Lifeboat Foundation

The long-duration photographs capture Earth in motion.

Bioengineers propose “electro-agriculture,” a method that replaces photosynthesis with a solar-powered reaction converting CO₂ into acetate, potentially reducing U.S. agricultural land needs by 94% and supporting controlled indoor farming.

Initial experiments focus on genetically modified acetate-consuming plants like tomatoes and lettuce, with potential future applications in space agriculture.

Revolutionary Electro-Agriculture

Astronomers have discovered one of the fastest-spinning neutron stars ever recorded, known as 4U 1820–30, which rotates an astonishing 716 times per second. Located 26,000 light-years away in the Sagittarius constellation, this neutron star is part of an X-ray binary system where its intense gravity pulls material from a companion white dwarf, triggering explosive thermonuclear bursts.

You may need binoculars or a telescope for this one. It includes the three furthest planets in our solar system.

Voyager 1 switched to a very old backup radio transmitter, not used since 1981, restoring NASA’s contact amid communication issues.

NASA’s Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life – with evidence for widespread liquid water on the surface – to a surface that is inhospitable to terrestrial life as we know it.

Although the surface of Mars is frigid and hostile to life today, NASA’s robotic explorers at Mars are searching for clues as to whether it could have supported life in the distant past. Researchers used instruments on board Curiosity to measure the isotopic composition of carbon-rich minerals (carbonates) found in Gale crater and discovered new insights into how the Red Planet’s ancient climate transformed.

“The isotope values of these carbonates point toward extreme amounts of evaporation, suggesting that these carbonates likely formed in a climate that could only support transient liquid water,” said David Burtt of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of a paper describing this research published October 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Our samples are not consistent with an ancient environment with life (biosphere) on the surface of Mars, although this does not rule out the possibility of an underground biosphere or a surface biosphere that began and ended before these carbonates formed.”

In space exploration, long-distance optical links can now be used to transmit images, films and data from space probes to Earth using light. But in order for the signals to reach all the way and not be disturbed along the way, hypersensitive receivers and noise-free amplifiers are required.

The earthlings are yet again going to experience the breathtaking celestial event known as Leonid meteor shower which will be active from November 3 to December 2 this year and peak overnight from November 16 to 17.

When Earth travels through the debris left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle the Leonids are produced. It happens during its highly elliptical orbit around the Sun every 33 years, reported Space.

It is worth noting that the Leonids are regarded as some of the fastest meteors, zipping through the sky at 44 miles (71 kilometres) per second, as per NASA.

Sabine Hossenfelder is a very popular science communicator who focuses largely on topics in physics. Although much of her content is effective and without issue, there is an undercurrent of anti-establishment rhetoric that has grown immensely as of late, and it is an enormous problem. Sabine is a not a charlatan like most of my other targets, and this is not a hit piece, but rather commentary on this aspect of her work and how it came to be. If you are a fan of hers, consider this perspective.

Astronomy/Astrophysics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveAstronomy.
Classical Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics1
Modern Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics2

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