Latest news with #Miyahara
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Like finding a tropical seed in Arctic ice': How a surprise mineral could change the history of asteroid Ryugu
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A rogue mineral found in a dust grain from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, which was visited and sampled by the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission in 2020, could upend decades of perceived wisdom about the conditions in which some asteroids formed. The mineral in question is named "djerfisherite" (pronounced juh-fisher-ite) after the American mineralogist Daniel Jerome Fisher, is an iron-nickel sulfide containing potassium. It is typically found on asteroids and in meteorites called "enstatite chondrites." These are quite rare and formed in the inner solar system some 4.6 billion years ago, in temperatures exceeding 662 degrees Fahrenheit (350 degrees Celsius). So, imagine the surprise of researchers, led by planetary scientist Masaaki Miyahara of Hiroshima University in Japan, when they found djerfisherite in a grain sampled from Ryugu — a carbon-rich CI chondrite that instead formed in cooler conditions in the outer solar system. "Its occurrence is like finding a tropical seed in Arctic ice — indicating either an unexpected local environment or long-distance transport in the early solar system," said Miyahara in a statement. As a CI chondrite, Ryugu was thought to have experienced a very different history when compared to enstatite chondrites. Ryugu is believed to have once been part of a larger protoplanet, but was blasted off due to an impact at some point in the solar system's history. Born in the outer solar system, that parent body would have been relatively abundant in water- and carbon dioxide-ice. Enough heat should have also been generated within the body through the radioactive decay of radioisotopes locked up in its rocks — that would've melted the ice. Taking place about 3 million years after the parent body formed, that resulting liquid would have chemically altered Ryugu's composition. But importantly, temperatures from such radioisotopic heating are not expected to have exceeded 122 degrees F (50 degrees Celsius). And yet, somehow, there is a grain of djerfisherite in Ryugu samples. One possibility is the djerfisherite is not native to Ryugu, and is rather connected to the impact of an enstatite chondrite. The alternative is that the djerfisherite formed in situ on Ryugu — but this could only have occurred in potassium-bearing fluids and iron–nickel sulfides at temperatures greater than 662 degrees Fahrenheit. Isotopic data could offer a decent idea as to the origin of the djerfisherite, but that data is currently lacking, so there's no way to say for sure. However, based on their analysis, Miyahara's team leans towards the likelihood that the djerfisherite somehow indeed formed in situ on Ryugu. How the conditions arose to make this possible remains, however? That's a mystery for now. "The discovery of djerfisherite in a Ryugu grain suggests that materials with very different formation histories may have mixed early in the solar system's evolution, or that Ryugu experienced localized, chemically heterogeneous conditions not previously recognized," said Miyahara. "This finding challenges the notion that Ryugu is compositionally uniform and opens new questions about the complexity of primitive asteroids." RELATED STORIES — Asteroid Ryugu holds secrets of our solar system's past, present and future — Japan's priceless asteroid Ryugu sample got 'rapidly colonized' by Earth bacteria — Asteroid Ryugu contains dust older than the solar system Scientists will now be rushing to re-analyze their samples from Ryugu to try and learn whether this discovery of djerfisherite is a one-off, or whether there is more evidence that supports its in-situ formation. In doing so, scientists won't just solve a mystery. They will also come to better understand where and how different minerals formed in the protoplanetary disk around the young sun 4.6 billion years ago, how those minerals subsequently mixed and coalesced to form asteroids and planets, and how subsequent chemical reactions on those bodies produced more minerals. In doing so, they can chart the chemical evolution of the solar system. The discovery of djerfisherite was reported on May 28 in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science.


India Today
30-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
Scientists baffled by discovery of unexpected mineral on asteroid Ryugu
The discovery of these salt minerals has broader implications for understanding the role of water. (Photo: Nasa) Hayabusa2 returned samples from asteroid Ryugu providing new mineral insights Djerfisherite found in Ryugu challenges previous formation assumptions Mineral usually forms in reduced environments unlike Ryugu's known conditions The rocks and soil samples from asteroid Ryugu have provided new insights into the nature of primitive asteroids and the formation of the Solar System. A research team from Hiroshima University has identified the mineral djerfisherite, a potassium-containing iron-nickel sulfide, in a sample from this C-type asteroid. This discovery, published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science, challenges existing paradigms since djerfisherite was not expected to form under the conditions present on Ryugu. "Djerfisherite is a mineral that typically forms in very reduced environments, like those found in enstatite chondrites, and has never been reported in CI chondrites or other Ryugu grains," explained Masaaki Miyahara, the study's lead author. This unexpected presence raises questions about Ryugu's formation, suggesting either an unusual environment or a long-distance transport process early in the solar system's history. The presence of djerfisherite suggests the possibility of mixed material formation histories in the early solar system, or that Ryugu experienced distinct, localised chemical conditions. "The discovery of djerfisherite in a Ryugu grain suggests that materials with very different formation histories may have mixed early in the solar system's evolution, or that Ryugu experienced localised, chemically heterogeneous conditions not previously recognised," Miyahara elaborated. A research team at Hiroshima University discovered the presence of the mineral djerfisherite. (Photo: Hiroshima University) Ryugu, a part of a larger parent body formed between 1.8 and 2.9 million years after the solar system's beginning, originated in its outer regions. This parent body contained water and carbon dioxide in ice form. Heating by radioactive decay melted the ice, which generally remained below 50C. This environment contrasts with enstatite chondrites, where djerfisherite is known to form from high-temperature gases. Djerfisherite's formation could result from two processes: intrusion from another source during Ryugu's parent body's formation or intrinsic formation when Ryugu's temperature exceeded 350C. Preliminary evidence favours the intrinsic formation hypothesis, prompting further isotopic studies to explore the origins of this and other Ryugu grains. The next research steps aim to reconstruct the early mixing processes and thermal histories of small bodies like Ryugu. "Ultimately, our goal is to reconstruct the early mixing processes and thermal histories that shaped small bodies like Ryugu, thereby improving our understanding of planetary formation and material transport in the early solar system," stated Miyahara. This discovery not only challenges the current understanding of Ryugu's compositional uniformity but also opens new avenues for research into the complexity and formation of primitive asteroids, potentially reshaping longstanding theories about material transport in the early solar system. The rocks and soil samples from asteroid Ryugu have provided new insights into the nature of primitive asteroids and the formation of the Solar System. A research team from Hiroshima University has identified the mineral djerfisherite, a potassium-containing iron-nickel sulfide, in a sample from this C-type asteroid. This discovery, published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science, challenges existing paradigms since djerfisherite was not expected to form under the conditions present on Ryugu. "Djerfisherite is a mineral that typically forms in very reduced environments, like those found in enstatite chondrites, and has never been reported in CI chondrites or other Ryugu grains," explained Masaaki Miyahara, the study's lead author. This unexpected presence raises questions about Ryugu's formation, suggesting either an unusual environment or a long-distance transport process early in the solar system's history. The presence of djerfisherite suggests the possibility of mixed material formation histories in the early solar system, or that Ryugu experienced distinct, localised chemical conditions. "The discovery of djerfisherite in a Ryugu grain suggests that materials with very different formation histories may have mixed early in the solar system's evolution, or that Ryugu experienced localised, chemically heterogeneous conditions not previously recognised," Miyahara elaborated. A research team at Hiroshima University discovered the presence of the mineral djerfisherite. (Photo: Hiroshima University) Ryugu, a part of a larger parent body formed between 1.8 and 2.9 million years after the solar system's beginning, originated in its outer regions. This parent body contained water and carbon dioxide in ice form. Heating by radioactive decay melted the ice, which generally remained below 50C. This environment contrasts with enstatite chondrites, where djerfisherite is known to form from high-temperature gases. Djerfisherite's formation could result from two processes: intrusion from another source during Ryugu's parent body's formation or intrinsic formation when Ryugu's temperature exceeded 350C. Preliminary evidence favours the intrinsic formation hypothesis, prompting further isotopic studies to explore the origins of this and other Ryugu grains. The next research steps aim to reconstruct the early mixing processes and thermal histories of small bodies like Ryugu. "Ultimately, our goal is to reconstruct the early mixing processes and thermal histories that shaped small bodies like Ryugu, thereby improving our understanding of planetary formation and material transport in the early solar system," stated Miyahara. This discovery not only challenges the current understanding of Ryugu's compositional uniformity but also opens new avenues for research into the complexity and formation of primitive asteroids, potentially reshaping longstanding theories about material transport in the early solar system. Join our WhatsApp Channel


Japan Forward
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
Exclusive: Retired Star Satoko Miyahara Still Seeking Future Path
Satoko Miyahara took time from her busy tour schedule to discuss her illustrious career, current work, and thoughts about the future in an exclusive interview. Satoko Miyahara dazzles during her performance in one of the 2025 Rock Stars on Ice tour stops. (©TRI NGUYEN) SAN JOSE, California ― Three years removed from her competitive career, Satoko Miyahara is just entering the prime of her life and the possibilities going forward are limitless. The 27-year-old Miyahara recently completed a grueling month-long tour of Canada and the United States with "Rock Stars on Ice." This marked the fourth year that the four-time Japan champion has skated with the group, which included the likes of two-time world champion Ilia Malinin and fellow world titlist Alysa Liu. Miyahara took time out from the busy tour schedule for an exclusive interview with Ice Time, where she discussed her illustrious career, current work, and thoughts about the future. Ice Time asked the two-time world medalist how she came to be the only Japanese skater with the Stars on Ice troupe. "When I retired from competition, I really wanted to do shows overseas," Miyahara stated in a quiet room inside the SAP Center before a Sunday afternoon show. "I was skating as a guest skater in Stars on Ice Japan. That was the very first connection. My agent contacted the producer of SOI and asked if I could join the Canadian tour, and the answer was positive." Satoko Miyahara in a recent file photo. (SATOKO MIYAHARA/via INSTAGRAM) Renowned for her beautiful line and edge on the ice, I wondered whether she enjoyed competitions or show skating more. "I think I like shows better, but I really like the training process toward competitions," Miyahara commented. "So it's hard to decide which. Just talking about the actual performance, I like to perform in shows. "I think at competitions I pressure myself too much and I never thought that I did my best programs at competitions. But when it comes to shows, it is more about how you perform, and you can do the programs you really want to do." Satoko Miyahara (JACK GALLAGHER) Her successful career has brought her a legion of fans in various parts of the globe, and along the way she has earned several nicknames. Ice Time wanted to know which one was her favorite. "I adore them all," Miyahara remarked. " 'Satopi' is from (former training partner) Ayaka Hosoda and it's my oldest nickname. 'Satton' comes next because one of my friends who trained with me gave me that name. "It's so funny, to say our nicknames in Western Japan, it's a very Kansai nickname. The pronunciation is Sat-ton, but the people in Kanto cannot really pronounce it right. Even between skaters we always have fun talking about that." The final moniker is believed to have been originally bestowed upon her by foreign fans. " 'Tiny Queen' I love because my fans gave me that name and it always brings me the feeling that I should be honored about myself and be like a tiny queen. I tend to shrink and feel like I am not good enough. 'Tiny Queen' brings the feeling that I should be proud of myself and show my best." Satoko Miyahara Added Miyahara, "I don't know if it was foreign fans or Japanese fans who came up with the nickname, but everybody knows it means me." Satoko Miyahara competes in the women's short program at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. (©SANKEI) When one has had as decorated a career as Miyahara has, I was interested in hearing her memories of the Pyeongchang Olympics, where she came in fourth in 2018. "I was very, very, very happy with both the team event (Japan finished fifth) and my individual event," Miyahara proclaimed. "Both were a great result. For me, the Olympics were the biggest goal, so I was so happy that I was able to get that opportunity to participate in the competition. The whole event felt like I was in a wonderland. That is my biggest memory." Ice Time was in Pyeongchang and vividly remembers Miyahara's outstanding performance, where she finished behind Russians Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, and Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond. From left, runner-up Satoko Miyahara, gold medalist Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and third-place finisher Elena Radionova in the women's singles competition at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai. (DAVID W CARMICHAEL/CC BY-SA 3.0/via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS) Miyahara, a two-time Grand Prix Final medalist, considers the 2018 Games to have been the pinnacle of her career, but also cited a couple of other competitions as being high on her list of favorites. "The Pyeongchang Olympics was my highlight," Miyahara recalled. "Also, the very first worlds (2015), where I got the silver medal, those were my two highlights, thinking of the results. "But program-wise, the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona (where she placed second in 2016)," she continued. "I really felt like I was doing my programs without any doubts, [and] I felt really free. Program-wise, performance-wise, that was my best." Rock Stars on Ice performer Satoko Miyahara has participated in its shows in North America since 2022. (JAMES BENNETT) After addressing the glorious moments of a career that earned her seven medals at the Japan Championships, Ice Time wanted to know if she had any competitive regrets. "I don't have any competitions that I regret, but if I can say one, the very last season of my career," Miyahara remembered, referring to her fifth-place finish at the 2021 Japan Championships. "It was the selection competition for the Olympics. I fell on my [triple] lutz and, I don't know, but if I landed it, I might have been selected for the Beijing Olympics." Miyahara continued: "I still question if I had landed it, but it is what it is and I don't regret it at all. I'm so happy right now, so I have no regrets." Satoko Miyahara in 2018. (ⒸSANKEI) To call Miyahara's family successful is a bit of an understatement, as both of her parents are doctors. Ice Time asked for specifics on their fields of practice. "My mom is a hematologist and my father is a lung surgeon," Miyahara noted. Growing up around that high level of professional achievement, I wondered if she felt any anxiety about life after skating. "I don't feel any pressure, because my parents really respect my opinions," Miyahara commented. "They say, 'You should do whatever you want to do.' " She then said, "They support me a lot. Maybe a tiny bit they would like me to attend medical school. I don't know. This is my guess. They really respect me and I respect them." Miyahara, who won the Four Continents Championships in 2016, confessed that she does not have a firm plan about her future path at this time. "I actually do not know what I want to do," Miyahara remarked, adding, "I just want to experience whatever I can. Whatever comes along my path, I would like to try everything and see what I want to do and what I don't want to do. I am searching for what I want to do." Added Miyahara, "I just have to see what I want to do in the future. I think because I don't know what I want to do after skating, that is making me feel worried a little bit." Satoko Miyahara (front row, center) and other members of the 2025 Rock Stars on Ice tour. (SATOKO MIYAHARA/via INSTAGRAM) As she continues her career as a professional skater, Miyahara has begun to dabble in choreography, including creating a new exhibition program for three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto. Ice Time wanted to learn the origin of that arrangement. "I recently started to work with some kids and I did one show program with a senior girl, Miyabi Oba," Miyahara stated. "She's my great, great friend. Because I did that a lot of skaters thought, 'Oh, you do choreography?' Kaori was one of the skaters, and she just texted me, 'Is it OK if I ask you to make my exhibition program?' "I was like, 'It is such an honor, but are you sure that you want me to make your exhibition program?' Miyahara recalled. "And she was like, 'I would love you to.' " Miyahara admitted she had some trepidation about the task. "I was a bit nervous, but I wanted to take on that challenge," Miyahara said, adding, "I really love Kaori, so I accepted it." While she enjoys doing choreography, Miyahara isn't considering it as a primary vocation looking ahead. "I don't see myself doing choreography as a main job in the future. But as a life experience and to bring it to my next career," Miyahara stated. "I think it is going to be a great opportunity and experience. For now, I really enjoy working on choreography and studying about it. It could be a side job in the future." The 152-cm Miyahara was coached by Mie Hamada for her entire career. Ice Time asked for her thoughts on the legendary mentor, who is still going strong. Mie Hamada (KYODO) "She started coaching me when I was seven and a half," and "basically brought me to the Olympics. Baby to the Olympics. She taught me all the basic skills and skating skills, and how to practice, how to train, how to train off ice." Satoko Miyahara on mentor Mie Hamada Added Miyahara, "She brought me to all the amazing choreographers overseas, jump coaches, spin coaches. [And] she took me everywhere that we could go. I think that made me a good skater. I really appreciate her." Having learned under a prominent coach for so many years, the question of whether Miyahara would someday like to coach herself was broached. "Not for now," Miyahara stated. "I have been thinking about if I really want to coach after finishing competing. But so far, I never felt that I wanted to be a coach. It is very difficult." One new assignment that Miyahara has taken on is that of a director for the Japan Skating Federation, which she assumed in September 2024. I asked how that opportunity came about and what it entails. "Ito-san (JSF chief Hidehito Ito) called me and he asked me if I would like to try or not," Miyahara recalled. "He asked if it was OK if he selected me as a director. I had no idea at that time what I could do. [And] I thought it might be a good chance to contribute to the skating world. So I thought I would like to try it." Miyahara then gave a brief description of what her role with the JSF is. "There are a few faculties in the JSF," she noted. "I am in the headquarters. There are meetings and I attend those meetings. We talk about events and how the event went. We discuss how we can make things better. That is what I am doing now. I am still learning about how it all works. We meet once a month, in Tokyo or online." Miyahara's popularity among the skating public and her fellow skaters is well known. Her sublime skating skills, dedication to her craft, and ability to interact with her fellow competitors through the years have made her a highly respected figure in the sport. Kaori Sakamoto (left) and Satoko Miyahara are seen at the Fantasy on Ice show at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on May 31. (KYODO) Ice Time queried Miyahara on who she considered her best friends in skating after all these years. "That is such a hard question," Miyahara replied. "In Japan, probably Kaori, Wakaba [Higuchi] and Rika Hongo. Those three are the closest. Of the boys, Kazuki [Tomono] and Koshiro [Shimada]. I am pretty close to them." Miyahara then said, "I grew up competing with Shoma [Uno], so I know a lot about him. I am very close with [coach and choreographer] Stephane Lambiel, [and] I am also close with the Stars on Ice family members." From left, Japanese skaters Yuzuru Hanyu, Satoko Miyahara, Akiko Suzuki and Takahito Mura are seen in this commemorative photo at a Noto Peninsula reconstruction charity performance in September 2024 in Kanazawa. (©Toru Yaguchi/via SANKEI) Miyahara said she has enjoyed the annual multi-city tours of Canada and the United States with the SOI team. "It's really fun because I like to travel and see the city," Miyahara commented before adding, "it's very interesting to see all the places. I don't really know exactly on the map which city is where, but it's so amazing that I can see all the places and skate there. It's hard to say which city is the best." Miyahara mentioned that the evening performances give her a chance to explore the different stops on the tours. "It's amazing because I get to see all the different venues and rinks," she noted. "We have the shows. Usually Sundays are matinees. Weekdays it is from 7 PM, so I have time during the mornings to walk around." Having spent so much time outside Japan for training, competitions, and shows in her career, Ice Time wanted to know if she was interested in living abroad at some point in the future. "I would like to have the chance to live overseas someday," Miyahara replied with a smile. Author: Jack Gallagher The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page , and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan .