Iowa Republicans are headed to their state's caucuses Monday with a greater desire to focus on immigration than address the health of the U.S. economy - a sign that pocketbook issues may not be the top motivator for voters.Their message to GOP candidates in this first...

Rice University received an onslaught of online mockery this week when news broke of their new "Afrochemistry" class that seeks to analyze science via a 'contemporary Africa-American lens.'

North Korea has abolished key government organizations tasked with managing relations with South Korea‚ state media said Tuesday‚ as authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un said he would no longer pursue reconciliation with his rival. North Korea's official Korean Central News ...

Treating seedlings with ethylene in the dark‚ followed by light‚ enhances growth and stress resistance in plants‚ presenting a significant advancement in agricultural practices. Exposing...

You think you know someone‚ then you see them in a slightly different way and BAM‚ they surprise you. I’m not talking about other people of course‚ I’m talking about a fabulous star that has been studied and imaged a gazillion times. Beta Pictoris has been revealed by many telescopes‚ even Hubble to be home to the most amazing disk. Enter James Webb Space Telescopd and WALLOP‚ with its increased sensitivty and instrumentation a new‚ exciting feature emerges.  Beta Pictoris is the second brightest star in the southern constellation Pictor. It is a very young star‚ thought to be about 20 million years old and at a distance of just 63 light years‚ is in our cosmic backyard. Observations in 1984 revealed that Beta Pictoris had the most amazing dust disk out of which planets are forming. The European Southern Observatory has since confimred there are at least two planets (imaginitively called Beta Pictoris b and Beta Pictoris c) orbiting within the dust disk.  Over the years‚ Beta Pictoris has been the target for many observations including those from the Hubble Space Telescope that revealed a second‚ previously unseen disk. The second disk is slightly inclined to the first but further observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed a new structure in this second disk.  The team‚ led by Isabel Rebollido from the Astrobiology Center in Spain used the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRI) and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of the JWST to explore the disks of Beta Pictoris in more detail.  They were surprised to find a new structure at an angle to the secondary disk that was shaped like a cats tail. Despite the plethora of previous observations including those from the space busting HST‚ the instruments on JWST are more sensitive and have greater resolution.  MIRI‚ ( Mid InfraRed Instrument )‚ flight instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope‚ JWST‚ during ambient temperature alignment testing in RAL Space’s clean rooms at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory‚ 8th November 2010. The “Cat’s Tail” was not the only surprise. When the MIRI data was studied‚ it revealed that the two disks were different temperatures revealing they were composed of different material. The secondary disk and Cat’s Tail were shown to be a higher temperature than the main disk. It’s also easy to deduce they are both made of dark material since they have not been previously observed in visible or near infra-red light but are bright under mid infra-red wavelengths.  One of the theories to explain the higher temperature is that the material is highly porous‚ similar perhaps to the material found on comets and asteroids. The nature of the dust is one question that is perhaps easily addressed‚ something a little more challenging to answer is the nature and origin of the Cat’s Tail.  The team explored a number of possible hypotheses that could explain the tail’s shape but failed to settle on a satisfactory model. One of their favoured theories is that the tail is the result of an event that occured within the disk around a hundred years ago! The event may have been a collision sending the dust into a trajectory that mirrors that of the impactor but then it starts to spread out to produce a curve. A contributory factor may simply be the angle of the tail from our vantage point causing the angle of the tail to seem steeper than it actualy is.  One thing is for certain‚ the recent observations of Beta Pictoris have revealed some surprises of a very well loved and observed object. Further research will help us to gain a more fuller understanding of these new features but it leaves me wondering what other objects that we are familiar with still hold some surprises.  Source : Webb discovers dusty cat’s tail in Beta Pictoris system The post Webb Blocks the Star to See a Debris Disk Around Beta Pictoris appeared first on Universe Today.

A once in a lifetime experience!

This flashback show segment highlights Jones' knack for seeing what's coming next

This flashback show segment highlights Jones' knack for seeing what's coming next

A scathing moment. The post The song Queen wrote about a “real motherfucker of a gentleman” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Austin had been admitted to Walter Reed hospital on January 1st for complications following prostate cancer surgery Amid a backdrop of scandal and controversy while still rebuffing calls to resign‚ Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been released from the hospital Monday‚ following a full two week stint there‚ with the first four days of that in ICU wherein the White House was kept in the dark. Austin had been admitted to Walter Reed hospital on January 1st for complications following prostate cancer surgery. A new Pentagon statement says he is still going to work remotely from home “for a period of time” before returning to his office. The statement sought to assure that he has “full access” to secure communications capabilities. “Secretary Austin’s prostate cancer was treated early and effectively‚ and his prognosis is excellent‚” Austin’s doctors have assessed. It was on Jan. 5th that the Pentagon first disclosed to the public that he had been hospitalized. For the initial part of that week prior‚ even the White House didn’t know‚ and his deputy Kathleen Hicks was also unaware of the full status of his condition while on vacation in Puerto Rico.  The Pentagon has since claimed that she was running things from her hotel room. But this is dubious given she appears not to have been fully aware that she was effectively in charge. She merely was tasked with certain duties instead.Winter Sun Plus is NOW 40% off! Boost your natural defenses with this powerful vitamin D3 and K formula! The National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has also asserted that Austin’s overseeing the country’s national security from the hospital while recovering “was no different than it would be on any other given day‚ except that he was briefing the president on options and engaged in the discussions from the hospital.” But bipartisan Congressional leaders have demanded answers‚ which have not been forthcoming. A letter from Senate armed services committee chair‚ Jack Reed (D) and Senator Roger Wicker (R) have demanded an explanation for the serious lapse and breach in protocol: “We are concerned that critical notification procedures were not followed while you were receiving medical care the past several weeks‚” they wrote‚ adding that their committee “has serious questions about this incident‚ and members need a full accounting to ensure it never happens again”. Essentially there was no one at the helm of the Department of Defense while the nation is embroiled in several hotspots from Ukraine to the Red Sea and Yemen.  "President Joe Biden is not considering firing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after he did not tell the White House about his emergency hospitalization…one official noted‚ the president would not accept a resignation if Austin were to offer one." https://t.co/SyjrnKdq90— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) January 8‚ 2024 To review‚ CBS previously compiled a timeline of major events related to Austin’s absence from his post as Pentagon chief: Early December 2023: Medical providers identify prostate cancer‚ which requires treatment. (Statement from officials at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center officials‚ Jan. 9) Dec. 22: Austin undergoes an elective medical procedure while on leave. (Ryder discloses procedure on Jan. 5; Ryder discloses the date of the procedure on Jan. 7)Dec. 23: Austin is discharged and goes home. (Ryder briefing‚ Jan. 8)Jan. 1‚ 2024: President Biden holds a call on the situation in the Middle East with Austin‚ Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. (National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby briefing‚ Jan. 8).Jan. 1: Austin experiences “severe abdominal‚ leg‚ and hip pain” and is transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Initial evaluation reveals a urinary tract infection. (Walter Reed Statement‚ Jan. 9). Jan. 2: Austin is transferred to the intensive care unit for close monitoring and a higher level of care. (Walter Reed Statement‚ Jan. 9) Jan. 2: Some operational responsibilities are transferred to Hicks. (Ryder briefing‚ Jan. 8)Jan. 2: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown is notified Austin has been hospitalized. (Ryder briefing‚ Jan. 8)  Jan. 2: Pentagon press secretary‚ Austin’s chief of staff and Austin’s senior military adviser learn Austin is in the hospital. (Ryder briefing‚ Jan. 8.)Jan. 4: The U.S. conducts a strike in Baghdad at 12 p.m. local time‚ according to a defense official. Ryder said on Jan. 8 that Mr. Biden and Austin had approved the strike before Austin was hospitalized. Jan. 4: Defense Department chief of staff notifies deputy secretary of defense and the White House that Austin is in the hospital. President Biden learns Austin has been hospitalized. (Ryder briefing‚ Jan. 8; Kirby briefing‚ Jan. 9)Jan. 5: Senate Armed Services Committee is informed of Austin’s hospitalization. (A Senate Armed Services Committee aide told CBS News). Jan. 5: Pentagon releases first public statement that says Austin has been hospitalized since Jan. 1. Jan. 5: Austin resumes full duties from Walter Reed in the evening. (Ryder statement‚ Jan. 7)Jan. 6: Austin releases a statement taking responsibility for delayed disclosure. Jan. 6: Mr. Biden and Austin speak; the president says he has full confidence in Austin. (U.S. official‚ Jan. 8). Jan. 8: Austin is no longer in ICU and is recovering in a private area of Walter Reed. (Ryder briefing‚ Jan. 8)Jan. 9: Pentagon releases statement from Walter Reed Military Medical Center disclosing that the procedure Austin had undergone was a prostatectomy “to treat and cure prostate cancer.”Jan. 9: President Biden is informed of Austin’s diagnosis. (Kirby briefing‚ Jan. 9)