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James Webb Telescope: Largest ever map of the universe unveiled

James Webb Telescope: Largest ever map of the universe unveiled

BBC News13-06-2025

Since its launch on Christmas Day 2021, the James Webb telescope has captured incredible images of space and helped scientists learn more about the formation of galaxies, stars and planets over billions of years.And, now there is another discovery to add to the list.Scientists have used 255 hours of data from the telescope to unveil the largest map of the universe to date. The map features nearly 800,000 galaxies across 13.5 billion years of cosmic history.
This ground-breaking map was created by the Cosmic Evolution Survey collaboration (COSMOS) and covers a part of the sky about three times the size of the Moon. It includes amazing images and details of nearly 800,000 galaxies across billions of years.Because the James Webb telescope can see really faint light, it is able to spot galaxies that are very far away (which means they are billions of years old)Included in the map are galaxies and stars that are 13.5 billion years old.
The data for this map has existed for a while, but required expert analysis and a supercomputer to interpret it. Over the last two years, a team of international scientists have worked to turn the data into an interactive map which anyone can use to explore. The map will also help scientists learn and understand more about how the universe has changed since its beginning.

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Millionaires' island is plagued with 'toxic' drinking water that's slowing infecting its inhabitants
Millionaires' island is plagued with 'toxic' drinking water that's slowing infecting its inhabitants

Daily Mail​

time19 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Millionaires' island is plagued with 'toxic' drinking water that's slowing infecting its inhabitants

Water supplies across a wealthy Massachusetts island have been plagued with toxic 'forever chemicals' that cause a slew of health complications. Nantucket environmental officials have been discovering alarming levels of PFAS in the ritzy enclave's drinking water. PFAS, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are long-lasting chemicals that linger in the air, soil and water. They also build up in the human body - causing cancer, high cholesterol, liver damage and pregnancy complications, according to the CDC. Before experts realized their detrimental health and environmental impact, PFAS were used in various everyday products. Starting around the 1940s, they were commonly present in non-stick cookware, cleaning supplies, dental floss, candy wrappers and firefighting foam - which easily makes its way into groundwater. While certain types of PFAS are no longer used in the US, other variations of the potentially poisoning man-made chemicals are actually FDA approved for limited use, according to the agency. Nantucket has been grappling with concerning levels of PFAS contamination for years, but experts have noticed the problem is more widespread than they thought. 'The more we test, the more we're going to detect,' Andrew Shapero, Nantucket's new environmental contamination administrator, told the Boston Globe. It was previously understood that tainted areas included Nantucket Memorial Airport and Toms Way, located mid-island. But a recent Department of Environmental Protection investigation revealed private wells are also contaminated. Last month, Shaper warned the Board of Health one particular location - the intersection Hummock Pond Road and Burnt Swamp Lane - had PFAS levels 'above the imminent hazard threshold,' the Nantucket Current reported. The state standard for the maximum amount of the substances found in drinking water is 20 nanograms of per liter. At the Hummock Pond and Burnt Swamp intersection, 124 nanograms per liter were detected. 'That is an extremely concerning concentration to see in drinking water,' Shapero told the board. Shapero has been hired with the sole intent of tackling the island's PFAS problem and minimizing its harm. While addressing the water supply contamination, Shapero contextualized the issue, explaining places across the country are in the same worrying situation. 'PFAS have been detected in many wells on the island,' he told the outlet. 'PFAS have also been detected in many water sources throughout the country. 'And so from that perspective, Nantucket has a PFAS problem that is similar to the rest of the country.' Anywhere from 71 million to 95 million Americans rely on groundwater riddled with detectable levels of the substances, according to the US Geological Survey. But what makes Nantucket's dilemma unique is the island's dependency on groundwater. 'One is that Nantucket is a sole source aquifer, so all of the water on Nantucket comes from the ground that residents live on top of, whether that's private wells or the public water supply,' Shapero told the Boston Globe. 'So Nantucket really has no alternative options.' In 1984, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided the Nantucket Island Aquifer would be the area's sole source of drinking water, according to the agency. 'Certainly, to some extent, there is PFAS in the aquifer,' Shapero admitted, adding it is no easy feat trying to remove some of those compounds. 'Getting it out of the aquifer is challenging. Out of people's water is a little bit easier. These are forever chemicals, as you know, but filtration is an option.' The environmental official urged residents to get their blood tested to gauge if they have consumed dangerous amounts. Two nanograms per milliliter or less of PFAS in one's blood is considerably safe, he explained. But if someone has two to 20 nanograms detected - like 91 percent of Americans do - they 'might have some effects from PFAS,' Shapero said. 'On top of that, they have a threshold of 20, where you are in kind of the elevated area,' he told the outlet. 'And so that's about 9 percent of Americans who really should be keeping an eye on potential health effects from PFAS.' Ultimately, he encouraged people to test their privately owned wells, as he believes a 'substantial portion' of them have contaminated water. 'It's not just a Nantucket problem; it is a statewide and a countrywide problem,' he asserted.

'Lost city' deep below Atlantic offers tantalizing clues to how life on Earth began
'Lost city' deep below Atlantic offers tantalizing clues to how life on Earth began

Daily Mail​

time19 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

'Lost city' deep below Atlantic offers tantalizing clues to how life on Earth began

An ancient 'lost city' found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean has shed new light on how life on Earth began. Scientists say the haunting undersea world has existed for more than 120,000 years and could help unlock how life first evolved from non-living matter, an unsolved mystery in biology. Its vast field of mineral towers and isolated location 2,300ft beneath the surface offer tantalizing clues to Earth's earliest conditions - undisturbed by human activity. The oldest known hydrothermal system in the ocean, its extreme conditions mirror the early Earth, offering clues to how the first life forms might have emerged. Officially known as The Lost City Hydrothermal Field, it lies on the slopes of an underwater mountain in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a massive underwater mountain range that runs through the Atlantic Ocean. It marks the boundary between tectonic plates and is a hotspot for geological activity. Researchers estimate the Lost City has existed for more than 120,000 years, making it the longest-living hydrothermal vent field ever discovered. In a recent breakthrough, scientists successfully recovered a core sample of mantle rock from the site. This rock is the deep Earth source that fuels the vent system. The core sample could help scientists better understand the chemical reactions happening beneath the seafloor, reactions that produce hydrocarbons in the absence of sunlight or oxygen, serving as food for marine life. These same reactions may have played a role in the origin of life on Earth billions of years ago. The Lost City is made up of towering spires of carbonate rock, some nearly 200ft tall, formed by a unique geological reaction called serpentinization, where seawater interacts with mantle rock deep below the seafloor. These reactions release methane and hydrogen gas, which fuel microbial life that survives without sunlight or oxygen, something rarely seen on Earth. The site is located roughly nine miles west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge axis, just south of the Azores islands. Its isolated position means it has remained undisturbed by human activity for thousands of years, preserving an ecosystem that offers a window into Earth's earliest conditions. Each hydrothermal vent, nicknamed IMAX, Poseidon, Seeps, and Nature emits warm, alkaline fluids. These create a stable environment for life in one of the most extreme corners of the planet. Now, with renewed global attention, scientists believe the Lost City may help explain how life first formed from non-living matter, an unsolved mystery in biology. Unlike most hydrothermal systems powered by volcanic heat, the Lost City is powered by chemical energy from the Earth's mantle, giving it a distinct structure and chemistry. Inside its towering chimneys, fluids reach up to 194 Fahrenheit, not boiling, but hot enough to fuel chemicals reactions. These vents produce hydrocarbons, organic compounds made from carbon and hydrogen, which are considered the building blocks of life. The site is special because its hydrocarbons form through deep Earth chemical reactions, not sunlight or photosynthesis. This makes the Lost City a rare second example of how life could begin. Microbes inside these chimneys live in total darkness, with no oxygen, using methane and hydrogen as their only fuel. On the outer surfaces, rare animals like shrimp, snails, sea urchins, and eels cling to the mineral-rich structures. Larger animals are uncommon here likely because the energy supply is limited. Unlike surface ecosystems, there's no sunlight or abundant food chain, only chemical nutrients trickling out of the vents. Microbiologist William Brazelton told Smithsonian Magazine: 'This is an example of a type of ecosystem that could be active on Enceladus or Europa right this second.' These are moons of Saturn and Jupiter, which have oceans beneath icy crusts, raising the hope that similar life could exist beyond Earth. Some spires have grown to 200ft tall over tens of thousands of years. Scientists say they act like natural laboratories, showing how life might arise in environments without sun, plants, or animals. In 2017, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) gave the Polish government a 15-year exploration license for an area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which includes territory surrounding the Lost City. Though Lost City itself lacks valuable minerals, nearby vent fields may contain polymetallic sulfides, a target for future deep-sea mining. That's where the threat comes in. Mining operations near hydrothermal vents can stir up sediment plumes, releasing toxic chemicals or particles that drift through the water column and harm nearby ecosystems, even if the site itself isn't directly touched. The Convention on Biological Diversity has already designated Lost City as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA), based on its uniqueness, biodiversity, and scientific value. Being listed as an EBSA gives scientists leverage to argue for protective measures, though it carries no binding legal protection. Meanwhile, UNESCO is reviewing the site for World Heritage status, which could offer stronger international backing against mining and disturbance. Scientists argue this is urgently needed. Once disturbed, such systems may never recover, and we could lose a living example of how life began.

People in six states see mystery ‘fireball' streak across sky
People in six states see mystery ‘fireball' streak across sky

The Independent

timea day ago

  • The Independent

People in six states see mystery ‘fireball' streak across sky

A mysterious object streaking across the sky has left hundreds of residents across the southern United States baffled, with over 200 reports pouring in from at least six states. The unidentified phenomenon, witnessed on Thursday around 12:30 p.m., prompted widespread speculation, though authorities suggest it was likely either a meteor or space junk. The majority of sightings, described as a streak of light and a fireball, originated from Georgia and South Carolina, according to a report from the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Georgia. As of Friday afternoon, the American Meteor Society had received at least 215 reports from people expressing a mix of wonder and amazement. Witnesses recounted vivid details of the event. A woman in Bethlehem, Georgia, described it as "a bright fireball." She added, "It did have a bright tail that disappeared with it, and left behind a smoke trail. I've never seen anything like it before." Meanwhile, a man in Milledgeville, Georgia, said "I believe it hit the ground." The roof of a Georgia home is pierced A resident of Henry County, Georgia, reported a rock coming through their roof around the time they heard the sonic boom from the fireball. It left behind a hole in the ceiling about the size of a golf ball and a crack in a laminate floor at the home southeast of Atlanta, according to the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Georgia. 'We are presuming that a piece of the object fell through their roof,' the weather service said in a brief statement on social media. Dashboard and doorbell cameras across several states in the southeastern U.S. states caught glimpses of the fireball that appeared to be plummeting straight down. Broad daylight sighting is rare Meteors and other space debris frequently enter Earth's atmosphere, but it is rare for an object to be so bright it can easily be seen in broad daylight. Videos of the event showed clear skies on Thursday, allowing many to see the object falling. 'First time to ever see an event in daylight like this,' a man in Cumming, Georgia, north of Atlanta, said in his report to the meteor society. 'It was so bright in the middle of the day... brighter than the sun,' a woman in Dublin, Georgia reported. Bright fireballs are caused by friction as an object enters the atmosphere and slows down considerably. Almost all objects break into minuscule pieces before striking the ground, according to Nasa.

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