SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 144
* Young Exoplanet Challenges Planet Formation Theories
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet, Taade 1b, that is just 3 million years old, challenging our current understanding of the speed at which planets form. This young planet, orbiting its star every seven Earth days, offers a unique glimpse into the early stages of planetary formation. The study, led by Madison Barber from the University of North Carolina, highlights the surprising rapidity of Taade 1b's formation compared to Earth's estimated 10 to 20 million-year formation period. The discovery provides new insights into the differences between our solar system and those hosting close-in giant planets like Taade 1b.
* Photon Shape Revealed by New Quantum Theory
A groundbreaking theory has allowed scientists to define the precise shape of a photon for the first time. Reported in Physical Review Letters, this research explores how photons, as particles of light, interact with matter at the quantum level. The study reveals that photons have a spherical shape with varying light levels, providing new insights into their dual wave-particle nature. This advance opens up new research avenues in quantum physics and nanophotonic technologies, potentially revolutionising communication, pathogen detection, and chemical reaction control.
* NASA's Swift Space Telescope: 20 Years of Discovery
NASA's Swift Space Telescope, dedicated to studying gamma-ray bursts, celebrates its 20th year in Space. Originally launched to solve the mystery of gamma-ray bursts, Swift has played a crucial role in identifying the origins of these powerful cosmic explosions. The observatory's rapid response capabilities have enabled significant discoveries beyond gamma-ray bursts, contributing to multi-messenger astronomy and enhancing our understanding of the universe.
The Science Robert
New research warns that combining blood-thinning drugs with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen doubles the risk of internal bleeding. A study on the DNA history of ancient aurochs reveals complex ancestry for modern cattle. Scientists discover that the boundaries between solid and liquid metals are more fluid than previously thought, with implications for metal alloy applications. Psychologists explore the human brain's predisposition to believe in the supernatural, highlighting pattern recognition and expectation effects.
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00:00 A new discovery challenges our current understanding of how planets are formed
00:26 Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet that's just 3 million years old
03:48 New theory explains how light and matter interact at the quantum level
06:55 NASA's Swift Space Telescope helps astronomers identify gamma ray bursts
16:01 People on blood thinners double risk of internal bleed when taking non steroidal anti inflammatories
18:24 Psychologists say the human brain is pre wired to believe in the supernatural
✍️ Episode References
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
[https://www.unc.edu](https://www.unc.edu)
NASA TV Mission
[https://tess.mit.edu](https://tess.mit.edu)
University of Birmingham
[https://www.birmingham.ac.uk](https://www.birmingham.ac.uk)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre
[https://www.nasa.gov/goddard](https://www.nasa.gov/goddard)
Physical Review Letters
[https://journals.aps.org/prl](https://journals.aps.org/prl)
Nature Journal
[https://www.nature.com](https://www.nature.com)
Australian Sceptics
[https://www.skeptics.com.au](https://www.skeptics.com.au)
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24355952?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 this is spacetime series 27 episode 144
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 for broadcast on the 29th of November
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 2024 coming up on space time a new
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 discovery challenges our current
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 understanding of how planets are formed
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 a new Theory reveals the shape of a
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 photon and NASA's Swift Space Telescope
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 celebrates 20 years of Discovery all
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 that and more coming up on
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 SpaceTime welcome to SpaceTime with
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 Stuart Gary
00:00:30 --> 00:00:38 [Music]
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 astronomers have discovered an exoplanet
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 that's just 3 million years old and that
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 challenges our current understanding of
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 how quickly planets can form the newly
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 identified Planet tiedy 1B orbits its
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 host star once every seven Earth days
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 it's providing scientists with a glimpse
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 into the early stages of planetary
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 formation setting a new Benchmark for
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 young planets and marking a step forward
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 in our understanding of planetary
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 systems beyond our own the studies's
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 lead author medicine Barber from the
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 University of North Carolina at Chapel
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 Hill says current evidence suggests that
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 it took the Earth between 10 and 20
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 million years to form so TI 1 B's 3
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 million year age comes as quite a
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 surprise discovering planets like this
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 one allows scientists to to look back in
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 time catching a glimpse of planetary
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 formation as it's happening T 1B is the
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 youngest known transiting planet and as
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 such offers a unique window into the
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 environment of an emerging planetary
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 system this discovery sheds fresh light
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 on the potential differences between our
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 solar system and other star systems
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 hosting close in giant planets like T 1B
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 providing a greater context for our own
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 Cosmic neighborhood this discovery also
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 opens new research Avenues as the planet
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 is still within its naal disc of
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 material allowing scientists to study
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 the formation process up close follow-up
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 studies will analyze how the planet's
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 atmosphere compares to the surrounding
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 dis material providing clues about its
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 journey into its compacted orbit barara
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 and colleagues will also examine whether
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 the T 1B is still growing by creating
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 more and more material or possibly
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 losing its upper atmosphere due to the
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 influence of its host star planets
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 typically form from a flat
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 protoplanetary disc of dust and gas
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 which is why planets in our solar system
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 are aligned mostly in a pancake flat
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 Arrangement but in the tiedye system the
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 disc is tilted misaligned with both the
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 planet and its star a surprising twist
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 which challenges our understanding of
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 how planets are formed a report in the
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 journal Nature says the technique used
00:02:47 --> 00:02:48 to detect this planet makes its
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 Discovery especially significant now
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 typically planets on the edge of their
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 solar system this young are impossible
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 to observe due to the interference of
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 the surrounding disc however because
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 this Stars dis is Warped it allows a
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 rare observational opportunity the
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 authors employed a specially designed
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 search algorithm called Notch and
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 refined data extraction methods from
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 NASA's test mission in order to detect
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 and confirm the planet's existence and
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 now the real work of studying this odity
00:03:16 --> 00:03:20 if that's what it is can begin this
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 SpaceTime still to come a new Theory
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 reveals the shape of a photon and NASA's
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 Swift Space Telescope celebrating 20
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 years of discovery all that and more
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 still to come on
00:03:33 --> 00:03:47 [Music]
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 SpaceTime a new theory that explains how
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 light and matter interact at the quantum
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 level has enabled scientists to for the
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 first time Define the precise shape of a
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 single Photon photons are individual
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 particles of energy or light the new
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 findings reported in the journal
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 physical review letters explores the
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 nature of the photon in unprecedented
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 detail showing how they're emitted by
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 atoms or molecules and are then shaped
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 by their environments the nature of this
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 interaction leads to infinite
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 possibilities for light to exist and
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 propagate or travel through its
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 surrounding environment these Limitless
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 possibilities however make the
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 interactions exceptionally hard to model
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 resulting in a challenge that Quantum
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 physicists have been trying to address
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 for several decades by grouping these
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 possibilities into distinct sets
00:04:34 --> 00:04:35 scientists with the University of
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 Birmingham were able to produce a model
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 that describes not only the interactions
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 between the photon and the emitter but
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 also how the energy from that
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 interaction travels into the distant far
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 field at the same time they were able to
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 use their calculations to produce a sort
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 of visualization of the photon itself
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 and yes it looks like just a sphere with
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 different levels of light photons are
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 fundamental quantum mechanical Elemental
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 objects that are both waves and
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 particles you see neither the
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 description by itself fully captures all
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 of their characteristics and it's this
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 particle wave Duality that makes photons
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 difficult to pin down the study's lead
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 author Benjamin Yuan says the new
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 calculations enable this team to convert
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 a seemingly insolvable problem into
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 something that could be computed and
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 almost as a byproduct of the model they
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 were able to produce an image of the
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 photon something that hasn't been seen
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 before in physics now this work's
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 important because it opens up new
00:05:32 --> 00:05:33 avenues of research for Quantum
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 physicists and Material Science by being
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 able to precisely Define how a photon
00:05:39 --> 00:05:40 interacts with matter and with other
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 elements in its environment scientists
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 can design new nanophotonic technologies
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 that could change the way we communicate
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 securely detect pathogens or control
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 chemical reactions at a molecular level
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 it turns out the geometry and Optical
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 properties of the environment does have
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 a profound consequence for how photons
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 are emitted including the defining the
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 photon's shape its color and even How
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 likely it is to exist Yan says the work
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 helps to increase science's
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 understanding of the energy exchange
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 between light and matter and to better
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 understand how light radiates into its
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 nearby and distant surroundings now a
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 lot of this information had previously
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 been thought of as just noise but
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 there's so much information within it
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 that physicists can now make sense of it
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 all or at least some of it and they can
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 make use of that by understanding this
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 they set the found to be able to
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 engineer light matter interactions for
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 future applications such as better
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 sensors improve photovoltaic energy
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 cells and Quantum Computing in the
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 process opening up a much brighter world
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 this SpaceTime still to come NASA's
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 Swift Space Telescope celebrates 20
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 years of Discovery and later in the
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 science report researchers unravel the
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 DNA history of modernday cattle all that
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 and more still to come on SpaceTime
00:06:58 --> 00:07:04 [Music]
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 NASA's Gamay burst hunting Swift Space
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 Telescope has just celebrated its 20th
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 year in Space over the past two decades
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 the Earth orbiting Observatory has made
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 great scientific strides hoping
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 astronomers identify what up until then
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 had been one of the greatest mysteries
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 in science the the source of Gamay
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 bursts Gamay bursts were first detected
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 back in the 1960s by American spy
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 satellites monitoring the Soviet Union's
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 compliance with nuclear test band
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 treaties during the height of the Cold
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 War see atomic bombs give off powerful
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 bursts of gamma radiation during their
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 detonation and the United States have a
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 network of satellites which can detect
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 this trouble is they were detecting
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 hundreds of these blasts every year not
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 in the atmosphere or on the ground but
00:07:58 --> 00:08:02 out in deep bace will be on the moon now
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 not only did this mean the Soviets were
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 cheating on the treaty that wasn't
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 surprising as the Communists already had
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 a long history of breaking agreements
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 but it also meant they must have
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 hundreds possibly even thousands of
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 spare nuclear weapons for these tests
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 and certainly far more than the West it
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 also meant they had hundreds of spare
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 Rockets to launch all these bombs into
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 deep space for testing and they could do
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 it both far more reliably than the
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 Americans and without the West even
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 detecting the launchers now if all this
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 was true it meant the Russians
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 technology was far in advance of
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 anything the Free World had in fact the
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 West may never be a to catch up if
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 that's the case the Cold War was already
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 over and the Communists had won because
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 of the implications the whole thing was
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 declared top secret while the military
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 considered its next course of action
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 luckily eventually the Pentagon allowed
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 astronomers to have a look at the data
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 and astronomers quickly determined that
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 all these events were taking place
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 billions of light EAS away far beyond
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 any human technology and certainly well
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 beyond the capabilities of the Soviets
00:09:05 --> 00:09:09 so the crisis was over but the cause of
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 these extraordinary Gamay bursts would
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 remain a mystery for decades to come
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 Gamay bursts you see are the most
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 powerful explosions in the universe
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 since the Big Bang but they're highly
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 ephemeral only lasting a couple of
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 seconds at most a Gamay burst will
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 appear somewhere in the sky without
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 warning roughly once every day the
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 typical Gamay burst releases as much
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 energy in a few seconds as what our sun
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 will produce during its entire lifespan
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 but there was one clue see while the
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 actual burst itself usually lasts a few
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 seconds it generates a faint Afterglow
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 which can be observed for several
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 minutes sometimes a few months and
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 occasionally even a few years trouble is
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 in the beginning it was difficult for
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 astronomers to study Gamay bursts
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 because of the time taken to notify
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 observatories around the other side of
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 the world to stop the important work
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 they were doing so they could Point
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 their t scope towards the location of
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 the Gamay burst and that's where NASA's
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 Swift Space Telescope comes in it was
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 developed to give astronom as a quick
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 response Observatory almost instantly
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 being able to point at the location of a
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 Gamay burst and it's thanks to Swift We
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 Now know the origins of Gamay bursts
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 they can be categorized as either short
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 period or long period depending on their
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 duration about 30% of Gamay bursts are
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 cataloged as short period bursts these
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 usually last less than than 2 seconds
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 with 200 milliseconds being the average
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 they're thought to originate from either
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 binary neutron star merges or merges
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 between neutron stars and Stell Mass
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 black holes resulting in what are
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 commonly called killer nerver explosions
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 on the other hand those over 2 seconds
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 which make up about 70% of all Gamay
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 bursts are categorized as long period
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 bursts and they're associated with
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 galaxies featuring rapid star formation
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 they've been linked to the core collapse
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 of massive stars in Supernova events
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 creating Mass black
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 holes Swift uses several different
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 methods for orienting and stabilizing
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 itself in space in order to find and
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 study Gamay bursts sensors that detect
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 the sun's location and the direction of
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 the Earth's magnetic field provide the
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 spacecraft with a general sense of its
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 location then there's a device called
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 star tracker it looks at stars and
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 constellations and tells the spacecraft
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 how to maneuver to keep the observatory
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 precisely pointed in the same position
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 during long
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 observations Swift uses three spinning
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 gyroscopes to carry out these moves
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 along its three axes the Gyros were
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 designed to align at right angles with
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 each other but once in orbit scientists
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 discovered that they had been slightly
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 misaligned the flight operations team
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 eventually developed a strategy whereby
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 one of the Gyros worked to correct the
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 misalignment while the other two pointed
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 Swift to achieve the science goals
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 however the team also wanted to be ready
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 in case one of the Gyros failed so in
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 2009 they developed a plan to operate
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 Swift using just two Gyros but of course
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 any change to the way a telescope
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 operates once it's in space carries risk
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 so since Swift was working well the team
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 sat on their plan for 15 years that was
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 until July 2023 when one of Swift's
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 Gyros began to fail because the
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 spacecraft couldn't hold its pointing
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 position accurately anymore observations
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 progressively got blurrier I thought the
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 gyro fell completely in March this year
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 because they already had the shifted two
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 Gyros planned out out scientists were
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 able to quickly and thoroughly test
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 their procedure on the ground before
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 implementing it on the spacecraft and it
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 worked for the last 20 years Swift has
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 contributed to groundbreaking results
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 not only for Gamay buus but also for
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 black holes Stars comets and other
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 celestial objects Swift's principal
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 investigator es Bradley senko from
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 NASA's Gad space flight center in
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 Greenbelt Maryland says that after all
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 this time Swift remains a crucial part
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 of NASA's Fleet in fact the satellites
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 ability I ities have helped Pioneer a
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 new era of astrophysics known as
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 multimessenger astronomy and that's
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 giving scientists a more well-rounded
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 view of how the universe works this
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 report from Messa
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 TV satellite names aren't always easy to
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 understand but NASA's Neil gal's Swift
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 Observatory states its key ability up
00:13:20 --> 00:13:24 front launched on November 20th 2004
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 Swift is first and foremost a rapid
00:13:26 --> 00:13:30 response Gamay burst Explorer
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 Gamay bursts or grbs are the most
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 powerful explosions in the universe they
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 arise when massive stars run out of fuel
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 and collapse or when pairs of orbiting
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 neutron stars
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 collide grbs can be as brief as a few
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 milliseconds and happen in distant
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 galaxies which makes them hard to spot
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 despite this Swift has managed to
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 observe 1
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 grbs scientists and engineers designed
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 Swift's grb detector to see large
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 portions of the sky and quickly relay a
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 gb's location to the ground so other
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 missions could follow up they also
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 enabled Swift to change where it's
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 looking very rapidly so it can Target
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 its X-ray and UltraViolet optical
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 telescopes on any detected
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 event Swift owes much of its existence
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 to Neil gals who was a scientist at
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 NASA's Goddard space flight center Neil
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 was a global figure in Gamay astronomy
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 and gay bursts in
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 particular he was part of the small
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 group that first imagined Swift in 1998
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 and was instrumental in seeing it
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 through to launch and into its early
00:14:40 --> 00:14:44 mission after Neil passed away in 2017
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 Swift was renamed in his
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 honor over its 20 years of operation
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 Swift has proven incredibly useful and
00:14:51 --> 00:14:55 versatile its rapid detection alerts and
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 repointing have allowed missions like
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 NASA's Shandra web and Hubble to quickly
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 follow up on transient events Beyond grb
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 detections Swift's X-ray and UltraViolet
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 optical telescopes have enabled it to
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 perform science that no one imagined
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 prior to launch Swift has tracked near
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 Earth asteroids observed more distant
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 asteroid collisions studied comets seen
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 massive flares on distant Stars taken
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 ultraviolet surveys of nearby galaxies
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 and made countless observations of
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 short-lived Cosmic phenomena
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 despite the failure of one of the
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 spinning reaction wheels that enable
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 Swift's rapid turning the spacecraft
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 remains as Nimble as it was in its first
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 year and it promises to remain a
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 critical first responder in NASA's
00:15:43 --> 00:15:47 astrophysics Fleet
00:15:47 --> 00:15:55 [Music]
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 and time now to take another brief look
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 at some of the other stories making news
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 in science this week with a science
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 report new research warns that people on
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 blood thinning drugs double their risk
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 of an internal bleed if they start
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 taking a type of painkiller known as a
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 ibuprofen the findings reported in the
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 European heart Journal looked at data
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 from
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 51794 Danish people who have been taking
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 blood thinness for blood clots fighting
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 the risk of a bleed was 2.09 Times
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 Higher among people taking non-steroidal
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 anti-inflammatories compared to those
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 just taking the blood thinners the risk
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 for ibuprofen was 1.79 Times Higher for
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
00:16:41 --> 00:16:44 dienic the risk was 3.3 times higher and
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 for the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
00:16:46 --> 00:16:50 neoen the risk was 4.1 Times Higher the
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 authors looked at several types of blood
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 thinners and found a similar risk
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 pattern in
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 all a new study has looked at the DNA
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 history of an distinct group of
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 ancestors of modern day cattle showing a
00:17:01 --> 00:17:05 complex ancestry modern day domestic
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 cows are all descended from orox a large
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 species of wild roaming cattle that
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 lived up to 650 years ago but have
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 now been extinct for at least 400 years
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 a report in the journal Nature looked at
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 38 ancient Oro genomes finding four
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 major ancestry populations across Europe
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 Southwest Asia Northern Asia and South
00:17:25 --> 00:17:29 Asia spanning some 47 years it seems
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 each of these ancestries responded
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 differently to climatic changes in human
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 pressures with the Southwest Asian orox
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 contributing the most genetically to
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 today's domestic cattle
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 breeds a new study has shown scientists
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 that the boundaries between solid and
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48 liquid metals can be far less solid than
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 previously thought a report in the
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 journal Advanced science claims
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 researchers have discovered that the
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 liquid solid boundary can fluctuate back
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 and forth with metal atoms near the
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 surface Breaking Free from the crystal
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 lattice observing a metal alloy mass
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 solidifying in a sea of liquid metal the
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 team saw a phenomenon never seen before
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 the surface metal moves from a solid
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 state into a liquid state and then back
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 again at unexpectedly low temperatures
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 far below the melting point of the solid
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 metal the new discovery has potential
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 applications wherever metal alloys are
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 being
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 utilized psychologists say the human
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 brain is pre-wired to believe in the
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 Supernatural a new book looking at the
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 science behind some of the weird stuff
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 we interpret points to six simple ways
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 in which your mind is preprogrammed to
00:18:37 --> 00:18:40 conjure up the supernatural Tim mendum
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 from Australian skeptic says it's just
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 the way the human brain works this is a
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 story written by two noted Skeptics
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 Chris French who runs the center for
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 anomalous Psychiatry or psychology in
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 London at London University and Richard
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 wisman who's another psychologist and a
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 well-known skeptic and they talk about
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 various reasons why people might believe
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 in ghosts especially and also just
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 general Supernatural things premonitions
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 reincarnation they expect first of all
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 for instance that one of the key factors
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 in why people believe is an expectation
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 what they call an expectation effect
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 which is basically say they want to see
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 it and what they expect to see and
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 therefore they see it this is sometimes
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 called with a top down processing effect
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 top down process is the same effect as
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 behind most optical illusions you expect
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 to say something and you see it and that
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27 explains also faces man in the M that
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 would have been important back in the to
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 day when we were chasing dinner around
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 the bush and hoping not to be eaten by a
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 lion that's exactly right and this is
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 this is something you spot some you
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 expect you have to be aware but then
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 that comes to the second suggestion that
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 they make which is pattern spotting that
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 they hear or see something that fits a
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 pattern and that that therefore means
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 that if they hear a lion or hear what
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 they think is a lion it's advisable to
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 run away and that the person who stops
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 and waits to find out might not be
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 a not be around to very might say whoops
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 I made a I made a mistake you know
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 expect
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 effect and patent spotting are very
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 similar I want to see something so I do
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 see it and that's why a misleading
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 statement by say a psychic or something
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 can be latched onto as something real
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 because the person wants to believe most
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 people who go to psychics do it because
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 they actually believe in psychics even
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 if they take it as a bit of fun Etc they
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 do have a propensity to believe so
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 they're halfway there already and that's
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 what every con man or otherwise or
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 psychic or that s of thing relies upon
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 the person's willingness to believe then
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 there's all sorts of things that people
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 see which is as we discussed before
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 about facial recognition you see faces
00:20:29 --> 00:20:32 everywhere parolia parolia you see it in
00:20:32 --> 00:20:35 everything from Taps to science to
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 clouds to you name it faces especially
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 but other other shapes as well so you
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 you you can see things which actually
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 aren't there but because it's so
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 familiar in the shape you want it to be
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 there unconscious Powers what something
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 is called the idiom motor effect which
00:20:46 --> 00:20:49 is when your hand moves unknowingly
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 unconsciously little tiny movements oh
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 this is Wier boards and things like that
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 talk about Ouija boards and put your
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 fingers on a Ouija board and start
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 spelling out letters and things like
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 that they suggest that if you're do a
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 weijer board section put blindfold in
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 everybody and then see we have one
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 person without a blindfold who can take
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 note but yeah then see if you're
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 actually swelling something there's an
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 unconscious movement in your hand you're
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 not cheating as such you're just pushing
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 the same way for water divining dowsing
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 when the rods move Etc that's often been
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 explain with an idom motor effect you
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 want to find water you will find water
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 or you'll find a reaction to what you
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 think is water and that's a big
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 difference dig down deep enough you'll
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 find water anywhere there's a water
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 table you should yeah you should in in
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 most cases and surprisingly actually how
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 often they don't find it which you
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 indicate that they don't remember those
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 ones do they those ones course doesn't
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 reinforce the positive they want to
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 reinforce then there's false memories
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 you think you saw something or you
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 didn't see something but someone tells
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 you you saw it and then you will believe
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 you saw it yeah if you told something
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 enough you tend to believe it even if it
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 didn't really happen that's right that's
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 right and this has been shown to be very
00:21:50 --> 00:21:53 very true that the memory is not a video
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 camera or a take recorder it is a very
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 malleable thing so we have articles we
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 got an article about this in the next
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 issue of our magazine is that you can
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 manipulate it either unconsciously
00:22:02 --> 00:22:05 yourself or by desire or someone can
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 manipulate you and this is often used in
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 sort of magic tricks and things look
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 this spoon is bending by itself sitting
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 there and sort of people say oh yeah I
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 can see it but they never did and that
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 links up with predetermined conclusions
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 and brings you back to the start I want
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 something to happen I think something's
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 going to happen and therefore my
00:22:20 --> 00:22:23 eyewitness accounts my memories show me
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 that it did happen and all those things
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 are fooling yourself really and and not
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 you know necessarily nasty way but it is
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 fooling yourself into believing ghosts
00:22:32 --> 00:22:36 premonitions psychic powers a lot of
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 paranormalium very normal nothing
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 particularly evil about it but it's just
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 other explanations and saying it's a
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 ghost that's Tim mum from Australian
00:22:44 --> 00:22:47 Skeptics
00:22:47 --> 00:22:55 [Music]
00:23:00 --> 00:23:03 and that's the show for now SpaceTime is
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