From historic medical evacuations to missing galaxies and stunning new images of the Milky Way, today's episode covers the latest breaking news from space exploration and astronomy. Join Anna and Avery as they discuss six fascinating stories from across the cosmos.
---
## Episode Timestamps
**[00:00]** Intro
**[01:15]** Story 1: ISS Medical Evacuation
**[04:45]** Story 2: The Mystery of Missing Tiny Galaxies
**[08:30]** Story 3: NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft in Trouble
**[11:45]** Story 4: Viruses Behave Differently in Microgravity
**[14:30]** Story 5: Two New Exoplanets and Redefining Habitable Zones
**[17:00]** Story 6: Stunning New Radio Image of the Milky Way
**[19:30]** Outro
---
## Stories Covered
### 1. Historic First Medical Evacuation from ISS
Four International Space Station crew members successfully completed the first-ever medical evacuation in the ISS's 26-year history, splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
**Key Points:**
- SpaceX Crew-11 returned early after 5 months in space
- Crew included US astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui
- Splashdown occurred at 12:41 AM ET on January 15, 2026
- Affected crew member remains in stable condition
- Three crew members remain aboard ISS to continue operations
- Demonstrates importance of medical protocols in long-duration spaceflight
**Read More:**
- [Phys.org: ISS astronauts splash down on Earth after first-ever medical evacuation](https://phys.org/news/2026-01-iss-astronauts-splash-earth-medical.html)
---
### 2. The Universe's Missing Tiny Galaxies
New research using the James Webb Space Telescope suggests there may be far fewer small galaxies in the early universe than predicted by current models, challenging our understanding of cosmic evolution.
**Key Points:**
- Study led by Xuheng Ma from University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Used JWST's UNCOVER program to study galaxies through gravitational lensing
- Observed the Epoch of Reionization (12-13 billion years ago)
- Discovery of "faint-end suppression" - galaxy numbers drop off at smaller sizes
- Suggests intense radiation from early massive stars prevented small galaxies from forming
- May require rethinking models of cosmic reionization
- Used Abell 2744 galaxy cluster as a natural gravitational lens
**Why It Matters:**
This finding has major implications for our understanding of how the universe evolved from the "cosmic dark ages" to its current transparent state.
**Read More:**
- [Space.com: The universe should be packed with tiny galaxies — so where are they?](https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/the-universe-should-be-packed-with-tiny-galaxies-so-where-are-they)
- Research paper on arXiv (preprint database)
---
### 3. NASA Pessimistic About Recovering MAVEN Mars Orbiter
NASA officials acknowledge it's "very unlikely" they'll recover the MAVEN spacecraft, which has been silent since December 6, 2025, marking a potential end to a highly productive Mars mission.
**Key Points:**
- MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) launched November 2013, entered Mars orbit September 2014
- Last communication: December 6, 2025
- Telemetry indicates spacecraft is tumbling and orbit may have changed
- Solar conjunction (Mars and Earth on opposite sides of Sun) complicated recovery efforts
- Attempts to photograph spacecraft with Curiosity rover were unsuccessful
- Other orbiters (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter) can maintain communications relay
- Spacecraft studied Mars atmospheric loss and recently observed interstellar object 3I/ATLAS
**Mission Legacy:**
Despite the likely loss, MAVEN has provided over a decade of groundbreaking data about Mars' upper atmosphere and how solar wind strips away the Martian atmosphere.
**Read More:**
- [SpaceNews: NASA pessimistic about odds of recovering MAVEN](https://spacenews.com/nasa-pessimistic-about-odds-of-recovering-maven/)
- [NASA Science: MAVEN Spacecraft Updates](https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/maven/)
---
### 4. Space Station Study Reveals Unusual Virus-Bacteria Dynamics
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers discovered that viruses infecting bacteria evolve differently in microgravity, potentially opening new avenues for fighting antibiotic-resistant infections on Earth.
**Key Points:**
- Study used E. coli bacteria and bacteriophage T7
- Parallel experiments conducted on ISS and Earth
- Virus infection delayed but not blocked in microgravity
- Both viruses and bacteria developed unique mutations in space
- Space-evolved viruses showed increased activity against drug-resistant E. coli strains
- Findings could lead to improved phage therapy for antibiotic-resistant infections
- Published in PLOS Biology journal
- Demonstrates ISS value as unique research platform
**Scientific Significance:**
This research shows how the space environment fundamentally alters...
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Hey there, space enthusiasts. Welcome to
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 Astronomy Daily, your source for the
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 latest news from the cosmos. I'm Anna.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 >> And I'm Avery. We've got another packed
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 show today with some fascinating stories
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 from both near and far. Anna, what are
00:00:15 --> 00:00:16 we covering?
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 >> Well, Avery, we're starting close to
00:00:18 --> 00:00:19 home with some breaking news from the
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 International Space Station. Four
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 astronauts just completed the first ever
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 medical evacuation from the ISS and
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 splashed down safely back on Earth.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 That's quite significant. We'll also be
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 diving into a cosmic mystery about
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 missing galaxies, getting an update on
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 NASA's troubled Maven spacecraft
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 orbiting Mars, and exploring some
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 surprising findings about how viruses
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 behave in microgravity. Plus, we'll
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 discuss two newly discovered exoplanets
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 that are challenging how we think about
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 habitable zones. And we'll wrap up with
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 an absolutely stunning new radio image
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 of the Milky Way that's revealing hidden
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 structures we've never seen before.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 >> Lots to get through, so let's jump right
00:01:02 --> 00:01:02 in.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 >> All right, Avery, let's start with our
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 top story. Four International Space
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 Station crew members successfully
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 the coast of San Diego early this
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 morning, marking a historic first for
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 the orbital laboratory. Yeah, this was
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 the ISS's first ever medical evacuation
00:01:20 --> 00:01:24 in its 26 years of continuous operation.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 The crew members included American
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 astronauts Mike Frink and Zena Cardman,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 Russian cosminaut Ole Platonov and
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 Japanese astronaut Kimya Yui. The
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 capsule touched down at 12:41 Eastern
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 time after spending 5 months in space.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 Now, NASA has been pretty tight- lipped
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 about the specific medical issue that
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 prompted this early return, which is
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 understandable given privacy concerns,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 >> right? What they have said is that the
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 affected crew member was and continues
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 to be in stable condition. Mike Fank,
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 who was the pilot for SpaceX Crew 11,
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 posted on social media earlier this
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 week, reassuring everyone that the crew
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 is okay and that this was a deliberate
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 decision to allow proper medical
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 evaluations on the ground where full
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 diagnostic capabilities exist.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 >> That makes sense. James Pulk, NASA's
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 chief health and medical officer,
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 mentioned there was a lingering risk and
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 uncertainty about the diagnosis that led
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 to the decision to bring the crew back
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 earlier than originally scheduled. They
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 were supposed to stay until midFebruary.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 >> It's worth noting that three other crew
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 members remained on the ISS. American
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 astronaut Chris Williams and Russian
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 cosminauts Sergey Kutzvkov and Sergey
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 Mikosev arrived at the station in
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 November aboard a Russian Soyu
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 spacecraft. So, station operations
00:02:42 --> 00:02:43 continue normally.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 >> This really highlights the importance of
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 having trained medical protocols in
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 place. The evacuated crew members had
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 been trained to handle unexpected
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 medical situations. And according to
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 senior NASA official Amit Chhatria, they
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 handled everything extremely well.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 >> Absolutely. And this serves as a good
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 reminder that despite all the incredible
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 engineering and planning that goes into
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 space flight, we're still dealing with
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 human bodies in an extreme environment.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 Things can and do happen.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 >> Well, we're glad everyone is safe and
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 receiving the care they need back on
00:03:15 --> 00:03:16 Earth.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 >> All right, Anna. Our next story takes us
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 much further out into space and much
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 further back in time. For years,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 astronomers have assumed that if they
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 looked hard enough into the deep cosmos,
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 they'd find an almost infinite supply of
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 tiny, dim galaxies hiding in the
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 darkness.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 >> Right? The prevailing theory has been
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 that the smaller the galaxy, the more of
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 them there should be. It's kind of like
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 a pyramid where you have a few massive
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 galaxies at the top and exponentially
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 more small ones as you go down.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 >> Exactly. But a new study led by Exu Hang
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 Ma from the University of Wisconsin is
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 challenging that assumption. Using data
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 from the James Webb Space Telescope's
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Uncover program, the team looked through
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 a massive galaxy cluster called Abel
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 2744, which acts as a natural
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 gravitational lens.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 >> Oh, that's clever. The gravity from this
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 cluster literally warps spaceime and
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 acts like a cosmic magnifying glass.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:11 Right.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 >> Precisely. It bends and brightens light
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 from more distant objects, allowing us
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 to see galaxies from the epoch of
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 reionization roughly 12 to 13 billion
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 years ago. This was a transformative era
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 when the first stars and galaxies were
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 flooding the universe with ultraviolet
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 light.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 >> So, what did they find that was so
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 surprising?
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 >> Well, when researchers count galaxies of
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 different brightnesses, they normally
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 use what's called a luminosity function.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 It's basically a cosmic bar chart
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 showing how many bright versus dim them
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 galaxies exist. And for study after
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 study, the chart kept going in one
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 direction. More small think galaxies
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 than bigger, brighter ones.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 >> But that's not what they found this
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 time.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 >> Nope. Instead of continuing to climb,
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 the numbers peaked and then started to
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 drop off. They're calling this faint end
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 suppression, which means that below a
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 certain brightness, the population of
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 galaxies actually starts to thin out.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 >> So where did all these tiny galaxies go?
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 Did they just disappear?
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 >> In a sense, yes. The study suggests it's
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 a case of cosmic bullying in the early
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 universe. The intense radiation from the
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 first big stars could have heated up the
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 surrounding gas so much that small low
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 mass galaxies couldn't hold on to it.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 Without gas, they couldn't form new
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 stars. And without stars, they stayed
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 dark, essentially becoming cosmic
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 ghosts.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 >> That's fascinating, but it also creates
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 a problem, doesn't it? I thought these
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 tiny galaxies were supposed to be the
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 main drivers of reionization.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 >> You're absolutely right. This finding
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 suggests we might need to rethink our
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 models. If these ultra faint galaxies
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 are missing, they can't be the ones
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 doing all the heavy lifting during
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 reionization. We might need to look at
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 slightly bigger, more established
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 galaxies to explain how the universe
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 became transparent.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 >> This is why I love space science. Every
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 answer creates 10 new questions.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:09 >> Couldn't agree more. And they'll need
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 more data from JWST and upcoming surveys
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 to see if this is a universal pattern or
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 just a quirk of this particular region
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 of space.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 >> Okay, Avery, let's head to Mars now for
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 an update on NASA's MAVN spacecraft. And
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 unfortunately, it's not good news.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 >> No, it's not. NASA officials are now
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 saying it's very unlikely they'll be
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 able to recover the Mars atmosphere and
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 volatile evolution orbiter, which has
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 been silent since December 6th.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 >> Naven has been orbiting Mars since
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 September 2014, studying the planet's
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 upper atmosphere and how solar wind
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 strips it away. It's also served as a
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 crucial communications relay between
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 Mars rovers and Earth.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 >> Right. The spacecraft was supposed to
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 pass behind Mars as seen from Earth, a
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 routine occurrence. But when it emerged,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 NASA's deep space network didn't observe
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 any signal. That was over a month ago
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 now.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 >> And the telemetry they did manage to
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 recover from December 6th wasn't
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 encouraging, was it?
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 >> Not at all. Analysis of a brief fragment
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 of tracking data from a radio science
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 experiment indicated the spacecraft was
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 tumbling and no longer in its planned
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 orbit. That's a really bad sign because
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 if the spacecraft is tumbling, its
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 antennas aren't pointing toward Earth,
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 which makes communication basically
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 impossible.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 >> They even tried using the Curiosity
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 rover's camera to take pictures of Maven
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 as it passed overhead, assuming it was
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 still in its expected orbit, but they
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 didn't detect it.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 >> Yeah. On December 16th and 20th. The
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 fact that they couldn't spot it suggests
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 its orbit has indeed changed
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 significantly. Luis Proctctor, director
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 of NASA's planetary science division,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 said it plainly during a meeting earlier
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 this week. We will start looking again,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 but at this point, it's looking very
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 unlikely that we are going to be able to
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 recover the spacecraft.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 >> The timing has been particularly
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 challenging, too, hasn't it?
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 >> Absolutely. Mars went into solar
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 conjunction on December 29th, which is
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 when Mars and Earth are on opposite
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 sides of the sun. During this period,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 the sun interferes with radio
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 communications. So NASA paused all
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 communications with Mars missions. That
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 blackout period just ended on January
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 16th, so they can resume attempts. But
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 the outlook is grim.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 >> The good news is that Maven isn't the
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 only communications relay at Mars.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 Right.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 >> That's correct. Proctor mentioned that
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 other orbiters like Mars Reconnaissance
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 Orbiter and Mars Odyssey can pick up the
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 slack. She said Maven was not a major
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 part of the Mars relay network and
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 they're taking steps to ensure they can
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 still retrieve data from rovers on the
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 surface.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 >> Still, it's sad to potentially lose a
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 spacecraft that's been so productive for
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 over a decade.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 >> Definitely. Maven has made
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 groundbreaking discoveries about Mars'
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 atmospheric loss and even observed an
00:08:53 --> 00:08:57 interstellar object called 3IATLS
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 late last year. Its contributions to
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 planetary science have been immense. Our
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 next story is taking us back to the
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 International Space Station, but this
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 time we're looking at some much smaller
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 inhabitants, bacteria, and the viruses
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 that infect them. Oh, this is
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 fascinating research. A new study from
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 the University of Wisconsin Madison used
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 E.coli bacteria and the virus called
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 bacterial phagee T7 to study how
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 microgravity affects the evolutionary
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 relationship between viruses and their
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 hosts. though they sent bacteria and
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 viruses to space.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 >> Exactly. They prepared parallel sets of
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 E.coli cultures infected with T7. One
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 set stayed on Earth as a control and the
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 other went to the ISS to experience
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 microgravity. Then they compared what
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 happened to both groups.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 >> And I'm guessing things didn't play out
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 the same way in both environments.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 >> You guessed right. The analysis showed
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 that T7 infection still occurred on the
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 ISS, but it only proceeded after an
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 initial delay. So, spaceflight appears
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 to slow down the early stages of virus
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 host encounters without completely
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 blocking infection.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 >> That's interesting on its own, but I
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 imagine they dug deeper.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 >> They did. They performed whole genome
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 sequencing and found that both the
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 viruses and bacteria accumulated
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 distinctive patterns of mutations in
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 space compared to their counterparts on
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 Earth. The viruses evolved specific
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 changes that appear to improve their
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 ability to bind to and infect bacterial
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 cells.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 >> And what about the bacteria? Were they
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 just sitting drugs?
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 >> Not at all. The space flown E.coli coli
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 populations acquired mutations that may
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 strengthen their defenses against virus
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 attack and enhance their chances of
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 surviving in near weightless conditions.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 It's like they were engaged in an
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 evolutionary arms race, but the rules of
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 the race were different in space.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 >> So microgravity is actually changing how
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 evolution works.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 >> In a sense, yes. The study shows that
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 space flight not only changes the
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 physiology of microbes but also the
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 physical environment in which viruses
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 and bacteria encounter each other. This
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 alters the rules of their evolutionary
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 interaction.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 >> Okay, but beyond the pure science
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 fascination, does this have any
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 practical applications?
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 >> Absolutely. Here's where it gets really
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 cool. They conducted follow-up
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 experiments on Earth and found that the
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 microgravity associated mutations
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 actually increase the virus's activity
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 against disease-causing E.coli strains
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 that normally resist T7 strains that are
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 implicated in urinary tract infections
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 and are often drugresistant.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 >> So by studying viral evolution in space,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 we might actually discover new ways to
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 fight antibioticresistant bacteria here
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 on Earth. That's exactly what the
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 researchers are suggesting. According to
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 the authors, these space adapted viruses
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 can be harnessed to engineer improved
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 bacterial phages for use in human health
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 applications.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 >> That's incredible. The International
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 Space Station continues to prove its
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 worth as a unique research platform.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 >> We'll do for a little while yet.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 >> All right, Avery. Let's travel to some
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 distant star systems. Now, astronomers
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 have discovered two new exoplanets that
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 are prompting scientists to rethink how
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 we define habitable zones.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 >> Yeah, this is really interesting work.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 The research introduces the concept of a
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 temperate zone, which is broader than
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 the traditional habitable zone we
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 usually talk about.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 >> Can you explain the difference? I think
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 a lot of people assume habitable zone
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 and temperate mean the same thing.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 >> Good question. The traditional habitable
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 zone is pretty narrowly defined. It's
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 the distance range from a star where
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 liquid water could exist on a planet's
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 surface. But this new research led by
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 Madison Scott from the University of
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 Birmingham and Georgina Dansfield from
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 the University of Oxford expands that to
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 include what they call the tempered
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 zone.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 >> And how is that defined? The tempered
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 zone is defined by something called
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 insulation flux, which describes the
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 amount of solar energy reaching a
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 planet's surface. They're using a range
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 between about 136 watts per square meter
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 and 6,85
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 watts per square meter. Earth receives
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 about 1
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 watts per square meter, just for
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 reference.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 >> So, it's much broader than the
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 conservative habitable zone.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 >> Exactly. The point is to identify
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 planets that receive moderate levels of
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 stellar radiation. They might not be
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 perfect for life as we know it, but
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 they're worth studying because as our
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 understanding of habitability evolves,
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 some of these planets might turn out to
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 be more interesting than we initially
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 thought.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 >> So, what are these two new planets?
00:13:37 --> 00:13:41 >> The first is to 6716b,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 which is roughly Earth-sized between
00:13:43 --> 00:13:48 0.91 and 1.05 Earth radially
00:13:48 --> 00:13:52 rocky. The second is TOI7384b,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 which is a sub Neptune measuring about
00:13:54 --> 00:13:59 3.37 to 3.77 Earth radi. This one
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 probably has a rocky core with a thick
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 hydrogen and helium envelope.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 >> And they're both orbiting red dwarf
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 stars.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 >> Correct. They're orbiting what are
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 called mid to late type Mdorfs, which
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 are small, dim, cool stars. These types
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 of stars are really important for this
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 kind of research because temperate
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 planets orbiting them are much more
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 likely to transit in front of their
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 stars from our point of view, making
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 them easier to detect and study.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 >> So, the goal is to build up a catalog of
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 planets that we can actually study in
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 detail.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 >> Exactly. TOI6716b
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 has a predicted transmission
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 spectroscopy metric similar to the
00:14:37 --> 00:14:40 famous Trappist one planets, which makes
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 it a good candidate for JWST
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 observations. if it has retained its
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 atmosphere. The researchers conclude
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 that these discoveries show the power of
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 combining test data with groundbased
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 observations to build a catalog of
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 temperate planets for atmospheric
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 studies in the coming decade.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 >> It's exciting to think we're moving
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 beyond just counting exoplanets to
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 actually being able to study their
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 atmospheres in detail.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 >> And for our final story today, we're
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 coming back home to our own galaxy.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 Astronomers in Australia have just
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 released the most detailed low-frequency
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 radio image of the Milky Way ever
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 produced.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:18 >> This image is absolutely stunning. It
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 was captured by the Merchesen Wildfield
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 Telescope in Western Australia and
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 reveals thousands of structures across
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 the galaxy's southern sky that we've
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 never seen in this kind of detail
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 before.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 >> And the numbers behind this are pretty
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 impressive. It took over 1 million CPU
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 hours to process the data which was
00:15:36 --> 00:15:40 collected across 141 nights between 2013
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 and 2020.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 >> And this isn't just a prettier version
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 of something we already had, right? This
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 is genuinely new science.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 >> Absolutely. According to the
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 International Center for Radio Astronomy
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 Research, this updated release from the
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 Gleam X survey delivers twice the
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 resolution and 10 times the sensitivity
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 of earlier efforts. Plus, it covers
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 twice as much of the sky.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 >> What kinds of things can we see in this
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 image?
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 >> Well, Sylvia Monttovani, a PhD student
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 at Curtain University who led the
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 project, explains you can clearly
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 identify remnants of exploded stars
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 represented by large red circles in the
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 image. The smaller blue regions indicate
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 stellar nurseries where new stars are
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 actively forming.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 >> So, it's showing us both the birth and
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 death of stars.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:31 >> Exactly. One of the major focuses of
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 this survey is finding supernova
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 remnants which are notoriously difficult
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 to spot in the cluttered background of
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 the Milky Way. Hundreds are already
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 cataloged, but astronomers believe
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 thousands more still hidden. With this
00:16:43 --> 00:16:46 new level of resolution, those cosmic
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 scars from ancient stellar explosions
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 are easier to identify.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 >> The image also helps with pulsar
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 studies, doesn't it?
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 >> Yes. Measuring pulsar brightness across
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 different radio bands could improve our
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 understanding of how these spinning
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 neutron stars function and where they
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 live in the galaxy. The survey has
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 cataloged over 98 radio sources in
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 total.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 >> That's an incredible number. And I read
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 that this is setting the stage for an
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 even more powerful telescope.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 >> Right. The Merchesen Wildfield Array
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 will eventually be surpassed by the SKA
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 Low Array, which is currently under
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 construction in the same region of
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 Western Australia. Once the SKA
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 observatory is operational, it'll
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 deliver even sharper and deeper views of
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 the universe.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 >> But for now, we have this remarkable
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 foundation. Associate Professor Natasha
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 Hurley Walker, who leads the Gleam X
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 survey, called this an exciting
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 milestone in astronomy since no
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 frequency radio image of the entire
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 southern galactic plane has been
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 published before.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 >> And it's not just about the Milky Way.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 The catalog includes distant galaxies as
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 well. So, it's a dense, glowing map of
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 our cosmic neighborhood that future
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 generations of astronomers will use,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 refine, and expand upon.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 >> Well, that wraps up today's episode of
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 Astronomy Daily. We covered quite a bit
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 of ground today. From the first medical
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 evacuation from the ISS to missing dwarf
00:18:08 --> 00:18:11 galaxies, a troubled Mars orbiter,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 viruses evolving in space, newly
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 discovered exoplanets, and a spectacular
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 new view of our home galaxy. It really
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 shows the incredible breath of space
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 science happening right now. Whether
00:18:22 --> 00:18:25 it's 300 m above our heads on the ISS,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 millions of miles away at Mars, or
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 billions of light years away in the
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 early universe, there's always something
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 new to discover.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 >> Thanks so much for joining us today. If
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 you enjoyed the show, please subscribe
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 and leave us a review. It really helps
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 other space enthusiasts find us.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 >> And if you have any questions or topics
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 you'd like us to cover, reach out to us
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 on social media. You'll find us on all
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 the major platforms. Just search for
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 Astro Daily Pod. We love hearing from
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 our listeners.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 >> Until next time, keep looking up. Clear
00:18:54 --> 00:19:07 skies, everyone.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10 Stories told.