drug, involving 200 to 300 participants, could start as early as 2018, providing a faster path to pharmaceutical approval. The trials will be held in the U.S., Canada, and Israel, and possibly expanded to include Europe. Since 1986, MAPS has been conducting trials to prove the drug's therapeutic effectiveness, and in Phase 2 trails 107 people who had PTSD for an average of 17.8 years were treated with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. The study found that after two months 61 percent of participants no longer suffered from PTSD, and after a year this number increased to 68 percent. To find out more check out All clear for the decisive trial of ecstasy in PTSD patients.
Vaccinating against opioid addiction
Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute in California are developing a vaccine that could bring an end to the opioid crisis sweeping America. Drug overdoses have led to over 60,000 deaths in the United States in 2016, but a combination vaccine that offers protection from the effects of both heroin and the synthetic opioid fentanyl — which is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine — is currently under development, and could help curb addiction and possibly even prevent fatal overdoses. The findings were presented at last week's meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington in the United States, and represent the latest attempts to address the opioid crisis. The opioids are made of tiny molecules that the body's immune system doesn't recognise and so doesn't fight them, making it difficult to develop vaccines to counter their affects. To stimulate the immune system, the researchers designed small molecules called haptens that resemble the opioids, but have proteins called epitopes attached that act as binding sites for antibodies produced by the immune system. Once the immune system is trained to recognise the molecules that look like opioids, it will send out antibodies that cling to the drugs, preventing them from crossing the blood-brain barrier. To find out more got to Opioid Vaccines Could Make the Brain Immune to Heroin.
Russian tanker first to pass through Arctic unaided
A Russian tanker has been the first to pass through the Arctic without the need for an icebreaker, and is a further sign of a warming world. Carrying liquefied natural gas, the Christophe de Margerie completed the journey from Norway to South Korea in record time, taking only 19 days, knocking almost a third off the time it would take to go around Europe and through the Suez Canal. And has become the first ship to cross the Northern Sea Route (NSR) without the aid of an icebreaker vessel travelling ahead. Since 1906, fewer than 500 ships have made the journey, but journeys through the route are expected become routine in the future. Although partly due to shrinking ice coverage, the vessel has also been fitted with icebreakers. However, there's no doubt that the thawing of the Arctic ice is now making the route more viable. The opening up of the NSR may be good news for shipping companies, which now have a faster route, increasing profits, but has raised concerns about the environmental impact of more ships passing through the Arctic, which could speed up the melting Arctic ice, threaten wildlife and any oils spills would be more difficult to lean up in the icy waters. To find out more check out Russian tanker sails through Arctic without icebreaker for first time.
ExxonMobil misled public on climate change for 40 years
An analysis of nearly 200 climate change documents spanning almost 40 years of ExxonMobil communications has found that the company consistently and systematically misled the public on climate change. The peer-reviewed study conducted by science historians Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes, discovered huge discrepancies between public statements made by the oil and gas giant denying and casting doubt over climate change and internal communications that acknowledge a changing climate. A series of media reports in 2015 claimed that the company has engaged in decades of climate denial, even when its own researchers were working to confirm the science. Supran and Oreskes sifted through 187 climate change communications released by the company between 1977 and 2014, confirming that, as the communications became more publicly accessible, the tone on climate change — whether it was real, human-caused, and a serious issue — underwent a serious shift. They found that around 80 percent of internal documents acknowledged that climate change is real and human-caused, while 81 percent of the company's advertorials expressed doubt. The researchers are not suggesting that ExxonMobil suppressed, withheld, or hid climate change from the public, but that they consistently misled the public about climate change and its causes, and did so for decades. To find out more check out Assessing ExxonMobil's climate change communications (1977–2014).
Shift to 100% renewable energy possible by 2050
Shifting to 100% renewable energy sources for over 100 countries could be possible by 2050, according to a study by an international team of researchers. The study looked at how 139 countries — responsible for over 99% of world-wide carbon dioxide emissions — could be powered entirely by wind, water, and sunlight by 2050, and would generate 24 million long-term jobs, lead to a decrease in deaths from air pollution by 4 to 7 million, and savings of over US$20 trillion in health and climate costs. The team, led by researchers from Stanford University in the U.S.A., examined each country's electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, industrial, and agriculture/forestry/fishing sectors, and concluded that the increased uptake in renewable energy technologies would eliminate oil, gas, and uranium use, and the energy associated with mining, transporting and refining these fuels, and reduce international power demand by around 13%. The wholesale changes in energy infrastructure would also mean that countries would not have to depend on each other for fossil fuels, reducing international conflicts over energy. To find out more check out 100% Clean and Renewable Wind, Water, and Sunlight All-Sector Energy Roadmaps for 139 Countries of the World.
Turning the Red Planet white
Scientists from the University Pierre and Marie Curie in France have found that Mars' atmosphere can produce violent snowstorms, particularly after the sun has set and temperatures plummet, providing new insights into weather patterns on Mars and could helping in future colonisation of the planet. Although Mars may appear to have a cold, dusty, and dry appearance, according to the researcher's findings it also experiences intense snowstorms generated by strong gusts of wind. The new findings come from the analysis of data from NASA's Phoenix lander in 2008, which detected possible snowfalls in water ice in Martian soil, but at the time could not be explained. By combing the Phoenix's readings with observations from the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, the researchers suggest that Red Planet experiences more intense snowfalls compared to what scientists previously thought, but the volume of snow output in these localised storms would still be meagre. To find out more check out Martian weather kicks into high gear at night.