SpaceTime Series 28 Episode 35
The Astronomy, Space and Science News Podcast
Discovery of a New Planetary System, Stable Trio of Icy Worlds in the Kuiper Belt, and the Fascinating Concept of White Holes
In this episode of SpaceTime, we delve into the groundbreaking discovery of a nearby planetary system orbiting Barnard's Star, the second closest star system to the Sun. Located just 5.96 light years away, this system comprises four small planets, each 20 to 30% the mass of Earth, revealing new insights into the potential for life beyond our solar system. We discuss the significance of these findings and the advanced techniques used to confirm their existence, including the innovative Maroon X instrument.
Exploring the Kuiper Belt
We also explore the remarkable discovery of a stable trio of small frozen worlds in the Kuiper Belt, cataloged as the Algiera system. This intriguing find, made using data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory, could potentially be only the second three-body system identified in this remote region, challenging existing theories about how such formations occur.
Theoretical White Holes
Additionally, we dive into the fascinating hypothesis suggesting that black holes may transition into white holes, ejecting matter and energy back into the universe. This revolutionary idea, rooted in quantum mechanics, opens up new possibilities for understanding the nature of black holes and the fundamental workings of the universe.
00:00 Space Time Series 28 Episode 35 for broadcast on 21 March 2025
00:49 Discovery of a planetary system around Barnard's Star
06:30 Significance of the findings and the Maroon X instrument
12:15 Overview of the Algiera system in the Kuiper Belt
18:00 Implications for our understanding of Kuiper Belt objects
22:45 Theoretical concepts of white holes and their significance
27:00 Summary of recent astronomical discoveries
30:15 Discussion on health risks associated with slushy drinks
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/)
www.bitesz.com (https://www.bitesz.com/)
🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.bitesz.com/nordvpn (https://www.bitesz.com/nordvpn) . Enjoy incredible discounts and bonuses! Plus, it’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌
Check out our newest sponsor - Old Glory - Iconic Music and Sports Merch and now with official NASA merchandise. (https://www.bitesz.com/oldglory) Well worth checking out...
Become a supporter of this Podcast for as little as $3 per month and access commercial-free episodes plus bonuses: https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/about (https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/about)
✍️ Episode References
Astrophysical Journal Letters
https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205 (https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205)
Planetary Science Journal
https://www.springer.com/journal/11038 (https://www.springer.com/journal/11038)
Physical Review Letters
https://journals.aps.org/prl/ (https://journals.aps.org/prl/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/26204622?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 this is Spacetime series 28 episode 35
00:00:03 --> 00:00:07 for broadcast on the 21st of March 2025
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 coming up on Spacetime discovery of
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 another neighboring planetary system a
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 stable trio of small worlds discovered
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 in the dark outer reaches of our solar
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 system and could science fiction's idea
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 of white holes be a real thing all that
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 and more coming up on Spaceime
00:00:26 --> 00:00:38 welcome to Space Time with Stuart Garry
00:00:38 --> 00:00:45 [Music]
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 astronomers have discovered a nearby
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 planetary system orbiting Barnard star
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 the second nearest star system to the
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 sun located 5.96 light years away in the
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 constellation of Barnard star is the
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 nearest star system to the sun after the
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 Alpha Centuri triple star system we know
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 Alpha Centuri also hosts a planetary
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 system a report in the astrophysical
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 journal letters claims the newly
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 discovered system around Barnard star
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 consists of four planets each around 20
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 to 30% the mass of the Earth and all
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 circling very close to their host star
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 taking just a few Earth days to complete
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 each orbit it's a fascinating discovery
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 because Barard star has long been called
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 the great white whale for planet hunters
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 that's because several times over the
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 past century different groups of
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 astronomers have announced evidence
00:01:32 --> 00:01:33 suggesting that planets were orbiting
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 around the star only to subsequently be
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 disproven but these new findings are
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 giving a far greater degree of
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 confidence than any previous results
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 barnard star B was first detected last
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 year using the radial velocity or wobble
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 method with the other three then
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 confirmed earlier this year and the
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 fourth planet is the least massive ever
00:01:52 --> 00:01:53 detected using the wobble method that
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 involves detecting slight changes in the
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 stars position caused by the
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 gravitational pull of an orbiting planet
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 which causes the spectral light emitted
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 by the star to shift ever so slightly in
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 wavelength red shifting one minute and
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 then blue shifting the next as the
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 planet makes its orbit the host star is
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 a small spectral type M red dwarf with
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 about 16% the sun's mass and 19% its
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 diameter for a century now astronomers
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 have been studying Barnard star in the
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 hope of finding planets orbiting it
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 first discovered back in 1916 it's the
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 nearest single star system to the sun
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 red dwarfs are the most common types of
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 star in the galaxy making up some 75% of
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 all Milky Way stars and because of that
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 scientists are interested in
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 understanding the environments of
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 planets they host this effort was led by
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 Jacob Bean from the University of
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 Chicago his team developed an instrument
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 called Maroon X which is designed to
00:02:48 --> 00:02:49 specifically search for distant planets
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 around red dwarf stars maroon X was
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 mounted on the Gemini North telescope
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 maroon X hunts for exoplanets using the
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 radio velocity method after vigorously
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 calibrating and analyzing data taken
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 during 112 nights of observations over a
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 period of 3 years the authors found
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 solid evidence for three exoplanets
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 around Barnard star two of which had
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 already been previously classified as
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 potential candidates the team also
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 combined data from Maroon X with
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 observations from a 2024 study done by
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 the Espresso Instrument on the European
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 Southern Observatory's very large
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 telescope the VT in Chile to confirm the
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 existence of a fourth planet thereby
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 also elevating it from planetary
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 candidate status to a bonafide exoplanet
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 the study's lead author Ritik Passant
00:03:34 --> 00:03:35 from the University of Chicago says the
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 newly discovered planets are almost
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 likely rocky worlds rather than gas
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 giants like Jupiter however that will be
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 difficult to pin down with any certainty
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 because the angle at which the authors
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 are observing the system at from Earth's
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 point of view the planets don't cross in
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 front of their host star if they did you
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 could use the transit method which is
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 the usual way for determining a planet's
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 composition they were however with a
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 fair degree of certainty able to rule
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 out the existence of other exoplanets
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 with masses comparable to the Earth
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 within Barnard stars habitable zone
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 that's the region of space around a star
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 where temperatures are warm enough to
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 allow liquid water essential for life as
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 we know it to exist on a planet's
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 surface most rocky planets found so far
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 are much larger than the Earth and they
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 appear to be fairly similar throughout
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 the Milky Way galaxy but there are
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 reasons to think that smaller exoplanets
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 probably have more widely varied
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 compositions as scientists find out more
00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 about them they can begin to tease out
00:04:32 --> 00:04:33 more information about how these planets
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 form and what makes them likely to have
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 habitable conditions this is spacetime
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 still to come a stable trio of small
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 worlds discovered orbiting in the outer
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 reaches of our solar system and could
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 science fiction's favored white holes
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 the opposite of black holes be a real
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 thing all that and more still to come on
00:04:53 --> 00:05:08 [Music]
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 Spaceime astronomers have discovered a
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 stable trio of small frozen worlds in
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 the dark outer reaches of the solar
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 systems Kyper belt this distant sparsely
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 populated region of space is inhabited
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 by comets and icy debris circling the
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 sun beyond the orbit of Neptune the new
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 discovery reported in the planetary
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 science journal was made using
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 observations by NASA's Hubble Space
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 Telescope and the giant 10 m cake twin
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 telescopes in Hawaii if confirmed it'll
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 be only the second such threebody system
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 found in this remote outer edge of the
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 solar system the systems being cataloged
00:05:44 --> 00:05:48 as 148780 Aljira the study's lead author
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 Maya Nielson from Brigham Y Young
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 University says over 3 Kyper belt
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 objects have been cataloged so far but
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 scientists estimate there could be
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 several hundred more objects in the
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 Kyper belt measuring 10 km in diameter
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 or more the largest Kyper object found
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 so far is the dwarf planet Pluto the
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 Ojira system is located at the outer
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 reaches of the Kyper belt some 6 billion
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 kilometers away now to put that in
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 perspective that's 44 times further away
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 from the sun than what the Earth is the
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 new Hubble images show two Kyber objects
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 located 7 km apart however further
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 observations of their unique co-orbital
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 motion suggest the inner objects
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 actually two separate bodies that are so
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 close together they couldn't be
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 distinguished at such a great distance
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 milson says that with objects this small
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 and so far away the separation between
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 the two inner members of the system is
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 just a fraction of a single pixel on
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 Hubble's camera so astronomers needed to
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 use non-iming methods to discover that
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 it really is a triple system so they
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 gathered a 17-year observational
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 baseline of data from Hubble and the Keb
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 Observatory watching the orbits of the
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 Algera systems outer body over time they
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 saw the orientation of the outer
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 object's orbit change indicating that
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 the inner object must have been either
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 extremely elongated or it was actually
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 two separate objects and their
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 calculations showed that a triple system
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 was the best fit for the Hubble data now
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 other possibilities included the inner
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 body being a contact binary that's where
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 two separate bodies become so close they
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 actually touch each other or
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 alternatively something that's oddly
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 flat like a pancake currently there are
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 about 40 identified binary objects in
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 the Kyper belt the largest known pair
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 being Pluto and Sharon the only Kyper
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 belt objects that have really been
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 explored in any detail are the Pluto
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 system and the small Kyper object
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Aricoff both of which NASA's New Horizon
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 spacecraft visited in 2015 and 2019
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 respectively new Horizons showed that
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 Aragoth was a contact binary in which
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 the two bodies gradually moved closer
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 and closer together till they finally
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 made contact and merged resulting in a
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 sort of peanut-shaped object the authors
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 estimate that Algeria is probably around
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 10 times larger than Aricoth that makes
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 it about 200 km across nielson says it's
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 now entered an eclipsing period during
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 which time the outer body passes in
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 front of the inner body as seen from
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 Earth this will last for the next 10
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 years giving scientists an opportunity
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 to learn more about the system this
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 report from NASA TV hyperbelt objects
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 also known as KBOs are icy remnants from
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 the early solar system located beyond
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 Neptune there are over 3 catalog
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 KBOs so far but scientists estimate
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 there could be hundreds of thousands
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 more each over 10 mi in diameter the
00:08:36 --> 00:08:40 largest KBO is the dwarf planet Pluto
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 while these distant objects typically
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 don't form their own systems researchers
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 have likely identified a stable trio of
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 icy space rocks in the Kyper belt this
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 discovery of the Altjiraa system made
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 using data from the Kek Observatory in
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 Hawaii and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 could mark only the second threebody
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 system found in the region if confirmed
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 the Aljura system hints at the
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 possibility of more such triple systems
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 awaiting discovery these formations
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 challenge the idea that collisions in
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 the crowded Kyper belt produce such
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 groups instead they support the theory
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 that triplets like these form directly
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 through the gravitational collapse of
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 material in the solar systems early disc
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 around 4.5 billion years ago while stars
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 are known to form as pairs or triples
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 through gravitational collapse
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 researchers are still investigating
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 whether this process applies to Kyper
00:09:35 --> 00:09:39 belt objects the Aljira system lies 3.7
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 billion miles away or 44 times the
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 distance between Earth and the Sun only
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 a fraction of a pixel on Hubble's camera
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 separates the two innermost members
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 studying such distant faint objects
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 orbiting so close together requires
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 patience and persistence using Hubble
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 and KEK scientists observe the system
00:09:58 --> 00:10:02 with data spanning over 17 years this
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 long-term study shows us Hubble's
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 incredible value to astronomy after more
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 than 30 years in space Hubble can
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 revisit objects days weeks months or
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 even decades later helping us uncover
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 the mysteries of the universe one
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 observation at a
00:10:19 --> 00:10:23 [Music]
00:10:23 --> 00:10:27 time this is spacetime still to come a
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 new hypothesis suggests that black holes
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 could transition into so-called white
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 holes ejecting matter and potentially
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 even space time into the universe and
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 later in the science report scientists
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 discover the earliest reported fossil of
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 a human face ever found in Western
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 Europe all that and more still to come
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 on Spaceime
00:10:47 --> 00:10:54 [Music]
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 although Albert Einstein first predicted
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 black holes in his theory of general
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 relativity way back in 1915 that's more
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 than a century ago it wasn't until 1971
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 that Signis X1 was announced to the
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 world as the first confirmed stellar
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 mass black hole today black holes are
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 best described as places where gravity
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 is so strong nothing not even light can
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 escape put simply they're singularities
00:11:26 --> 00:11:30 of infinite density in zero volume for
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 years science fiction writers have
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 speculated what happens when one falls
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 into a black hole now the physics of
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 Einstein's general relativity tells us
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 that you'll simply fall forever towards
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 the singularity as time slows down and
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 eventually stops but in the process
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 you'll get spaghettified being stretched
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 and crushed along the way as you're
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 destroyed by the immense gravitational
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 forces the problem is science's
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 understanding of physics and spaceime
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 breaks down at the singularity and so
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 this is where more fanciful ideas like
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 wormholes to other places in space and
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 time come up sometimes from serious
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 scientists now a new hypothesis suggests
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 that black holes may transition into
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 so-called white holes ejecting matter
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 and potentially even space time back
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 into the universe a study by researchers
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 at the University of Sheffield proposes
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 a revolutionary link between time and
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 dark energy suggesting that the
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 mysterious force driving the universe's
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 expansion may be used to measure time
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 the authors believe their research could
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 pave the way for groundbreaking new
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 fundamental theories and breakthroughs
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 in science's understanding of the
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 universe they say science's
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 understanding of black holes space time
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 and the mysterious accelerating
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 expansion of the universe through dark
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 energy which dominates the cosmos today
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 could be revolutionized helping unravel
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 the mysteries of the cosmos using the
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 laws of quantum mechanics the
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 fundamental theory describing the nature
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 of the universe at the atomic level the
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 new study reported in the journal
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 Physical Review Letters proposes a
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 radically different theoretical
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 standpoint where rather than the
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 singularity signifying the end it could
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 represent a new beginning while black
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 holes are often described as sucking
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 everything including time into a point
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 of nothingness this new paper suggests
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 that white holes are theorized to act in
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 the reverse ejecting matter energy and
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 space time back into the universe now
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 the study is using a very simplified
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 theoretical model of black holes known
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 as a planet black hole unlike typical
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 black holes which have a spherical shape
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 planet black holes boundary is flat just
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 two dimensions now the authors suggest
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 that the same mechanism could also apply
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 to a typical black hole in the real
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 world the authors Stefan Gileene and
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 Lucia Menddees Podal say there's long
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 been a question as to whether quantum
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 mechanics could change science's
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 understanding of black holes and provide
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 new insights into their true nature they
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 say according to quantum mechanics time
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 doesn't end because systems perpetually
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 change and evolve and by using the laws
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 of quantum mechanics the black hole
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 singularity is replaced by a region of
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 large quantum fluctuations tiny
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 temporary changes in the energy of space
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 where space and time don't end but
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 instead transition into a new phase
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 called a white hole a theoretical region
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 of spaceime thought to function in the
00:14:14 --> 00:14:17 opposite way to a black hole as such a
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 white hole could be where spacetime
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 begins the authors say while time is in
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 general thought to be relative to the
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 observer their research suggests that
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 time could be instead derived from the
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 mysterious dark energy which permeates
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 the universe so they propose that time
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 is measured by dark energy and this idea
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 is pivotal in allowing their hypothesis
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 to grasp the phenomena occurring within
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 a black hole so the new study is using
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 dark energy almost as a point of
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 reference with energy and time as
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 complimentary ideas that can be measured
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 against one another tantalizingly the
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 theory that what one perceives as a
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 singularity is actually a beginning
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 suggests the existence of something even
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 more enigmatic on the other side of a
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 white hole and that hypothetically means
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 one could have an observer pass through
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 a black hole through what one thinks of
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 as the singularity and then emerge on
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 the other side through a white hole
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 right now it's still science fiction but
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 it's fascinating to ponder this is
00:15:14 --> 00:15:25 spacetime
00:15:25 --> 00:15:30 [Music]
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 and time now to take another brief look
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 at some of the other stories making news
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 in science this week with a science
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 report a new study warns that slushy
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 sickness could be a real problem for
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 kids a report in the journal The
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 Archives of Disease in Childhood looked
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 at 21 cases of acutely ill kids linked
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 to drinking glycerol containing slushies
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 so researchers now believe it might be
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 time to revise public health advice on
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 the icy beverages they found excessive
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 consumption of glycerol by children can
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 cause headaches nausea and vomiting
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 especially in young kids potentially
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 leading to shock low blood sugar and
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 fainting when consumed in high levels
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 problem is because drinks containing
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 glycerol can be advertised as being
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 sugarf free parents are often misled
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 into believing they're actually better
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 for kids to
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 consume scientists have found the
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 earliest reported fossils of a human
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 face in Western Europe the discovery
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 reported in the journal Nature will help
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 researchers better understand the lives
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 of the first Europeans the fossils which
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 were unearthed at a site in Spain had
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 preserved parts of a human face that
00:16:33 --> 00:16:37 date back between 1.1 and 1.4 million
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 years it was buried 2 m deeper than a
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 similar fossil previously uncovered at
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 the same site they say it's unclear what
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 species of human the face belongs to but
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 it bears some striking resemblances to
00:16:49 --> 00:16:52 Homoerectus importantly stone tools with
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 animal bones with cut marks were
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 discovered near the fossil which gives
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 scientists an indication of the sort of
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 life this person
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 lived there are growing warnings today
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 that butterfly populations across the
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 United States are now in alarming
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 decline a report in the journal Science
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 found that the total abundance of
00:17:10 --> 00:17:13 butterfly populations has fallen by 22%
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 in the last 20 years the authors used
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 data from extensive butterfly monitoring
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 efforts across the contiguous United
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 States integrating 12.6 million
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 individual butterfly observations from
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 more than 76 surveys which were
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 conducted between the year 2000 and 2020
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 they found the widespread decline was
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 largely driven by sharp population
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 losses in many individual species with
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 33% of species showing significant
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 declines and only 3% experiencing any
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 sort of gains over 100 species declined
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 by more than 50% including 22 that
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 suffered losses exceeding 90% they say
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 the findings emphasize the urgent need
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 for conservation
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 action there's a new warning today about
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 the pseudocience of so-called sound
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 healing that's a claim that you can cure
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 all sorts of diseases using nothing more
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 than the right kinds of sounds tim
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 Mendum from Australian Skeptics says on
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 the contrary can actually be quite
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 dangerous especially if its promoters
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 are preventing patients from getting
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 proper medical treatment in modern sound
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 healing in modern sort of pseudo
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 medicine it sort of sound can help you
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 relax it's for meditation and that sort
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 of thing whether that means running a
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 little a little stick around a bowl and
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 making that sort of humming sound or
00:18:25 --> 00:18:28 whether it's hitting a gong or knocking
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 some tuning force together which doesn't
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 sound particularly relaxing to me but
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 never mind all these sounds can be used
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 to make you relax but it's also being
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 pushed now into sort of further
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 applications they say and I'm looking at
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 a site by the uh academy of sound
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 healing which is in the UK which says
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 that healing sounds and music and sound
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 healing instruments can improve your
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 multi-dimensional well-being by creating
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 a beautiful experience where all layers
00:18:51 --> 00:18:54 of our luminous energy field body mind
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 soul spirit are awakened gently and
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 lovingly it's all nice and sweet but
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 munchers help you relax and meditate and
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 be a nice sort of gentle sound in the
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 background cutting out all the
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 unpleasant sounds but they're actually
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 saying it can be used to cure things all
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 sorts of diseases serious medical
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 conditions and in fact some of the
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 problems is that it can actually sort of
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 make you worse if a sound interferes
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 with your relaxation it can actually put
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 you on edge and these things are
00:19:17 --> 00:19:20 unregulated so basically theademies or
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 practitioners can make any sort of claim
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 and there's no need to justify it apart
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 from anecdotal experience which is not
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 worth very much so sound healing
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 initially nice relaxing and you got to
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 be really careful of someone that takes
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 something nice and applies it to
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 something manipulative that's Tim Mendum
00:19:36 --> 00:19:40 from Australian Skeptics
00:19:40 --> 00:19:53 [Music]
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 and that's the show for now spaceime is
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 available every Monday Wednesday and
00:19:58 --> 00:20:01 Friday through Apple Podcasts iTunes
00:20:01 --> 00:20:04 Stitcher Google Podcast Pocketcasts
00:20:04 --> 00:20:08 Spotify Acast Amazon Music Bites.com
00:20:08 --> 00:20:11 Soundcloud YouTube your favorite podcast
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 download provider and from
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 spaceimewithstgar.com spacetime's also
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 broadcast through the National Science
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 both iHeart Radio and TuneIn Radio and
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 you can help to support our show by
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 visiting the Spacetime store for a range
00:20:27 --> 00:20:30 of promotional merchandising goodies or
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 by becoming a Spacetime patron which
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 gives you access to triple episode
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 commercial free versions of the show as
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 well as lots of bonus audio content
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 which doesn't go to air access to our
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 exclusive Facebook group and other
00:20:42 --> 00:20:45 rewards just go to
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 spaceimewithstgarry.com for full details
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 you've been listening to Spacetime with
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 StewartGarry this has been another
00:20:52 --> 00:20:56 quality podcast production from byes.com