Milky Way Galaxy collision more likely while NASA prepares for lunar rescue
A new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy found that there is a 50-50 chance that the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies could collide in the next few billion years.
In this week's Space Space, we're taking a closer look at the report and why NASA is trying to rescue astronauts at the South Pole.
Researchers at the University of Helsinki looked into the chances of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies colliding.
'The Milky Way is not doomed – whether that's relevant for the sun or for the earth, that's another question. But yeah, so basically we found that there's only about a 50-50 chance that the Milky Way will collide with Andromeda in the next 10 billion years,' said the study's lead author, Dr. Till Sawala from the University of Helsinki, to the Associated Press.
Sawala and his team made the discovery while studying observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope and Gaia star-surveying spacecraft. Hubble is operated by NASA. Gaia is owned by the European Space Agency.
The research looked at possible futures for the two galaxies. Both galaxies have collided with other galaxies in the past, according to the Associate Press.
Other galaxies and celestial bodies could change the likelihood of the galaxies colliding. More observations are needed to determine the galaxy's ultimate fate.
'Even though we say that we really can't say what the outcome is right now based on the data that we have, this is not a case of chaos. This is not system that is unpredictable. It is a system that's very predictable, we just don't have basically enough accuracy about the current state of the Milky Way and Andromeda,' Sawala explained to the AP.
NASA recently announced the winners of The South Pole Safety Challenge. The challenge allowed the public to design technology for recovering astronauts in hard to reach areas of the moon.
The public was asked to develop lightweight, easy to use rescue equipment. It had to be designed to transport crew weighing 755 lbs. and capable of travelling 1.24 miles and across slopes up to 22 degrees.
The challenge received 385 unique ideas from 61 countries. Five winners were selected. NASA, in a press release described the winners as the following:
VERTEX by Hugo Shelley – A self-deploying four-wheeled motorized stretcher that converts from a compact cylinder into a frame that securely encases an immobilized crew member for transport up to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers).
MoonWheel by Chamara Mahesh – A foldable manual trolley designed for challenging terrain and rapid deployment by an individual astronaut.
Portable Foldable Compact Emergency Stretcher by Sbarellati team – A foldable stretcher compatible with NASA's Exploration Extravehicular Activity spacesuit.
Advanced Surface Transport for Rescue (ASTRA) by Pierre-Alexandre Aubé – A collapsible three-wheeled device with a 1.2 mile (2 kilometer) range.
Getting Rick to Roll! by InventorParents – A rapidly deployable, tool-free design suited for functionality in low gravity settings.
NASA aims to test these devices on future missions. The winners all split a $45,000 prize.
Two European satellites are mimicking an eclipse in deep space. Developed by the European Space Agency, the Proba-3 twin satellites launched December 4, 2024.
On Monday, June 16, the ESA released the first images sent back from the probes of an artificial eclipse. The images will be used to study the sun's corona and solar flares.
'To see the corona, we needed to align the two spacecrafts and the sun. And so the two spacecrafts should be aligned with the precision below (one) millimeter. And the distance between the two spaces is 144 meters. So it's really, really, really technological achievement, a technological breakthrough,' said Dr. Andrei Zhukov, lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope, to the Associated Press.
One satellite blocks the sun as if it is the moon during an eclipse, while the other takes pictures. The fake eclipse lasts six hours, much longer than a real one on Earth which lasts just minutes.
Zhukov anticipates an average of two solar eclipses per week being produced for a total of nearly 200 during the two-year mission, yielding more than 1,000 hours of totality.
'We hope to learn a lot about the physics of the solar corona close to the solar surface to see how the solar wind is accelerated and also to see the origin of coronal mass ejections, which can disturb human technology when they arrive at the Earth,' Zhukov said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Presents Data on MC4R Agonists Setmelanotide and Bivamelagon at ENDO 2025
- Presentations highlight clinically meaningful reductions in BMI in patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity – - Full data from Phase 3 TRANSCEND study underscore potential efficacy of setmelanotide, including with prior use or concomitant use of GLP-1s - BOSTON, July 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RYTM), a global commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the lives of patients living with rare neuroendocrine diseases, today announced data from three new presentations on the Company's clinical programs for acquired hypothalamic obesity at the Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting (ENDO 2025) taking place July 12-15 in San Francisco, CA. Acquired hypothalamic obesity is a rare but serious condition caused by damage to the hypothalamic region of the brain, which includes the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway. This damage, often from brain tumors or their treatment, leads to rapid weight gain, hyperphagia, and low energy expenditure. Presentations on Rhythm's acquired hypothalamic obesity programs at ENDO 2025 include: Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Oral Bivamelagon in Acquired Hypothalamic Obesity: Results from a Double-blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Phase 2 TrialIn a poster presentation, Vidhu Thaker, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, Columbia University, New York City, presented data from the Phase 2 SIGNAL trial evaluating bivamelagon, a daily oral, highly selective MC4R agonist, in patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity. In the 14-week, double-blind, four-arm, placebo-controlled portion of the trial, bivamelagon achieved statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in body mass index (BMI), consistent with BMI reductions achieved with setmelanotide therapy in similar patient populations in past trials. Other highlights include: -9.3% BMI reduction from baseline in the 600mg cohort (n=8) (p-value= 0.0004); -7.7% BMI reduction from baseline in the 400mg cohort (n=7) (p-value= 0.0002); -2.7% BMI reduction from baseline in the 200mg cohort (n=6) (p-value= 0.0180); and BMI for patients in the placebo cohort (n=7) increased by 2.2% over 14 weeks. 'Patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity struggle with accelerated weight gain that profoundly affects their life. These data demonstrate bivamelagon's potential as a transformative therapeutic option for patients and validate the potential opportunity for MC4R targeted therapies, if approved, to become the standard of care for this patient community,' said Vidhu Thaker, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City. Efficacy and Safety of Setmelanotide in Acquired Hypothalamic Obesity: Results from a Double-Blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Phase 3 TrialIn a live oral presentation, Susan Phillips, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, University of California San Diego/Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, presented data from Rhythm's pivotal Phase 3 TRANSCEND trial evaluating setmelanotide, the largest randomized, placebo-controlled trial in acquired hypothalamic obesity to date. Highlights from the presentation include: -19.8% placebo-adjusted difference in BMI reduction (N=120); Statistically significant BMI reductions following setmelanotide treatment were consistently observed across subgroups stratified by age (<12, 12 to 17, <18, and 18 years and older; ranging from -15.6% to -17.2%) and by sex (-16.3% female; -16.8% male) Significant BMI reductions observed in participants with prior use or concomitant use of GLP-1s: Mean reduction of -19.3% in BMI from baseline for participants with prior but no concomitant GLP-1 use (n=10) compared to + 5.4% change for participants on placebo (n=6) at 52 weeks (p<0.0001); Mean reduction of -25.1% change in BMI from baseline for participants with prior and concomitant GLP-1 use (n=9) compared to +2.0% change for participants on placebo (n=6); There was significant reduction in weight-related measures in participants <18 years of age with setmelanotide at week 52, with a -26.2% change in the 95th percentile for BMI. 'The TRANSCEND trial has notably demonstrated how setmelanotide has the potential to significantly alter the trajectory of this devastating condition and provide significant benefit to both children and adult patients. The nearly 20% placebo-adjusted difference in BMI reduction is very compelling.' said Susan Phillips, M.D., pediatric endocrinologist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Experiences and Observations with Acquired Hypothalamic Obesity: A Qualitative Interview Sub-StudyFinally, on July 14, from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM PT, Christian Roth, M.D., Seattle Children's Research Institute, will present a poster detailing results from exit interviews gathered from 30 patients or caregivers located in the United States with acquired hypothalamic obesity who participated in the Phase 3 TRANSCEND trial. All of the Rhythm-related presentations from ENDO 2025 will be available here: About Rhythm PharmaceuticalsRhythm is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the lives of patients and their families living with rare neuroendocrine diseases. Rhythm's lead asset, IMCIVREE® (setmelanotide), an MC4R agonist designed to treat hyperphagia and severe obesity, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adult and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older with syndromic or monogenic obesity due to Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) or genetically confirmed pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), including proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1), deficiency or leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency. Both the European Commission (EC) and the UK's Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have authorized setmelanotide for the treatment of obesity and the control of hunger associated with genetically confirmed BBS or genetically confirmed loss-of-function biallelic POMC, including PCSK1, deficiency or biallelic LEPR deficiency in adults and children 2 years of age and above. Additionally, Rhythm is advancing a broad clinical development program for setmelanotide in other rare diseases, as well as investigational MC4R agonists bivamelagon and RM-718, and a preclinical suite of small molecules for the treatment of congenital hyperinsulinism. Rhythm's headquarters is in Boston, MA. About Acquired Hypothalamic ObesityAcquired hypothalamic obesity is a rare form of obesity that occurs following damage to the hypothalamic region of the brain, which includes the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway and is responsible for controlling physiological functions such as hunger and weight regulation. Acquired hypothalamic obesity most frequently follows the growth or surgical removal of craniopharyngioma, astrocytoma or other rare brain tumors. Additional causes of injury may include traumatic brain injury, stroke, or inflammation due to infection. Patients experience accelerated weight gain, a reduction in energy expenditure, and hyperphagia (a chronic pathological condition characterized by insatiable hunger, impaired satiety, and persistent abnormal food-seeking behaviors) leading to severe obesity within six to 12 months following tumor resection or other injury. Rhythm estimates there are 5,000 to 10,000 people living with hypothalamic obesity in the U.S., 5,000 to 8,000 people living with hypothalamic obesity in Japan, and 3,500 to 10,000 people living with hypothalamic obesity in the E.U. Setmelanotide IndicationIn the United States, setmelanotide is indicated to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adult and pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with syndromic or monogenic obesity due to Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) or Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1), or leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency as determined by an FDA-approved test demonstrating variants in POMC, PCSK1, or LEPR genes that are interpreted as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, or of uncertain significance (VUS). In the European Union and the United Kingdom, setmelanotide is indicated for the treatment of obesity and the control of hunger associated with genetically confirmed BBS or loss-of-function biallelic POMC, including PCSK1, deficiency or biallelic LEPR deficiency in adults and children 2 years of age and above. In the European Union and the United Kingdom, setmelanotide should be prescribed and supervised by a physician with expertise in obesity with underlying genetic etiology. Limitations of Use Setmelanotide is not indicated for the treatment of patients with the following conditions as setmelanotide would not be expected to be effective: Obesity due to suspected POMC, PCSK1, or LEPR deficiency with POMC, PCSK1, orLEPR variants classified as benign or likely benign Other types of obesity not related to BBS or POMC, PCSK1, or LEPR deficiency, including obesity associated with other genetic syndromes and general (polygenic) obesity Contraindication Prior serious hypersensitivity to setmelanotide or any of the excipients in IMCIVREE. Serious hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis) have been reported. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Disturbance in Sexual Arousal: Spontaneous penile erections in males and sexual adverse reactions in females have occurred. Inform patients that these events may occur and instruct patients who have an erection lasting longer than 4 hours to seek emergency medical attention. Depression and Suicidal Ideation: Depression, suicidal ideation and depressed mood have occurred. Monitor patients for new onset or worsening depression or suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Consider discontinuing IMCIVREE if patients experience suicidal thoughts or behaviors, or clinically significant or persistent depression symptoms occur. Hypersensitivity Reactions: Serious hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis) have been reported. If suspected, advise patients to promptly seek medical attention and discontinue IMCIVREE. Skin Hyperpigmentation, Darkening of Pre-existing Nevi, and Development of New Melanocytic Nevi: Generalized or focal increases in skin pigmentation, darkening of pre-existing nevi, development of new melanocytic nevi and increase in size of existing melanocytic nevi have occurred. Perform a full body skin examination prior to initiation and periodically during treatment to monitor pre-existing and new pigmented lesions. Risk of Serious Adverse Reactions Due to Benzyl Alcohol Preservative in Neonates and Low Birth Weight Infants: IMCIVREE is not approved for use in neonates or infants. Serious and fatal adverse reactions including 'gasping syndrome' can occur in neonates and low birth weight infants treated with benzyl alcohol preserved drugs. ADVERSE REACTIONSMost common adverse reactions (incidence ≥20%) included skin hyperpigmentation, injection site reactions, nausea, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, depression, and spontaneous penile erection. USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS Treatment with IMCIVREE is not recommended when breastfeeding. Discontinue IMCIVREE when pregnancy is recognized unless the benefits of therapy outweigh the potential risks to the fetus. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Rhythm Pharmaceuticals at +1 (833) 789-6337 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or See section 4.8 of the Summary of Product Characteristics for information on reporting suspected adverse reactions in Europe. Please see the full Prescribing Information for additional Important Safety Information. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding our Phase 2 study to assess the efficacy and safety of bivamelagon in patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity and the potential for bivamelagon to treat or become a standard of care for hypothalamic obesity; our pivotal Phase 3 TRANSCEND study evaluating setmelanotide for the treatment of acquired hypothalamic obesity and the potential for setmelanotide to treat or become a standard of care for hypothalamic obesity; the safety, efficacy, potential benefits of, and regulatory and clinical progress, potential regulatory submissions, approvals and timing thereof of bivamelagon, setmelanotide and other product candidates; the clinical design or progress of any of our products or product candidates at any dosage or in any indication; the potential benefits of any of the Company's products or product candidates for any specific disease indication or at any dosage, including the potential benefits of bivamelagon and setmelanotide for patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity or congenital hypothalamic obesity; our participation in upcoming events and presentations, and the date, time and content thereof and the timing of any of the foregoing. Statements using words such as 'expect', 'anticipate', 'believe', 'may', 'will' and similar terms are also forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials, the design and outcome of clinical trials, the impact of competition, the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals, risks associated with data analysis and reporting, our ability to successfully commercialize setmelanotide, our liquidity and expenses, our ability to retain our key employees and consultants, and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, and general economic conditions, and the other important factors, including those discussed under the caption 'Risk Factors' in Rhythm's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligations to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Corporate Contact:David ConnollyHead of Investor Relations and Corporate CommunicationsRhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc.857-264-4280dconnolly@ Media Contact:Layne LitsingerReal Chemistry(410) 916-1035llitsinger@
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FEMA's flood maps often miss dangerous flash flood risks, leaving homeowners unprepared
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Research shows that the availability, and accessibility, of climate data on these sites has started driving property-buying decisions that increasingly take climate change into account. As homebuyers understand more about a property's flood risks, that may shift the desirability of some locations over time. Those shifts will have implications for property valuations, community tax-revenue assessments, population migration patterns and a slew of other considerations. However, while these may feel like changes being brought on by new data, the risk was already there. What is changing is people's awareness. The federal government has an important role to play in ensuring that accurate risk assessments are available to communities and Americans everywhere. As better tools and models evolve for assessing risk evolve, FEMA's risk maps need to evolve, too. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Jeremy Porter, City University of New York Read more: Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 120 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding Why it can be hard to warn people about dangers like floods – communication researchers explain the role of human behavior The aftermath of floods, hurricanes and other disasters can be hardest on older rural Americans – here's how families and neighbors can help Jeremy Porter has nothing to disclose.
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