'The Independent' reports that scientists have captured the first image of Sagittarius A, the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
The image provides the first direct
evidence that the supermassive
black hole actually exists.
.
The image was captured by the , Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, a global network of radio telescopes.
Ziri Younsi from University College London, a co-author
on the new papers, described the black hole as the , “the glue that holds the galaxy together”.
It is key to our understanding
of how the Milky Way formed
and will evolve in the future, Ziri Younsi, University College London,
via 'The Independent'.
Capturing the image took over five years
of work by over 300 researchers.
.
The team hopes that the image can help
scientists better understand the event horizon,
the very edge of the black hole.
The event horizon is the literal edge of space and time – everything we know about space and time breaks down at the event horizon.
They don't have any meaning they cease to have any meaning cross it, and you’ll never return, you are causally disconnected, it's a literal edge of the universe, of reality, Ziri Younsi, University College London,
via 'The Independent'.
And we're starting to see matter now very close to the edge – I think it's amazing that human beings can even have the capacity to visualise that, Ziri Younsi, University College London,
via 'The Independent'.
The team's findings were published
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Microsoft Makes $1.5 Billion , Investment in Leading , UAE Technology Firm.
Microsoft Makes $1.5 Billion , Investment in Leading , UAE Technology Firm.
'The Independent' reports that Microsoft has announced
a $1.5 billion investment in a leading United Arab
Emirates-based artificial intelligence firm. .
'The Independent' reports that Microsoft has announced
a $1.5 billion investment in a leading United Arab
Emirates-based artificial intelligence firm. .
The deal, overseen by the UAE's powerful national security
adviser, will see Microsoft president Brad Smith join
technology holding company G42's board of directors.
The deal, overseen by the UAE's powerful national security
adviser, will see Microsoft president Brad Smith join
technology holding company G42's board of directors.
The UAE's national security adviser,
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the
current chairman of G42's board of directors. .
In a statement released on April 16, Microsoft
said the deal “was developed in close consultation
with both the UAE and U.S. governments.”.
In a statement released on April 16, Microsoft
said the deal “was developed in close consultation
with both the UAE and U.S. governments.”.
G42, which runs data centers in the Middle East
and elsewhere, has built the world's leading
Arabic-language AI model, Jais. .
According to Microsoft, G42 will move its
AI applications and services over to the U.S.
tech giant's cloud computing platform. .
According to Microsoft, G42 will move its
AI applications and services over to the U.S.
tech giant's cloud computing platform. .
The deal will also look to bring digital infrastructure
to regions that G42 has already established
a presence, including the Middle East and Africa.
'The Independent' reports that G42 previously cut ties with
Chinese hardware suppliers to limit U.S. concerns that
the company was closely tied to the Chinese government.
'The Independent' reports that G42 previously cut ties with
Chinese hardware suppliers to limit U.S. concerns that
the company was closely tied to the Chinese government.
Prior to Microsoft's investment, the company
reportedly faced allegations of spying for its
connection to a mobile phone app identified as spyware.
The tech company also faced accusations
that it gathered genetic material from
U.S. users for the Chinese government. .
The tech company also faced accusations
that it gathered genetic material from
U.S. users for the Chinese government.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
EPA Takes Aim at, US Chemical Emissions, That Are Likely Carcinogens.
'The Independent' reports that over 200 chemical
plants in the United States will be required
to reduce toxic emissions under a new rule. .
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
released the new rule regarding toxic
emissions likely to cause cancer on April 9.
The rule is meant to deliver critical health protections
for communities faced with industrial pollution from
dangerous chemicals, such as chloroprene and ethyl oxide.
The rule will significantly reduce
emissions from the Denka Performance
Elastomer facility in LaPlace, Louisiana.
The facility is the largest producer of
chloroprene emissions in the U.S., according
to EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
Every community in this country
deserves to breathe clean air.
That’s why I took the Journey
to Justice tour to communities
like St. John the Baptist Parish,
where residents have borne
the brunt of toxic air for far too long, Michael Regan, EPA Administrator, via 'The Independent'.
We promised to listen to folks that
are suffering from pollution and act
to protect them. Today we deliver
on that promise with strong final
standards to slash pollution,
reduce cancer risk and ensure
cleaner air for nearby communities, Michael Regan, EPA Administrator, via 'The Independent'.
According to officials, the changes
are meant to reduce ethylene oxide and
chloroprene emissions in the U.S. by nearly 80%.
'The Independent' reports that the rule updates
several regulations on chemical plant emissions
that have not been altered in nearly 20 years.
The EPA said that the new rule will reduce a total of over
6,200 tons of toxic air pollutants annually in an effort
to address health risks in neighboring communities
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Scientists Capture , Radio Signals , From Long-Dormant Star.
'The Independent' reports that scientists have
been puzzled after receiving unprecedented
radio signals from a previously dormant star.
The star, named XTE J1810-197, is a magnetar. .
Magnetars are a type of neutron star and are
the most powerful magnets in the universe.
XTE J1810-197 is the nearest known magnetar
to Earth, about 8,000 light years away.
Now, scientists have received radio
pulses from the dormant star that
do not fit previous expectations.
Unlike the radio signals we’ve
seen from other magnetars,
this one is emitting enormous
amounts of rapidly changing
circular polarisation. We had never
seen anything like this before, Marcus Lower, Postdoctoral fellow
at Australia’s national science agency,
CSIRO, via 'The Independent'.
Scientists discovered that the new pulses are emitting
a type of spiraling light that is different from the
polarized light emitted by most other magnetars.
In 2003, XTE J1810-197 became
the first known magnetar to
produce a radio signal.
After being discovered, the magnetar
then went silent for over a decade. .
The team that discovered it said that
the findings could change our
understanding of intense magnetic fields.
The signals emitted from
this magnetar imply that
interactions at the surface
of the star are more complex than
previous theoretical explanations, Manisha Caleb, University of Sydney,
a co-author on the study, via 'The Independent'.
The team's findings were published
in the journal 'Nature Astronomy.'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
US Highway Agency Says 2023, Saw Second Consecutive Year of, Declining Traffic Deaths.
'The Independent' reports that traffic deaths
in the United States fell 3.6% in 2023, recording
approximately 41,000 deaths on the nation's roads.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 2023 was the second year in
a row that saw the number of fatalities decrease.
On April 1, the agency also released
final numbers for 2022, registering
42,514 fatalities related to crashes.
According to NHTSA Deputy Administrator
Sophie Shulman, Q4 of 2023 marked the
seventh consecutive quarter of declining traffic deaths.
'The Independent' reports that the news
comes despite people driving more.
Estimates by the Federal Highway Administration show
that people in the U.S. drove 67.5 billion more miles
in 2023 than they did the year before, a 2.1% increase.
According to Shulman,
the numbers remain too high with many of
those deaths the result of distracted driving. .
An estimated 3,308 people were killed in
distracted driving crashes, while another
289,310 people were injured in 2022.
Distracted driving is
extremely dangerous, Sophie Shulman, NHTSA Deputy Administrator, via 'The Independent'.
The agency is set to launch its 'Put the Phone Away or Pay'
advertising campaign, which will include a law enforcement
crackdown on the behavior from April 4 to 8. .
The agency is set to launch its 'Put the Phone Away or Pay'
advertising campaign, which will include a law enforcement
crackdown on the behavior from April 4 to 8.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Crisis in Haiti , Could Drive Another Wave of , Illegal Immigration in the US.
'Newsweek' reports that the United States
could be facing another wave of illegal
immigration driven by refugees fleeing Haiti.
On March 11, President Ariel Henry said
he would resign amid widespread gang
violence and a breakdown of law and order.
An estimated 80% of Port-au-Prince,
the Haitian capital, are under
the control of armed gangs.
An estimated 80% of Port-au-Prince,
the Haitian capital, are under
the control of armed gangs.
We are alert to that possibility.
The driving conditions in Haiti
could very well press
more people [to migrate], Rebecca Zimmerman, Department of Defense official,
via 'Newsweek'.
Thomas Gift, the head of the Centre on U.S. Politics
at University College London, warned that
a deepening immigration crisis would pose
a serious challenge for the Biden administration.
Fair or unfair, anything that
highlights the immigration
crisis is a net negative
for Biden at the moment, Thomas Gift, the head of the Centre on U.S. Politics
at University College London, via 'Newsweek'.
To the extent that the tragedy
in Haiti puts a new refugee story
in the headlines, it will only make
the immigration issue more
salient for American voters. , Thomas Gift, the head of the Centre on U.S. Politics
at University College London, via 'Newsweek'.
At the same time, Biden's
hands will no doubt be tied
by progressive groups who
will insist that the White House
not repatriate refugees back to
Haiti given the huge political
instability in the country, Thomas Gift, the head of the Centre on U.S. Politics
at University College London, via 'Newsweek'.
According to a Monmouth University survey,
84% of voters in the U.S. consider illegal
immigration a "serious" or "very serious" issue.
In 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared
a state of emergency after hundreds of
migrants from Haiti and Cuba arrived by boat.
An estimated 146,000 Haitian migrants
were encountered at the U.S. border
between October 2020 and May 2023
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Astronomers May Have Solved, the Mystery Surrounding , Blue Supergiant Stars.
'Newsweek' reports that astronomers now believe
that some of the brightest and hottest stars in existence
may be the result of collisions between two other stars.
Scientists have long sought to determine
how these intensely bright stars,
known as blue supergiants, are formed. .
According to a new paper published by
'The Astrophysical Journal Letters,' scientists
suggest that blue supergiants are the result
of two binary stars merging into one.
Blue supergiants, which are about 16 to 40
times the mass of our sun, are some of
the most massive stars in the universe. .
Their intensely hot surface temperatures
are often two to five times hotter than our
sun and over 10,000 times more luminous.
'Newsweek' reports that the latest research
looked at 59 early B-Type blue supergiant
stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud,
a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way galaxy. .
We simulated the mergers
of evolved giant stars with
their smaller stellar companions
over a wide range of parameters,
taking into account the interaction
and mixing of the two stars
during the merger, Athira Menon, study author and an astrophysicist at the Instituto
de AstrofĂsica de Canarias (IAC) in Spain, via 'Newsweek'.
The newly-born stars
live as blue supergiants
throughout the second
longest phase of a star's life,
when it burns helium in its core, Athira Menon, study author and an astrophysicist at the Instituto
de AstrofĂsica de Canarias (IAC) in Spain, via 'Newsweek'.
The results obtained explain
why blue supergiants are found
in the so-called 'evolutionary gap'
from classical stellar physics,
a phase of their evolution where
we would not expect to find stars, Artemio Herrero, study co-author and a researcher at the Instituto
de AstrofĂsica de Canarias (IAC) in Spain, via 'Newsweek'.
The team reportedly hopes to continue its
investigation into the role that merging stars
could play in the formation of galaxies, as well as how
blue supergiants form neutron stars or black holes. .
The team reportedly hopes to continue its
investigation into the role that merging stars
could play in the formation of galaxies, as well as how
blue supergiants form neutron stars or black holes.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Astronomers Discover Rare, Reversed Black Hole , For the First Time.
'The Independent' reports that NASA has
detected what they believe to be the spontaneous
reversal of a black hole's magnetic..
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Since 2003, it’s been associated with sound, because astronomers discovered that pressure waves sent out by the black hole caused ripples in the cluster’s hot gas that could be translated into a..
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