Chinese rocket blasts off to its space station
Thursday's launch of the Shenzhou-20 mission is intended to ferry a team of three astronauts to China's Tiangong space station. The Long March-2F rocket lifted into the air in a plume of flame and smoke at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Base in the desert of northwest China, AFP journalists saw, heralding the start of the six-month mission.
Leading the newest crew is Chen Dong, 46, a former fighter pilot and veteran space explorer who in 2022 became the first Chinese astronaut to clock up more than 200 cumulative days in orbit.
The other two crew members - 40-year-old former air force pilot Chen Zhongrui, and 35-year-old former space technology engineer Wang Jie - are embarking on their first space flight. Hundreds of people brandishing bouquets and miniature national flags packed into the streets of the space base hours before the launch to see the astronauts off on Thursday afternoon.
A band played a rousing military march as the trio, clad in white spacesuits, waved in front of a red banner proclaiming: 'Learn from our astronauts! Salute our astronauts!' 'We wish you success!' the crowd shouted in unison as the crew members passed. Live images on state television then showed the three astronauts being transported by bus to the launch site, beyond which vast stretches of empty desert could be seen.
The crew will work on Tiangong for six months, carrying out experiments in physics and life sciences and installing protective equipment against space debris. For the first time, they will also bring aboard planarians — aquatic flatworms known for their regenerative abilities.
The team will also conduct spacewalks, replenish supplies and carry out general maintenance on the space station. Three astronauts currently aboard Tiangong are scheduled to return to Earth on April 29 after completing handover procedures.
Busloads of space enthusiasts waited by a barren highway several hours ahead of Thursday's launch, braving the high desert sun to catch a glimpse of the rocket perched on the horizon. A kiosk by the entrance to the launch base did brisk trade in toy rockets and mission-themed memorabilia. During a government tour on Wednesday afternoon, AFP journalists saw the rocket ensconced in a sky-blue launch tower, surrounded by red flags as workers in blue jumpsuits made final checks before the launch.
China's space program is the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon as it seeks parity with the world's two most established celestial powers, the United States and Russia. Crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts every six months, Tiangong — whose name means 'celestial palace' in Chinese — is the jewel in its crown.
China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from collaborating with Beijing. It has since sought to bring other countries into its space program, and signed a deal with longtime ally Pakistan in February to bring the first foreign astronaut aboard Tiangong.
As part of this process, 'two Pakistani astronauts will be selected to come to China for training', the CMSA confirmed on Wednesday. — AFP
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Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Polar bear biopsies to shed light on Arctic pollutants
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'To do this, we take their (fatty) tissue, cut it in very thin slices and expose it to the stresses they face, in other words pollutants and stress hormones,' said Pirard, who developed the method. Moments after the bear collapsed, the chopper circled back and landed. Researchers spilled out, boots crunching on the snow. One knelt by the bear's flank, cutting thin strips of fatty tissue. Another drew blood. Each sample was sealed and labelled before the bear was fitted with a satellite collar. Scientists said that while the study monitors all the bears, only females were tracked with GPS collars as their necks are smaller than their heads - unlike males, who cannot keep a collar on for more than a few minutes. This photograph taken with a thermical-infrared camera shows the head of the Polar Bear Program Jon Aars (right) changing the GPS collar of a female polar bear, in front of Norwegian veterinarian Rolf Arne Olberg (right) measuring a big polar bear male (left) in eastern Spitzbergen.--AFP French scientist Marie-Anne Blanchet (right) and Norwegian scientist Magnus Andersen take a badipose biopsie on a just sedated big polar bear male, in eastern Spitzbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago. French spatial scientist Marie-Anne Blanchet examines bear cubs before taking adipose tissue biopsies and blood samples from their sedated mother. French scientist Marie-Anne Blanchet (right) and Norwegian scientist Magnus Andersen take a badipose biopsie on a just sedated big polar bear male. French scientist Marie-Anne Blanchet walks past a helicopter as she brings biopsies in a thermos to the toxicolgists onboard "Kronprins Haakon" vessel. Belgian toxicologist Laura Pirard (right), specialized in marine mammals, tests the 'Slice' method on polar bear adipose tissue biopsies, with Finnnish toxicologist specialized in marine mammals, Heli Routti (left), in a laboratory onboard the science icebreaking vessel 'Kronprins Haakon' while sailing in eastern Spitzbergen. Belgian toxicologist Laura Pirard, specialized in marine mammals, shows biopsy slices samples of polar bears adipose tissue, in a laboratory onboard the science icebreaker vessel 'Kronprins Haakon'. The head of the Polar Bear Program, Jon Aars (second right) from Norway adresses a briefing to scientists, Marie-Anne Blanchet (second left) from France, Laura Pirard (top left) from Belgium, Sofie Soderstrom from Sweden, helicopter pilot Stig Folid (right) from Norway and helicopter mechanic Elias birkeflet (left) from Norway, in eastern Spitzbergen, while sailing to the Svalbard archipelago onboard the 'Kronprins Haakon'. This photograph shows a sedated female polar bear with a GPS collar and her two cubs. This photograph shows blood samples of polar bears. This photograph shows two adipose biopsies of polar bears. This photograph shows the scientific ice-going vessel "Kronprins Haakon" sailing through the sea ice in eastern Spitzbergen. This photograph shows a helicopter looking for traces of polar bears near glaciers. A male polar bear bear walks on the sea ice near glaciers. Finnnish toxicologist specialized in marine mammals Heli Routti poses in the Scientific Ice going vessel "Kronprins Haakon". Arctic lab For the scientists aboard the Norwegian Polar Institute's research vessel Kronprins Haakon, these fleeting encounters were the culmination of months of planning and decades of Arctic fieldwork. In a makeshift lab on the icebreaker, samples remained usable for several days, subjected to controlled doses of pollutants and hormones before being frozen for further analysis back on land. Each tissue fragment gave Pirard and her colleagues insight into the health of an animal that spent much of its life on sea ice. Analysis of the fat samples showed that the main pollutants present were per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - synthetic chemicals used in industry and consumer goods that linger in the environment for decades. Despite years of exposure, Svalbard's polar bears showed no signs of emaciation or ill health, according to the team. The local population has remained stable or even increased slightly, unlike parts of Canada, where the Western Hudson Bay group declined by 27 percent between 2016 and 2021, from 842 to 618 bears, according to a government aerial survey. Other populations in the Canadian Arctic, including the Southern Beaufort Sea, have also shown long-term declines linked to reduced prey access and longer ice-free seasons. Scientists estimate there are around 300 polar bears in the Svalbard archipelago and roughly 2,000 in the broader region stretching from the North Pole to the Barents Sea. The team found no direct link between sea ice loss and higher concentrations of pollutants in Svalbard's bears. Instead, differences in pollutant levels came down to the bears' diet. Two types of bears - sedentary and pelagic - feed on different prey, leading to different chemicals building up in their bodies. Changing diet With reduced sea ice, the bears' diets have already started shifting, researchers said. These behavioral adaptations appeared to help maintain the population's health. 'They still hunt seals but they also take reindeer (and) eggs. They even eat grass (seaweed), even though that has no energy for them,' Jon Aars, the head of the Svalbard polar bear program, told AFP. 'If they have very little sea ice, they necessarily need to be on land,' he said, adding that they spend 'much more time on land than they used to... 20 or 30 years ago'. This season alone, Aars and his team of marine toxicologists and spatial behavior experts captured 53 bears, fitted 17 satellite collars, and tracked 10 mothers with cubs or yearlings. 'We had a good season,' Aars said. The team's innovations go beyond biopsies. Last year, they attached small 'health log' cylinders to five females, recording their pulse and temperature. Combined with GPS data, the devices offer a detailed record of how the bears roam, how they rest and what they endure. Polar bears were once hunted freely across Svalbard but since an international protection agreement in 1976, the population here has slowly recovered. The team's findings may help explain how the bears' world is changing, and at an alarming rate. As the light faded and the icebreaker's engines hummed against the vast silence, the team packed away their tools, leaving the Arctic wilderness to its inhabitants. — AFP
Arab Times
4 days ago
- Arab Times
Earth to spin faster on July 22, marking one of the shortest days ever
NEW YORK, July 21: Earth will complete its rotation slightly faster than usual on Tuesday, July 22, resulting in one of the shortest days ever recorded. The planet's day will be 1.34 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24 hours — a difference too small to notice but significant in tracking Earth's rotational trends. Since 1973, when atomic clocks began recording Earth's rotation precisely, the shortest day was 1.05 milliseconds less than 24 hours, recorded before 2020. However, since 2020, Earth has repeatedly set new speed records, with the shortest day so far occurring on July 5, 2024, at 1.66 milliseconds less. In 2025, July 10 currently holds the shortest day with 1.36 milliseconds less, followed closely by the upcoming July 22 at 1.34 milliseconds. This recent acceleration contradicts the long-term trend of Earth's rotation slowing down over millions of years, primarily due to tidal friction caused by the Moon. Historically, days have lengthened as the Moon's gravitational pull saps Earth's rotational energy. Scientists remain uncertain about the cause of the current speeding up. Some suggest changes deep within Earth's liquid core may be redistributing momentum, causing the crust and mantle to spin faster. Other theories point to melting polar ice and rising sea levels but see these as more likely to moderate rather than drive the acceleration. Leonid Zotov, an expert in Earth rotation at Moscow State University, told that atmospheric and ocean models do not explain the acceleration, suggesting it originates from internal Earth processes. He also predicts that Earth's rotation may soon slow down again, indicating this spike in speed could be temporary. If this trend continues, it may necessitate the introduction of a 'negative leap second' — a removal of one second from atomic clocks — as early as 2029, an adjustment never before implemented. Summary: Earth is spinning faster than usual, creating some of the shortest days on record. While the exact cause remains unclear, the phenomenon challenges long-standing patterns of Earth's rotational slowdown. Scientists continue to monitor the situation closely.
Kuwait Times
16-07-2025
- Kuwait Times
Bull sharks linger in warming Sydney waters
Bull sharks are lingering off Sydney's beaches for longer periods each year as oceans warm, researchers said Friday, predicting they may one day stay all year. The predators are migratory, swimming north in winter when Sydney's long-term ocean temperatures dip below 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) to bask in the balmier waters off Queensland. A team of scientists looked at 15 years of acoustic tracking of 92 tagged migratory sharks in an area including Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbor. Records show the sharks now spend an average of 15 days longer off Sydney's coast in summer than they did in 2009, said James Cook University researcher Nicolas Lubitz. 'If they're staying longer, it means that people and prey animals have a longer window of overlap with them.' Bull sharks gather to inspect a group of divers and a bait box that has caught their attending off the coast of Jupiter, Florida. Shark attacks are rare in ocean-loving Australia, and most serious bites are from three species: bull sharks, great whites, and tiger sharks, according to a national database. There have been more than 1,200 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death. Researchers found an average warming of 0.57C in Bondi for the October-May period between 2006 and 2024, said the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science of The Total Environment. Over a longer period, remotely sensed summer sea-surface temperatures in the area rose an average 0.67C between 1982 and 2024, they said. Bull sharks 'year-round' 'If this trend persists, which it likely will, it just means that these animals are going to spend more and more time towards their seasonal distributional limit, which currently is southern and central New South Wales,' Lubitz said. 'So it could be that a few decades from now, maybe bull sharks are present year-round in waters off Sydney,' he added. 'While the chances of a shark bite, and shark bites in Australia in general, remain low, it just means that people have to be more aware of an increased window of bull shark presence in coastal waters off Sydney.' Climate change could also change breeding patterns, Lubitz said, with early evidence indicating juvenile sharks were appearing in rivers further south. There was some evidence as well that summer habitats for great whites, which prefer colder waters, were decreasing in northern New South Wales and Queensland, he said. Tagged sharks trigger an alarm when they swim within range of a network of receivers dotted around parts of the Australian coast, giving people real-time warnings on a mobile app of their presence at key locations.—AFP This handout image released by Simon Fraser University/James Cook University shows bull sharks in the waters off Fiji. --AFP photos
