The Helper
Nov
30
Astrophysicists estimate that our Milky Way Galaxy alone is home to 100 million stellar black holes, and scientists have estimated through theoretical models that these black holes are no bigger than 20 times the mass of our sun.
But the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently found a black hole that appears to be a whopping 70 times the mass of our sun. And it’s only 15 thousand light-years from Earth. Scientists say this discovery now throws into question long-standing theories about how black holes develop.
The study describing this discovery was published this week in the journal Nature, and details the unusual method the authors used to discover this black hole, referred to as LB-1, as well as possible origin stories for the behemoth.
Traditionally, black holes are identified by observing X-ray emissions created after a black hole has gobbled up its companion star (kind of like an after-dinner belch). However, of all of the black holes predicted to exist in our galaxy and beyond, the majority are living more peacefully with their companion stars and thus don’t emit these tell-tale X-rays to help astrophysicists find them. As the study’s authors found, such was the case for LB-1.
Read more here. (Inverse)
But the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently found a black hole that appears to be a whopping 70 times the mass of our sun. And it’s only 15 thousand light-years from Earth. Scientists say this discovery now throws into question long-standing theories about how black holes develop.
The study describing this discovery was published this week in the journal Nature, and details the unusual method the authors used to discover this black hole, referred to as LB-1, as well as possible origin stories for the behemoth.
Traditionally, black holes are identified by observing X-ray emissions created after a black hole has gobbled up its companion star (kind of like an after-dinner belch). However, of all of the black holes predicted to exist in our galaxy and beyond, the majority are living more peacefully with their companion stars and thus don’t emit these tell-tale X-rays to help astrophysicists find them. As the study’s authors found, such was the case for LB-1.
Read more here. (Inverse)
Nov
25
Your mental health is arguably one of the most important parts of your wellbeing. Listening to your favourite music is sometimes the best way to get through life’s trials and tribulations.
It turns out that listening to music everyday helps to build a healthier lifestyle. It also helps to improve a person’s wellbeing.
The British Academy Of Sound Therapy conducted a study of 7,500 people and the way they listen to and enjoy music. The study says that listening to 78 minutes of music per day greatly increases people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
According to the study, a person’s daily listening habits should be reflected in specified moods:
Read more here. (HappyMag TV)
It turns out that listening to music everyday helps to build a healthier lifestyle. It also helps to improve a person’s wellbeing.
The British Academy Of Sound Therapy conducted a study of 7,500 people and the way they listen to and enjoy music. The study says that listening to 78 minutes of music per day greatly increases people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
According to the study, a person’s daily listening habits should be reflected in specified moods:
- 16 mins of ‘calming’ music
- 14 mins of ‘uplifting’ music
- 15 mins of ‘motivating’ music
- 16 mins of whatever helps to overcome sadness
- 17 mins of whatever helps to deal with anger
Read more here. (HappyMag TV)
Nov
25
Catching two supermassive black holes sharing close quarters isn’t that unusual. But spotting three jockeying for position is quite bizarre. In fact, astronomers rarely witness such a triplet. But now, according to a new study accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, astronomers have discovered a single galaxy that's home to three supermassive black holes: NGC 6240.
In the study, an international team of astronomers identified three supermassive black holes lurking near the center of galaxy NGC 6240, which has been visibly disturbed by the gravitational effects of a triple merger. NGC 6240 is relatively close — only about 300 million light-years away — and astronomers previously assumed its odd shape was the result of a run-of-the-mill merger between two galaxies. These two galaxies, they thought, slammed together while moving at hundreds of miles per second, and they're still in the process of melding together. Therefore, the researchers expected to find two supermassive black holes hiding near the center of the cosmic collision.
Instead, when they peered into NGC 6240's core using 3D-mapping techniques, the team unexpectedly found three supermassive black holes — each weighing more than 90 million Suns. (For comparison, the supermassive black hole at...
In the study, an international team of astronomers identified three supermassive black holes lurking near the center of galaxy NGC 6240, which has been visibly disturbed by the gravitational effects of a triple merger. NGC 6240 is relatively close — only about 300 million light-years away — and astronomers previously assumed its odd shape was the result of a run-of-the-mill merger between two galaxies. These two galaxies, they thought, slammed together while moving at hundreds of miles per second, and they're still in the process of melding together. Therefore, the researchers expected to find two supermassive black holes hiding near the center of the cosmic collision.
Instead, when they peered into NGC 6240's core using 3D-mapping techniques, the team unexpectedly found three supermassive black holes — each weighing more than 90 million Suns. (For comparison, the supermassive black hole at...
Nov
21
Russia has passed a law banning the sale of certain devices that are not pre-installed with Russian software.
The law will come into force in July 2020 and cover smartphones, computers and smart televisions.
Proponents of the legislation say it is aimed at promoting Russian technology and making it easier for people in the country to use the gadgets they buy.
But there are concerns about surveillance and fears that firms could pull out of the Russian market.
The law will not mean devices from other countries cannot be sold with their normal software - but Russian "alternatives" will also have to be installed.
The legislation was passed by Russia's lower house of parliament on Thursday. A complete list of the gadgets affected and the Russian-made software that needs to be pre-installed will be determined by the government.
Read more here. (BBC)
The law will come into force in July 2020 and cover smartphones, computers and smart televisions.
Proponents of the legislation say it is aimed at promoting Russian technology and making it easier for people in the country to use the gadgets they buy.
But there are concerns about surveillance and fears that firms could pull out of the Russian market.
The law will not mean devices from other countries cannot be sold with their normal software - but Russian "alternatives" will also have to be installed.
The legislation was passed by Russia's lower house of parliament on Thursday. A complete list of the gadgets affected and the Russian-made software that needs to be pre-installed will be determined by the government.
Read more here. (BBC)
Nov
20
Ice melt due to climate change is a blessing and a curse for archaeologists. Retreating ice and snow can reveal amazingly preserved textiles, hides, wooden tools and even mummies that have been hidden for hundreds or thousands of years. But once these treasures are exposed, the clock starts ticking for their survival. Out of the natural freezer, ancient and prehistoric objects could quickly decompose due to exposure to the elements or get picked up by passing hikers or tourists.
Archaeologists in glacial regions around the world are racing to document pieces of history that they fear could disappear for good. High-altitude regions of Mongolia, where ice patches are melting at an alarming rate, are in urgent need of study, according to a new report published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
The first surveys of declining snow and ice patches in Mongolia have turned up arrowheads, animal carcasses, pieces of rope, wooden tools and artifacts that could shed light on the origins of reindeer domestication.
"We were absolutely shocked at the extent of the melting," says archaeologist William Taylor, a researcher with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and lead author of the new study....
Archaeologists in glacial regions around the world are racing to document pieces of history that they fear could disappear for good. High-altitude regions of Mongolia, where ice patches are melting at an alarming rate, are in urgent need of study, according to a new report published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
The first surveys of declining snow and ice patches in Mongolia have turned up arrowheads, animal carcasses, pieces of rope, wooden tools and artifacts that could shed light on the origins of reindeer domestication.
"We were absolutely shocked at the extent of the melting," says archaeologist William Taylor, a researcher with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and lead author of the new study....
Nov
19
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate, in a unanimous vote, passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong amid a crackdown on a pro-democracy protest movement that has gripped the Chinese-ruled financial center for months.
Following the voice vote by senators, the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act” now goes to the House of Representatives, which approved its own version of the measure last month. The two chambers will have to work out their differences before any legislation can be sent to President Donald Trump for his consideration.
The Senate passed a second bill, also unanimously, that would ban the export of certain crowd-control munitions to Hong Kong police forces. It bans the export of items such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns.
Under the first Senate bill, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would have to certify at least once a year that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to qualify for special U.S. trading consideration that bolsters its status as a world financial center. It also would provide for sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong.
There was no immediate response from the White House, which has yet to say whether Trump would approve the Hong Kong Human Rights bill. A U.S. official said recently that no decision had been made, but the unanimous Senate vote could make a veto more difficult for the Republican president.
The official, who spoke on the...
Following the voice vote by senators, the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act” now goes to the House of Representatives, which approved its own version of the measure last month. The two chambers will have to work out their differences before any legislation can be sent to President Donald Trump for his consideration.
The Senate passed a second bill, also unanimously, that would ban the export of certain crowd-control munitions to Hong Kong police forces. It bans the export of items such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns.
Under the first Senate bill, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would have to certify at least once a year that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to qualify for special U.S. trading consideration that bolsters its status as a world financial center. It also would provide for sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong.
There was no immediate response from the White House, which has yet to say whether Trump would approve the Hong Kong Human Rights bill. A U.S. official said recently that no decision had been made, but the unanimous Senate vote could make a veto more difficult for the Republican president.
The official, who spoke on the...
Nov
19
Husbands are least stressed when their wives earn up to 40 per cent of household income but they become increasingly uncomfortable as their spouse’s wages rise beyond that point and are most stressed when they are entirely economically dependent on their partner, new research from the University of Bath shows.
The study of over 6,000 American heterosexual couples over 15 years showed husbands are at their most anxious when they are the sole breadwinner, shouldering all the burden of responsibility for the household’s finances. Stress levels decline as their wives’ earnings approach 40 per cent of household income. But as women’s earnings go above that point, the study showed husbands’ stress levels gradually increasing.
“These findings suggest that social norms about male breadwinning – and traditional conventions about men earning more than their wives - can be dangerous for men’s health. They also show how strong and persistent are gender identity norms,” said Dr Joanna Syrda, an economist at the University’s School of Management.
“This is a large study but of a specific group – other conventions apply in other groups and societies and the results may change as times move on. However, the results are strong enough to point to the persistence of gender identity norms, and to their part in male mental health issues. Persistent distress can lead to many adverse health problems, including physical illness, and mental, emotional and social problems,” she said.
Dr Syrda...
The study of over 6,000 American heterosexual couples over 15 years showed husbands are at their most anxious when they are the sole breadwinner, shouldering all the burden of responsibility for the household’s finances. Stress levels decline as their wives’ earnings approach 40 per cent of household income. But as women’s earnings go above that point, the study showed husbands’ stress levels gradually increasing.
“These findings suggest that social norms about male breadwinning – and traditional conventions about men earning more than their wives - can be dangerous for men’s health. They also show how strong and persistent are gender identity norms,” said Dr Joanna Syrda, an economist at the University’s School of Management.
“This is a large study but of a specific group – other conventions apply in other groups and societies and the results may change as times move on. However, the results are strong enough to point to the persistence of gender identity norms, and to their part in male mental health issues. Persistent distress can lead to many adverse health problems, including physical illness, and mental, emotional and social problems,” she said.
Dr Syrda...
Nov
19
True helicopter parents talk a good game in making their actions all about their children, but according to one West Virginia University researcher, what they’re doing is reaping—and heaping—the rewards for themselves.
Kristin Moilanen, associate professor of child development and family studies, said the phenomena of helicopter parenting most often occurs in middle- to upper-class families where stakes are high for parents to be able to show off their children’s success. Her research, which focuses on young adults 18- to 24- years-old, indicates that high helicopter parenting leads to “low mastery, self-regulation and social competence.”
“Unfortunately, I think the term for those children is ‘hothouse children,’” Moilanen said. “I think they’ve been raised to be these sort of delicate flowers under these very well-controlled conditions and —just like a tropical plant— they’re vulnerable whenever those conditions are exceeded, which is a scary thought.”
The college admissions scandal, which led to the arrest and incarceration of two Hollywood actresses who had bribed high-profile universities to admit their children by falsifying admissions test scores or outright lying about athletic abilities, might be the most...
Kristin Moilanen, associate professor of child development and family studies, said the phenomena of helicopter parenting most often occurs in middle- to upper-class families where stakes are high for parents to be able to show off their children’s success. Her research, which focuses on young adults 18- to 24- years-old, indicates that high helicopter parenting leads to “low mastery, self-regulation and social competence.”
“Unfortunately, I think the term for those children is ‘hothouse children,’” Moilanen said. “I think they’ve been raised to be these sort of delicate flowers under these very well-controlled conditions and —just like a tropical plant— they’re vulnerable whenever those conditions are exceeded, which is a scary thought.”
The college admissions scandal, which led to the arrest and incarceration of two Hollywood actresses who had bribed high-profile universities to admit their children by falsifying admissions test scores or outright lying about athletic abilities, might be the most...
Nov
19
The toilet brush need never leave its holder again. Scientists have created a super-slippery coating that helps usher excrement on its way without leaving traces behind.
The spray-on coating, which is slipperier than Teflon, reduces adhesion of even tenacious faeces by up to 90%, tests suggest, so far less water is needed to flush them away and leave the toilet clean.
Researchers at Penn State University believe the coating could slash household water consumption and prevent odours and disease-causing germs from building up in toilets.
“I was very happy to see how easily the faecal matter slid off our coated surface,” Tak-Sing Wong at Penn State University told the Guardian.
Wong became interested in soiled toilets in 2015 when researchers at Cranfield University contacted him for help. They were designing a toilet for use in the developing world, but found that odorous waste built up on the toilet bowl surface. “My research group was known for developing highly slippery coatings to repel sticky substances,” Wong explained.
He and his team spent the next few years developing a coating they call a “liquid entrenched smooth surface”, or Less. It has two parts. The base layer binds to the toilet bowl and has protruding “nanohairs”, each one a billion times thinner than a human hair. To this they add a fine coating of silicone oil, which is...
The spray-on coating, which is slipperier than Teflon, reduces adhesion of even tenacious faeces by up to 90%, tests suggest, so far less water is needed to flush them away and leave the toilet clean.
Researchers at Penn State University believe the coating could slash household water consumption and prevent odours and disease-causing germs from building up in toilets.
“I was very happy to see how easily the faecal matter slid off our coated surface,” Tak-Sing Wong at Penn State University told the Guardian.
Wong became interested in soiled toilets in 2015 when researchers at Cranfield University contacted him for help. They were designing a toilet for use in the developing world, but found that odorous waste built up on the toilet bowl surface. “My research group was known for developing highly slippery coatings to repel sticky substances,” Wong explained.
He and his team spent the next few years developing a coating they call a “liquid entrenched smooth surface”, or Less. It has two parts. The base layer binds to the toilet bowl and has protruding “nanohairs”, each one a billion times thinner than a human hair. To this they add a fine coating of silicone oil, which is...
Nov
19
For those using illicit opioids to manage their chronic pain, cannabis may be a beneficial – and a less dangerous – alternative, according to new research from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU).
Researchers from the BCCSU and University of British Columbia (UBC) interviewed more than 1,100 people at highest risk of opioid overdose in Vancouver between 2014 and 2017 who reported substance use and major or chronic pain. They found that daily cannabis use was associated with significantly lower odds of daily illicit opioid use, suggesting people are replacing opioids with cannabis to manage their pain.
The study was published today in a special issue of PLOS Medicine on substance dependence.
“These findings, in combination with past research, again demonstrate that people are using cannabis to help manage many different conditions, including pain. And in some cases, they’re using cannabis in place of opioids,” says senior author Dr. M-J Milloy, a research scientist at BCCSU and the Canopy Growth professor of cannabis science at UBC. “In the midst of an ongoing public health emergency caused by opioid overdose deaths, the results suggest that increasing access to cannabis for therapeutic purposes could help curb overdose risk associated with illicit opioid use.”
Results from a statistical model showed that people who used cannabis every day had nearly 50 per cent lower...
Researchers from the BCCSU and University of British Columbia (UBC) interviewed more than 1,100 people at highest risk of opioid overdose in Vancouver between 2014 and 2017 who reported substance use and major or chronic pain. They found that daily cannabis use was associated with significantly lower odds of daily illicit opioid use, suggesting people are replacing opioids with cannabis to manage their pain.
The study was published today in a special issue of PLOS Medicine on substance dependence.
“These findings, in combination with past research, again demonstrate that people are using cannabis to help manage many different conditions, including pain. And in some cases, they’re using cannabis in place of opioids,” says senior author Dr. M-J Milloy, a research scientist at BCCSU and the Canopy Growth professor of cannabis science at UBC. “In the midst of an ongoing public health emergency caused by opioid overdose deaths, the results suggest that increasing access to cannabis for therapeutic purposes could help curb overdose risk associated with illicit opioid use.”
Results from a statistical model showed that people who used cannabis every day had nearly 50 per cent lower...
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