Latest news with #VilniusUniversity
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Kuwait Times
Lithuania bids to save Baltic seals as ice sheets recede
The grey seals slide out of their cages into the Baltic Sea near the Lithuanian coast, swimming off to new lives imperiled by climate change, pollution and shrinking fish stocks. The seals have been nurtured at a rehabilitation center in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. Survival rates for cubs in the wild can be as low as five percent, according to local scientists. The Baltic Sea, which is shared by the European Union and Russia, rarely freezes over now, depriving seals of sanctuaries to rear their cubs. 'Mothers are forced to breed on land in high concentration with other seals,' said Vaida Surviliene, a scientist at Vilnius University. 'They are unable to recognize their cubs and often leave them because of it,' she said. Rearing cubs ashore also leaves them exposed to humans, other wild animals, rowdy males, as well as a higher risk of diseases, according to Arunas Grusas, a biologist at the center. Employee Karina Lenko carries buckets with fish to be fed to seals at the Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Center. Grey seal pups are fed fish in an outdoor pool. Grey seal pups are fed fish in an outdoor pool. Grey seal pups are fed fish in an outdoor pool. Grey seal pups are fed fish in an outdoor pool. Employees carry a grey seal pup for transportation by boat to the release site in Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Center in Klaipeda.--AFP photos A grey seal pup looks on in an outdoor pool at the Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Center in Klaipeda before being transported by boat to the release site in the Baltic Sea in Klaipeda on July 2, 2025. Scientists at the seal rehabilitation centre in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda say only five percent of cubs survive in the wild, where they also face pollution and low fish stocks because of overfishing. The Baltic Sea, which is shared by the EU and Russia, now rarely freezes over because of climate change, depriving seals of sanctuaries to rear their cubs. (Photo by Petras Malukas / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY BENAS GERDZIUNAS 'It was a sensation' Grusas began caring for seals in 1987 when he brought the first pup back to his office at the Klaipeda Sea Museum, which now oversees the new rehabilitation center built in 2022. 'We taught them how to feed themselves, got them used to the water –- they had to get comfortable with the sea, which spat them out ashore practically dying,' Grusas said. The very first cubs were placed into makeshift baths set up in an office. 'It was a sensation for us, there were practically no seals left then,' Grusas said. The scientists had to learn how to nurse the cubs back to health. First, the cubs were treated to liquid formula before moving onto solid food. At the time in the late 1980s, the seals were close to extinction –- there were just around 4,000 to 5,000 left in the sea from a population of around 100,000 before the Second World War. 'The population began to decrease drastically in the 1950s due to hunting amid competition with fishers,' said Surviliene. A stockman tries to move a grey seal pup in a transportation net. Employees move transportation boxes carrying grey seal pups on a boat before setting off for the release site in the Baltic Sea in Klaipeda. A grey seal pup looks out from a transportation box before being released in the Baltic Sea 20 km from Klaipeda. Boxes carrying grey seal pups are stacked on a boat before being released in the Baltic Sea. A grey seal swims in the sea after being released from a boat in the Baltic Sea. A grey seal swims in the sea after being released from a boat in the Baltic Sea. 'Nothing left to eat' The 1960s also saw the use of pesticides in agriculture that were 'incredibly toxic for predators', the scientist said. The seals at the top of the food chain in the Baltic Sea absorbed the pollution, leaving the females infertile and the entire population with a weak immune system, unable to ward off parasites and resist infections. After a ban on toxic pesticide use, the population survived, with the current estimates putting the number of grey seals in the Baltic Sea at 50,000 to 60,000. In a response to overfishing, the European Commission also finally banned commercial cod fishing in the eastern Baltic Sea in 2019. 'Over 80 percent of fish resources in the Baltic Sea have been destroyed, the seals have nothing left to eat,' said Grusas. The ban has yet to show a positive result. 'There has been no fishing of eastern Baltic cod for around five years, but it's not yet recovering -- and it's one of the main sources of food' for the seals, said Darius Daunys, a scientist at Klaipeda University. Recently a growing number of adult seals have been washing up on Lithuanian beaches. Scientists like Grusas point the finger at near-shore fishing nets, where seals desperate for food end up entangled and ultimately drown. 'Tired of the tension' Out in the Baltic Sea, the nine released seals took their first swim in the wild. Previously, GPS trackers showed they favored a route north toward the Swedish Gotland Island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, where fish are more plentiful. Others, however, needed a gentle push from the biologists. In previous years, the released seals would even follow the boat back to shore, scared to venture off alone. Eventually they all find their way in the wild. Grusas is now preparing to retire after dedicating his life to saving animals. He will leave at a time when the grey Baltic seal population has stabilized, but remains highly vulnerable. 'I've spent my whole life with seals,' he said. 'I'm tired of the tension –- you just don't know what can happen to them.' — AFP
France 24
11-07-2025
- Science
- France 24
Lithuania bids to save Baltic seals as ice sheets recede
The seals have been nurtured at a rehabilitation centre in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. Survival rates for cubs in the wild can be as low as five percent, according to local scientists. The Baltic Sea, which is shared by the European Union and Russia, rarely freezes over now, depriving seals of sanctuaries to rear their cubs. "Mothers are forced to breed on land in high concentration with other seals," said Vaida Surviliene, a scientist at Vilnius University. "They are unable to recognise their cubs and often leave them because of it," she said. Rearing cubs ashore also leaves them exposed to humans, other wild animals, rowdy males, as well as a higher risk of diseases, according to Arunas Grusas, a biologist at the centre. 'It was a sensation' Grusas began caring for seals in 1987 when he brought the first pup back to his office at the Klaipeda Sea Museum, which now oversees the new rehabilitation centre built in 2022. "We taught them how to feed themselves, got them used to the water –- they had to get comfortable with the sea, which spat them out ashore practically dying," Grusas said. The very first cubs were placed into makeshift baths set up in an office. "It was a sensation for us, there were practically no seals left then," Grusas said. The scientists had to learn how to nurse the cubs back to health. First, the cubs were treated to liquid formula before moving onto solid food. At the time in the late 1980s, the seals were close to extinction –- there were just around 4,000 to 5,000 left in the sea from a population of around 100,000 before the Second World War. "The population began to decrease drastically in the 1950s due to hunting amid competition with fishers," said Surviliene. 'Nothing left to eat' The 1960s also saw the use of pesticides in agriculture that were "incredibly toxic for predators", the scientist said. The seals at the top of the food chain in the Baltic Sea absorbed the pollution, leaving the females infertile and the entire population with a weak immune system, unable to ward off parasites and resist infections. After a ban on toxic pesticide use, the population survived, with the current estimates putting the number of grey seals in the Baltic Sea at 50,000 to 60,000. In a response to overfishing, the European Commission also finally banned commercial cod fishing in the eastern Baltic Sea in 2019. "Over 80 percent of fish resources in the Baltic Sea have been destroyed, the seals have nothing left to eat," said Grusas. The ban has yet to show a positive result. "There has been no fishing of eastern Baltic cod for around five years, but it's not yet recovering -- and it's one of the main sources of food" for the seals, said Darius Daunys, a scientist at Klaipeda University. Recently a growing number of adult seals have been washing up on Lithuanian beaches. Scientists like Grusas point the finger at near-shore fishing nets, where seals desperate for food end up entangled and ultimately drown. 'Tired of the tension' Out in the Baltic Sea, the nine released seals took their first swim in the wild. Previously, GPS trackers showed they favoured a route north toward the Swedish Gotland island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, where fish are more plentiful. Others, however, needed a gentle push from the biologists. In previous years, the released seals would even follow the boat back to shore, scared to venture off alone. Eventually they all find their way in the wild. Grusas is now preparing to retire after dedicating his life to saving animals. He will leave at a time when the grey Baltic seal population has stabilised, but remains highly vulnerable. "I've spent my whole life with seals," he said. "I'm tired of the tension –- you just don't know what can happen to them." © 2025 AFP
NDTV
29-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Rare Jupiter-Sized Planet Discovered Using Phenomenon First Predicted by Einstein
Scientists from Vilnius University (VU) Faculty of Physics, along with members from Poland and other countries, discovered a rare planet using a space-time phenomenon first predicted by Albert Einstein. The planet AT2021uey b is a Jupiter-sized exoplanet located approximately 3,200 light-years away from Earth in the galactic bulge. The planet was discovered using gravitational microlensing, a method based on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity that detects planets by measuring the bending and magnification of light from a distant star as a massive object passes in front of it. AT2021uey b orbits a small and dim M dwarf star. It completes its orbit every 4,170 days, which is roughly equivalent to 11 years on Earth. Live Science reported that AT2021uey b's shadow was first spotted in 2021 when scientists analysed data taken by the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope. The discovery of AT2021uey b, which is on the far edge of our galaxy, challenges traditional models of planetary formation, suggesting that gas giants can form in regions of the galaxy previously thought to be inhospitable. The findings, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, open up new possibilities for understanding planetary formation and the potential for life in diverse environments throughout the universe. "This kind of work requires a lot of expertise, patience, and, frankly, a bit of luck. You have to wait for a long time for the source star and the lensing object to align and then check an enormous amount of data. Ninety percent of observed stars pulsate for various other reasons, and only a minority of cases show the microlensing effect," Dr Marius Maskoliunas, the head of the Lithuanian research team, said as quoted by "What fascinates me about this method is that it can detect those invisible bodies. Imagine a bird flying past you. You don't see the bird itself and don't know what color it is - only its shadow," the statement added. "But from it, you can, with some level of probability, determine whether it was a sparrow or a swan and at what distance from us. It's an incredibly intriguing process," Maskoliunas explained.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare exoplanet discovered in outskirts of the Milky Way
Astronomers have located a rare exoplanet on the edge of the Milky Way. The exoplanet, a gas giant named AT2021uey b, orbits a low-mass star and is located about 3,200 light-years away from Earth, according to a paper published last month in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Its orbit around an M dwarf star -- a relatively small and cool star -- completes every 4,170 days. MORE: Exoplanet discovered in 2020 has the coldest temperatures ever measured, scientists say The researchers used a technique known as gravitational microlensing -- a method based on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity -- to locate the planet. The presence of mass warps the fabric of space-time, similar to how a bowling ball would make a dent when placed on a trampoline, according to NASA. The effect is extreme around "very massive" objects, such as black holes and galaxies, but stars and planets can also cause a detectable degree of warping. The new exoplanet's mass is estimated to be slightly greater than Jupiter's, the researchers said. The unusual size ratio to the star it orbits led to its discovery, as detecting an Earth-type planet would have been "much more difficult," according to a press release by Vilnius University in Lithuania. Gravitational microlensing is a "rare phenomenon," the researchers said. There have only been three such cases of a planet being documented by microlensing in the history of observations, the researchers said. Astronomers search for a temporary light "pulsation" when analyzing a vast amount of data. The vast majority of observed stars -- about 90% -- pulsate for "various other reasons," with a minority of cases actually showing the microlensing effect, Marius Maskoliūna, an astronomy and astrophysics researcher at Vilnius University and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "This kind of work requires a lot of expertise, patience, and, frankly, a bit of luck," Maskoliūna said. "You have to wait for a long time for the source star and the lensing object to align and then check an enormous amount of data." MORE: Could our solar system have 9 planets after all? Astronomers may have confirmed possible existence. In addition, most microlensing efforts are recorded at the Galactic Center -- the densest part of the Milky Way, Edita Stonkutė, an associate professor of astronomy at Vilnius University, said in a statement. AT2021uey b was found quote far from the center, in the "galactic halo, on the outskirts of the galaxy, she said. "This is only the third planet in observational history to be discovered so far from the Galactic bulge," Stonkutė said. The microlensing technique is promising because it allows the detection of the "unexpected or even invisible," the researchers said. "What fascinates me about this method is that it can detect those invisible bodies," Maskoliūna said. In collaboration with researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw, the researchers analyzed data from the European Space Agency's "Gaia" telescope and supplemented it with ground-based observations from telescopes at the Vilnius University's Molėtai Astronomical Observatory. MORE: How astronomers used gravitational lensing to discover 44 new stars in distant galaxy The microlensing phenomenon was first spotted in 2021, which led the astronomers on a yearslong journey to "carefully" verify the existence of the new exoplanet, according to the release. The first discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a star was made in 1995, the researchers said. Since then, more than 6,000 exoplanets have been confirmed. However, the science is still considered "relatively young," the researchers said. "As data accumulated, we learned that many types of planetary systems are completely unlike ours -- the Solar System," Stonkutė said. "We've had to rethink planetary formation models more than once."
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare exoplanet discovered in outskirts of the Milky Way
Astronomers have located a rare exoplanet on the edge of the Milky Way. The exoplanet, a gas giant named AT2021uey b, orbits a low-mass star and is located about 3,200 light-years away from Earth, according to a paper published last month in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Its orbit around an M dwarf star -- a relatively small and cool star -- completes every 4,170 days. MORE: Exoplanet discovered in 2020 has the coldest temperatures ever measured, scientists say The researchers used a technique known as gravitational microlensing -- a method based on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity -- to locate the planet. The presence of mass warps the fabric of space-time, similar to how a bowling ball would make a dent when placed on a trampoline, according to NASA. The effect is extreme around "very massive" objects, such as black holes and galaxies, but stars and planets can also cause a detectable degree of warping. The new exoplanet's mass is estimated to be slightly greater than Jupiter's, the researchers said. The unusual size ratio to the star it orbits led to its discovery, as detecting an Earth-type planet would have been "much more difficult," according to a press release by Vilnius University in Lithuania. Gravitational microlensing is a "rare phenomenon," the researchers said. There have only been three such cases of a planet being documented by microlensing in the history of observations, the researchers said. Astronomers search for a temporary light "pulsation" when analyzing a vast amount of data. The vast majority of observed stars -- about 90% -- pulsate for "various other reasons," with a minority of cases actually showing the microlensing effect, Marius Maskoliūna, an astronomy and astrophysics researcher at Vilnius University and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "This kind of work requires a lot of expertise, patience, and, frankly, a bit of luck," Maskoliūna said. "You have to wait for a long time for the source star and the lensing object to align and then check an enormous amount of data." MORE: Could our solar system have 9 planets after all? Astronomers may have confirmed possible existence. In addition, most microlensing efforts are recorded at the Galactic Center -- the densest part of the Milky Way, Edita Stonkutė, an associate professor of astronomy at Vilnius University, said in a statement. AT2021uey b was found quote far from the center, in the "galactic halo, on the outskirts of the galaxy, she said. "This is only the third planet in observational history to be discovered so far from the Galactic bulge," Stonkutė said. The microlensing technique is promising because it allows the detection of the "unexpected or even invisible," the researchers said. "What fascinates me about this method is that it can detect those invisible bodies," Maskoliūna said. In collaboration with researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw, the researchers analyzed data from the European Space Agency's "Gaia" telescope and supplemented it with ground-based observations from telescopes at the Vilnius University's Molėtai Astronomical Observatory. MORE: How astronomers used gravitational lensing to discover 44 new stars in distant galaxy The microlensing phenomenon was first spotted in 2021, which led the astronomers on a yearslong journey to "carefully" verify the existence of the new exoplanet, according to the release. The first discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a star was made in 1995, the researchers said. Since then, more than 6,000 exoplanets have been confirmed. However, the science is still considered "relatively young," the researchers said. "As data accumulated, we learned that many types of planetary systems are completely unlike ours -- the Solar System," Stonkutė said. "We've had to rethink planetary formation models more than once."
