Latest news with #UniversityOfSydney
Forbes
a day ago
- Health
- Forbes
Cannabis And Psychedelics Seen As Effective For Eating Disorders, Study Finds
Anorexia Nervosa - Common Medical Marijuana Conditions for Qualifying Patients - use of the whole, ... More unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions. A new study has found that cannabis and psychedelics are perceived to be the most effective drugs that help alleviate eating disorder symptoms. A group of researchers from the University of Sydney has conducted a survey on over 6,000 people suffering from eight eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge-eating disorder, and found that most of them rely on cannabis and psychedelics to help alleviate their symptoms. Published on JAMA Network Open-Psychiatry this week, the study tried to understand which prescription and nonprescription drugs are used by people with eating disorders, and how they are associated with symptoms. To do so, participants, diagnosed with eating disorders and mainly from English-speaking countries, completed an online survey on recent prescribed and nonprescribed drug use, as well as perceived benefits and harms. Initially, 7,648 respondents were recruited; 6,612 completed demographics, and 5,123 finished the survey. The findings of the survey showed that overall, the best-rated drugs for eating disorder symptoms among respondents were psilocybin, cannabis, and lysergic acid diethylamide. For example, for respondents with anorexia, cannabis received the highest rating. When asked to identify their drug of choice for self-medicating eating disorder symptoms, the most popular drug among respondents was cannabis, but when normalized by number of users, fluoxetine, an antidepressant, ranked highest. Among 6,136 respondents, prescription psychotropics were rated highest for mental health. Psilocybin, LSD, and cannabis also received strong ratings. 'A striking outcome was the favorable self-reported ratings of psychedelics and cannabis for alleviating ED symptoms, eclipsing the ratings of commonly prescribed psychotropics,' the study reads. Can Cannabis Help Alleviate Eating Disorder Symptoms? The study also highlighted that daily cannabis users reported perceived benefits for their eating disorder symptoms. Researchers said that 'there is scant research around the use of cannabinoids in individuals with eating disorders apart from small trials supporting the efficacy of dronabinol, which is synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol, in those with anorexia nervosa.' They also added that cannabis may benefit people with restrictive and food-aversive eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, 'by increasing the hedonic value of food.' This is in line with previous studies on the effects of cannabis on appetite. A study published last year showed that mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH), a region in the brain that regulates various physiological processes, controls increased appetite following cannabis use. In contrast, cannabis received poor ratings from people with bulimia and binge-eating disorder, likely because its appetite-stimulating effects can trigger or worsen binge-and-purge behaviors, thereby intensifying the symptoms of the eating disorder. Psilocybin and LSD were consistently rated highly across all diagnostic groups for their ability to improve eating disorder symptoms, enhance overall mental health, and be well tolerated. However, the study has several limitations. The survey primarily included participants from high-income, English-speaking countries with internet access. It may have also attracted people with eating disorders who are more inclined toward new ways to treat their eating disorder symptoms or have positive attitudes or prior positive experiences with drugs. Furthermore, diagnoses were based on self-report rather than formal clinical assessment, and comorbid conditions were not evaluated. Additionally, recall bias may have influenced participants' reports of drug use and symptoms. Therefore, because some findings are based on small sample sizes within specific diagnostic related to eating disorders and drug-use groups, the researchers highlighted that this study's results 'should be interpreted as exploratory rather than definitive.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New Study Shows Doing This for 3 Minutes a Day Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Besides quitting smoking, eating a nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and even increase your longevity. But a new study shows you don't have to partake in structured workouts to protect your ticker. In fact, researchers found short bursts — as little as three minutes a day — of moderate to vigorous incidental physical activity (IPA) may cut the risk of a having a major adverse cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, in is incidental physical activity? Think of it as physical movement that's not considered leisure or recreational exercise, says lead study author Emmanuel Stamatakis, Ph.D., a professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre in Camperdown, Australia. 'Incidental physical activity is what we do on autopilot in our daily lives, when we move from place to place, perform domestic tasks and do things at work,' Stamatakis explains. Some examples include taking the stairs, carrying groceries, bursts of fast walking, housecleaning (mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing) and vigorous gardening. It may surprise you, but only 24.2% of adults in the U.S. get the recommended 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) and two days of muscle-strengthening activity (like lifting weights) each week. Because so many people aren't getting enough exercise, Stamatakis and his team wanted to find out what, if any, long-term cardiovascular benefits could come solely through incidental physical activity. What the study found The researchers looked at data from more than 24,000 adults, aged 40 to 79, who were all non-exercisers and free of heart disease. During the course of seven days, which included three weekdays and one weekend day, the participants wore a wristband accelerometer, which provided a daily detailed summary of any light (washing the dishes, walking the dog, a stroll to the photocopier), moderate (brisk walking, playing tag, moving, carrying, or pushing around things like a lawnmower) and vigorous (short jog, quickly climbing stairs, or more intense gardening like hoeing or digging up weeds) incidental physical activity. A follow-up with the study subjects eight years later revealed the effects of the various levels of IPA in regards to cardiovascular risk. The median dose of vigorous (4.6 minutes a day) and moderate (23.8 to 23.9 minutes a day) incidental physical activity was associated with 25% to 38% and 40% to 50% lower risk of cardiovascular events (including deaths), respectively. In terms of preventing heart disease deaths and major cardiovascular events, the researchers learned that 1 minute of vigorous IPA was equal to 2.8 to 3.4 minutes of moderate IPA and 35 to 48 minutes of light IPA. Essentially, 3 minutes of moderate activity every day while you're doing chores could lower your risk for heart problems. What this means for you All in all, the message is very clear, according to Stamatakis. 'Know that no movement is wasted and all of it counts. Use any opportunity in life to move at higher intensity, like using stairs instead of elevators or parking your car further away,' he says. 'You'll improve the function of your heart and vessels and your body will respond positively.' A good rule of thumb of how to determine what's light, moderate and what's vigorous incidental physical activity is to use the singing, speaking rule, suggests Stamatakis. 'If someone can comfortably sing or speak while doing activity that means it's light intensity, when people are doing moderate activity, you can still speak, but singing isn't possible anymore, and when you hit vigorous intensity, you shouldn't be able to speak or sing while doing it,' he explains. The bottom line Yes, the study shows shorter spurts of activity can help protect your heart, but that doesn't mean you should give up exercising on the regular. You should still aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week and when your schedule is tight, amp up the intensity of your everyday chores. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Unpaid hours, heavy workloads take toll on child care
Childcare educators are spending only two-and-a-half hours of undistracted time per day with children due to heavy workloads and unpaid hours, according to an Australian-first study. The study published on Wednesday also found more than three-quarters of educators work an average of nine unpaid hours per week, directly impacting the quality of care they can give to children. University of Sydney lead researcher Erin Harper said the findings paint a stark picture of a sector in crisis. "Many educators said they spend a lot of time working away from children in their care and are often interrupted by multi-tasking, administrative work, or cleaning duties," she said. The research, which surveyed 570 educators, indicates unpaid hours make up a significant portion of the overall workload. At least 73 per cent of educators reported high workloads were undermining the quality of their service, while 76 per cent expressed concerns children were affected as a result. The research found the burden of unpaid work, low pay, and unrealistic expectations was unsustainable, with many educators reporting high levels of mental and physical exhaustion. "These issues are not isolated or incidental, they're systemic," Dr Harper said. "The sector is largely privatised, with inconsistent regulation, limited government oversight, and a huge variation in working conditions, impacting young children and their development." Reforms in the childcare sector have been fast-tracked after Joshua Dale Brown was charged with 70 sex offences involving eight children under the age of two at a childcare centre in Melbourne. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare vowed to speed up efforts to improve safety standards in childcare centres. The Victorian government has introduced its own set of reforms, including a register for childcare workers and educators, a ban on personal mobile phones in centres, and mandatory CCTV installation. Although safety reforms are necessary in the early childhood sector, urgent changes are also needed to support educators, rectify pay equity, and address workload issues, the study found.
WIRED
10-07-2025
- Health
- WIRED
Scientists Succeed in Reversing Parkinson's Symptoms in Mice
Jul 10, 2025 6:30 AM The findings of two recent studies give hope that the disease could one day be reversed in humans—but experts warn that this complex disease will likely need multiple complementary treatments. An illustration of the human brain showing a shrunken substantia nigra, a degeneration that occurs with Parkinson's disease. Illustration: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCEAll products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Cases of Parkinson's disease have doubled in the last 25 years, according to figures from the World Health Organization. For decades, the scientists have investigated what triggers this disorder to mitigate its symptoms and anticipate its onset. Now, a series of experimental therapies are laying the groundwork for potentially reversing the condition, which affects nearly 10 million people worldwide and can generate costs of approximately $10,000 per patient per year, when considering direct and indirect medical expenses. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder in which cells that produce dopamine in the brain die, causing symptoms such as tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, and alterations in balance. So far there is no cure, and treatments are limited. Kay Double, a professor at the University of Sydney's School of Medical Sciences, has been researching the biological mechanisms underlying this disease for more than a decade, with the aim of finding ways to slow or even halt its progression. In 2017, he led a study that identified for the first time an abnormal form of a protein called SOD1 in Parkinson's patients. Under normal conditions, this protein acts as an antioxidant enzyme, protecting brain cells from damage caused by free radicals, highly reactive molecules that contain oxygen and can deteriorate cells if not properly neutralized. Free radicals are produced by natural bodily processes as well as by external factors, like diet, smoking, and exposure to pollution. In people with Parkinson's disease, SOD1 suffers alterations that prevent it from fulfilling its protective function, with it instead accumulating in the brain and causing neuronal damage, according to the findings of Double's team. Based on these results, the team then conducted further research, with results suggesting that copper supplementation in the brain could be an effective way to slow and even reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's (copper is crucial to SOD1's function). To test this hypothesis, they evaluated the efficacy of a drug called CuATSM, designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver copper directly to brain tissue. This experiment, written up and published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications, was divided into two phases. The first was to determine the optimal dose of the drug to induce a response in the brain. To find this, CuATSM was administered daily for three weeks to 27 eight-week-old wild-type mice, with concentrations of copper and other metals then measured in the mice's tissues. This revealed that 15 milligrams per kilogram was the ideal dose to effectively increase the levels of copper in the brain. In the second stage, this dose was applied to 10 mice genetically modified to develop Parkinson's-like symptoms. The animals were divided into two groups: one received CuATSM daily for three months, while the other received a placebo without the active ingredient. The results showed that the mice treated with the placebo experienced a deterioration in their motor skills. In contrast, those that received the copper supplement showed no alterations in their movement. It appears the treatment corrected the dysfunctions of SOD1 and restored its protective properties. In the mice receiving the copper treatment, dopamine neurons were preserved in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra, an area essential for the control of movement, coordination, learning, and certain cognitive functions. 'All of the mice we treated showed dramatic improvement in their motor skills. The results exceeded our expectations and suggest that, after further study, this therapeutic approach could slow the progression of Parkinson's in humans,' says Double. But experts caution that Parkinson's is a complex condition that will likely require multiple combined interventions. A single treatment may have limited effect, but its efficacy may be enhanced by integrating it with other therapeutic approaches. In that context, Double's team's findings could be complemented by recent research from Stanford University focused on restoring communication between neurons in a subtype of Parkinson's linked to mutations in the gene responsible for producing an enzyme called LRRK2. In these cases, the mutation causes hyperactivity of the enzyme, altering the structure of brain cells and disrupting signaling between dopaminergic neurons and those in the striatum, a deep brain region related to movement, motivation, and decision-making. It is estimated that about 25 percent of Parkinson's cases are genetic in origin, and the LRRK2 mutation is one of the most frequent. The team led by Stanford neuroscientist Suzanne Pfeffer proposed that inhibiting the excessive activity of this enzyme could stabilize symptoms, especially if detected in early stages. The goal was to regenerate primary cilia, antenna-like structures that enable communication between cells. The hypothesis was tested in mice genetically modified to exhibit LRRK2 hyperactivity and early symptoms of the disorder. For two weeks, these animals were administered with a compound called MLi-2, which binds to the enzyme and reduces its activity. In this first test, no relevant changes were observed, which the researchers attributed to the fact that the examined neurons and glia—another type of cell in the nervous system, which support neurons—were already mature and were not in the cell division phase. However, a review of the scientific literature revealed that, even if mature, certain neurons can regenerate their primary cilia depending on their sleep-wake cycles. 'The findings that other nonproliferative cells can develop cilia made us think that the inhibitor still had therapeutic potential,' Pfeffer explains. The team then decided to extend the treatment to three months. After this period, they found that the percentage of neurons and glial cells in the striatum with primary cilia was comparable to that of healthy mice without the genetic mutation. This restoration of cellular structures made it possible to reactivate communication between dopaminergic neurons and the striatum. As a result, neurotransmitters affected by the LRRK2 protein induced the production of neuroprotective factors at levels similar to those of a healthy brain, something that had been diminished as a result of LRRK2 hyperactivity. In addition, density markers of dopaminergic nerve endings were doubled, suggesting a possible recovery of previously damaged neurons. 'These findings suggest that it is not only possible to stabilize the disease, but also to improve the condition of patients. This therapeutic approach has great potential to restore neuronal activity in Parkinson's-affected circuits. There are currently several ongoing clinical trials with LRRK2 inhibitors, and we hope that these results in mice can be translated to humans,' says Pfeffer. The authors stress that, to maximize the effectiveness of this treatment, it is essential to identify early symptoms, which can occur up to 15 years before the characteristic tremors. The hope is that people with the LRRK2 mutation will be able to start treatment early. The next step would be to assess whether other Parkinson's variants, not associated with this genetic mutation, could also benefit from this strategy. It is estimated that the number of Parkinson's cases worldwide could exceed 25 million by 2050, which would represent a 112 percent increase over 2021 figures, according to projections published in the British Medical Journal. Although these estimates are not definitive, the scientific community warns that they reflect a growing challenge for public health systems. For this reason, developing therapies capable of mitigating, stabilizing, and even reversing the progression of the disease is a global priority. This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
ABC News
10-07-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Lab Notes: The telescope redefining the Universe
Belinda Smith: Three years ago this week, a telescope sitting in space 1.5 million kilometres from Earth gave us a view of the cosmos we'd never seen before. News Grab: The $13 billion infrared unit is expected to revolutionise astronomy. Belinda Smith: Faint, distant galaxies snapped into sharp focus in the first photo. The telescope also revealed the steamy atmosphere shrouding a hot gas giant planet. And gave us a rare glimpse into a star nursery inside our own galaxy, the Milky Way. News Grab: NASA says humans have never before gained such important information about the universe. Belinda Smith: In the years since, the James Webb Space Telescope has pulled back the veil on a whole bunch of mind-blowing cosmic phenomena. So how has this telescope changed our understanding of the universe? And what is still to come? Hi, I'm Belinda Smith and you're listening to Lab Notes, the show that dissects the science behind new discoveries and current events. To give us a rundown of some of the James Webb Space Telescope's greatest hits, so far, is Laura Driessen, a radio astronomer at the University of Sydney. Laura Driessen: I think there was a collective gasp around the world when those first images were released because they were just so gorgeous. I can't tell you exactly where I was or anything like that, but I definitely remember seeing those first just beautiful images. Belinda Smith: What's so special about the James Webb Space Telescope? Laura Driessen: From an engineering perspective, it's just an amazing feat that they put a whole telescope and it was sort of folded up like origami. They sent it really, really far away to a spot that we call L2 and then unfolded it and it actually worked. That's amazing. I'm sure that everyone at NASA was doing the collective holding their breath thing because that would have been pretty stressful. The thing about JWST compared to Hubble, we can't go and fix it. If it breaks, that's it. Belinda Smith: It's broken. Wow. One and done situation. Laura Driessen: So it was a huge risk when they sent it up, but everything had worked perfectly on the launch. So, you know, maybe they were feeling a little bit more comfortable, but I think it's just stressful when you do anything like that. Belinda Smith: I've seen the JWST described as doing infrared astronomy. What does that mean? Laura Driessen: So there's all different kinds of light. The type of light that we can see with our eyes is called optical or visible light. And it's really just a teeny tiny little slice of all the different kinds of light that exist. It's in the nanometers part of the spectrum. So each little wave is nanometers, which is you divide a meter into a thousand, that's a millimeter. Another thousand is a micrometer and another thousand is a nanometer. Oh wow. So really tiny wheels. A thousandth of a thousandth of Belinda Smith: a thousandth of a meter. Yes, Laura Driessen: exactly. And the longest wavelength we can see is red. And if you keep going longer, then we get to infrared. We usually think about infrared as sort of heat. That's how we experience infrared light. For example, a fire would be quite bright in infrared and that's what we feel as heat. So it's a different kind of light that's invisible to us. Belinda Smith: That's infrared light is what the JWST sees. But... Laura Driessen: That also means the colours you see in the JWST images aren't real. That's us adding the colours because it's light we can't see. We don't have a colour for sort of invisible light. That wouldn't help if we just showed invisible light and you couldn't see anything. So we add the colours later. Belinda Smith: Sure, those pretty pictures wouldn't be so beautiful. So in the three years since the James Webb Space Telescope sent back its first batch of images, we get treated to new cosmic insights on the reg, really. So how has it changed our understanding of the universe? Laura Driessen: Ooh, I think one of my favourite things is from a cosmological perspective. So that's a subset of astronomy, but it's thinking about the universe as a whole. And because JWST can see things that are more distant, it's discovering things like black holes and galaxies further back in time than we thought that they existed. Belinda Smith: Yeah, it can see back in time, so to speak, because the telescope picks up light that may have travelled for billions of years. So it's really seeing, say, a galaxy as it was all that time ago, maybe even from the baby universe. Laura Driessen: So one of the main things is the universe started and expanded and there's a time period at the very start that we can't see anything because it's kind of foggy. There's just a whole bunch of electrons, very foggy. Then there was a flash in the universe that we could see when things cooled down enough that the fog kind of demystified. And then there was a period called the Dark Ages, which sounds very fancy and dramatic. And it's also a time period when the light couldn't escape. So at the start we had a fog of electrons, then we had a fog of hydrogen, so we couldn't see. After that time period, the first stars started forming. And that's called the cosmic dawn. We're very dramatic as it turns out. And that's when we start seeing light. Belinda Smith: The JWST is helping push back when this cosmic dawn, well, dawned. Laura Driessen: This is really interesting from the perspective of how our universe changed over time and how we started with kind of just a mess and ended up with the beautiful things that we can see in space today, planets, stars, galaxies, all that good stuff didn't just happen. And we're trying to work that out. So telescopes like JWST, as they push back in time, seeing black holes earlier than we thought we saw black holes, galaxies earlier than we thought that galaxies could exist, changes how we think about how the universe evolved. Belinda Smith: So the universe's early years are taking on a slightly different form. Laura Driessen: Yes. And I think this also, I think about like our parents when they were kids, they didn't have many photos. So when we look back, we're trying to work out what happened when our parents were kids and what sort of mischief they got up to and how they turned into the people they are today. We just don't have that much information. So JWST is like adding photos. You found a lost album. And now you can find out what your parents got up to. Belinda Smith: The universe is about 13 billion years old. What time scales are we talking here for the universe's dark ages? Between that electron fog and the cosmic dawn. Laura Driessen: Their estimates are a bit iffy, but I think JWST saw a galaxy 400 million years after the Big Bang. So that does sort of put a limit on the dark ages from 400,000 years to 400 million. Belinda Smith: OK, so what else has the James Webb Space Telescope told us about the universe? Laura Driessen: So one of my favourite ones, which is not as big in scale, much smaller in fact, is something called a jumbo, which is a Jupiter mass binary object. And these are planets, two planets in a binary, wizarding around each other with no star. So they're just planets existing. So Belinda Smith: planets, generally we know of planets orbiting some kind of star, like our solar system. But these ones don't. So did they ever have a star? Have they run away from the star? What's happened? Well, Laura Driessen: we don't know about these ones. So the fun thing is rogue planets are a thing we've already known about. So these are individual planets that through gravity, either a star, you know, say another star coming too near the solar system might kick out some planets through gravity, or planets in amongst themselves sort of having gravity interactions and one end up popping out. So we know about individual rogue planets. But having two planets that are kicked out but somehow stay together? Tricky. And planets don't really form on their own. So maybe these things were flung out, but somehow stayed together with a friend because they found about 40 of them in the Orion Nebula. To call them planets is maybe pushing it. That's why we call them objects. That's sort of an astronomy term for thing in space we don't have a better name for yet. But they look like planets and they're just whizzing around each other on their own. So a little bit of a challenge to planet formation, solar system formation and star formation that they were even seen. This is one of the things we never thought we'd see when we turned on the JWST. Belinda Smith: Something else the James Webb Space Telescope has shed light on are exoplanets, planets around stars outside our solar system. Laura Driessen: We just don't get pretty pictures of those. This is where that spectra comes in. And that's one of my other big favourite things of JWST is something called transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets. Belinda Smith: What is that and why is it important? Laura Driessen: So spectroscopy is where we can identify chemicals in space. So some of you might remember when you were in high school doing things with Bunsen burners where you sprayed different chemicals on the Bunsen burners so they light up different colours. Basically every element in the periodic table and all the molecules as well, so like carbon dioxide, water, where it's atoms all smooshed together, has their own signature, a little set of colours that every time you see it, they have that set of colours. And we can use that to look into space. We only have light so this is what we've got to work with to identify chemicals in space. And JWST has the instrument on there that can do this. So in the infrared still, identifying these lines, different wavelengths or colours that identify different chemicals and molecules in space. But what we're doing here is we're trying to detect the atmospheres of exoplanets. And that maybe doesn't sound that dramatic but you have to remember it wasn't too long ago that we'd barely detected any exoplanets at all, let alone trying to see their atmospheres. And atmospheres around planets are teeny tiny. Belinda Smith: Yeah, it's like a thin shell of gas. Or some liquid maybe but it's not much. Laura Driessen: It's not much at all and this is why we call it transmission spectroscopy. So as the planet passes in front of the star, we see a little dip in the light of the star and that tells us the planet's there. But as the planet passes in, you're also getting light from the star going through its atmosphere. So it's transmitting through the planet's atmosphere. So we're sort of using the star's light as it goes through the planet's teeny tiny atmosphere to see what molecules and things are going on in those atmospheres. Belinda Smith: So it's kind of like a stained glass window. Yeah, Laura Driessen: so you're shining a torch through the stained glass window basically to see what colours are going on in there and that's what we're doing. And it had sort of been done at a very basic level before JWST but now it's just sort of happening all the time. The one thing we want to do which hasn't yet been done by JWST, not for lack of trying, is to try and detect an atmosphere around a rocky planet. So we're pretty good at it for things that we call hot Jupiters. So Jupiter's a big gas giant. Neptune's which are also kind of gassy. But for it we want to do like the Earth. We want to see a planet that's kind of like the Earth, a big rock, and we want to be able to detect the atmosphere. Belinda Smith: Why do we want to look at rocky planets? Laura Driessen: So when we search for life, we're talking a little bit about aliens here, when we search for life the only model that we have is us. So we sort of think that if we're looking for what we call a habitable planet where there might be life, we're looking for planets that are like ours. Rocky, we sort of think that's what we need. I don't think we'd survive very well on Jupiter. Rocky, not too hot, not too cold, water is wet. Those are sort of the basic things. But we also know that we need an atmosphere. We love our atmosphere. It protects us from a lot of things and also breathing is great. Belinda Smith: The thing is, for a planet to hang onto its atmosphere, it really needs a magnetic field. This protects that atmosphere from being swept away by stuff spat out by its star. Take Mars, for example. It once had a magnetic field, but that's no longer. Laura Driessen: So over time, basically the sun has just kind of bombarded it and it had a really nice atmosphere and it's slowly just blown away by the sun. So that's what we want to see. If ours is sort of special for any reason, it can't be that special, the universe is infinite. But how common is it for these sorts of planets that are nice for us to live on? How often do they happen? That's one of the questions. Exoplanets is a great field, looking for life. It's fun. We really are in this era where we're seeing things we've never seen before. Belinda Smith: That was Laura Driessen, a radio astronomer at the University of Sydney. Thanks for listening to Lab Notes on ABC Radio National, where every week we dissect the science behind new discoveries and current events. I'm Belinda Smith. This episode was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people. Fiona Pepper's the producer and it was mixed by Tim Symonds. We'd love to hear from you. Send us an email labnotes at Catch you next week.
