Science This Week | Breakthrough in nuclear fusion research, more than 25% biodiversity loss by 2100 and more
In this 2012 image provided by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a technician reviews an optic inside the preamplifier support structure at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif. The major advance in fusion research announced in Washington on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, was decades in coming, with scientists able to engineer a reaction that produced more power than was used to ignite it for the first time.
| Photo Credit: AP
This week has seen some significant events in the world of science. From US scientists announcing a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion research to the James Webb telescope detecting light from galaxies that are some of the most distant and earliest ever detected, find all the latest updates here.
Scientists achieve net energy gain in a major breakthrough for nuclear fusion
The path to harnessing the power of nuclear fusion hit a major milestone this week with researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, U.S., announcing that a fusion reaction produced more energy than was used to ignite it for the first time.
Researchers hope that the energy emitted from nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, could one day produce clean, carbon-free energy and replace fossil fuels. This milestone is a significant step toward limitless energy, though powering homes and businesses from nuclear fusion is decades away, they added.
NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico
NASA’s Orion capsule re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere with temperatures hitting a scorching 2,760°C (5,000°F) at 32 times the speed of sound on December 11. It splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off Mexico, west of Baja California near Guadalupe Island.
The space agency needed a successful splashdown to stay on track for the next Orion flight around the moon, currently planned for 2024. The mission will be manned by four astronauts. This will be followed by a two-person lunar landing in as early as 2025.
James Webb telescope detects light from 13.5-billion-year-old galaxies
The James Webb telescope has found the earliest and most distant galaxy ever detected, estimated to be over 13.5 billion light years away. Webb’s detailed observations have not only allowed researchers to measure the distance light from the galaxy has covered, but also some of its properties.
Researchers think that these galaxies were formed 350 million years after the Big Bang. As light from these galaxies has travelled from far away, it is extremely faint. It occupies the longer and redder portion of the light spectrum, which has been detected by both the Webb and the Hubble telescope.
Scientists forge toughest material ever recorded
Scientists have made the toughest material on Earth yet using equal parts of chromium, cobalt and nickel— CrCoNi. They tested the alloy for strength and ductility and found that it has the highest toughness ever recorded. The alloy gets only tougher in the cold. This material, though expensive to make, can be used to build structures which can withstand extreme cold conditions, such as those in deep space.
NASA’s launches first satellite that will survey water bodies
NASA, using a SpaceX rocket called Falcon 9, launched the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite to survey the Earth’s surface waters, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change. It will collect high-definition measurements of lakes, oceans, reservoirs and rivers from over 90% of the globe. Researchers say that it will take readings twice every 21 days so that it can aid with ocean-circulation models, climate forecasts and management of freshwater supplies in drought-stricken areas.
New model shows land use and climate change may cause co-extinctions by 2100
Researchers have developed a model that shows that interconnected species loss resulting in cascading extinctions is imminent. The earth will lose 10% of its plants and animals on land by 2050 and 27% by 2100. According to the researchers, the extinction trajectories that were charted before did not include co-extinctions—species going extinct because other species they depend on for survival were wiped out due to climate change and habitat loss. The model confirms that the world is in the middle of the 6th mass extinction event, researchers say.
Genes may be responsible for your food preferences
Your food tastes may partially depend on genetics, according to researchers at the University of Edinburgh. Twin studies identified 325 genes which help determine what we like to eat,suggesting that food preference is 50% genes and 50% personal experience. Having such information help those at risk of having unhealthy diets tailor their diet according to their needs.
Nursery of hammerhead sharks brings ray of hope
A nursery of scalloped hammerhead sharks has been found just off an island near the Galapagos archipelagos in Ecuador. This haven for baby sharks could be ray of hope for the species which is on verge of extinction due to commercial fishing and demand for their fins, used to make shark fin soup.
