Daily Archives: September 21, 2024

Mystery of ‘alien song’ heard in one of the deepest points in the ocean finally solved after baffling scientists for 10 years

Noises in the Mariana Trench that left researchers scratching their heads have finally been solved, and it’s not what you think.OK, so when you hear terms like ‘alien song’, you’re going to conjure up some sort of sci-fi Fifth Element scene of an actual alien singing, but this isn’t the same thing.The 36,000ft deep trench is home to a range of weird and wonderful creatures, but apparently, one of those things could be an alien…Well, that’s what some have thought for the last 10 years after hearing a strange noise deep at the floor of the Pacific Ocean.It all began in 2014 when sounds were recorded coming from the trench which lasted around 2.5 and 3.5 seconds.Because researchers had absolutely no idea what these sounds were, they called them ‘biotwangs’ (unidentified sounds) and left it at that.However, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have decided to re-examine the files to finally get to the bottom of this mystery, and what they found was nothing short of a pleasant discovery.So, before we continue further – I’m going to hold your hand and tell you that there was no alien crooning out songs down the bottom of the Mariana Trench.It should be obvious, but just to be sure, no alien lives down there.The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the sea (Xinhua)Instead, they found something unexpected.The team of researchers used underwater gliders to conduct acoustic surveys in the deep water.That’s when they could hear deep moaning sounds which came out at around 38 and 8,000 hertz, leaving scientists confused again.It was only in 2016 that the first idea was thrown out there, proposing that the sounds were likely being created by a baleen whale, and that this was some sort of new call.Sharon Nieukirk, senior faculty research assistant in marine bioacoustics at Oregon State University (OSU), explained: “It’s very distinct, with all these crazy parts.“The low-frequency moaning part is typical of baleen whales, and it’s that kind of twangy sound that makes it really unique.“We don’t find many new baleen whale calls.”Bryde’s whales are the culprit (Getty Stock Image)But now that researchers have re-examined the noises using the acoustic data as well as visual data, it’s not a far-off idea.The new study, which was led by Dr Ann Allen, figured that while it’s not a baleen whale call, it was the call of Bryde’s whales.The findings, which have been published in the Frontiers in Marine Science journal, explained: “It was assumed to be produced by a baleen whale, but without visual verification it was impossible to assign a species.“Using a combination of visual and acoustic survey data collected in the Mariana Archipelago, we determined that biotwangs are produced by Bryde’s whales.”To figure out that it was them that were creating the call, researchers used artificial intelligence to confirm their findings.The study stated: “We used a combination of manual and machine learning annotation methods to detect biotwangs in our extensive historical passive acoustic monitoring datasets collected across the central and western North Pacific.“We identified a consistent seasonal presence of biotwangs in the Mariana Archipelago and to the east at Wake Island, with occasional occurrence as far away as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and near the equator (Howland Island).”Dr Allen explained to Popular Science: “It’s possible that they use the biotwang as a contact call, a sort of ‘Marco Polo’ of the ocean.“But we need more information before we can say for sure.”

Mauna Kea telescope Scientists reflect on lessons learned after dismantling

Scientists are reflecting on lessons learned with the completion of removal this summer of the Caltech telescope from the summit of Mauna Kea after dec­ades of mounting tension with Native Hawaiians.The decommissioning of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in July followed the removal of a University of Hawaii observatory a month earlier and came amid a cultural resurgence among Native Hawaiians.
“Nothing is forever,” said Gregory Chun, executive director of the Center for Maunakea Stewardship at the University of Hawaii and a Native Hawaiian.
“It was important for these two facilities to come down, not just because they were not productive anymore, but because it’s an acknowledgment of the privilege of being up there. You were pau — you were done. So, you can go home now.”
Prized for its altitude, dark skies and low humidity, Mauna­ Kea still hosts 11 other telescopes. The facilities have brought Hawaii international acclaim in astronomy and have helped to boost the local economy.
Now the Caltech telescope moves to Chile with a new name (the Leighton Chajnantor Telescope), new instruments and the opportunity to reestablish itself on the cutting edge of astronomy.
Sunil Golwala, director of the observatory and a physics professor at Caltech, said the team has learned from their time on Mauna Kea and that the Chile site is farther from population centers and not regarded as sacred. They’ll also build near other observatories to reduce their environmental footprint.
In the aftermath of the observatory protests, finding the right balance between astronomy and preservation of the Mauna Kea sacred site remains a challenge.
Despite criticisms, the telescopes do help the state economically, and they support science and engineering on the islands as many of Hawaii’s young people are leaving to pursue degrees in these fields.
“You don’t have a unified consensus in the community — much less the Hawaiian community — about (the Thirty Meter Telescope) or astronomy,” Chun said. “So, balance is not going to be something that’s easily found, but I think if the authority can come up with a vision where people see themselves in it, we have a better chance.”
Over his time heading the center, Chun has come to think empathy is the path toward reconciliation, and the authority is an opportunity to find it.
“We certainly have a lot of lessons learned and scars that we’ve accumulated over the years,” Chun said.
“I also think, however, that it’s not by happenstance that one of the most sacred lands here in Hawaii to Native Hawaiians is also the premier place, certainly in the Northern Hemisphere if not in the world, for astronomy.”
Native Hawaiians have long regarded the summit as their spiritual connection to the heavens.
Protests erupted at the base of the mountain in 2019, when Caletch and the University of California proposed construction of another observatory, called the Thirty Meter Telescope. The outcry led the state to shift oversight responsibilities from the University of Hawaii — which leased the land to Caltech — to the new Maunakea Stewardship Oversight Authority, which is composed of local, environmental and scientific stakeholders.
The closure of the Caltech observatory marks the end of a contentious era, as locals and the new authority debate what’s next for the mountain.
“I have incredible respect for the people at the University of Hawaii, who can audit their own actions,” said John De Fries, executive director of the new authority. “If this authority can begin to pioneer a new model of leadership, that’s reason to be grateful, but the task of that remains ahead of us.”
In response to public criticism, the University of Hawaii created the Center for Maunakea Stewardship in 2020 to oversee operations on the mountain. It worked closely with Caltech to decommission the observatory.
Throughout the process, cultural observers were present to ensure deconstruction was done in a respectful way, and while the new authority was not involved in the decommissioning process, Caltech invited members to perform cultural ceremonies at its conclusion.
A senior member from the authority also inspected the site for final sign-off of completion, and reported that “the site had been restored to as near a pristine level that you can expect,” De Fries said.
Over its roughly three dec­ades of observations, the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory had played a key role in several scientific breakthroughs in astrophysics.
The observatory was first designed to detect some of the most unexplored wavelengths of light, between a third of a millimeter and 1 millimeter — much longer than visible light.
The telescope, with its fellow Mauna Kea resident the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, discovered that Earth is basking in light from excited molecules living quietly in interstellar space.
Toward the turn of the century, an upgraded Caltech Submillimeter Observatory started making maps of the sky. It was a “quantum leap in capability,” said Golwala.
This allowed scientists to map everything from dust in the interstellar medium to the largest scale of structure in the universe, galaxy clusters.

The forgotten scientist of History

Marie Benedict, La ragazza  del microscopio[The Girl with the Microscope], Piemme 2024
This novel, which I came across by chance, recounts the story of Rosalind Franklin, a British scientist, chemist, and expert in crystallography. In the 1950s, she was the only one able to capture an X-ray image of the DNA molecule, the famous Photo 51, and became the first person in the world to witness, incredulous, the appearance of a double-helix structure. This discovery would forever change the course of scientific history, which she summarized in several articles published in Nature magazine. However, history consigned her to oblivion, associated with her premature death at just 38 years old due to ovarian cancer, partly caused by overexposure to X-rays. The ones, who became famous for the discovery, even winning the Nobel Prize in 1962, were James Watson and Francis Crick, along with geneticist Maurice Wilkins, who improperly appropriated Franklin’s work without giving her any credit. Only through the careful analysis of Rosalind Franklin’s personal and scientific journey, conducted by her friend and fellow researcher Anne Sayre, have we been able to learn the truth and recognize the rightful value of her immense discovery.
#sistersproject
Rosa Lupoli is a Capuchin nun from Naples and abbess of the monastery of Santa Maria in Gerusalemme, also known as the Monastery of the Thirty-Three, founded by Blessed Maria Lorenza Longo.