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This is space time series 26 episode 100 for broadcast on the
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21st of August 2023. Coming up on space time, the colors of one
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of the most distant stars ever detected physicists achieve
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sustained nuclear fusion for a second time and the race to the
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Moon with both Russia and India undertaking separate lunar
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missions. All that and more coming up on space time.
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Welcome to space time with Stuart Garry.
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Astronomers have used the enormous power of the Web space
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telescope to study Aranelle, one of the most distant stars ever
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detected. The new near infrared observations follow on from
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earlier research by the Hubble space telescope. AEN is located
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some 12.8 billion light years away, meaning it was created
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within the first billion years of the universe's existence.
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Webb's near infrared camera instrument reveals the start to
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be a massive B type blue star more than twice as hot as our
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sun and more than a million times more luminous Erin is
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located in the sunrise a galaxy and it's only detectable from
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Earth thanks to the gravitational lensing effect of
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a massive foreground galaxy cluster known as WHL 0 137 minus
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08.
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This galaxy cluster located between Earth and Ariel is so
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massive that it quite literally warps the fabric of space time
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itself producing a magnifying effect by bending the light from
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the distant star and allowing the astronomers to use the
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cluster as a giant magnifying glass.
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While other features in the sunrise archy multiple times due
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to the gravitational lensing effect, Adel only appears as a
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single point of light. Even in Webb's high resolution infrared
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imaging, the previous record holder for the most distant star
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detected by Hubble was observed at around 4 billion years after
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the Big Bang.
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However, another research team using Webb recently identified a
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gravitationally lensed red giant star at 3 billion years after
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the Big Bang stars as massive as Adele often have companions.
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Astronomers didn't expect Webb to reveal any companion stars of
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air and de since they would have been so close together and
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indistinguishable on the sky.
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However, based solely on Adele's spectroscopic measurements,
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astronomers think they may well have seen hints of a cooler
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redder companion star. The light has been stretched by the
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expansion of the universe to wavelengths longer than what
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Hubble's instruments can detect.
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And so they're only detectable by a Web Webb's near infrared
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camera also shows other notable details in the sunrise arc which
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right now is the most highly magnified galaxy yet detected in
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the universe's first billion years. Features include both
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young star forming regions and older, more established star
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clusters, some as small as 10 light years across on either
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side of.
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Well, I guess you'd call it the wrinkle of maximum magnification
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which runs right through Arrendel. These features are
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mirrored by the distortion of the gravitational lens. The
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region's forming stars appear elongated and are estimated to
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be less than 5 million years old.
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Smaller dots on either side of A Andel are two images of one
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older more established star cluster estimated to be at least
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10 million years old. Astronomers have already
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determined this star cluster is gravitationally bound. And so it
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likely persists right until the present day.
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So this shows us what globular clusters in our own milky way
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galaxy may have looked like when they formed more than 12 billion
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years ago. Astronomers are still analyzing the reams of data
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coming from Webb's near infrared spectrograph, both of the
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sunrise a galaxy and Aranelle itself. These will provide more
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precise composition and distance measurements for the galaxy.
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Since Hubble's initial discovery of Ariel Web's detected other
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very distant stars using the same technique. Although none
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quite as far as Adele, the discoveries have opened up a new
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realm of the universe to stellar physics.
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A new subject matter for scientists studying the early
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universe where once entire Galaxies were the smallest
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detectable cosmic objects. One of the goals of all this
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research is to eventually detect one of the very first
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generations of stars created the long sought after population
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three stars which are composed of virtually pure hydrogen and
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helium.
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The only ingredients in the universe at the time, which were
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created directly out of the Big Bang itself 13.8 billion years
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ago, their unique composition suggest that these very first
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stars ever made were very different from all later
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generations of stars, possibly hundreds of times larger than
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today's stellar populations and both far hotter and far more
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luminous, but with only very short life spans.
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So for now, at least the hunt goes on. This is space time.
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Still to come. Physicist achieve sustained nuclear fusion for
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only the second time ever and separate Russian and Indian
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missions race for the Moon. All that and more still to come on
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space time.
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Well, it's taken a while to set up but scientists with the
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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have
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successfully repeated their historic nuclear fusion
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experiment. It's the second time physicists with the National
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Ignition Facility have fused a pellet of hydrogen using lasers
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in the process, releasing more energy than it took to carry out
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the fusion experiment.
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The team first achieved this historic feat back in December
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last year, repeating the success of the first event moves
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researchers further along the path of a reliable, clean self
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sustaining form of limitless renewable nuclear energy.
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Unlike existing nuclear fission reactors which work by splitting
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uranium atoms to produce energy and also releasing large
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quantities of radioactivity as a byproduct nuclear fusion crashes
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hydrogen atoms together. In order to generate energy.
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In this experiment, scientists fired 100 and 92 of the world's
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most powerful laser beams at a tiny pellet of the hydrogen
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isotopes, deuterium and tritium creating the sorts of pressures
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and temperatures usually only found at the core of the sun.
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The process forces the atoms together to form helium atoms
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with some of the matter converted into energy.
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Now, while a regular hydrogen atom is composed of a nucleus
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containing a single proton orbited by an electron uteri
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adds a neutron to the proton and the nucleus and tritium adds two
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neutrons. The end result being heavier form of hydrogen
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ignition occurs when the released energy is enough to
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sustain the fusion process.
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In the wake of the 2022 success, researchers modified their
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equipment in follow up experiments to see if they could
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improve on that result. The initial data suggested that just
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over two mega joules of energy was delivered by the lasers and
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that resulted in the target pellet providing an output of
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3.5 mega joules a fraction greater than the 3.15 mega Joos
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generated in the December ignition.
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However, it's important to remember that these are still
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single small scale events, a full size nuclear fusion plant
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based on this technology would require lasers up to a 100 times
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more powerful pulsing several times a second.
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Still, once we get there, the rewards will be enormous, a
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single kilogram of hydrogen fusion material. And remember
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that can be harvested from seawater or provide as much
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energy as 10 million kg of fossil fuel. Dr Martin Adams is
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the National Nuclear Security Administration's Deputy
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Administrator for defense programs.
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A team at Lawrence Livermore National Lab national mission
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facility made. The following happened. There's a tiny
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cylinder here inside that was a, a small spherical capsule about
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half the diameter of a BB, 100 and 92 laser beams entered from
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the two ends of the cylinder and struck the inner wall.
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They didn't strike the capsule, they struck the inner wall of
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this cylinder and deposited energy. And that happened in
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less time than it takes light to move 10 ft. So it's kind of fast
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x- rays from the wall impinged on the spherical capsule, fusion
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fuel in the capsule got squeezed fusion reaction started.
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This had all happened before 100 times before, but for the first
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time they designed this experiment so that the fusion
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fuel stayed hot enough, dense enough and round enough for long
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enough that it ignited and it produced more energies than the
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lasers had deposited about two mega jules in about three mega
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out a gain of 1.5.
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The energy production took less time than it takes light to
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travel one inch confessed.
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So this is pretty cool. I have a special message to listeners who
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want to work on exciting challenging and important
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problems we're hiring. Yeah.
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So fusion fusion is an essential process in modern nuclear
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weapons. And fusion also has the potential for abundant clean
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energy. As you have heard, and we'll hear more. The
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breakthrough at NF does have ramifications for clean energy
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more immediately.
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This achievement will advance our national security in at
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least three ways. First, it will lead to laboratory experiments
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that helps a defense programs continue to maintain confidence
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in our deterrent without nuclear explosive testing.
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Second, it underpins the credibility of our deterrent by
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demonstrating world leading expertise in weapons, weapons
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relevant technologies.
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That is we know what we're doing.
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Third, continuing to assure our allies that we know what we're
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doing and continuing to avoid testing will advance our non
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proliferation goals. Also increasing our national
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security.
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The achievement we celebrate today illustrates that big
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important accomplishments, often take longer and require more
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effort than originally thought and that these accomplishments
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are often more than worth that time and effort that they took.
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That's Dr Martin Adams, the National Nuclear Security
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Administration's Deputy Administrator for defense
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programs and this is space time still to come. Russian and
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Indian missions race for the Moon. And later in the science
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report, researchers find a really good reason why not to
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smile or cry at a crocodile all that and more still to come on
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space time.
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The first Russian Moon mission in nearly 50 years has
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successfully entered lunar orbit and will deploy its Lander.
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Later today, the lunar 25 spacecraft launched last week
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aboard a Soyuz 21 B rocket from the V Toni Cosmodrome in Russia
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's far East.
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The spacecraft entered a 100 kilometer high lunar orbit just
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as India's Chan Andrean three. Vikram Lander successfully
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undocked from its propulsion module in lunar orbit and began
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its slow week long descent down towards the lunar South pole.
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The Russian Federal Space Agency Ros Cosmos is desperately trying
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to relive the glory days of the former Soviet Union's pioneering
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space program. However, the launch comes at a time when the
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Russian ruble is crashing in the wake of ongoing Western
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sanctions brought about by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine
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alienated from Western nations by Moscow's war.
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Roskosmos says he wants to show the world that Russia is still a
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state capable of delivering a payload to the Moon in the
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process, ensuring the Kremlin's guaranteed access to the lunar
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surface.
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Of course, the last Russian mission of the Moon was in 1976
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under the brutal communist dictatorship of the Soviet Union
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which collapsed in 1991. The lunar 25 mission is deploying
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its 800 kg Lander down to the Moon's surface today just like
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India's Chan Andrean three mission.
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The lunar 25 was initially planned to carry a small lunar
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rover, but that idea was forced to be abandoned in order to
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reduce weight as the mission could no longer use advanced
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lightweight Western electronics. Having instead to rely on much
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heavier domestically made components.
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You see the European Space Agency was working with Ros
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Cosmos on the lunar 25 as well as lunar 26 and 27 missions. But
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it withdrew in line with eu policy following Moscow's
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attacks on Ukraine.
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Still, Roskosmos says the lunar 25 will practice soft landing
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techniques near the lunar South pole, take an analysis of soil
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samples and conduct other scientific research. The mission
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also comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin looks to
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strengthen cooperation in space with China Moscow's biggest
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ally.
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Meanwhile, Iro The Indian Space Research Organization says the
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Lander module of the Chan Andrean three or Moon craft
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three in Sanskrit has successfully separated from its
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propulsion module six days ahead of its planned landing on the
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lunar surface.
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Once on the ground. The Vikram which means valor in Sanskrit
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Lander module will deploy its Pegram or wisdom rover which
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will explore the surrounding terrain for half a lunar day,
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the equivalent of about 14 Earth days.
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Meanwhile, I Rose says the propulsion module will continue
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its journey over the coming months and years, undertaking
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spectroscopic studies of the Earth's atmosphere and measuring
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variations in light polarization reflected from the planet's
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clouds.
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Mission managers say this will provide useful comparison data
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for future observations of Earth like exoplanets in order to help
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determine their habitability this space time and time. Now to
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take a brief look at some of the other stories making news in
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science this week with the science report, scientists say
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genetically modified pigs, kidneys which have been
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transplanted into a brain dead.
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Human patient appear to be functioning normally. A report
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in the journal of the American Medical Association says kidney
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function appears to have been restored in the 50 year old male
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recipient.
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The family of the brain dead man who had kidney disease, granted
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permission for researchers to implant the kidneys which would
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be genetically modified to prevent rejection by the man's
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immune system.
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The transplanted kidneys quickly made urine and importantly, they
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also improved cretonne clearance, which is an important
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measure of kidney function. Xeno transplantation has historically
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largely failed mostly due to the hyper acute rejection following
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surgery. Even with the use of immunosuppressive drugs used to
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control the process.
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The key advance here was the genetic removal of four key pig
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genes that had previously proven to be a barrier to successful
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cross species transplantation and the insertion of six human
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genes that prevented coagulation and also sort of humanized the
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pig kidney to look more human.
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Like the authors say, while this is still just a single case, it
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shows that this process could be a potential solution to an organ
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shortage crisis responsible for thousands of preventable deaths
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each year.
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Scientists are warning that the increasing number of extreme
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bushfire events around the world is currently seen in Canada,
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Hawaii and Greece and previously during the Australian Black
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Summer Of 2019 2020 could exasperate climate change and
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further disrupt Earth systems leading to devastating impacts
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across the globe.
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A report in the Journal Science by researchers from the
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University Of New South Wales and the University Of Tasmania
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have highlighted some of the global impacts of the Black
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Summer bushfires and detailed some of the lessons learned. The
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authors say the world is experiencing larger and more
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destructive wildfires.
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The area burned by the Black Summer bushfires was 800 per
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cent larger than the average area burnt by fires between 1988
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and 2001. And the fires released the equivalent of 80 per cent of
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Australia's typical annual greenhouse gas emissions.
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Scientists say the fire thunderstorms which were
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prevalent across the 2019 2020 fire season have the potential
00:18:13
to significantly disrupt Earth systems such as climate during
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black Summer.
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Witnesses saw some 44 fire thunderstorms technically known
00:18:22
as pyro cumulus events where extreme fire alters the
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surrounding atmosphere. While these enormous fires had
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devastating immediate impacts, burning out over 186 square
00:18:34
kilometers of forest, killing more than 3 billion terrestrial
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vertebrate animals, causing many species to become extinct,
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destroying almost 6000 buildings and killing dozens of people.
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They also had a significant effect on weather and
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atmospheric systems that influence global climate. The
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unprecedented amount of smoke and greenhouse gasses released
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by these fires led to such immense stratospheric pollution
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that it damaged the ozone layer caused a drop in sea surface
00:19:02
temperatures and produced algal blooms in the southern ocean
00:19:06
that were larger than the size of Australia.
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The authors say while these impacts may have been less
00:19:11
obvious than the immediate destruction they caused, they
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pose a very serious threat to the ultimate health of
00:19:17
ecosystems across the planet.
00:19:21
Well, it seems not only should you not smile but you should
00:19:24
also never cry at a crocodile. A new study has found that
00:19:29
crocodiles might be better tuned to humans when it comes to
00:19:33
recognizing the cries of babies in distress.
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The findings reported in the journal of the proceedings of
00:19:39
the Royal Society be used sound recordings to determine that
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Nile River crocodiles are attracted to the cries from
00:19:46
infant bonobos, chimpanzees and humans. They found that
00:19:51
crocodiles use specific aspects of the sounds to determine what
00:19:55
level of distress their potential prey is in.
00:19:58
And they believe that the crocodiles may become more
00:20:01
attuned to babies distress than we are, whether it's vaccine
00:20:06
fatigue or a perceived drop off in confidence. Medical
00:20:10
authorities have noticed the drop off in children's
00:20:12
vaccination rates.
00:20:14
Now it's not dropping off a lot but still any move away from
00:20:17
herd immunity levels is a concern. Tim Mendham from
00:20:21
Australian skeptics says childhood immunization remains
00:20:25
an important tool in the fight against COVID-19.
00:20:28
During the pandemic. And actually before the pandemic,
00:20:31
there's a lot of moves to actually increase childhood
00:20:33
vaccinations. The vaccinations that most kids will have and
00:20:35
those efforts were paying off in a big way.
00:20:38
They basically you want to reach 95 per cent of your target
00:20:41
audience to try and ensure you've got some sort of herd
00:20:43
immunity. There will always be a couple of percentage of people
00:20:45
who are anti and who refuse to have it. And there's another
00:20:48
percentage or a couple of people who are immuno suppressed and
00:20:51
can't have vaccinations because they do have side effects.
00:20:54
And therefore the rest of us who are having vaccinations will
00:20:56
help to protect them. And when the pandemic came along, people
00:21:01
almost like you saw an overdose of vaccinations, there were so
00:21:03
many vaccinations that were required apart from the ones you
00:21:06
normally have or kids normally have anyway, suddenly had all
00:21:08
these extra ones.
00:21:09
And the suggestion is that people got tired of being
00:21:12
vaccinated apart from the fact that there's a huge amount of
00:21:14
misinformation being spread around COVID and COVID vaccines
00:21:17
that people are also just exhausted of the whole sort of
00:21:20
vaccination process.
00:21:21
And that exhaustion might apply to the other normal childhood
00:21:25
vaccinations that kids need to have. So the suggestion is that
00:21:28
there's a drop off in their kids' vaccination at one stage.
00:21:30
In some places in Australia, they had reached that 95 per
00:21:33
cent, which is brilliant, but it 's dropping down a bit. Now, it
00:21:36
's not dropping a huge amount. You can get over alarmed by
00:21:38
this. It's dropping down in the worst place. It's just dropping
00:21:41
down to about 90 per cent rather than 95.
00:21:43
Actually pretty good by what standards?
00:21:45
It is pretty good considering that some of these places, they
00:21:48
were down to 60 per cent at one stage. And the worst part of the
00:21:51
place in Australia is in what we call the north coast of New
00:21:54
South Wales, which is a real hippy area and a lot of anti
00:21:57
vaccine. And that was the worst case.
00:21:58
And there still is that area for the biggest drop off in
00:22:01
childhood vaccination. But even there, it's not a huge drop off,
00:22:04
you know, and sort of the vaccination rate around that,
00:22:06
that area is now 90 per cent, which is not too bad really.
00:22:09
I mean, you can get alarmed about this, that the
00:22:12
vaccinations are dropping off but not by a lot. And so we need
00:22:14
to build it up again still. And women that have gotten over the
00:22:18
boredom of being vaccinated under the pandemic, we can
00:22:21
return to normal business will pick up again later on. Of
00:22:25
course, one of.
00:22:25
The big problems has been that there have been instances
00:22:28
especially with COVID-19 vaccinations where we've been
00:22:31
promised a lot and it hasn't delivered. And that's not being
00:22:34
anti vaccs. That's simply stating that Pfizer, for
00:22:37
example, told us that the vaccinations will not only stop
00:22:40
you catching COVID but will also stop you transmitting it to
00:22:43
other people. We now know the second half of that statement
00:22:46
was untrue, still untrue.
00:22:48
There's a lot of cases of over selling, over hyping and that's
00:22:51
what business do that. Yeah. And, and it's also the
00:22:55
businesses, it was also the government pushing that line
00:22:58
without getting their information from businesses, you
00:23:00
know, the suppliers of the vaccine, but the vaccines worked
00:23:03
by and large, they worked and I was talking to an epidemiologist
00:23:06
just last night as it happens about this very thing.
00:23:09
And part of the problem, especially with COVID was that
00:23:11
it mutates so quickly and so readily and so regularly that
00:23:15
once you're vaccinated against one stream of it, there's a
00:23:18
different stream and whether the previous vaccine works against
00:23:20
that or not is a different issue. But therefore, people are
00:23:23
being told you vaccinate. Oh, you've got to vaccinate again
00:23:25
and again and again to fight off the Coronavirus.
00:23:29
Boo Yes.
00:23:30
To that. Good for you. I know. But yeah, that's the issue is
00:23:33
that it's still there, it's still around and it mutates
00:23:35
rapidly. But the more people, the more you kill off the virus
00:23:39
by being vaccinated, the better it is.
00:23:41
That's Tim MDM from Australian.
00:24:00
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blog where you'll find all the stuff we couldn't fit in the
00:24:58
show as well as heaps of images, news stories, loads of videos
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and things on the web.
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I find interesting or amusing. Just go to space time with
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Stewart Gary dot tumblr dot com.
00:25:09
That's all one word and that's Tumblr without the e you can
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also follow us through at Stuart Garry on Twitter at space time
00:25:17
with Stuart Garry on Instagram through our space time YouTube
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channel and on Facebook, just go to Facebook dot com forward
00:25:24
slash spacetime with Stewart Gary And Spacetime is brought to
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you in collaboration with Australian Sky and Telescope
00:25:30
Magazine, your Window on the Universe.
00:25:33
You've been listening to Space Time with Stuart Garry. This has
00:25:37
been another quality podcast production from bites dot com.