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Free dinosaur workshop for children at garden centre

Free dinosaur workshop for children at garden centre

Yahoo5 days ago
Children can explore the world of prehistoric plants and dinosaurs at a free interactive workshop this summer.
The event will take place at Dobbies' Cadnam store on August 3, as part of the garden centre's monthly Little Seedlings Club.
Aimed at children aged four to 10, the session will introduce young explorers to dinosaurs, ancient plants, and hands-on activities, including making their own fossil to take home.
Spaces can be booked at dobbies.com.
Ayesha Nickson, events programme manager at Dobbies, said: "Our Prehistoric Plants workshop is a very exciting opportunity for children to show and share their love for dinosaurs while learning more about plants.
READ MORE: New festive experience to be launched in the New Forest this Christmas
"The activities that the children can take part in are a great way to discover and explore the world of prehistoric plants, and the crafts allow the fun to carry on at home."
She added that Dobbies is a welcoming space for families to enjoy learning, play, and dining together.
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Interstellar Visitor Zipping Through Our Solar System Could Be a Hostile Probe, Alien-Hyping Scientists Warn
Interstellar Visitor Zipping Through Our Solar System Could Be a Hostile Probe, Alien-Hyping Scientists Warn

Gizmodo

time17 hours ago

  • Gizmodo

Interstellar Visitor Zipping Through Our Solar System Could Be a Hostile Probe, Alien-Hyping Scientists Warn

There's a visitor in town, and its name is 3I/ATLAS. The presumed interstellar comet presents a rare opportunity for astronomers to study an object born a long time ago in a star system far, far away. But a new paper uploaded to the preprint arXiv server asks an intriguing question: Is the object actually alien technology? For Harvard astronomer and study co-author Abraham Loeb, this is not his first interstellar rodeo. In 2018, Loeb proposed that the interstellar object 'Oumuamua might be an alien probe. He's now back at it, along with co-authors Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl from the UK's Initiative for Interstellar Studies, asking the same question about 3I/ATLAS. The team is essentially flagging 3I/ATLAS as a candidate for alien technology and, perhaps alarmingly, as something that might actually pose an existential threat to humanity. Sounds absolutely bonkers, but it's a topic worth exploring and not something to reflexively toss onto the garbage heap. From the moment it entered our view, 3I/ATLAS—the third interstellar object ever detected in our solar system—instantly became the biggest news in astronomy for the month, if not the year. Astronomers are using the rare opportunity to study the object in as much detail as possible using the best instruments available. A clear picture of the object is emerging, suggesting it's very likely an enormous, icy comet that's considerably older than our solar system; preliminary estimates suggest it's 0.74 miles long (1.2 kilometers) and dates back some 7 billion years. An Interstellar Comet Is Here, and Its Age Is Mind-Bending The interstellar interloper is zipping through our solar system at ludicrous speeds, clocking in at 37 miles (60 kilometers) per second. Its velocity is so extreme that it'll exit our solar system and disappear from our view later this year, escaping the gravitational influence of our Sun. Astronomers are therefore under a tight deadline to understand everything they possibly can about 3I/ATLAS—an object that originated in some faraway protoplanetary or planetary system. That said, astronomers have already made some great strides in sketching out the finer details of 3I/ATLAS, quickly churning out papers pertaining to the visitor's age, size, velocity, spin, and, most importantly, its origin, based on observational data. According to research released earlier this week, the object is a jumble of organic molecules, silicates, and carbon-based minerals, placing it in a similar compositional category as asteroids found between Mars and Jupiter. Based on current data—much of it from researchers working with the newly launched Vera C. Rubin Observatory—3I/ATLAS is expected to pass through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter later this fall, reaching its closest point to the Sun in late October. Excitingly, the Sun's warmth should sublimate enough ice on the comet to brighten the coma and tail even further. Suffice it to say, astronomers' ongoing investigations into 3I/ATLAS largely confirm that it's a cometary castaway. Like other comets we've seen before, 3I/ATLAS likely emerged from natural processes and was banished to interstellar space by some gravitational interaction, such as a close encounter with a gigantic planet or a passing star. Importantly, and despite strange, unfounded claims made in the new Loeb paper, there's zero indication that 3I/ATLAS is anything but a natural object formed by natural processes. Yet that hasn't stopped Loeb and his colleagues from venturing beyond the existing evidence. What's more, they've violated Occam's razor—a central tenet of the scientific method. Scientists are told that the simplest explanation is often the best when tackling puzzling phenomena. In this case, the simplest explanation, given the existing evidence, is that 3I/ATLAS is a comet. Often, when astronomers detect something unusual or inexplicable in space, there's the urge to invoke extraterrestrial influence. The Many, Many Times Astronomers Mistook Mundane Phenomena for Aliens This seems to be the case here, but as we'll discuss next, these researchers are not wrong to be asking these sorts of questions. As Sara Webb, an astrophysicist at the Swinburne University of Technology, wrote in The Conversation, 'Objects like 3I/ATLAS remind us that space is vast, strange, and full of surprises. Most of them have natural explanations. But the strangest objects are worth a second look.' Loeb and his colleagues do bring up a salient point—that we need to be curious about this object and not simply assume that it is what we think it is. Moreover, the team's warning that this object, should it be an alien probe, poses a potential hostile threat to humanity is rooted in some fascinating—if not disturbing—philosophical arguments having to do with our failed search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. The first is the Fermi Paradox—the surprising observation that, despite our galaxy's immense size and extreme age, we have yet to see any signs of intelligent aliens. As Italian physicist Enrico Fermi famously asked in 1950, 'Where is everybody?' This conundrum, known as the Great Silence, is not so easy to brush aside, as virtually all proposed solutions fail to convincingly account for the conspicuous absence of a Milky Way filled with extraterrestrials and extraterrestrial technology. This has led a number of philosophers, astrobiologists, and science-fiction writers to propose some rather grim solutions to the Fermi Paradox, that is, solutions that point to a galaxy devoid of space-faring civilizations. Loeb's new paper invokes one of these solutions, an idea known as the Dark Forest hypothesis. The term is borrowed from sci-fi author Liu Cixin, who made note of this possibility in his The Three-Body Problem trilogy, specifically the 2008 novel The Dark Forest. In Liu's imagined universe, intelligent civilizations stay silent and hidden because any interaction with aliens could be fatal; since it's impossible to know another civilization's intentions, the safest move is to eliminate potential threats before they can act. Hence, a Dark Forest galaxy, in which advanced civilizations take the form of silent hunters. This general concept didn't start with Liu; sci-fi novelist and SETI expert David Brin has been ruminating over the possibility of killer alien probes since 1983. As Loeb and his colleagues argue in the new paper, 3I/ATLAS, should it be artificial, is likely to possess 'active intelligence.' If that's the case, the object might be friendly, evil, or possibly something in between, they write. If it's benign, we can relax, but it's the second possibility—that it's malign—that's cause for 'most concern.' That's because the Dark Forest resolution to the Fermi Paradox is the more likely scenario, 'as it would neatly explain the singular lack of success of the SETI initiative to-date,' according to the paper. In other words, the reason we have yet to encounter aliens is that they're stealthy hunters, and this interstellar visitor, should it be a probe, likely belongs to that class of civilizations. Which is obviously not good for us. This argument brings the Berserker probe concept to mind, an idea proposed by another science fiction writer, Fred Saberhagen. The concept is as simple as it is disturbing: the solution to the Fermi Paradox is that all intelligent life is wiped out by self-replicating machines—known as Von Neumann probes—that methodically sterilize the galaxy of intelligence. All this talk of interstellar probes may seem outlandish, but there are a few things worth considering. First, our galaxy, across its 13-billion-year history, has likely spawned numerous advanced civilizations, many of which were (or are) capable of launching probes on interstellar missions. Secondly, we ourselves have already launched three interstellar (or interstellar-bound) probes as a result of exploring our immediate environment: both Voyager probes and New Horizons. It's therefore not unreasonable to assume that interstellar probes of varying ages and technologies are zipping around the Milky Way. One day, we just might spot one of these alien artifacts passing through our neck of the celestial woods. Let's hope it's friendly.

Thousands of cancer cases could be prevented with more breast removal surgeries
Thousands of cancer cases could be prevented with more breast removal surgeries

Yahoo

time18 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Thousands of cancer cases could be prevented with more breast removal surgeries

Thousands of breast cancer cases could potentially be prevented if more women were offered 'risk reducing' breast removal surgery, a study suggests. Breast removal surgery, also known as a mastectomy, is offered to treat breast cancer in some women. It can also be offered to women who are deemed to be high risk of the disease to prevent them from getting it in the first place. A study has found that if more women were given preventative mastectomies, then about 6,500 cases of breast cancer could be prevented each year. Risk-reducing mastectomies (RRM) are currently only offered to women with the BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 genes, experts said. But the new analysis suggests that some women with other genes linked to a higher risk of breast cancer – including ATM, CHEK2, RAD51C, RAD51D – who may also be at higher risk due to a number of other factors may benefit from RRM if they are assessed as having a high risk of disease. These other factors can include a family history of breast cancer, the number of children they have had, whether or not they breast fed and mammogram density. Women in the UK have an 11% chance of developing breast cancer across their lifetime. Medics can calculate a woman's risk of breast cancer using tools which combine the effect of various risk factors. This is your breast check reminder! Learn the signs and symptoms of breast — Breast Cancer Now (@BreastCancerNow) May 6, 2025 Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) found that if health officials could identify all women aged 30 to 55 who have a 35% or higher risk of breast cancer, and they all went on to have RRM, then an estimated 6,538 breast cancer cases could be prevented in the UK each year. This is the equivalent of around 11% of the 59,000 women in the UK who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. The academics point out that women who have one of the other genes linked to breast cancer, who may be at high risk of disease, could potentially be found by a mechanism called 'cascade testing' – where genetic tests are offered to family members of women who have been found to have these different genes linked to breast cancer. The economic evaluation study, published in the journal JAMA Oncology, concludes: 'Undergoing RRM appears cost-effective for women at 30-55 years with a lifetime BC-risk 35% (or more). 'The results could have significant clinical implications to expand access to RRM beyond BRCA1/BRCA2/PALB2 pathogenic variant carriers.' Corresponding author on the paper, Professor Ranjit Manchanda, professor of gynaecological oncology at Queen Mary and consultant gynaecological oncologist, said: 'We for the first time define the risk at which we should offer RRM. 'Our results could have significant clinical implications to expand access to mastectomy beyond those patients with known genetic susceptibility in high penetrance genes- BRCA1/ BRCA2/ PALB2 – who are traditionally offered this. 'This could potentially prevent can potentially prevent (around) 6500 breast cancer cases annually in UK women. 'We recommend that more research is carried out to evaluate the acceptability, uptake, and long-term outcomes of RRM among this group'. Dr Rosa Legood, associate professor in health economics at LSHTM, added: 'Undergoing RRM is cost-effective for women (aged) 30 to 55-years with a lifetime breast cancer risk of 35% or more. 'These results can support additional management options for personalised breast cancer risk prediction enabling more women at increased risk to access prevention.' Women deemed to be at high risk of breast cancer can also be offered regular screening and medication. Louise Grimsdell, Breast Cancer Now senior clinical nurse specialist, said: 'While this modelling provides valuable insights into the cost-effectiveness of risk-reducing mastectomy for women with a high risk of developing breast cancer, each individual must be offered all risk-management options that are suitable for them. 'Choosing to have risk-reducing surgery is a complex and deeply personal decision that comes with emotional and physical implications. 'So, it's vital women can consider all their options, including screening and risk-reducing medications, and are supported by their clinician to make an informed decision that's right for them. 'It's also crucial that the unacceptably long waits that far too many women who chose risk-reducing surgery are facing are urgently tackled.'

Breakthrough discovery shows that moths listen to plants — and avoid the noisy ones
Breakthrough discovery shows that moths listen to plants — and avoid the noisy ones

CNN

time18 hours ago

  • CNN

Breakthrough discovery shows that moths listen to plants — and avoid the noisy ones

FacebookTweetLink When a plant is stressed, it doesn't keep quiet about it. You won't hear the plant's cry because it's in the ultrasonic range — too high-pitched for human ears — but, for decades, scientists have been using special devices to listen in. For the first time, a team of researchers in Israel has documented that insects can hear and interpret plants' acoustic distress signals. This finding builds upon the research group's prior work recording sounds that tomato and tobacco plants make when they are dehydrated, said lead study author Rya Seltzer, an entomologist and doctoral student in the department of zoology at Tel Aviv University in Israel. 'The prevailing hypothesis is that these sounds are produced as a result of changes in the plant's water balance within the xylem vessels,' the specialized plant cells that carry water and nutrients upward from the roots to the stem and leaves, Seltzer told CNN in an email. During periods of stress from lack of water, air bubbles form, expand and collapse in xylem tissues. This sequence of events produces vibrations, generating click-like sounds every few seconds that the researchers measured in the acoustic frequency range of about 20 to 100 kilohertz. They estimated these frequencies to be audible to insects at distances up to 16 feet (around 5 meters). (Sound waves at frequencies higher than 20 kilohertz are typically beyond the range of human hearing). The scientists wanted to know if these ultrasonic sounds were being picked up by insects, so they observed the Egyptian cotton leafworm moth (Spodoptera littoralis), which lays its eggs on plant leaves. The study team found these moths tended to avoid noisy, stressed tomato plants. Instead, the insects favored tomato plants that were quieter and therefore in better condition, with leaves that would provide a juicier meal for newly hatched larvae, according to a recent study published in the journal eLife. '(The research) reveals a surprising new way that animals can sense and respond to cues from the environment — in this case, insects picking up sounds from stressed plants,' Dr. Yali V. Zhang, an adjunct associate professor of physiology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, said in an email. Zhang, who studies chemical communication between insects and plants at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, was not involved in the study. However, just because the moths hear and react to sounds from dehydrated plants doesn't mean that the plants and moths are holding a conversation, Seltzer said. 'It's important to clarify that we observed an interaction — not communication,' she added. 'It's crucial to understand that plants likely produce these sounds passively and are not actively trying to communicate with insects.' When the scientists presented female moths with a choice between a dried-out tomato plant and a fresh one, the moths flocked to the fresh plant to lay their eggs. But the team wanted to understand whether the sounds from the dehydrated plant were a factor in the moths' selection. The researchers built an arena consisting of two boxes. In one box, they played recordings of plants' distress sounds, while the other box was silent. In the experiment, moths gravitated to the noisy box, and scientists theorize that it's because the sounds suggested that they would find a living plant there. This preference vanished when the scientists deafened the moths, leading to the conclusion that moths were listening to the plants before they made their choices, the study authors wrote. In another experiment, the researchers again offered the female moths a selection of two tomato plants. This time, both plants were hydrated, but one was near a speaker playing ultrasonic stress sounds. The result: More of the moths picked the quieter plant. A third experiment tested whether the egg-laying females were influenced by other acoustic cues, such as those of male moths, who produce ultrasonic courtship clicks. It found that when male moths' calls were broadcast from one side of the arena, females 'showed no significant preference' as to where they lay their eggs, according to the study. Together, these experiments told the researchers that the moths were listening to and recognizing sounds made by plants — and that they were using that acoustic information to make decisions about those plants for their reproduction, Seltzer said. Insects have been capable of detecting ultrasonic sounds since at least the Eocene epoch (55.8 million to 33.9 million years ago). However, the researchers were surprised to see that the moths recognized the plants' ultrasonic signs of distress, Seltzer said. Even though female moths in the experiments had never laid eggs before — and therefore had no prior experience deciphering acoustic cues from plants — they not only recognized plant sounds, but preferred quieter plants for their first time egg-laying. 'It's a really cool and surprising discovery!' Zhang said. 'We've known for a long time that plants give off smells when they're in trouble, like when they're being eaten by bugs or are thirsty. These smells help attract helpful insects or scare away pests,' he said. 'What's new here is that sound may give extra information — like a warning signal — especially when there's no smell or the smell is hard to detect. ' Plant acoustics is an area of growing interest for scientists, and preliminary work suggests that sound-making is widespread, Seltzer said. Future research could investigate the use of acoustic monitoring to understand how stress affects plant health and could identify potential applications for agricultural pest control. 'I believe this is just the beginning of discoveries in this field,' Seltzer said. 'There are countless organisms that can hear in these frequencies, and potentially many more plant sounds we haven't discovered yet,' she added. 'This is definitely just the tip of the iceberg.' Mindy Weisberger is a science writer and media producer whose work has appeared in Live Science, Scientific American and How It Works magazine. She is the author of 'Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind Control' (Hopkins Press). Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

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